['By consent of the Police? NO.': E. V. Knox, editor of 'Punch'.] Typed Card Signed from Cyril Clemens of the Internation Mark Twain Society, asking for Knox's 'definition of democracy', with carbon copy of Knox's reply.

See Knox’s entry in the Oxford DNB. The two items are in fair condition, lightly aged and creased, each with a couple of lightly-rusted pin holes. Clemens’s plain card, with stamps and postmarks, is addressed to ‘E. V. Knox Esq / c/o Punch / London, England.’, and is signed ‘faithfully / C C Clemens’. The message reads: ‘Dear E.V. Knox / We hope the life of President Truman reached you safely? / The Society is arranging a symposium on democracy You may care to send your definition of democracy and a few comments. / Are you writing your Memoirs?’ The unsigned typed carbon copy of Knox’s reply is 1p, 12mo. After thanking Clemens for the book and the card he writes: ‘I don’t think my views on Democracy are very original. It seems to me simply a right to express an opinion. By Vote? Perhaps. In print? Possibly. By consent of the Police? NO. Good luck with the Society.’ He ends with a witty twist: ‘As for my memoirs, well I’ve been asked [last word underlined] to write them by several people. There are limits of course - even to Democracy.’