Autograph Collection.- Letters to Fred Bason

A very large collection of letters by authors, stage celebrities, artists, ballet dancers, politicians, mostly sent to London-born bookseller, writer, diarist, autograph collector and early media personality Fred Bason, including: Winston Graham (chatty letter of 1969 regarding Bason’s bookselling activities), Naomi Jacob (nine letter from 1952 to 1963: of friendly and chatty nature, including one comforting him in his grief after the death of his beloved friend and landlady Lizzy), Frank Swinnerton (series of letters 1959 to 1968 regarding Bason’s bookselling activities, often in response to the lists of books that bason would post to his contacts with the items he was offering for sale), Frank Tilsley (seven friendly social letters regarding television work), Valentine Williams (letter thanking Bason for his ‘fan’ letter ), Frederick William Wheldon (social letter regarding visiting Bason in London), Winifred Graham (Mrs Theodore Cory) ( letter thanking Bason for his letter and accompanying a signed book of hers), Cyril Henry Coles (card inviting Bason to visit with its envelope), Gerald Kelly (social letter asking Bason to visit and to check over and verify Kelly’s collection of Somerset Maugham first editions (Maugham was a mutual friend) and another regarding an item by Aleister Crowley), Gerald Woods (letter to Bason regarding a design project and referring to Auberon Waugh), Auberon Waugh (seven social letters and postcards, also regarding Bason’s bookselling and talks to local organisations), Evelyn Waugh (single letter regarding Bason’s recent bereavement), Alec Waugh (letter note addressed to a Mrs Hawkins (NOT to Bason) rsvp’ing to a social engagement in Bombay), Laurie Lee (postcard regarding book selling activities), Marie Belloc Lowndes (eight letters and cards regarding sales of books), Susan Lowndes (single note to Bason regarding book sales), Ralph Hale Mottram (letter (clipped) regarding sale to bason of autographs), Siegfried Sassoon (letter to a Mrs Hancock regarding a school; in envelope to Bason in a different hand), James Leasor (two social letters), Arnold Bennett (Memorial service sheet, unsigned and annotated, plus pencil sketch of Bennett dated July 1927 probably not by Bason, with notes on the back), William Locke (Order of Service for memorial service at St Martin-in-the-fields, 1930, unsigned and unannotated), Herman Cyril McNeile (letter addressed to ‘Dear Sir’ accompanying a book sent; book not included), James Hilton (two cards, one addressed to Albert Blount”, a nom-de-plume of Bason and one to Bason, one a Christmas card in its envelope), Martin Armstrong (two letters regarding the autographing of books and on Armstrong’s works plus manila envelope inscribed by Bason regarding a further letter from Armstrong (not present); both letters addressed to “Albert Blount”, a nom-de-plume of Bason), George Warwick Deeping (letter to “Miss Blount” (sic), a nom-de-plume of Bason, accompanying a book sent), Max Pemberton (letter thanking Bason for his enquiry), Edward Phillips Oppenheim (letter in its own envelope to Bason accompanying an autographed book), Vera Brittain (letter to Bason sending her signature), Lilian Compton Mackenzie ( two letters to Bason responding to letters to her husband regarding book purchases), Baroness Emma Orczy (group of two Christmas cards, a loose social letter, a letter in an envelope and an empty envelope addressed to Bason; a loose autograph album page signed (signature of actor Ronald Squire (1886-1958) on the obverse) and two unsigned postcards), Marguerite Florence Laura Jarvis (letter responding to a request for a signed book), Gladys Bronwyn Stern (three letters in their envelopes, two postcards and one 3-page loose letter on social and book matters), Richmal Crompton (large quantity of social correspondence etc: c.43 loose letters (one accompanying a purchase order for books), plus 3 in their envelopes; a Christmas card; a change of address card; 11 postcards, loose autograph, plus letter in envelope accompanying autograph to Bason by Thomas Henry Fisher (1879-1962) illustrator for Richmal Crompton’s Just William books), Hammond Innes (two letters to Bason later in life regarding loneliness of the aged and suggesting assistance and help), Hector Bolitho (two social letters and a signed programme for an event at the National Portrait Gallery in 1968 for Drummond’s Bank), Ethel Mannin (postcard to Bason regarding her book Confessions and Impressions, which she would rather see burned), Clifford Bax (letter to Bason regarding an article Bason had sent to him; in its handwritten envelope), Fritz Erwin Loewenstein, secretary to George Bernard Shaw (four postcards on GBS’s headed postcards to Bason written by Loewenstein but presumably dictated by Shaw, regarding book sales plus a copy of the original note from GBS to Bason in a signed copy of Shaw’s Press Cuttings of 1909), Sheilah Graham (two letters to Bason about her early theatrical career), Margaret Pedlar (letter to Bason accompanying an autographed book), William Dinner & William Morum (letter to Bason from both (signed Morum) regarding a social visit), Patrick Hamilton (letter and its envelope to Bason regarding a new play, possibly The Governess), John Cranstoun Nevill (letter to Bason regarding writing, with its envelope), Graham Greene (two letters to Bason (one in its own envelope) both turning down a request to write an introduction to a book of Bason’s and one accompanying a sum of £25 sent to Bason), Leonard Russell (loose letter to Bason regarding his contributions to the Saturday Book series [Bason contributed to this annual publication from 1945 to 1973]), Fryniwyd Tennyson Jesse Harwood (single letter (with its envelope) to Bason regarding the autographing of books), R.C. (Ray Coryton) Hutchinson (six letters regarding writing and life as a writer, plus a folded empty envelope, a business card and the clipped autograph of Bryan Sears), Robert Francis (Frank) Hird (two letters regarding book purchasing), Clive Holland (letter regarding Bason’s Third Diary in its envelope), Madeleine Mathilde Henrey (letter to a Mrs Pilcher regarding a signed book), Jocelyn Brooke (single loose letter not to Bason but to a Mrs Pilcher regarding a book sale), Sir George Otto Trevelyan (transcript in an unknown hand (possibly that of E.V Lucas) of a letter from Trevelyan to E.V Lucas dated 1917 [E V Lucas (1868-1938) was a British writer, poet and editor]), Sir Arthur Henry Fitzroy Paget(one letter not addressed to Bason from Sir Arthur and five letters sent to Lady Paget all of a social nature), Madeleine Carroll (a series of social and chatty letters from 1930 to 1941 [9 qty], plus two letters from Col. Philip Astley (1896-1958) husband of Madeleine Carroll ), Noel Gay (postcard to Bason with an autograph plus another unidentified signature (?Webster Evans) and an empty envelope to Bason on which he has written ‘Neil Bell’), John Abbott (letter asking Bason of he can look for a theatrical programme; page clipped where stamps for sending back said programme had been attached), Edith Evans (letter thanking for a previous letter and asking Bason to write again for a signed photograph), Marie Tempest (detailed letter responding to Bason’s enquiry for her opinion on theatre gallery audiences for Bason’s second book Gallery Unreserved), Marjorie Steele (letter thanking Bason for asking for a photograph and promising to send one on), Eva Moore (letter to accompany a signed photograph), Ruth Draper (nine letters to Bason as a theatre fan, often inviting him to her London performances and one with a signed photograph ‘to replace the earlier one lost on the blitz’), Frank Pettingell (jolly social letters including instructions on where to visit him and his family and asking after Bason’s health), Flora Robson (series of letters to Bason (27 qty, two in envelopes), three postcards, a birthday card and an order form for Bason’s Diary), Joan Fontaine (letter regarding a proposed meeting), Phyllis Neilson-Terry (letter to Bason regarding his second book Gallery Unreserved ), Kenneth More (letter regarding a person living in Brighton known to them both), Peter Gray (series of letters (loose) on social meetings), Marius Goring (series of letters [16 qty, one in its own envelope] plus two Christmas cards), Mary Newcomb (letter regarding a missed appointment), Phyllis Calvert (series of letters on social and bookselling matters plus a letter to Bason’s vicar, Rev Brian Hammond, that she is unable to attend Bason’s memorial service), Lydia Sherwood (three loose letters of a social nature), Ronnie Barker (letters regarding the buying of cigarette cards and postcards), Wilfred Pickles (British broadcaster and actor: single loose social letter to Bason), Leslie Crowther (two letters regarding book purchasing and a donation to Bason), Douglas Fairbanks [Jnr] (letters regarding bason’s books and a meeting), David Tomlinson (letters about arranging talks and bookselling), Jon Pertwee (letters and one postcard, all of a social nature), Margaret Bannerman (letter responding to a request for a signed photograph), Edythe Baker (letter responding to a request for a signed photograph), Mary Clare (letter to Bason thanking him and others for a gift), Mae (Mai) Bacon (thanking Bason for his own letter) Gypsy Rose Lee (letter in its envelope regarding a signed photograph (not included) plus a greetings card and a signed bookmark plus a press cutting), Jimmy Edwards (letter responding to a request for a signed photograph), Evelyn Hoey (single letter and its envelope responding to a request for a signed photograph), Rene Riano (single letter and its envelope responding to a request for a meeting to collect a signed photograph), Emilio Colombo (letter Bason in its envelope accompanying to concert tickets (not included) plus a signed concert flyer for 1928), Dorothy Black (letter responding to a request for a signed photograph), Anthony Oliver (letter regarding a potential broadcast with the BBC ), James Mason, (letter regarding a potential film project), Max Wall (letter regarding Wall’s new play and Bason’s new book), Ilka Chase (letter to a Mrs Roberts (not to Bason) thanking for a note and sending a recipe), Helen Hayes (loose letter to a Miss Winkler (not to Bason) thanking for a rose sent to her), Margaret Leighton (letter responding to a request for a signed photograph), Molly Picon (letter and a postcard regarding arrangements to meet), Peggy Ledger, (three loose letters regarding social matters), Margot Fonteyn (letter to Bason accompanying some signed photographs), Anton Dolin (letter to Bason ordering a book), Phyllis Dixey (letter to Bason accompanying a signed photograph), Phyllis Konstan (two letters in one envelope, concerning Anna Pavlova, one with a pasted attached signature of Pavlova), Joyce Carey (letter to Bason accompanying a signed photograph and offering contact to Noël Coward), Stirling Moss (letter to a Miss Bingham (not to Bason) thanking for a note and sending a signed photograph), Eve Gray (letter with its envelope regarding a signed photograph, with signed photograph included), Mabel Philipson (letter to Bason with its envelope regarding his second book Gallery Unreserved and her acting), Mary Moore (letter pasted onto a page cut from an album addressed to a Mrs Furnivall (Not Bason) and on the verso a written quote from S T Coleridge by a Charles W West), “Lord” Adrian Cavendish [dates unknown, untraced correspondent] (three letters, a loose birthday card and another letter in its envelope with a birthday card), v.s. (c. 380)

PROVENANCE: from the estate of English bookseller and writer Fred Bason (1907-1973)