Four Mimeographed Typed Chapters of 'C. D. N.'s American Diary', an account by Charles D. Notley of Notley Advertising Limited, of a trip to Canada and the United States, with accounts of meetings with Moholy Nagy, John Russell Powers and others.

The four items total 21pp., foolscap 8vo, on 21 leaves. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Comprising the four final chapters of Notley's account, each separately stapled and paginated: Chapter IV (26 October to 4 November), 6pp.; Chapter V (4 to 9 November), 4pp.; Chapter VI (9 to 17 November), 4pp.; Chapter VII (18 to 27 November), 7pp. For more information on Notley, see the appreciative obituary in The Times, 3 September 1962, and the letter by 'C. F. T.' in the same newspaper two days later. The present account confirms the description of Notley in The Times obituary, as 'a rounded man, his interests widely spread'. The poet Gavin Ewart, who would work for the firm in the 1950s, described Notley's company as 'probably the most bookish agency there has ever been'; others working there with Ewart included the poet Peter Porter, the art critic Edward Lucie-Smith, and the novelist William Trevor. A well-written, energetic and observant account, with Notley displaying intelligence and curiosity, as he travels across North America, being wined and dined by clients and colleagues, and gaining interviews with prospective customers. The beginning of the first of the four chapters sets the tone: 'Saturday, Oct. 26. Edmonton. Arrived at the Macdonald Hotel at crack of dawn and after a wash had breakfast. I hate to say it but the breakfast in the Cafeteria in this hotel (C.N.R. - the competitors) is the best and cheapest I have had since arrival in Canada. Tomato juice, sausages, bacon, friend eggs and potatoes, rolls, butter, marmalade and coffee - all for 45 cents, which is under 2/-. | [...] Let me tell you how to obtain a bottle of Scotch in Edmonton, or anywhere else in Alberta for that matter. You go to the Alberta Liquor Commission and sign a form and pay 50 cents. This entitles you to a permit to buy liquor. Armed with this you can buy two bottles of Scotch a month and unlimited Rye, gin, rum and wines. All this is subject to the shortage of bottles caused by a six months old strike of the operatives in the soda ash works - and you can't make glass bottles without soda ash. Empty bottles are worth 5 cents a time here.' Later on the same day he writes that he 'was standing at the news-stand in the evening chatting to the lady in charge when a fellow, noticing my accent probably, got into conversation with me. Would I like a drink in his room? I would. Would I like to go to the dinner dance? I would, but what do I use for a partner? He would fix that. So I found myself propelling a Miss Galloway around the ballroom some time later and did my best to prove that not all Englishmen tread on peoples feet all the time.' On 28 October, in Banff, 'The American ladies came over to dinner and thinking to uphold "the honour of the British Raj" I hied me to the liquor commission and bought a bottle of wine (Chateau Grocer 1945). On presenting this at table I was forbidden to drink it or serve it. So I asked the waitress to remove bottle to kitchen and serve it in a Coca-Cola bottle - and all was well. The American ladies didn't take wine anyway so I might have saved my trouble and my face.' Notley is always curious about transport, and declares that 'Mr. Jimmy Brewster is the uncrowned king of Banff. he runs all the bus services, taxis, and sight-seeing tours and owns the Mount Royal hotel and works closely with the C.P.R. He was very charming to me and took me anywhere I wanted to go at half rates.' Among those he meets in Canada are the ornithologist Dan Maccowan and Noble Wilt of the Hobart Manufacturing Company. Carrying an introduction from Herbert Read, Notley meets Moholy Nagy on 6 November at his Institute of Design in Chicago: 'Incidentally, in my home I have one of his "pictures" which was given to me by J.R.M. Brumwell. M.H. is a Hungarian and a master of advanced design technique'. According to Notley, the Institute is 'financed by Marshall Field, The Container Corporation of America and other big business people who are enlightened. It is also supported by subscriptions from the students themselves.' At the time of Notley's visit 'the school was in process of changing house and the whole place was full of plaster, carpenters, dust and rubbish. But in spite of all this the work went on - lectures were being given in half-finished rooms; sculpture studios, drawing studios and wood-working shops were all going as best they could in difficult circumstances. The students themselves were doing most of the painting and distempering.' Through Moholy Nagy Notley gains an interview on the following day with 'The Container Corporation of America'. He describes a dinner on 8 November at the Pump Room in the Ambassador Hotel, Chicago, 'supposed to be the most exotic restaurant in America'. In New York, on 19 November, he 'called up Van Tassel, the advertisement manager of "Vogue", and had an interesting talk with him. I also visited "Vogue" photographic studio and saw them at work. They have a staff of famous photographers (all seemed to be imported from Europe) and each one has his own studio with every kind of equipment possible.' He also visits Powers Models: 'In case you don't know, Mr. Powers runs an agency here for photographic model girls and it has become famous. Powers deals with glamour in a big way and represents about 150 of the most beautiful women in America. To give you some idea of the size of the business there is a room containing 50 telephones and each has a direct line to an advertising agency or photographic studio. These lines are used for nothing else but the booking of models. Most of these girls think nothing of earning 150 dollars a day [last two words underlined] which is £40 - or £200 a week. Not bad for some good looks and a bit of poise!' He describes a talk with Powers and a visit to the building.' The diary ends with Notley waiting to board the Queen Elizabeth on the following day. Apparently unpublished.