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From the Macqueen-Pope papers. (See his entry in the Oxford DNB.) On 20 October 1922 Millais broadcast on 2LO radio, becoming the first comedian on what was later to become the BBC. In a performance on 21 November 1922 she became the third entertainer to appear on the week-old BBC. All three items in good condition, lightly aged, though the autograph letter has pin holes to a corner, and the typed letter rust from a paperclip. Both letters signed ‘Helena Millais’. ONE: TLS. 3pp, 12mo. Having met him ‘at various C.A.A. evenings, she asks him for advice about several books.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. (See his entry in the Oxford DNB.) The Clan Chattan Association is a confederation of highland clans. 2pp, 4to. In fair condition, lightly aged, with slight creasing to one corner, and rust staining from paperclip. Folded twice for postage. Addressed to MP’s London address in Coventry Street. ‘I’ve heard about your James MacQueen. His name appears in quite a few locally published papers &c. on Culloden. His new teeth are quite famous up here.’ He accepts the proposal for an article: ‘if you could go to 900-1000 words I’d be happy’.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. (See his entry in the Oxford DNB.) Both items in fair condition, lightly aged and creased. Pinned together. ONE: DM to MP. Signed ‘Mollie and Donovan Maule. / (Mollie Shiells)’, but the husband is clearly the author. 1p, 4to. Folded twice for postage. He thanks him for his ‘inspiring book’ on the Haymarket Theatre. ‘My wife and I (both ex-Haymarket artists) feel inseminated ith fresh optimism and jope while battling with the municipal authorities and Kenya Government to establish the first professional theatre ever known here.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. (See his entry in the Oxford DNB.) 2pp, foolscap 8vo. In fair condition, lightly-aged, with creasing at head, which is annotated by MP ‘(author)’. After thanking him for his letter he writes: ‘It is fatal to have a book published without seeing a proof. In my “G[ilbert] & S[ullivan] Dictionary” I had occasion to mention “The Yeomen of the Guard” 14 times. The comp[ositor], aided by the reader, deliberately channged them to “Yeoman”.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. (See his entry in the Oxford DNB.) 1p, 16mo. Signed ‘Bill Owen’. In fair condition, lightly aged and creased. Hailing him as ‘the greatest living authority on British Theatre’, he asks for advice. ‘My job is acting, and it has always been an ambition of mine to portray the life of Dan Leno, either on film or TV.

From the papers of the evident recipient, theatre historian Walter James Macqueen-Pope. See his entry, and hers and her husband’s, in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. Large bold signature ‘Sybil’. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. Folded once for postage. The letter almost certainly relates to the unveiling ceremony of the Ivor Novello Memorial at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on 2 May 1952. The bust, by Clemence Dane, was unveiled by Thorndike with the reading of a poem by Mary Ellis. The preent item reads: ‘My dear. Of course I[’]ll do anything you want me to do for our beloved Ivor.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. (See his entry in the Oxford DNB.) Interesting London ephemera: the plans for the Refectory Club were clearly ambitious, but there is little to be gleaned about it, and it is unclear whether it even opened. Zinkeisen and her sister Dora are the subject of a 2022 monograph by Philip Kelleway, Emma Roodhouse and Nicola Evans. The four items in good condition, lightly aged, but with rust staining from a paperclip. Folded for postage. ONE: Typed Letter to MP, signed ‘D Mallett’ (but with ‘For Secretary’ typed beneath this). 1p, 4to.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. See MP’s entry and those of various members of the Harmsworth family in the Oxford DNB. The three items are in good condition, lightly aged, with the first with rust staining from paperclip, and all three folded twice. Each signed ‘Geoffrey Harmsworth’. ONE: 9 August 1951. 1p, 8v. He doubts whether MP will remember their previous meeting. He is ‘engaged on a full-length Life of Northcliffe’ (written with Reginald Pound, and appearing in 1959), and is having to do ‘much digging to find out information about the early days’.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. (See his entry in the Oxford DNB.) 1p, 4to. Aged and creased, on discoloured high-acidity paper. Folded twice for postage, and with closed tear at head of vertical fold. Slight damage and rust staining from removal of staple. The letterhead incorporates two photographic portraits of Lauri, with press comment from ‘Everyone’s Magazine’ and career resume beginning: ‘Ernest Lauri / (The Singing Anzac) / STARRED IN AUSTRALIAN PICTURES / Versatile Vocalist and Monologist’. Macqueen-Pope is not named, but is presumably the recipient.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 4to. Sixty lines of text. Aged and worn, but entirely legible. Signed ‘H. F. Maltby’ and addressed to ‘My dear Pope’. Most of the letter concerns the tomb of ‘Maggoty’ Johnson: ‘I first met that interesting old gentleman over forty years ago, when I was playing at the Theatre Royal Macclesfield with the late Mrs Bandman-Palmer. It was my landlady who advised me to visit the tomb as one of the objects of interest in the place.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. See his entry and hers in the Oxford DNB. Caird was Northcliffe’s right-hand man, and mainly associated with the Daily Mail. The four items are in fair condition, lightly aged and creased, with slight rust spotting from a paper clips. Items Two to Four are on carbon paper. ONE: ACS from Tutin to MP. Small unillustrated postcard, signed ‘Dorothy Tutin’. Reads: ‘I remember you very well - your fascinating letures at the Academy [i.e. London theatre school RADA, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art] - and shall be very happy to meet you for this article.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. See both their entries in the Oxford DNB. The four items in good condition, lightly aged and creased, with slight spotting to one corner of Item. Folded for postage. ONE: ALS dated 28 December 1950. 2pp, 12mo. Before sending seasonal greetings she begins: ‘My dear Popie / I returned home to find your wonderful book waiting for me.

Four pages, bifolium, with thin neat strip of windowpane mount at edges, good condition, large handwriting. The 'notice' of the death of George [Miles?] was sent to this office by the parish Constable, as is usual on such occasions. It also appeared that the Registrar had declined to register the death. The inquest was held because the child had died from a violent cause. About three months since the poor little fellow fell into a basion of boiling water.

From the papers of W. J. Macqueen-Pope (see his entry in the Oxford DNB). Addressed in autograph to MP care of the BBC, and then forwarded to his office, 359 Strand. Pencil annotation by MP. On one side of an unillustrated postmarked printed British ‘Indian Postage’ air mail card with Indian postage stamp. In good condition, aged and lightly-worn. Also in Singh’s autograph is the salutation to ‘Dear Pope’ and the valediction ‘Your sincere / St Nihal Singh ST NIHAL SINGH’.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers (see his entry in the Oxford DNB). Merriman was accorded the honour of an episode of the BBC’s Desert Island Discs in 1964. 2pp, 12mo. Signed ‘Percy’ and addressed to ‘Dear Popie’. In good condition, lightly aged, with one dog-eared corner and folded twice for postage. Begins: ‘Am not of course seeking any publicity over your book on St. James Theatre [published in 1958] only wish I could help more. / You know of course Allan Ainsworth [sic, for ‘Aynesworth’] is alive the doyen of the Garrick Club! He played often with G[eorge]. A[lexander]. - in Pinero & Wilde.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. (See MP's entry in the Oxford DNB.) Nash made around 70 films between 1912 and 1927, and was a key figure in the creation of Elstree Studios. His career as a film maker was effectively ended following the screening of his 1921 film 'How Kitchener was betrayed'. See Bernard Ince, ' “For the Love of the Art”: The Life and Work of Percy Nash, Film Producer and Director of the Silent Era’, ‘Film History’, September 2007. Both items in good condition, lightly aged, each with light rust staining at one corner from paper clip. LETTER: 1p, 4to. Signed ‘Percy Nash’.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. In good condition. Signed ‘Ralph’ and addressed to ‘Dear Popie’. It was ‘extremely good’, ‘and typical too’, of MP to write to him ‘about the new Award’. He is ‘at Newcastle now with the Val Parnell Summer Show and we ring up on Monday’. MP will know ‘what we shall be going through at the moment!’ He ends by thanking him ‘VERY [sic] much for writing’.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers.. See his entry, and that of Matheson Lang, in the Oxford DNB. As the latter states, Britton and Lang had married in 1903 (she had been an actress with him in the Benson company since 1901). They toured together in Lang’s company, with Britton usually as his leading lady. ‘In 1914 they helped to inaugurate Shakespeare productions at the Old Vic under Lilian Baylis, for which Lang personally lent costumes and scenery.’ Britton was for many years a member of the Old Vic's governing board. Both items are signed ‘N. Matheson Lang’. ONE: ALS, 28 April 1948.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers (see his entry in the Oxford DNB). 1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once, with one dogeared corner. He thanks him for ‘having mentioned my name in connection with the playbills, prints, etc., needed for the redecoration of the Whitbread house in Covent Garden’. He believes MP will be ‘seeing my selection within the next few days’, and hopes that, ‘in general, you will approve of it’.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. See the two men’s entries in the Oxford DNB. Air Mail letter, 2pp, 4to, written within a few months of his death. With large signature ‘Matheson Lang’, and addressed to ‘My dear Pope’. Lightly-aged and worn, with slight damage from removal of postage stamp. Thirty-three lines of text, neatly-written and complete.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers (see his entry in the Oxford DNB). 2pp, 8vo. In good condition, lightly aged and worn, and folded three times for postage. She asks him to send ‘3 or 4 more copies’ of his ‘nice write up in the “Sunday Chronicle” March 13th.’, as she would like to send ‘a copy to Australia, Canada & America, as there is some talk about my going to America in the near future’. She has ‘tried all over Streatham and Brixton and it seems impossible to get a copy anywhere’, and will be happy to pay the cost.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. The occasion of the article was the forthcoming premiere of Rattigan’s play ‘The Sleeping Prince’, Olivier’s production of which, at the Phoenix Theatre in London, opened on 5 November 1953. The movie rights were bought by Marilyn Monroe, and the Hollywood film appeared in 1957 as ‘The Prince and the Showgirl’, with Olivier reprising his stage role, and Rattigan also writing the filmscript. See the entries on the Oliviers and Macqueen-Pope in the Oxford DNB. Interest in Beauchamp’s novels has grown in recent years.

An interesting letter, casting light on the workings of Victorian literary criticism. See his entry in the Oxford DNB. The subject of the letter, ‘Friendship’s Offering’, was one of the four great nineteenth-century London ‘gift books’, appearing between the 1820s and the 1840s, for some of the period at least under the editorship of Thomas K. Hervey. 1p, 4to. In good condition, lightly aged, with thin neat strip of windowpane mount adhering to edges. Folded four times for postage. Thirteen lines of text. Signed ‘W. Jerdan’, with recipient (‘Dear Sir’) not named.

See the two men’s entries in the Oxford DNB. 4pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with thin neat strip from windowpane mount adhering to the outer edges. Folded twice for postage. Writing during the Siege of Paris, he begins by thanking him ‘for the specimen of the present Paris printing. Alas how different is this blurred & blotted mass of types from the beautiful pages of typography which that brilliant city afforded!

An idiosyncratic letter, revealing something of his working practices, and the relations between client and bookseller in the early nineteenth century. See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. From the collection of a painstaking Victorian autograph collector, who has unobtrusively repaired slight damage to a central fold. On lightly discoloured paper, with a thin neat strip from the windowpane mount adheres to the edges. The letter is signed ‘Sh.n Turner’ and the recipients are not named.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 4to. In good condition, with thin neat strip from windowpane mount adhering at edges. Folded for postage. Signed ‘Carrington’ and addressed to ‘Robert Sparrow Esq.’ He has received Sparrow’s letter, and informs him that ‘the Bill is yet [to be] brought into the House of Lords for the improvement of waste land’.

A poignant letter. See Delane’s entry in the Oxford DNB. 3pp, 16mo. Bifolium. In good condition, with neat thin strip from Victorian windowpane mount adhering to edges of second leaf. Folded for postage. 32 lines, closely written. Presumably with reference to his ‘Life and Death of John of Barneveld’, Motley begins: ‘My dear Delane / Just before leaving England ten days ago in search of health (a fugitive very hard to catch) I begged Murray to send you a copy of a work which was to come out almost immediately.

An excellent letter, casting light on the relationship between the editor of The Times and a senior correspondent. See the two men’s entries in the Oxford DNB. Brackenbury’s states that ‘During the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 Brackenbury was the Times correspondent with the Austrian army, and was at the battle of Königgrätz (Sadowa) — riding with Benedek under fire at Chlum — and reported the naval battle of Lissa.

The founder of the greatest of London’s ‘Great Estates’. See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 4to. In good condition, on light-grey paper, with thin neat strip of windowpane mount adhering to edges. Folded three times for postage. Good firm signature ‘Westminster’, and with the name of the recipient neatly cut away: ‘Major <...> / 1st Lancashire Eng[ee]r. Vol[un]t[ee]rs.

12mo, 53 + [iii] pp. Text clear and complete. Aged and worn, with loose original front cover, printed in green, remaining from the binding. Stamp of 'The Community of the Resurrection' on title-page. A few manuscript notes in light pencil. Scarce: five copies on COPAC, at the British Library, Oxford, Cambridge, the National Library of Scotland, and University of London, variously dated to 1909 and 1910.