Jack

An interesting collection, giving an insight into theatre practices in post-war Britain. Hartnoll is commissioned by the actress Freda Jackson, then at the height of her popularity, to produce an adaptation of the play, Jackson gets impressario Jack Hylton and producer Anthony Hawtrey on board, and there is the inevitable falling out between the actress and the author, with Macqueen-Pope, who is acting as Hartnoll's agent, playing the mediator, as matters become acrimonious.

Four pages, folio, stapled top left, fold marks, some ink stained finger marks (perhaps also in facsimile?) on final page. A letter by which the author introduces himself and his life in technicolour detail, he winds up, "Am healthy, love exercise, and take little. Shall pay the penalty some day." Notes: A. " As advance publicity [for Stone's "Sailor on Horseback"] the publishers issued a four -page facsimile of a typed Jack London letter dated Oakland California, Jan. 31, 1900. The letter is addressed to Houghton ..." (American First Editions). B.

The collection of sixteen items is in good overall condition, on aged and worn paper. Includes: two lists of 'Messrs. Methuen's Sixpenny Books', one of them dated to 1908; lists for 1912, 1915, 1924 (two), 1934 (two: novels and 'new books'), 1939 (two: one in red of novels, and the other in blue of non-fiction). Also advertisements for: 'The Illustrated Pocket Library of Plain and Coloured Books'; 'The Heather Moon' by C. N. and A. M.

1p., 12mo. Good, on lightly-aged paper. He thanks him for his 'letter and expression of appreciation - judging by the wonderful reception of "Sunny" in Manchester I am hopeful of its success in London.' He is enclosing 'the two photos asked for' (not present).

ONE (Elliott's letter): 3pp., 12mo. 34 lines. Bifolium. In good condition, on aged paper, loosely attached to the title-leaf of the book by a small piece of gummed paper. The letter begins: 'My dear Driberg | I ought to have acknowledged your letter sooner, but I only received it on my return from abroad, and since then I have been busy struggling with the arears which always accrue during absence.' He thanks him for sending his 'son's little volume', which he has read 'with much interest & congratulate him on the neat & modest appearance he has made in print'.

6pp., 4to. Paginated 1-7, with page 6 missing, and a strip at the bottom of page 5 torn away, resulting in the loss of five lines of text. The letter ends 'Our garden is coming along too slowly. | All best salaams,'. It lacks a signature, but comes from the Driberg papers, and it is presumably Driberg who removed what was probably part of the text which dealt with personal matters.

8pp., 4to. On eight leaves pinned together. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper, with rust staining from pin. Apparently unpublished. Typed at head of first page: 'From J. H. Driberg, 19, Dryden Chambers, W.1.', above which, in manuscript: 'NL. N. 10 pt Miscellany'. Driberg is clearly the author: 'Anyanga' is a surname common in the area of Kenya in which he was based as a colonial offical. The first paragraph gives an indication of the tone of the piece: 'The War left me with one fragrant memory. Her name was Yvonne Beaubouchais, and the date was 1915.

40pp., 4to. Not paginated. In very good condition. Covers and centre-spread printed in colour on glossy art paper, otherwise in black and white. Profusely illustrated. The third page carries an introdcution by 'Mandy', reading: 'Two questions . . . . . remain unanswered despite the many thousands of words written about the Ward Trial. How do girls like myself move into High Society circles? And just how loose are the morals of certain Top People? | These are the questions I have set out to answer - not in any way to whitewash myself.

The four items in good condition, on lightly-aged paper. In envelope addressed to Mrs P. E. Batt, Beckenham, Kent. ONE: 'The Last Month' by Wilmott. 13pp., foolscap 8vo. A photocopied typescript on thirteen leaves of paper, stapled together, with five original autograph annotations by Batt. The first reads '"Big funf" was one of the German Guards - had no roof to his mouth - spoke funnily' and the fourth 'We had a "Union Jack" which was used for burials when P.O.W.'s died.' Wilmott's account commences: 'There had been gun fire from the west and the south for the last three days.

2pp., landscape 12mo. In good condition, with minor water stain. He begs Driberg's pardon for having to 'break my engagement to play Bridge with you on Saturday evening - though it seems very impolite when I accepted so long ago': 'The fact is that the Master of Trinity has announced his intention of bringing the Belgian Ambassador to dine with me in Hall at Magdalene on that evening, and I regard this as so near to a Royal Command that I dare not evade it!' He hopes that '[w]ith this amount of notice' Driberg will be able to find a replacement, and asks for 'another chance later on'.

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with the slightest bloom to the blank reverse of the second leaf. Addressed to 'Dear Driberg'. He begins by reminding him that 'E. P.' had 'recommended me to the authorities of Cairo University for Hocart's vacant post [Arthur Maurice Hocart (1883-1939)], & had mentioned your name, at my request, as a referee'. With casual racism, he now remarks that 'the Gippies have acted promptly & E. P has just had a letter from a former colleague of his telling him that they are making inquiries with a view to offering me the post'.

1p., 12mo. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. The letter begins: 'Dear Jack | It is a long time since we met - but perhaps that is my fault. If so, will you let bygones be bygones - and come over to Toppesfield some time?' She suggests a date, 'Or any Sunday lunch in the immediate future', stating that 'after July, all plans are "Hitler permitting"!' Driberg has noted his acceptance of the invitation up one margin. [Driberg was a Lecturer in Anthropology at Cambridge University from 1934 to 1942. His brother was the colourful Labour MP Tom Driberg.

1p., 12mo. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Having been 'very comfortable' at Trinity College, Cambridge, as a guest of Bernard Thomas, Raglan thinks it will be 'very pleasant' to stay there again. He gives details of his proposed itinerary, makes suggestions regarding his motor-car, and accepts an invitation to 'dine in Hall'.

2pp., 12mo. Good, on lightly-aged paper. She asks him if he can 'shed any light' on a book or paper (not named), 'or indicate what amount of interest it is likely to have': 'The author wrote it in 1904, added to it in 1907. Council [of the University of Cambridge] accepted it for publication in 1916. It was returned to the author, at his request, in 1928!' She could send it to Driberg, 'to look through, if you like (or rather if you are willing!)' A postscript regarding Sir E. E. Evans-Pritchard, emphatically underlined, reads: 'Is it true that E-P is married???'

1p., 12mo. Good, on lightly-aged paper. He begins: 'My bookseller has sent me tonight "Island India at School" - Chicago University Press $2 [in fact 'Island India at School', E. R. Embree et al, 1934], and therefore, presumably, C.U.P. in this country.' He apologises for troubling Driberg unnecessarily: 'But yesterday they told me that they couldn't even trace it in Publishers' Catalogues.' Postscript reads: 'I hope I'm not robbing you of your proper style & title. I feel that it might be "Dr."

A significant item, written, as his biographer Roy Abrahams explains, by a man who was 'almost single-handedly responsible for keeping academic social anthropology, and one might add the place of African research within it, alive in the small Archaeology and Anthropology Department in Cambridge in those otherwise rather barren days of the 1930s'. 45pp., 12mo. In a ruled, stitched notebook without cover. Written in pencil on stained and aged paper. Some of the text is faded.

1p., 12mo. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Addressed to 'Dear Mr. Jack'. Having married Ioma Gladys Heaton-Nicholls the previous year, Evans-Pritchard had been commissioned in the Sudan defence force in 1940. (He would return to the Sudan-Ethiopian border to fight against the Italians alongside irregular troops of the Anuak.) In this letter Evans-Pritchard's mother writes to J. H. Driberg, at the time Lecturer in Anthropology at Cambridge University: 'Teddy & his wife were to leave England about the 3rd. for the East. I understood the sea voyage would be only about 4 or 5 days.

3pp., 4to. Fair, on lightly-aged paper, with slight smudging to outer margins of both leaves. Addressed to 'My dear Jack'. He is pleased to have heard from Driberg, but disappointed that there is 'no immediate chance' of seeing him, as he has not 'strayed from home for moons.

1p., 4to. 12 lines. Good, on lightly-aged paper. He was not able to reply to Driberg's letter sooner because he was arranging with the secretary of the Cambridge Historical Society to deliver a paper to be entitled 'Theories of the Causes of Wars'. He wonders whether Driberg's 'anthropologists' might not be able to 'join in the meeting - or possibly I might to talk [sic] to them on the following day'. He does not think he will be able to find time the following term. Ginsberg's paper 'The Causes of War' was published in 1939 in the Sociological Review.

2pp., 12mo. 28 lines. In fair condition, on aged high-acidity paper. Homburger begins by thanking Driberg for his 'papers' and expressing pleasure at their meeting. He encloses 'a list [not present] of feila words (just a few typical) and a draft of my paper not complete nor absolutely definite but which will shew you that I have pretty sound basis for my ideas as to the sénégalais nilotique.' 'Great difficulties', he considers, 'have arisen [...] from mixing anthropologie [sic] & linguistics.

1p., 4to. Fair, on aged paper with a slight bloom. Addressed to 'Dear Driberg'. He has intended to write for some time, and has finally traced Driberg's address 'on reading your letter in The Times this morning'. 'I dare say you know that I left Routledge's and established my own business on the basis of the Martin Secker list.' He invites Driberg to 'come in for a chat' the next time he is in London: 'I think it is high time a new book from you appeared and I should be glad to have it on this list.' Driberg does not appear to have taken Warburg up on his offer.

2pp., 12mo. Very good on blue paper, with letterhead printed in red. He begins: 'I must write to tell you how very much indeed I enjoyed the course at Cambridge and particularly your lectures.

Antoinette (Tony) Powell-Cotton was the daughter of Major Percy Horace Gordon Powell-Cotton (1866-1940), explorer, naturalist, founder in 1896 of the Quex Museum (the Powell-Cotton collection), at Birchington, Kent. 3pp., 12mo. Fair, on lightly-aged paper, with a couple of minor damp stains to the first leaf of two. She writes that her family have just spoken to Professor Herskovits [the American anthropologist Melville Jean Herskovits (1895-1963)], 'and he gave us a message that you would like to see our specimens from Angola'.

On 7 x 21 cm. rectangle, cut from the base of a 4to letter. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper, laid down on a piece of card. With the word 'SCARVES.' printed in the right margin, from the shop Hobbs bought with the proceeds of his 1919 testimonial. The text reads: '<...> to similar appeals by this same post. | Please forgive me. | Yours very truly | [signed] J B. Hobbs.'

13pp., foolscap 8vo. Paginated 1 to 13 and signed at the end 'Ernie Wilmott'. On seven leaves stapled into grey covers, with the title 'The Last Month' typed on the front cover. In good condition, in worn wraps. The account commences: 'There had been gun fire from the west and the south for the last three days. Friday the 13th April 1945 the usual officials did not come to fetch the men, but a little later than usual the Gaschwyz [sic] column was called, so we assembled and left for work, about 20 of us.

i + 207pp., 8vo. Perfect bound in green card wraps, with green cloth spine. In good condition: lightly-aged and a little dogeared, in lightly-creased wraps with slight wear to spine. Tipped in onto the last page is an original 'Army Form B. 104-83', signed and stamped with date 16 March 1943, informing Batt's father that he was posted as missing on 27 February 1943 in North Africa. Nine chapters: 'The Western Desert'; 'Italy'; 'Gaschwyz'; 'Leipzig', 'Gaschwyz Again'; 'Boehlen, Leuna, Wiederitsch'; 'Lager Waldfrieden'; 'Russians'; 'Latvians'.

ii + 177pp., 8vo. Each page on a separate leaf. Original typescript, not a carbon. In very good condition, in green card folder. The first paragraph of Batt's two-page preface reads: 'This transcript has been copied from original personal diaries of JOHN HEATH with whom I served in 155 Battery, 172 Field Regiment R.A.; an artillery unit of 25 pounder guns stationed at Mersham, Nr. Ashford in Kent. John and I were together through most of the happenings in North Africa, Italy and Germany described in these diaries until May 1945 when we got split up as the war in Europe was coming to an end.

A total of 8 pp, 4to, all on Palace Court letterheads. Dent's notes both signed 'Jock Dent.', and the copies both signed 'James Agate'. Two important, energetic and vivid letters by Agate, totalling 6 pp, 4to, defending Coward's play and his position on 'the intellectual and the popular', against the 'pseudo-intelligentsia' of the barristers Shearman and 'Jack' St John Hutchinson (1884-1942).

8vo, 32 pp. All eight illustrations on six plates present as called for in list on verso of fly-leaf. In original green card wraps, ornately illustrated on cover, which has at its head, 'GEORGE CRUIKSHANK'S | FAIRY LIBRARY'; and at its foot, 'PUBLISHED BY | D BOGUE 86 FLEET St. | PRICE ONE SHILLING'. On back cover: 'ALREADY PUBLISHED, | HOP O'MY THUMB AND THE SEVEN LEAGUE BOOTS, | ILLUSTRATED WITH SIX PLATES, CONTAINING NINE SUBJECTS, | BEING | No. 1 OF GEORGE CRUIKSHANK'S FAIRY LIBRARY. | Preparing for Publication, | No. III. | CINDERELLA AND THE GLASS SLIPPER.

12mo, 4 pp. Bifolium. Forty-eight lines. Text clear and complete. Good, on aged paper. Begins 'One must needs be a churl indeed to be a laggard in his response to a letter containing words of so sweet breath composed as yours!' He thanks Baron for his 'kind & encouraging letter', and considers that an author 'has no keener or more lawful pleasure than to find that the errors of his song or tale has [sic] lodged (as Longfellow says) in the heart of some far-off and unknown friend'.