[John Rudge Harding, actor.] Fifteen Autograph Letters Signed ('J. Rudge Harding' and 'Rudge') to actor 'Anmer Hall' [Alderson Burrell Horne]

The fifteen items are in good condition, lightly aged and worn. Totalling 19pp., 12mo; 4pp., 8vo; 1p., 4to. Eleven signed 'Rudge', three 'J. Rudge Harding', and one 'J. Rudge H.' Ten addressed to 'My dear Alderson', four to 'My dear Horne', and one to 'My dear Alderson Horne'. A friendly, chatty correspondence. Topics include: the war (Horne joined the 8th East Surrey Regiment in 1914, and was invalided out the following year), a funeral in Wiltshire ('What a horrid mummery it all is - I loathe the black hat & the black coat - (I won't wear black gloves)'), an article he has written (at the behest of 'Miss Ashwell') for 'The Three Arts Club Magazine', Lady Dudley, his state of 'nervous irritability', a play he is in at the Little Theatre, 'the Lincoln performance', the actor Hubert Harben and his wife Mary Jerrold being 'out of an engagement', a play in which 'Mary Jerrold was superb & Leon Quartermain excellent also', the address of the actor P. Perceval-Clark, 'Field-Marshal David' (on one occasion he writes: 'Good luck to the gallant David - May Goliath go down before him as of old.'), dinner engagements, Edmund Gosse's life of Swinburne, O. Henry, a 'cutting from "The Lady's Pictorial"'), whether '"Penelope" is the incomparable Miss Parker, an article by George Street. On 8 November [1917] he writes on the death of the actor-manager William Hunter Kendal (1843-1917) that he is 'bidden to Mr. Kendal's funeral tomorrow - & must go of course, out of respect for my old manager & real liking for a man who was on the whole extremely kind & just - & whom I regret.' Onn 21 July: 'I am waiting for a wire from the volatile Seymour Hicks fixing the day for my start to Glasgow to rehearsals. Tomorrow, most probably. I confess to feeling rather anxious about the job. I expect it will be difficult.' On 13 April: 'I actually went to a play the other night - a first night of a thing called "Betty at Bay" at the Strand. I see your friend Milne has written a play, which seems to be very good. Morrison, of the "Morning Post" whom I met at the Strand Theatre, praised it. [...] This Flanders fight seems to be a deadly serious business. I suppose our people are facing the possibility of a breakthrough. I devoutly hope and believe that will never happen, though, but it could be devilish awkward for you all <...> if it did!'