[George Kruger Gray; Great Expectations] Four Autograph Letters Signed George Kruger Gray to Mr Clementson concerning his drawings for a new edition of Great Expectations and other current work. With photos of drawings.

Total 2pp 4to, & 10pp. 12mo, very good condition. WITH (separate envelope), in Gray's hand, List of 28 drawings by George Kruger Gray of 'Great Expectations' [said list with page numbers] The pages are those in the 'Gadshill' Edition.] AND eleven (11) photographs (see sample image), ranging from 6 x 6.5 cms to 12.5 x 10 cms, of scenes and characters from Great Expectations, two the same image but different sizes and quality, perhaps the incomplete series he refers to in Letter Two. The letters contain information about his work (and hopes) on Great Expectations, work on coinage (for South Africa and the Ulster Parliament), and stained glass. Also personal - friendly relationship. Letter One (10 June): [...] I shall be delighted if it can be arranged for some publisher such as Macmillans to publish my Great Expectations' drawing in a new Edition of the book - & if the half tone blocks are made by a good firm & well printed the result would probably be alright, tho' not of course as good as photogravure but then the latter would be a good deal more expensive. [...] busy [...] I have lately designed & modelled the new coinage for the Union Government of South Africa & this is now in circulation [...] I am at present superintending the making from my designs of the two silver maces for the Upper & Lower Houses for the Ulster Parliament & have also done the reverse of the Great Seal for Ulster. | But what may interest you is that I am doing a small stained glass panel for the Committee room at the Stock Exchange, with their new coat of arms which has lately been granted [...] visit to Constable country [...] | I have not forgotten about the drawing of 'the Jack' for your set of Great Expectation drawings & will really try & get this done very shortly. [...] ; Letter Two (15 June, 6pp.) He justifies his name. He has completed the drawing of the Jack. I hope you will like it as you will see I have centred the interest on the landlord of the Jack - The convict is seated on the right - the other three at the table- If you can spare a complete [underlined] set of photographic prints of the Great Expectations drawings I could go & see Macmillans - I have photographs of some of the illustrations but not all of them [he continues discussing the photos] Shall I wait until I have a photograph of the last drawing before going to see Macmillans?. He goes on to reminiscence and personal matters. LETTER THREE (24 July 1924) [...] I have seen Harold Macmillan & have left the photographs with him[.] as soon as I hear I will write in full to you - I fear | The trouble is that it would have to be an isolated edition & not one of a series of Dickens volumes - I am not too [underlined] hopeful -; LETTER FOUR (29 July): I have heard from Macmillans & am sorry to say that they cannot see their way to publishing one [underlined] volume of Dickens. [T]his is as I feared from what was said at my interview with Mr Harold Macmillan - | I quite see their point. They only publish one Edition [underlined] at a time - I am very much afraid that any other publisher will refuse for the same reason. | It did strike me that some firm might just possibly publish the drawings in the form of a small portfolio with the drawings printed as separate plates, do you think it any use trying for this? [...] He goes on to personal matters, except for a postscript in which he asks for three prints of the last Great Expectations drawing. My mother is most anxious to complete her set [...]