[ The Moberly–Jourdain incident, 1901, or the Ghosts of Petit Trianon or Versailles. ] Collection relating to the case, including typed essay by compiler James Edward Holroyd, four ALsS from Andrew MacKenzie, and a collection of newspaper cuttings.

The tale told anonymously by Charlotte Anne Moberly (1846-1937) and Eleanor Jourdain (1863-1924) in their 'An Adventure' (1911) is probably the most famous true-life ghost story of the twentieth century, and has been the subject of an enormous amount of analysis. For more information see the couple's entries in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. The present material is in good condition, with light signs of age and wear. It was assembled by Holroyd - a Sherlock Holmes expert - with the intention of writing a book on the subject. ONE. Corrected typescript of article by Holroyd titled 'Revisions at Versailles?' 6pp., 4to. Holroyd's name and address at head of first page. Written around 1981, since the incident is said to have occurred '80 years ago'. A detailed overview, concluding: 'The greatest ghost story in the world? Dame Joan Evans wrote to me after publication of the Jullian book: "I have always thought that the ladies (and still more their readers) made far too much of a story that in my own view was good enough to dine out on."' TWO. MacKenzie's four ALsS, dated 10 January, 11 February, 21 March and 8 October 1966. The first two on letterhead of the Sheffield Morning Telegraph, the last two from 18 Castlebar Park, Ealing. Among the topics are a 'letter to the "Spectator" alleging a death-bed confession by Miss Moberly'; Guy Lambert and his reading of 'Un Prince 1900', a book which has helped MacKenzie in his 'interpretation of the Versailles Case'; MacKenzie's own book 'The Unexplained', whose publication MacKenzie feels is bound to be accompanied by 'the usual controversy' ('Mrs. Gibbons is letting me use some illustrations from the Trianon Adventure'); the introduction to the book by Professor H. H. Price of Oxford, which states that 'the relevant facts here are even more complicated than had been supposed'. In the last letter he writes: 'When I sent Dr. Joan Evans her £3 . 3: copyright fee for material from An Adventure I said she would find the book of interest because of Versailles. | I mention this because if you feel like writing onne of your controversial articles about Versailles the field is still quite open. After all, the book has only been out for a fortnight. What about The Times? After that a salvo from the artillery of the MacKenzie-Lambert brigade could herald the start of a brisk engagement.' Accompanying the four letters is a carbon copy of a typed letter to MacKenzie from Holroyd, dated 10 November 1966. 1p., 12mo. Praising MacKenzie's 'The Unexplained', with a paragraph discussing 'the Versailles chapter'. THREE: Album containing 27 newspaper cuttings from the 1950s, dealing with the case, with Versailles itself, and with Robert de Montesquiou. Includes 'Miss Moberly's Apparitions', a 1954 article in the Listener by Lucille Iremonger, with letters in response; and reviews of Iremonger's 1957 book on the subject, by Raymond Mortimer ('Moonshine over Versailles'), A. J. P. Taylor ('A Ghost goes west') and Elspeth Huxley ('Questioning Apparitions'). Ten of the cuttings are loosely inserted, including six relating to Philippe Jullian's 1967 biography of de Montesquiou. The volume also contains: two negatives, both apparently depicting Versailles; three typed transcriptions of pieces relating to the case in the Spectator, 1955 (letter from Walter M. Wingfield) and 1958 (two reviews of A. C. Gibbons' 'The Trianon Adventure'); a copy of Encounter magazine, October 1976, containing Joan Evans's long article 'An End to An Adventure' (with photocopies of letters in response tipped in); a photocopy of Holroyd's article 'Light on Ghosts of Versailles', The Times, 7 August 1965.