KAY

A very nice piece of Wodehousiana, with Moncreiffe using his genealogical expertise to delve into Wodehouse's pedigree (See Moncreiffe's entry in the Oxford DNB.) From the archives of Philip Dosse, proprietor of Hansom Books, publisher of a stable of seven arts magazines including Books and Bookmen and Plays and Players. See ?Death of a Bookman? by the novelist Sally Emerson (editor of ?Books and Bookmen? at the time of Dosse?s suicide), in Standpoint magazine, October 2018.

Sir Iain Moncreiffe of that Ilk was a true Scottish eccentric. The Oxford DNB refers to his reputation as ‘as an (eminently quotable) super-snob’, a characterization which is strongly supported by this energetic, entertaining and playful correspondence, which, as the extracts quoted below show, covers a great deal more than the practicalities of his review work. (See the ODNB’s evaluation of his intellectual merits: ‘In conversation, as well as in his published work, he relied on a marvellously retentive memory that was unimpaired even by a considerable intake of alcohol.

2pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once. Robinson is concerned, as he sent 'the corrected proofs and copy of index some time ago – quite a fortnight, I should say': 'Have you not received them? Please wire on receipt of this, if you can find them: though I am afraid they may have got lost at this end, as several letters did lately.' If need be, he has 'duplicate proofs and could correct these sharp and I have rough copy of most of the index too'. If informed 'at once', he can 'set to work'. From the Grant Richards papers.

The signatories are the British astronomer Sir Richard Arman Gregory (1864-1952), the American author Edwin Diller Starbuck (1866-1947), the American lawyer (twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize) Manley O. Hudson [ Manley Ottmer Hudson ] (1886-1960), and the two Japanese professors of English Ichikawa Sanki (1886-1970) of the Imperial University of Tokyo (friend of Lafcadio Hearn) and Rintaro Fukuhara (1894-1981) of Bunrika University (colleague of William Empson). The signatures are on four leaves of 8vo paper, In good condition, lightly aged and worn, with some fold lines.

159pp., 8vo. In good condition, with light signs of age and wear, in a card folder with 'Best Copies | A | Nurse Phipps | War Diaries | (1939-45)' in autograph on front. Each page of the typescript is on one side of a separate leaf.

13pp., 12mo. On three bifoliums and a last single leaf. On aged and worn paper. A semi-literate, but spirited epistle. Little is to be discovered concerning the identity of the writer. Addressed to 'My Darling Son' and signed 'good bye, be good, ever yours and yours alone William Kay', but with a few hints that the letter may not in fact be from a father to his son. Kay begins by stating that he is going to fulfil his promise and write 'a long letter'.

8vo: [viii] + 265 + [ii] pp. Printers slug on page following 265, followed by a full-page advertisement by Harrison Hall, Philadelphia, and Collins & Co., New York, for 'Wilson's Ornithology', dated 'Philadelphia, July 1832'. In original brown paper boards, with brown cloth spine carrying white printed label. Tight, but in poor condition, with light spotting and damp-staining. Unobtrusive repair to closed tear on reverse of title-leaf. Ownership inscription of Joseph Malcomson (mill owner of Portlaw, County Waterford) to rectos of first four leaves, including title.

On piece of creased and lightly spotted paper roughly 11 x 11 cm. Reads '<...> for half a Century. | Believe that I remain | Dear Barry | Your's faithfully | [signed] Joseph Kay | Charles Barry Esqr. Kt. | &c &c &c'.

Plate size roughly four and a half inches by four and a quarter wide, on paper six inches by five wide. 'Kay fecit' in bottom left-hand corner and date in bottom right. Good clean image on aged paper with some wear to blank border. The figures are identified in pencil at foot as 'McNab, K. McKenzie, Easton [^surgeon in the army] & Stabilini'. They are named as Eiston, Stabilini, McNab and McKenzie' by the National Portrait Gallery.