POST-WAR

See Sir William Beveridge’s entry in the Oxford DNB: 'An overbearing and temperamental Scotswoman, Mrs Mair had come to the school [the LSE] with Beveridge in 1919 (having been his secretary and aide during the war) and was highly unpopular with many of the school's professors. Throughout the 1930s there were complaints about the ‘Beveridge–Mair dictatorship’ and a general sense of relief when Beveridge decided to leave the school to accept the mastership of University College, Oxford, in 1937.' 1p, 4to. In good condition, lightly aged, with one dog-eared corner. Folded twice for postage.

The present item is rare, and its interest is heightened by the fact that it is accompanied by a press release and has the covers covered in what are clearly notes on how to film the ceremony by a press cameraman. Only three copies on COPAC: at the British Library, Sheffield Hallam and the Bishopsgate Institute. An 8vo stitched pamphlet of twenty unpaginated pages in printed card wraps. Internally very good.

Butler had been Taft’s running mate in the 1912 United States presidential election. Such was his standing in the US that The New York Times printed his Christmas greeting to the nation every year. He shared the 1931 Nobel Peace Prize with Jane Addams. The present item is not untainted by the pompous circumloctions what one critic described as Butler’s ‘interminable miasmas of guff’. 2pp, 4to. On aged and creased paper, with slight damage to extremities but with text completely intact. Signed ‘Nicholas Murray Butler’.

A scarce piece of English theatrical ephemera, illustrative of the restrictions imposed following the Second World War. From the papers of W. Macqueen-Pope. (See his entry in the Oxford DNB.) The item is a duplicated bulletin of six closely-typed 8vo pages, on three loose leaves. The text is complete and clear, but the item is aged and with wear to edges. The first page is headed by the following, in capitals, above the address and phone number of ‘The Stage’: ‘According to latest directions from the Ministry of Fuel & Power this is for private circulation only and is distributed gratis.

60pp., 4to, crude card binding, damp-stained and worn at spine, typescript aged, damp-stained but clear. Sub-title: A Record of Public History and Private Opinion in Germany 1945-1954 | and an attempt at analysis of the German character as it appeared to a soldier of the British Army of the Rhine.

21pp, 12mo. In unpaginated stapled booklet of twelve leaves, in light-blue wraps. Printed on front cover: 'London Gliding Club | PROGRESS LOG BOOK', with space for the trainee's name and no. In fair condition, aged and worn, in worn covers, with one central horizontal fold. The trainee has written his name on the front cover, but this has been worn away, and it appears to read 'L Sennett' or 'L Bennett'. Printed on the first page is a list of twenty-four 'Flying Training Exercises'.

On 10 x 6 cm slip of laid paper cut from an album, with partial ruled border in pink and blue. In good condition, lightly aged. A good firm signature, reading 'Randolph S. Churchill.' No other writing on the same side; with signature of 'Geoffrey H. Crump' on the reverse.

16pp., 12mo. Stapled pamphlet. In fair condition, aged and dogeared. Cover reads 'FESTIVAL OF BRITAIN | MAY 3 - SEPTEMBER 30, 1951 | INFORMATION SUMMARY'. The lettering of the words 'FESTIVAL OF BRITAIN' is in the distinctive style, and the festival's logo is on the back cover. A list of contents on the second page includes an introduction on 'The Festival Organisation', information on events around Britain, 'Travelling Exhibitions' (including the 'Festival Ship Campania'), 'The Churches' Participation', and sections on books, films and 'Admission Charges'.

74pp., 8vo. Stapled duplicated typescript, with pages on rectos only. In fair condition, with moderate signs of age and wear. Light staining at head, and discoloured title-leaf detaching. A few minor manuscript emendations, and '-Debel' added in manuscript to the translator's name. 'La Princesse Americaine' was first performed in 1963, and like Aloni's other early work was influenced by the European Theatre of the Absurd. An English translation of the play appeared in 1980, but OCLC WorldCat has no record of the publication of a French translation.

TLS: 2pp., 12mo. In good condition. The letter begins: 'Dear Al: | Last Thursday morning, while sitting in a barbar chair, I asked myself a question which a number of people have been asking me recently, namely, What are you doing at Harvard? I couldn't come up with a very satisfactory answer, so I went to a friend's house on Cape Cod for the weekend. Monday I saw the head of the English Department at Harvard, H. C. Baker. He said, "Follow your star," which seemed to me a little romantic, but all the same good advice.

The three items derive from the Bilainkin papers. Each is separately paginated and stapled, with the text on one side only of the leaves. All three in good condition, on lightly-aged and creased paper, with rusty staples. Item One: Titled 'ADD 1960 DIARY. Saturday, July 23.' 7pp., foolscap 8vo. With carbon copy of the same.

4pp., foolscap 8vo, on the rectos of four leaves. In fair condition, on aged and worn paper. The first two pages carry the French text ('C.I.J.') and the last two the English text ('I.C.J.'). One page carries instructions for the 'Audience de la Reine des Pays-Bas' ('Audience with the Queen of the Netherlands'), and the next carries an 'Annexe a Distr.272' ('Annex to Distr. 272'). The latter is a copy of a letter from Hardenbroek, Grand-Master of the Court of Her Majesty the Queen, to 'Monsieur le Président of the International Court of Justice, Peace Palace, The Hague'.

1p., 8vo. In fair condition, on lightly-aged paper, with slight wear and few short closed tears. An interesting artefact, reflecting the postwar British manpower shortage. The heading is all in block capitals, with 'TRADESMEN WANTED' across the top.

Around 140 items, laid down on 53 pp of a contemporary 37 x 25 cm stapled scrapbook. In original red and orange wraps, with 'Edinburgh Festival 1958' in manuscript on front cover. The collection is in good condition, on lightly-aged paper, with occasional items a little discoloured from mounting. The scrapbook itself is slightly grubby and ruckled. Collected by Victor Conn of Eltham, London, who was presumably responsible for the neat captions to some newspaper cuttings and other items.

Striking advertisement, in red ink, on one side of a piece of paper roughly seven inches by seventeen wide. With something of a prewar feel, it reads 'DORKING URBAN DISTRICT | BOOK, WASTE PAPER | and CARDBOARD DRIVE | [in box on right] 12th April | TO | 1st May | 1948 [end of boxed text] | Save the Nation from having to import Waste Paper from abroad | PROVIDE | MORE Employment = MORE Cartons for Food | = MORE Materials for Housebuilding ='.