[ Roger Senhouse, member of the Bloomsbury Group. ] Autograph annotations on his (and Lytton Strachey's) Byron books, in 'Byron and Byroniana' catalogue, and on Rayner Heppenstall's BBC telepathy experiment, with copy of printed BBC 'Findings'.

Author: 
Roger Senhouse [Roger Henry Pocklington Senhouse] (1899-1970), English publisher, member of Bloomsbury Group [ Elkin Mathews Ltd; Rayner Heppenstall (1911-81); Giles Lytton Strachey; BBC ]
Publication details: 
Catalogue: Elkin Mathews Ltd, 33 Conduit St, London W1. January 1930. BBC 'Findings', stamped with date 3 December 1945.
£220.00
SKU: 16610

ONE: Elkin Mathews catalogue. xii + 125pp., 8vo. 776 items, with a number of facsimiles. In grey printed wraps. Internally in fair condition, on aged paper, cocked at foot, in heavily-worn wraps with repair to rear cover. Containing numerous annotations in Senhouse's close, neat hand, mostly in pencil, giving bibliographical information relating to various entries, with reference to his own collection. Next to the entry for a first edition of 'English Bards and Scotch Reviewers' Senhouse writes: 'my copy "H S" Sold to Quaritch'. Beside the entry for the 'spurious' third edition of the same work Senhouse writes, in one of four references to Lytton Strachey as 'L.S': 'E & P 1804 p3 | see book | M.S.'s copy | Blue Bds | L.S's copy | Buff Bds'. Long note beneath entry for an 1817 American edition of 'Manfred' indicates Senhouse's meticulous attention: 'Bk - Coll - III J/A 1937 | Wise | 1. Reverse 1/2 title blank. Reverse title carries imprint. V. rare | 2. - imprint at foot. - blank. B3 B7 six cances* [* Not properly cancels, having no stubs, but single leaves tipped in with gum [therefore] wrongly put down in the forme. B. conjugation B1-8: 2-6. 715 | B1.8 The <?> of B2 would loosen B7 | ordinary 2 7 | 3 6 | 4 5 | B1. 1/2 Title B2 tit B3 DRAM PERS - reverse blank] | 3. - Title has 2 u Hamlet added'. The final blank page of the catalogue carries a 26-line pencil account by Senhouse of 'Rayner Heppenstall's 1st programme' broadcast on telepathy, dated October 1945. The test was conducted by radio listeners, who sent in their responses to the BBC for evaluation. Senhouse notes that he took the 'Test with Maureen Church at 12 Gt Ormond Street', and also gives the two sequences of ten entries, giving Church's birthday as 31 December 1917. The test involved attempting to correctly describe a sequence of roses and skulls (Rs and Ss). Senhouse points out how John Donne's poem 'Compass' was 'so beautifully read by Rayner' during the programme, and describes how he 'deliberately ended up with my own initial - a foregone conclusion. At one moment I tried to oppose myself to Maureen's choice, <?> [therefore] not surprised when my list emerged the very opposite of hers in every case - even the last & wh[ich] I thought at the time wld probably have to be changed in mine to make the opposition complete'. He ends by explaining that he 'wrote to R[ayner] the next day, giving some such explanation of my peversity & enclosed the 2 lists. He rang up when I was out, but wrote to F. S. W. to say that a) The uneven birthdays were the exact reverse of the even! b) That we were right in every entry but the last 2! Since you can't revoke in the last 2 tricks, I am thinking of claiming a grand slam!' TWO: Duplicated typescript titled 'Findings of "Telepathy" experiment. 1p., 8vo. Stamped 'RECEIVED | 3 DEC 1945 | ANSD.' In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Divided into two sections: 'As announced' (beginning 'The results of the experiment conducted in "Telepathy", the first programme in this series, are as follows: -') and 'As billed in the Radio Times' (beginning 'Some remarkable results emerge from an analysis of the 24,442 sets of ten guesses at pictures of a rose and a skull.').