LETTERS & PERSONAL PAPERS RELATING TO CHRONICLES OF ANCIENT SUNLIGHT & TARKA THE OTTER

Henry Williamson

Published by UK Unpublished 1940s onwards, 1940

A substantial archive - c600 items - of Henry Williamson's incoming letters and his replies in the form of notes, typescripts and annotated letters relating to his creative work in the 1950s and 1960s, in particular his extended sequence of novels about his experience in the First World War. Among the collection is a fan letter from Len Deighton and 500 returned cheques signed by Williamson. CHRONICLES OF ANCIENT SUNLIGHT Some 190 items (c300 pages) of mixed typed, hand-written and telegram correspondence between Williamson and his Agents - A. M. Heath (20) - and several publishers - MacDonald (125), Faber (4), Panther (2) - relating primarily to volumes from his series of First World War novels, notably: 'The Golden Falcon', 'A Fox Under My Cloak', 'Lucifer Before Sunrise', 'The Gold Virgin', 'Love and the Loveless', 'Young Phillip Maddison', 'A Test to Destruction', 'The Dark Lantern', 'Donkey Boy', 'How Dear is Life', 'The Patriot's Progress' and 'The Gale of the World'. These letters include Williamson's observations and ideas about the War, and progress on his writing; authorial chapter planning and revision notes, together with a few draft 'Blurbs' for the jackets and his views on jacket designs. Here are letters from his publishers airing pretty frankly their concerns about the style, length and content of several passages and books. Also much settling of accounts and sales figures; with exchanges re broadcasts around the fiftieth anniversaries of WW1 events, and whispers on the possibility of turning one novel into a film. Correspondence with readers (one a survivor of HMS Hood) including a typed letter from Len Deighton "I returned once more to your chronicle of ancient sunlight, and felt I must write to tell you what a magnificent achievement it is and what great enjoyment and knowledge I have gained from reading it' and asking for an autograph on his copy of 'A Fox Under My Cloak', together with Williamson's hand-written draft and carbon copies of his reply. Some five to ten percent of these letters are annotated by Williamson; with rather more than ten pages of other letters and drafts in Williamson's hand. TARKA & WILLIAMSON'S ANIMAL BOOKS/ OTHER WRITING Some 260 items (c300 pages) of mostly typed correspondence (and some telegrams), mostly received by Williamson from his Agents - AM Heath (125) - and various publishers - Faber (65), MacDonald (40) and others - (of which some 5% are annotated by him) with perhaps a dozen copies of his responses, relating to sales and stock, new editions (including an omnibus), the potential for reprints and amendments, illustrations, reversions of copyright, interests in foreign rights, requests re inclusions in anthologies, etc, of Williamson's animal and nature stories; and numerous enquiries re contributions by Williamson to other publications for reviews and articles about the environment and natural world. Heavily skewed toward 'Tarka the Otter' these papers relate also to 'Salar the Salmon', 'The Phasian Bird', 'Tales of Moorland and Estuary', the Devon Village Life and Norfolk Farm books, 'A Clear Water Stream', 'The Peregrine Saga' and 'The Old Stag' amongst others. Included are 5 pages of Galley Proofs from 'Collected Nature Stories' (pages 142-6) corrected in Williamson's hand; the author's copy of his 1949 contract with Fabers for 'Scribbling Lark'; and a flurry of correspondence regarding the loss of rights to 'Tarka' in the U.S. and a possible cartoon version of the story proposed by the Disney company; together with thoughts from Putnam's on a swans sequel to 'Tarka'. TARKA and SALAR FILMS Some 35 items - a few with Williamson's annotations - concerning various proposals to make a film of 'Tarka the Otter', in the 1950s and 1970s. 1950s - five letters from Lt. Col. Rawlinson re a film, including the suggested involvement of Benjamin Britten. 1970s - one letter (1970) re a proposed narration over still drawings; and correspondence extending between 1971 and 1974 from. Seller Inventory # 8178

Bibliographic Details

Title: LETTERS & PERSONAL PAPERS RELATING TO ...
Publisher: UK Unpublished 1940s onwards
Publication Date: 1940
Signed: Signed by Author(s)