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Four copies on JISC (only one in a deposit library, NLS); now scarce. 12pp, 12mo. Disbound. Worn and discoloured. After the end of the prose work are two poems (pp.11-12): ‘Hymn. / Frail Life and Succeeding Eternity’ and ‘The Danger of Delay.’ In addition to being the ‘Godfather of English Hymnody’, Watts was a noted logician, producing a successful work on the subject, and despite the repetition of the phrase ‘Time shall end!’ throughout, the present extract treats the subject of ‘The End of Time’ in an unusually thoughtful way for a work of theology.

From the Williamson family papers. See his entry in the Oxford DNB. The material is in fair condition, lightly aged and creased. In a card folder on which is written by Williamson’s son Richard ‘PLANS for House for Ox’s Cross - DENNIS (builder) 1973 / Plans of Cottage. / See Schwabe’s original plans.’ ONE: Typed Letter Signed from A. J. Dennis to Williamson at 4 Capstone Place, Ilfracombe. 2pp, 4to. Headed in brown felt-tip ‘Copy’, but certainly with Dennis’s genuine signature. Much of the text underlined in red felt-tip.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. His entry in the Oxford DNB describes how, in the 1950s, he was ‘in demand as a lecturer on the theatrical subjects he loved, and he appeared often in the same capacity on radio and on television. Ironically he regarded these two forms of public entertainment, and television in particular, as representing a serious threat to the survival of theatre, about which he cared passionately’.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. See his entry, and that of Power, in the Oxford DNB. The seven items are in good condition, lightly aged and worn. ONE: Typed article titled ‘The Other Tyrone Power / by / W. Macqueen-Pope.’ Undated. 11pp, 4to, paginated 1-9, with two-page ‘Inset’. With a few minor autograph emendations. Begins: ‘At the present moment, Mr Tyrone Power, “in person”, is appearing at the London Coliseum in a play called “Mr Roberts”.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. See his entry in the Oxford DNB. Known by his nickname ‘Popie’, Macqueen-Pope was widely regarded as the leading theatre historian of his day. His many books (from histories of individual theatres to a biography of Ivor Novello) sold well, and his broadcasts on the BBC were extremely popular. Eighteen items, providing something a glimpse of his working methods. The last two of the eighteen items are TLsS to MP: one from the editor of ‘Everybody's’ Greville Poke (also see his Oxford DNB entry), and the other Pauline Carter, ‘EDITORIAL’.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. (See his entry in the Oxford DNB.) The seven items are in good condition, though one of Denham’s letters has slight wear to one edge. All date from the same period. The four Denham letters total 5pp, foolscap 8vo; three are signed ‘Reg’ and the other ‘Reginald’; two are on his letterhead. The fully-dated Denham letter (8 June 1951) is the longest at 2pp, 8vo. Addressed to ‘My dear Mac’, he gives details of a visit he is paying to England to settle his late mother’s affairs (‘She was 83.’) He is also going to ‘confer with Edward Percy.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 4to. Signed (‘With reiterated thanks’) ‘Gerald du Maurier’, with ‘President’ typed beneath. The letterhead is printed in black and green, with details of officers and committee members. On aged and creased paper, with closed tears and nicks to edges. Folded three times for postage. He asks him to accept his ‘most grateful thanks for your splendid efforts at the Garden Party’. He understands the ‘new show’ which Arlton ‘put in this year’ has proved ‘very popular’.

From the papers of theatre historian Walter James Macqueen-Pope (1888-1960). (See his entry in the Oxford DNB.) The three items are in fair condition, lightly aged and worn. Her two letters are pinned together. The letter to Kerby has the large and firm signature ‘Suzette Tarri’; the letter to Horsfield is evidently signed ‘Suzette Terri’ on her behalf by her husband. ONE (ST to P. W. Kerby): 23 January 1944. Letterhead of ‘“Suda” / 25 Manor Drive, Southgate, N. 14’ (‘SUZETTE TARRI / RADIO COMEDIENNE / WITH / DAVID JENKINS / THE POPULAR PIANIST-VOCALIST’). 1p, 4to.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. (See his entry in the Oxford DNB.) 2pp, 4to. Signed ‘Michel Kovatchévitch’. On aged and worn paper. Folded twice for postage, with closed tears at edges of vertical fold, and nicks and creasing along one edge. He is working on a biography of Frederick Aldridge, ‘tragédien noir de langue anglaise (1807-1867)’, and asks for help in establishing the date of his debut, ‘dans le rôle d’Othello, au Royalty Theatre’.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. (See his entry in the Oxford DNB.) 1p, 12mo. Signed ‘Leslie C Staples’. In fair condition, lightly aged, with some creasing to corners. Folded twice for postage. Presumably written following a meeting of the Fellowship at Drury Lane, where MP was press officer. ‘My dear Popie / I cannot say how grateful we all are for the truly wonderful afternoon you gave us yesterday. A million thanks’.

In 1809, at the Battle of Aspern, the author of this work, the Archduke Charles, became the first man to defeat Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1814 his ‘Grundsätze der Strategie, erläutert durch die Darstellung des Feldzuges von 1796 in Deutschland’ was published in three volumes in Vienna. A French translation appeared in 1841, but there is no record of an English one (although JISC does throw up a work with a similar title published by ‘A Kearsey’ in 1928, the only copy it lists being in the National Army Museum).

See the two men’s entries in the Oxford DNB. From the Macqueen-Pope papers. Each item in good condition, lightly aged, with creasing and rust staining to one corner from a paperclip. ONE: Swaffer to MP. TLS, signed ‘Swaff’. 1p, 4to. ‘Dear Popey, / Do you know anything about this woman? [From the context he is sending MP an enquiry he has received from ‘Mr. Le Poer Trench’] I presume she was a legitimate actress.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. (See his entry in the Oxford DNB.) On 20 October 1922 Millais broadcast on 2LO radio, becoming the first comedian on what was later to become the BBC. In a performance on 21 November 1922 she became the third entertainer to appear on the week-old BBC. All three items in good condition, lightly aged, though the autograph letter has pin holes to a corner, and the typed letter rust from a paperclip. Both letters signed ‘Helena Millais’. ONE: TLS. 3pp, 12mo. Having met him ‘at various C.A.A. evenings, she asks him for advice about several books.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. (See his entry in the Oxford DNB.) The Clan Chattan Association is a confederation of highland clans. 2pp, 4to. In fair condition, lightly aged, with slight creasing to one corner, and rust staining from paperclip. Folded twice for postage. Addressed to MP’s London address in Coventry Street. ‘I’ve heard about your James MacQueen. His name appears in quite a few locally published papers &c. on Culloden. His new teeth are quite famous up here.’ He accepts the proposal for an article: ‘if you could go to 900-1000 words I’d be happy’.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. (See his entry in the Oxford DNB.) Both items in fair condition, lightly aged and creased. Pinned together. ONE: DM to MP. Signed ‘Mollie and Donovan Maule. / (Mollie Shiells)’, but the husband is clearly the author. 1p, 4to. Folded twice for postage. He thanks him for his ‘inspiring book’ on the Haymarket Theatre. ‘My wife and I (both ex-Haymarket artists) feel inseminated ith fresh optimism and jope while battling with the municipal authorities and Kenya Government to establish the first professional theatre ever known here.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. (See his entry in the Oxford DNB.) 2pp, foolscap 8vo. In fair condition, lightly-aged, with creasing at head, which is annotated by MP ‘(author)’. After thanking him for his letter he writes: ‘It is fatal to have a book published without seeing a proof. In my “G[ilbert] & S[ullivan] Dictionary” I had occasion to mention “The Yeomen of the Guard” 14 times. The comp[ositor], aided by the reader, deliberately channged them to “Yeoman”.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. (See his entry in the Oxford DNB.) 1p, 16mo. Signed ‘Bill Owen’. In fair condition, lightly aged and creased. Hailing him as ‘the greatest living authority on British Theatre’, he asks for advice. ‘My job is acting, and it has always been an ambition of mine to portray the life of Dan Leno, either on film or TV.

From the papers of the evident recipient, theatre historian Walter James Macqueen-Pope. See his entry, and hers and her husband’s, in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. Large bold signature ‘Sybil’. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. Folded once for postage. The letter almost certainly relates to the unveiling ceremony of the Ivor Novello Memorial at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on 2 May 1952. The bust, by Clemence Dane, was unveiled by Thorndike with the reading of a poem by Mary Ellis. The preent item reads: ‘My dear. Of course I[’]ll do anything you want me to do for our beloved Ivor.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. (See his entry in the Oxford DNB.) Interesting London ephemera: the plans for the Refectory Club were clearly ambitious, but there is little to be gleaned about it, and it is unclear whether it even opened. Zinkeisen and her sister Dora are the subject of a 2022 monograph by Philip Kelleway, Emma Roodhouse and Nicola Evans. The four items in good condition, lightly aged, but with rust staining from a paperclip. Folded for postage. ONE: Typed Letter to MP, signed ‘D Mallett’ (but with ‘For Secretary’ typed beneath this). 1p, 4to.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. See MP’s entry and those of various members of the Harmsworth family in the Oxford DNB. The three items are in good condition, lightly aged, with the first with rust staining from paperclip, and all three folded twice. Each signed ‘Geoffrey Harmsworth’. ONE: 9 August 1951. 1p, 8v. He doubts whether MP will remember their previous meeting. He is ‘engaged on a full-length Life of Northcliffe’ (written with Reginald Pound, and appearing in 1959), and is having to do ‘much digging to find out information about the early days’.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. (See his entry in the Oxford DNB.) 1p, 4to. Aged and creased, on discoloured high-acidity paper. Folded twice for postage, and with closed tear at head of vertical fold. Slight damage and rust staining from removal of staple. The letterhead incorporates two photographic portraits of Lauri, with press comment from ‘Everyone’s Magazine’ and career resume beginning: ‘Ernest Lauri / (The Singing Anzac) / STARRED IN AUSTRALIAN PICTURES / Versatile Vocalist and Monologist’. Macqueen-Pope is not named, but is presumably the recipient.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 4to. Sixty lines of text. Aged and worn, but entirely legible. Signed ‘H. F. Maltby’ and addressed to ‘My dear Pope’. Most of the letter concerns the tomb of ‘Maggoty’ Johnson: ‘I first met that interesting old gentleman over forty years ago, when I was playing at the Theatre Royal Macclesfield with the late Mrs Bandman-Palmer. It was my landlady who advised me to visit the tomb as one of the objects of interest in the place.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. See his entry and hers in the Oxford DNB. Caird was Northcliffe’s right-hand man, and mainly associated with the Daily Mail. The four items are in fair condition, lightly aged and creased, with slight rust spotting from a paper clips. Items Two to Four are on carbon paper. ONE: ACS from Tutin to MP. Small unillustrated postcard, signed ‘Dorothy Tutin’. Reads: ‘I remember you very well - your fascinating letures at the Academy [i.e. London theatre school RADA, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art] - and shall be very happy to meet you for this article.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. See both their entries in the Oxford DNB. The four items in good condition, lightly aged and creased, with slight spotting to one corner of Item. Folded for postage. ONE: ALS dated 28 December 1950. 2pp, 12mo. Before sending seasonal greetings she begins: ‘My dear Popie / I returned home to find your wonderful book waiting for me.

Four pages, bifolium, with thin neat strip of windowpane mount at edges, good condition, large handwriting. The 'notice' of the death of George [Miles?] was sent to this office by the parish Constable, as is usual on such occasions. It also appeared that the Registrar had declined to register the death. The inquest was held because the child had died from a violent cause. About three months since the poor little fellow fell into a basion of boiling water.

From the papers of W. J. Macqueen-Pope (see his entry in the Oxford DNB). Addressed in autograph to MP care of the BBC, and then forwarded to his office, 359 Strand. Pencil annotation by MP. On one side of an unillustrated postmarked printed British ‘Indian Postage’ air mail card with Indian postage stamp. In good condition, aged and lightly-worn. Also in Singh’s autograph is the salutation to ‘Dear Pope’ and the valediction ‘Your sincere / St Nihal Singh ST NIHAL SINGH’.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers (see his entry in the Oxford DNB). Merriman was accorded the honour of an episode of the BBC’s Desert Island Discs in 1964. 2pp, 12mo. Signed ‘Percy’ and addressed to ‘Dear Popie’. In good condition, lightly aged, with one dog-eared corner and folded twice for postage. Begins: ‘Am not of course seeking any publicity over your book on St. James Theatre [published in 1958] only wish I could help more. / You know of course Allan Ainsworth [sic, for ‘Aynesworth’] is alive the doyen of the Garrick Club! He played often with G[eorge]. A[lexander]. - in Pinero & Wilde.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. (See MP's entry in the Oxford DNB.) Nash made around 70 films between 1912 and 1927, and was a key figure in the creation of Elstree Studios. His career as a film maker was effectively ended following the screening of his 1921 film 'How Kitchener was betrayed'. See Bernard Ince, ' “For the Love of the Art”: The Life and Work of Percy Nash, Film Producer and Director of the Silent Era’, ‘Film History’, September 2007. Both items in good condition, lightly aged, each with light rust staining at one corner from paper clip. LETTER: 1p, 4to. Signed ‘Percy Nash’.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. In good condition. Signed ‘Ralph’ and addressed to ‘Dear Popie’. It was ‘extremely good’, ‘and typical too’, of MP to write to him ‘about the new Award’. He is ‘at Newcastle now with the Val Parnell Summer Show and we ring up on Monday’. MP will know ‘what we shall be going through at the moment!’ He ends by thanking him ‘VERY [sic] much for writing’.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers.. See his entry, and that of Matheson Lang, in the Oxford DNB. As the latter states, Britton and Lang had married in 1903 (she had been an actress with him in the Benson company since 1901). They toured together in Lang’s company, with Britton usually as his leading lady. ‘In 1914 they helped to inaugurate Shakespeare productions at the Old Vic under Lilian Baylis, for which Lang personally lent costumes and scenery.’ Britton was for many years a member of the Old Vic's governing board. Both items are signed ‘N. Matheson Lang’. ONE: ALS, 28 April 1948.