[Pat Lawlor, New Zealand journalist and book collector.] Two Typed Letters Signed, or signed carbon copies, to Malcolm Muggeridge, praising his biography of Hugh Kingsmill and discussing his own association with him.

See his entry in the Encylopedia of New Zealand, and those of Muggeridge and Kingsmill in the Oxford DNB. Each item 1p, foolscap 8vo. Both addressed to ‘Dear Mr Muggeridge’. ONE (12 September 1955): In good condition, on air mail paper, lightly aged and creased. Signed in pencil with calligraphic squiggle. Begins: ‘I want to write something about Hugh Kingsmill. About 20 years ago we exchanged a few letters during a flare up in the Wilde-Douglas business at a time when Robert Sherard was busy fanning the flames and G. B. S. taking a casual interest in the books and articles published on the subject.’ He comments on his interest in Kingsmill, and continues: ‘I thought Kingsmill was rather cruelly written down after his death and that the study of him by Hesketh Pearson and yourself received scant notice.’ He asks Muggeridge to help him locate ‘a picture of Kingsmill, even if it is only a magazine reproduction of a photo’: ‘rather cheeky, this request from a stranger to a very busy man but you, being his friend, might be able to oblige’. He is disappointed to learn that Muggeridge has abandoned his plan to visit New Zealand: ‘I was hoping to have a talk with you about Kingsmill’. He asks if he might contribute to Punch. This might ‘work in with my Sydney “Bulletin” representation’. He concludes by praising Muggeridge as ‘the man who made “Punch” step up with the times without losing its old time character’. TWO (21 January 1956): Signed in pencil ‘Pat Lawlor’. An abortive commencement to the letter at the head of the page has been deleted in green ink. He thanks Muggeridge for ‘generously’ sending his book on Kingsmill. ‘It is more than a memorable biography. I[t] reveals how the gift of laughter, so rare these days, made the greatest friendships I have read of. The approach is unique, the book is all revealing and no apologies are made. I do not know of any other biography like it. For this reason I am sure the time will come for a reprint in which case I hope you will include a bibliography [autograph amendment of ‘biography’] and somethign more about the spiritual mind of Kingsmill. At all events we have not heard the last of your great friend evident from the very favourable reviews being given to his “High Hill of the Muses”.’ He hopes he can ‘run over to N.Z.’ the next time he is in Australia. As promised he is sending ‘copies of a few Kingsmill letters dating about the time I was mixed up in the Wilde controversy. Hesketh Pearson might like to see them also.’ He concludes: ‘Oh, how I would have loved to have met the three of you in the grand days you have written of. My gift of laughter might not have been as strong as your’s but I think I might have supplied a small obligato.’ In a postscript he asks for a photograph of Muggeridge.