1936

[RMS Queen Mary, Cunard White Star ocean liner, maiden voyage.] Printed card for 'Kocktails and Kisses / With Harry Hayes', depicting one of the ship's 'mural carvings by John Skeaping'. With printed names of nine prominent guests.

Author: 
RMS Queen Mary of the Cunard White Star line, launched 1937, built in Glasgow, registered in Liverpool and now a tourist attraction at Long Beach, California
Queen Mary
Publication details: 
'Cunard / White Star'. 'MAIDEN VOYAGE / R.M.S. QUEEN MARY May 31 1936.' 'Printed in England. Q.P.D. 3.'
£120.00
Queen Mary

A scarce and interesting piece of Queen Mary ephemera. No other copy traced. 13 x 16 cm bifolium card. In fair condition, lighly aged and worn. Printed on the front cover in metallic grey and bronze is an image captioned on the back cover: 'One of the three large mural carvings by John Skeaping, Starboard Gallery, Promenade Deck, R.M.S. Queen Mary.' On reverse of cover: 'KOCKTAILS / AND / KISSES / With HARRY HAYES / To-day's great thought: / Are You happy in your work?' On recto of second leaf: 'Amongst the Guests: / Bill Bailey and Liverpool Staff / Dr.

[The Abdication Crisis, 1936: Sir Osbert Sitwell.] Mimeographed copy, marked ‘Private’, of the unexpurgated version of the satirical poem ‘RAT WEEK. / by Osbert Sitwell’, the cause of a legal action with ‘Cavalcade’.

Author: 
The Abdication Crisis, 1936: Sir Osbert Sitwell [Sir Francis Osbert Sacheverell Sitwell, 5th Baronet] (1892-1969) [King Edward VIII and Mrs Wallis Simpson; Abdication, 1936; Cavalcade]
Sitwell
Publication details: 
Undated, but circa 1936. On paper watermarked 'BELFAST BOND / MADE IN CANADA'.
£180.00
Sitwell

See Sitwell’s entry in the Oxford DNB. In his 1999 biography Philip Ziegler describes how the ‘doggerel polemic Rat Week’ ‘excoriated’ the supporters of the Edward VII and Mrs Simpson: ‘Osbert realised that this diatribe, if published, might land him in a flurry of libel actions, but he could not resist having a few copies made and distributed to his closer cronies; Mrs. Greville, Lady Aberconway, Lady Cholmondeley and Philip Frere among them.

[St James’s Theatre, London: 1936 centenary production of ‘Pride and Prejudice’, designed by Rex Whistler, and starring Celia Johnson and Hugh Williams.] Manuscript ‘Treasury Sheets’ of itemized accounts for 9 weeks of performances.

Author: 
St James’s Theatre, London: 1936 centenary production of ‘Pride and Prejudice’, designed by Rex Whistler (1905-1944) and starring Celia Johnson (1908-1982) and Hugh Williams (1904-1969) [Jane Austen]
Publication details: 
On nine weekly sheets, each with eight performances. Weeks ending 12 September 1936, and 26 September to 14 November 1936. St James's Theatre, London.
£650.00

The Gilbert Miller production of ‘Pride and Prejudice’, designed by Rex Whistler, and starring Celia Johnson as Elizabeth Bennet and Hugh Williams as Mr Darcy, was a great success. It opened at the St James's Theatre, London, on 27 February 1936, and closed on 21 November 1936; with a Christmas revival between 26 December 1936 and 16 January 1937. There was a royal performance before Queen Mary on 15 February 1937, and the production went on tour for the rest of the year.

[ The Spanish Civil War: Royal Navy evacuation of refugees in 1936. ] Original duplicated copy of an account titled 'H.M.S. “Shropshire” at Barcelona. 22nd August 1936 to 16th September 1936'. With thirteen photographs, including eight of refugees.

Author: 
Spanish Civil War; HMS Shropshire, Royal Navy Mediterranean Fleet 1st Cruiser Squadron; Admiral Sir Thomas Hugh Binney (1883-1953); the Spanish Civil War
Publication details: 
'For private circulation only". Dated from 'H.M.S. "Shropshire", | 27th September 1936.'
£1,000.00

HMS Shropshire was a Royal Navy 'London' County-class heavy cruiser, launched in 1928 and decommissioned in 1942. In July 1936, as part of the Mediterranean Fleet 1st Cruiser Squadron, she sailed to Barcelona, relieving HMS London, the first ship to arrive to take off refugees from the Spanish Civil War. The present item (possibly written by Admiral Binney) is excessively scarce: the only other copy traced is in the Hampshire Archives. [3] + 19pp., foolscap 8vo. The original document from the 1930s, spirit-duplicated in aniline ink, with pages on one side only of 22 leaves.

[ Gerald Bullett, author and broadcaster. ] Christmas card containing his poem 'White Frost', signed by him and printed by James Guthrie's Pear Tree Press.

Author: 
Gerald Bullett (1893-1958), writer and broadcaster; his wife Rosalind Bullett [ Edith Marion Rosalind Barker, née Gould ] (1887-1982) [ James Guthrie, The Pear Tree Press, Bognor Regis ]
Publication details: 
'This is one of 75 copies of White Frost a copyright poem by Gerald Bullett printed by James Guthrie at The Pear Tree Press Flansham Bognor Regis December 1936'. [ The Old Farm, East Harting, Sussex. ]
£180.00

On piece of laid paper folded twice to make a 19 x 14 cm. card. In good condition, with light signs of age. Tiny printer's device on back cover the only illustration. Front cover in black ink reads: 'Christmas Greetings from Rosalind & Gerald Bullett The Old Farm East Harting Sussex'. Colophon in brown ink on left-hand side of opening. Right-hand opening carries the sixteen-line poem, in four four-line stanzas, the first of which reads: 'I went to the window, where the morning was, | And saw innocence scattered on the grass.

[ A. G. Morris & G. F.Norton. ] Typescript of their play 'King's Freedom', with covering letter to film maker Percy Nash, regarding censorship following the Abdication of Edward VIII, and Compton Mackenzie.

Author: 
A. G. Morris [ Arthur Morris ] and G. F. Norton [ Percy Nash [ Percy Cromwell Nash ] (1869-1958), pioneering British film director; King Edward VIII; Abdication, 1936; Compton Mackenzie, novelist ]
Publication details: 
The play undated, and 'the property of A. G. MORRIS Eastquantoxhead, near Bridgwater, Somerset'. Morris's letter on letterhead of East Quantoxhead Rectory, 21 March 1939.
£180.00

PLAY: 108pp., 4to. On rectos only. Attached with green ribbon in card folder. Information about characters given in manuscript. In fair condition, on aged paper, in aged and worn folder. LETTER: 2pp., 12mo. Signed 'Arthur Morris'. On aged and creased paper. Presumably referring to his collaborator, he begins the letter: 'Fred writes to say that you have a friend, who might be interested in our Play. It is kind of you to bother. I still believe in the poor old play, but we had a nasty shock when Edward abdicated!

Typed list of 'Documents in connection with George V's long illness. in 1928' by Lord Dawson of Penn [Bertrand Dawson, 1st Viscount Dawson of Penn], who attended on the king in his last illness, and hastened his death with a lethal injection.

Author: 
Bertrand Dawson (1864-1945), 1st Viscount Dawson of Penn [Lord Dawson of Penn], Physician-in-Ordinary to King George V, whose death he hastened while attending on him in his last illness [euthanasia]
Publication details: 
Without place or date. [London: c. 1929?]
£50.00

1p., 4to. On piece of wove paper, watermarked 'Gray Valley | Parchment'. In very good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Neatly folded, and inserted in a brown paper envelope, carrying the following typed note on its front: 'List of Contents of documents of illness of King George V in 1928 and death.' The list is from the papers of Lord Dawson of Penn. It contains fifteen numbered items, and is headed 'Documents in connection with George V's long illness. in 1928', without authorial attribution. Item 8 is 'Lord Dawson's notes on the King's illness | Also notes from Sir H. Rolleston and Sir R.

[Printed item.] National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations. Speakers' Competition, 1936. Notes for Competitors & Judges.

Author: 
[National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations, Speakers' Competition, 1936]
Publication details: 
National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations. [Great Britain.] Dated 'December 1935.' [for 1936]
£90.00

[1] + 6pp., 12mo. On six leaves, stapled together in one corner. In good condition, on lightly aged paper. Main headings: 'General Conditions', 'Special Notes' [sub headings for Chairman (Elocution and Manner; Subject Matter; Procedure; Manner of Handling Meeting); Speaker; Proposer and Seconder; Team Work], 'The National Anthem', 'Marking Sheets' and 'Declaring Result'. Scarce: no copy traced on either COPAC or OCLC WorldCat.

Typed Letter Signed, from 'V. P. 10/12', accusing the former King Edward VIII of 'obvious dereliction of duty', and expressing 'relief and satisfaction' that he has decided to abdicate.

Author: 
[King Edward VIII, laterly Duke of Windsor; Abdication Crisis; Lieut.-Col. Edward Barnes Peacock (b.1873; fl.1955), 31st Punjab Regiment, son of Sir Barnes Peacock (1810-90), Chief Justice, Calcutta]
Publication details: 
On letterhead of the Hotel Astoria, Copenhagen, Denmark.
£56.00

Initialled "[?]P 10/12" (10 December"2pp., 4to. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. A number of minor autograph corrections suggest that the author of the letter may not be a native English speaker.

Black and white photograph.

Author: 
King Edward VIII as Prince of Wales.
Publication details: 
Without date or place, but in or before 1936.
£45.00

King Edward VIII (1894-1972), crowned and abdicated in 1936, thereafter Duke of Windsor. Approximately 5 1/2 inches by 8 inches. Shows the Prince in bowler hat mounting a stone jetty with four associates, with three sailors in RNLI boat at bottom left. In the background two sailing boats and two empty row boats. Stamped on reverse 'SPORT & GENERAL | PRESS AGENCY LTD. | LONDON. | COPYRIGHT.' In manuscript on reverse: 'Left to R. | Sailors from C. B. | The Prince's private detective | General Seeley. | My father (bare-head) | Sir Godfrey Baring | H. R. H.'

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