[Posthumous collection of poems by Patric Dickinson, inscribed by his wife Sheila Shannon to his mistress Sarah Hamilton: 'ave atque vale' / Poems by Patric Dickinson'. With Autograph Card Signed to Hamilton from Shannon.

Patric Dickinson has not received his due. A self-styled ‘poet and impresario of poetry’, Dickinson occupied a central position in the cultural landscape of post-war Britain. As an editor and broadcaster he worked with poets such as Dylan Thomas, Cecil Day Lewis and Roy Campbell, actresses Flora Robson, Peggy Ashcroft and Jill Balcon, and actors Robert Donat, Ralph Richardson, John Gielgud. See John Mole’s obituary in the Independent, 31 January 1994. From the papers of Dickinson’s mistress Sarah Emmeline Hamilton. (His extraordinary correspondence with her, including 171 original and mostly-unpublished poems, 474 autograph letters and 349 post cards, is offered separately). The present item is a very nice production. [11] + 38 + [1] pp., small 8vo. In brown cloth with white paper label on front board with title 'ave atque vale' printed in red. Title-page in red and black, the rest in black. Inscribed on front free endpaper: 'for dear Sarah / from Sheila - / 17. 7. '98'. A moving three-page 'Foreword' by 'S. D.' begins: 'Sitting on either side of a large open fire in our drawing room on January 26th, 1995, Patric read me the last poem he ever wrote and told me he had plenty more in his head. Four days later he died. He had just had his 79th birthday.' Foreword ends with reproduction of PD's rebus of his address 38 Church Square, Rye. (The PD correspondence contains a letter from Shannon to Hamilton asking for assistance in the compilation of this volume.) Loosely inserted is a plain white Autograph Card Signed from Shannon to Hamilton. Dated 17 July 1998 and from 38 Church Square Rye, Sussex. 'Darling Sarah. / Here is the promised book of Patric's poems with my love & I know with Patric's love, too. I hope he would have liked the book & the choice of poems. Dear John Bell who has printed the books on his hand press, brought me down my copies yesterday - I am very happy with the book & think he's done it beautifully. / Have you still got any copies of the lovely cover you made for [PD's 1965 Autobiography] The Good Minute? Im trying to collect copies so that every grand child can have one - & I so hate Gollancz's cover (& so did P. ) - and sometimes 2nd hand copies have no cover at all.' She ends with a little family news.