[Gustavus Brooke, celebrated Irish actor.] Two drafts of Typed Article on ‘The Tragic Tragedian’ by theatre historian W. Macqueen-Pope, with carbon of letter to the editor of ‘Everybody’s’ magazine Greville Poke, and reply.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. See his entry, and that of Brooke, in the Oxford DNB. The five items are in good condition, lightly aged and worn. ONE: Carbon of Typed Article titled ‘London Was Unlucky to Him / The Story of Gustavus Brooke, The Tragic Tragedian’. 11pp, 4to, on eleven leaves. Begins: There is nothing so ephemeral as the art of the actor. Very very few of the names live on. Yet there are some, who in their day were of the first magnitude and are now forgotten, save for the delving historian. That is a pity, for many of them deserve a niche in Fame and such a one was Gustavus Vaughan Brooke, the Tragic Tragedian. His life was one long exciting adventure of triumph and disaster. [...] He was one of the great ones of the early nineteenth century. His life ad his career resembled that of Edmund Kean.’ TWO: Carbon of (apparently earlier) draft of article. 11pp, 4to. No changes to text are apparent, but the layout is different. THREE: Another carbon of Item Two. FOUR: Carbon of TL from MP to the editor of ‘Everybody’s’ Greville Poke (also see his entry in the Oxford DNB). 13 July 1950. He is sending ‘the story of Gustavus Brooke. I know it is a little long but, believe me, it is a great story.’ He has ‘plenty of illustrations’. Elsewhere he writes that he is ‘rather sorry’ Poke did not like his ‘suggestion concerning the musical comedy situation because this turned out to be what I think is one of the best articles I have ever written. I sold it elsewhere at once’. FIVE: TNS written on behalf of the editor of ‘Everybody’s’ magazine, Greville Poke (also see his entry in the Oxford DNB), on the magazine’s letterhead, 14 July 1950. 1p, 4to. Signed ‘for Greville / WS’. Reads: ‘My dear Popie, / Thanks for sending along the manuscript of GUSTAVUS BROOKE. I shall be getting into this in the near future, I hope.’