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44. BetJeman, John. Manuscript christmas card to Billy clonmore. [no date c 1939-1945]
£398 single sheet of gerrards Farm letter head paper folded twice.
When folded the front has an ink drawing of a coronet surrounded by the text “Peers Protection association” which itself is within the text “national service”, with an instruction to the bottom left corner “lift inside leaf”. When the card is opened there is the text “with best wishes for christmas and new year from John and Penelope” and with an ink drawing of Penelope , looking characteristically grumpy, in a red cross nurse’s uniform. on the back of the card is another drawing of Penelope leading a horse with one hand and with a crop in the other.
Billy clonmore, later 8th earl of Wicklow, was a friend of Betjeman’s from oxford. the “national service” reference suggests that this home- made christmas card was written during the second World War. in 1941 Betjeman was sent to Dublin as the British Press attache, as Bevis hillier notes “it was not only his charm that qualified him; there were also his varied experience of ireland over more than ten years, and the good contacts he had made while staying with Billy clonmore, Pierce synnott and the longfords”.
Provenance: given to Bevis hillier by lady Wicklow in Dun laoghaire in the 1970s.
45. BetJeman, John. original ink caricature of his wife Penelope. [no date].
£598
single sheet of Betjeman’s cloth Fair headed paper, 130 x 200mm, mounted (280 x 360 mm in mount). signs of being folded and with the odd light crease, otherwise in very good condition.
an autograph letter from John Betjeman to his wife with a fine ink carticature of a grumpy looking Penelope Betjeman. the text of the letter discusses train times that his daughter candida might take to Brighton and which hotel they will stay in “i will meet Wiby [Betjeman’s nickname for candida] at Brighton Friday. i could not get in at albion. have got 2 maids rooms in Metropole, oi owp”.
on the arms and waist of the caricature of Penelope, Betjeman has written in his familiar slangy style “yew are avin a hoiu”, “i [—] with robbot o’ yew”, and “louv from yots truly tuteiv” [Betjeman’s pet name].
a very good example of Betjeman’s correspondance with his wife using their quaint nicknames and yokel patois.
Betjeman had a fondness for Victorian and edwardian Brighton and published Victorian and Edwardian Brighton from old photographs in 1972.
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46. BetJeman, John and Geoffrey taylor (editors) John PiPer (illustrator). english, scottish & Welsh landscape. Frederick Muller, 1944.
£95
8vo. attractive pictorial cloth boards with a three-colour lithographed wraparound design by Piper, repeated on the dust jacket; pp. vi, 121, [1], 12 three-colour lithograph plates; neat, contemporary ink inscription to the front pastedown; a small tear to the head of the dj with very light loss, one closed tear to the upper margin of the rear of the dj, otherwise a near fine copy in a very good dj.
First edition. scarce title in the New Excursions into English Poetry series. other titles in the series were Objects of Vision chosen by Myfanwy Pier and illustrated by Mona Moore, and Sea Poems chosen by geoffrey grigson with illustrations by John craxton.
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