BRITTEN

Two pages, 8vo, good condition. "Thanks you for your letter. I have the happiest memories of Stonehaven on a brief holiday years ago, and I would like to come & give a recital with Osian Ellis [counter-tenor] for your Society. | My diary tells me that the best (and only, perhaps) time next season would be the very end of January or the first day or two February. | I will pass your letter on to my agent Mr Phipps, 8 Halliford St, London N 1 Tel. 01-359 0443 & perhaps you can correspondend with him about it. I do hope it comes off."

126pp., 4to. (Act 1 has 55pp. and Act 3 has 71pp.) Each act bound in grey card covers. Worn and aged, with the remains of the purple ribbon used to bind the leaves into their covers. A heavily reworked typescript. As is customary, the typed text of the play is on the rectos only, but leaves with additional typed and manuscript (presumably autograph) text have been inserted. Numerous manuscript additions and deletions to the text on the rectos, with additional typed passages on pieces of paper laid down onto the facing versos, which also carry further manuscript changes.

4pp., 8vo. 102 lines of neatly and closely written text. With original envelope addressed by Leeper to 'E. Martin Browne Esq | 99 Claremont Avenue | New York 27 | U.S.A.' Leeper begins by expressing her pleasure that Browne is 'going to do the first American performance of Noye's Fludde', which she describes as 'a great work - big & simple & satisfying, & very moving'.

1p., 12mo. On fly-leaf of book. Written in green ink on aged and spotted paper. Reads: 'For | Madame Charles with best wishes from | [signed] Edward Sackville West. | Oct. 1934'.

The nine items are in good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Items One, Three and Four, from 1962, and stapled together, as are the other six items, dating from 1964-5. ONE: Autograph Letter Signed ('Benjamin Britten') from Britten to Juda. On letterhead of The Red House, Aldeburgh, Suffolk. 25 July 1962. Responding to Item Three below, Britten thanks Juda for 'sending the magnificent book on Graham Sutherland', which Britten is 'very glad indeed to have'.

On two slips, both 15.5 cm wide, and totalling 59 cm long. Fair, on aged paper, with minor rust marks from a paperclip. The second slip headed with pagination '48', and running title 'Festschrift in Honour of Benjamin Britten'. He is grateful 'for the eerie fog, for the rain, as for the sixth sense, rich imagination and irrepressible humour of this people, as I am for all that has been absorbed of outlandish and exotic rendered proper, of wisdom and experience rendered intuitive - as I am particularly for their having absorbed and adopted me.' With one of Menuhin's compliments slips.

The six items good, on aged paper, with the copies of Luckhurst's letters lightly creased. Item One: Copy of Luckhurst to Wilson. 5 October 1948. 4to, 1 p. Asking whether Wilson 'would honour the Society by consenting to deliver the third [Cantor] lecture for which the title "Music - and the Audience" is suggested. [...] the first lecture in the series will be given on March 22nd by Mr. Benjamin Britten, and the second on March 29th by Sir Malcolm Sargent.' Gives details of arrangements and fee. Item Two: Wilson to Luckhurst. Typed Leter Signed. 8 October 1948. 12mo, 1 p.

12mo, 1 p. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Punch-hole in top left-hand corner. Replying to an autograph hunter, she states that she has 'signed the programme' and has 'much pleasure in returning it with every good wish'. Good, firm signature.

On a fragment, roughly 11 x 16 cm, of a page of laid paper from a diary. Good, on lightly aged paper. Two signatures, under the heading 'July 22': 'Spencer <?> | Steuart Wilson.' Lightly docketed in pencil.

Botanist and Roman Catholic propagandist (1846-1924). All but the second letter, which is addressed 'Gentlemen', are addressed 'Dear Sirs'. The letters are all 12mo, and embossed at the head of the first leaf 'NOX VENIT QUANDO NEMO POTEST OPERARI'. In letter 1 (1 page) he asks that his 'Collecting book of Flowering Plants' be sent to him: he will mention it in his 'Journal of Botany' for June.