The Art of Squash Rackets (owned By Harry Daley - E.M. Forster's Lover Gay Interest or Gay history)

Bey, F.D. Amr

Published by Chapman & Hall Limited, 1939

About this Item

144pp. 1934. First edition. A unique flat signed presentation copy from David Amr (Bey) to Harry Daley in memory of our first game together'. Harry Daley is of gay interest and has his place in gay history being the first openly gay policeman or police officer. He was also E.M. Forster's lover for 7 years. Taken from Wikipedia: Soon after joining the police Daley met the gay writer J. R. Ackerley. Daley had seen Ackerley's The Prisoners of War at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, and was intrigued by its homosexual theme;[nb 1] while walking his beat. Daley made the acquaintance of the writer one day when Ackerley was fetching the milk from his doorstep.[4] The pair probably had a brief sexual relationship and remained lifelong friends afterwards.[1] Through Ackerley, Daley came into contact with a wider circle of writers and artists, including those of the Bloomsbury Group, whose member Duncan Grant painted a portrait of Daley in 1930.[7][4] By the age of 25 Daley had become a lover of the writer E. M. Forster, a relationship that lasted for seven years.[3][15] P. N. Furbank's 1978 biography of Forster notes that Daley was "plump, curly-haired, genial and rather cocky in manner:very intelligent, with a taste for music and opera, and a brilliant raconteur. He was homosexual and made no secret of it; indeed he was wildly indiscreet. His closest friends, and lovers, were mainly criminals."[4] During this time Forster often accompanied Daley on his beat and Daley introduced him to a number of his working-class acquaintances.[1] Forster considered that Daley was too indiscreet and friendly with criminals and ended their relationship in 1932.[4'. Daley also had a strong connection to Dorking, which is relevant: Born in Lowestoft he later moved to Dorking and he was then to return to Dorking to retire. This is relevant as far as the provenance of this book is concerned as I bought it as part of job lot from the then Crow's auction gallery, which ran weekly auctions - more than 10 years ago - meaning that at that time the book had travelled no distance. The book has been part of my own collection - until now. F.D. Amr was a noted squash player. Sadly, we do not know why he played Harry Daley and who won the encounter., though we can deduce that it was more likely to have been the author. 21 photographic plates - all as called for. Original publisher's blue cloth - silver embossed to the spine and to the front board. The odd very light, very scattered soil mark to the very odd page or plate, but essentially a very good copy. A book with a unique and fascinating provenance.

Seller Inventory # 240783

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Art of Squash Rackets (owned By Harry Daley - E.M. Forster's Lover Gay Interest or Gay history)
• Publisher: Chapman & Hall Limited
• Publication Date: 1939
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Edition.
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
• Seller catalogs:
  • Sport & Games