Sir Stanley Unwin Letters, 1888, 1914-1966

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Cage 4032
Sir Stanley Unwin
Letters, 1888, 1914-1966

The letters of Sir Stanley Unwin (1884-1968) were acquired by Washington State University Library by purchase through the Sotheby sale of July 23, 1976 (lot 24). The forty-one letters were processed in August 1976 by Roberta Stokes.

Approximate number of items: 41

BIOGRAPHY

Sir Stanley Unwin (1884-1968) was an author and head of the English publishing house of George Allen and Unwin, Ltd. which he established in 1914. A strong proponent of international cooperation in book matters, he served as president of the International Publishing Association, 1936-1938 and 1946-1957, and traveled extensively throughout the world collecting information on organization and publishing techniques from booksellers and publishing houses.

DESCRIPTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF THE LETTERS

The letters are arranged in a single sequence, alphabetically by the last name of the writer of the letter. These letters were, for the most part, received through the firm of George Allen and Unwin Ltd. and concern publishing matters. It may be assumed that Sir Stanley chose to separate them out from his business files (note, for example, the pencilled instructions on Priestley's letter to make a copy for the file) because these were letters from the now or soon-to-be famous and he wished to keep them in his personal files.

CONTAINER LIST

Item # Description

1 Aldington, Richard, 1892-1962
Letter, June 6, 1952, Montpellier, Herault, France, to Sir Stanley Unwin [London] concerning the publication of his poems by another publishing house and praise of the firm George Allen and Unwin, Ltd.
1 l. typescript signed.
2 Belloc, Hilaire, 1870-1953
Letter, September 25, 1935, Shipley, Horsham, to Sir Stanley Unwin, London, informing him that he has no essays on a subject about which Unwin had previously written him.
1 l. holograph signed.
3 Bennett, Arnold, 1867-1931
Letter, November 5, 1929 [London] to Sir Stanley Unwin, asking for a copy of Union's new translation of "Oblomov."
1 l. typescript signed.
4 Blunden, Edmund Charles, 1896
Letter, March 14, 1930, Hawstead Nr. Bury St, Edmunds, to Sir Stanley Unwin, concerning correspondence about a second edition of the Home-Reading Union's List of War Rooks.
1 l. holograph signed.
5 Cope-Hennesey, James
Letter, October 30, 1959 [London] to Sir Stanley Unwin [London] making a luncheon appointment with him to discuss Cope-Hennesey's new book.
1 l. typescript signed.
6 de la Mare, Walter, 1873-1956
Letter, December 1, 1937, Taplow, Buckinghamshire, to George Allen and Unwin, Ltd., London, thanking the firm for the two copies of Miss Eileen Duggan's Poems.
1 l. typescript signed.
7 Dickinson, W N
Postcard, December 2 (1915] London, to Sir Stanley Unwin, London, thanking him for his assistance.
1 l. holograph signed.
8 Dunsany, Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, baron, 1878-1957
Letter, May 3, 1946, Meath, to Sir Stanley Unwin, London, giving information about George Allen and Unwin, Ltd.'s previous business dealings in the publishing of Lord Dunsany's books.
1 l. holograph signed.
9 Ervine, St. John, 1883
Letter, 1929, Seaton, Devonshire, to Sir Stanley Unwin, regarding the manuscript of his play "The First Mrs. Fraser."
1 l. holograph signed.
10 Forster, Edward Morgan, 1879
Letter, September 3, 1946, West Hackhurst, Dunking?, to George Allen and Unwin, Ltd., London, concerning a quotation which the firm have asked him to identify and which he does not attribute to Dickinson.
1 l. holograph signed.
11 Fry, Roger Elliott, 1866-1934
Postcard, December 15, 1929, London, to George Allen and Unwin, Ltd., London, thanking the firm for suggestions regarding the publishing of some materials but stating that he has already made such arrangements.
1 l. holograph signed.
12 Galsworthy, John, 1867-1933
Letter, August 16, 1925, London, to Sir Stanley Unwin, thanking him for a book which he has received.
1 l. holograph signed.
13 Hogben, Lancelot, 1895
Letter, January 1, 1951, Birmingham, to Sir Stanley Unwin [London] extending New Year's wishes to him.
1 l. holograph signed.
14 Hodgson, Ralph, 1871-1962
Letter, December 17, 1938, Madison, Wisconsin, to Sir Stanley Unwin, making arrangements to meet with Sir Stanley the next time Hogben travels to London.
1 l. holograph signed.
15 Joad, Cyril Edwin Mitchinson, 1891-1953
Letter, n.d. [London] to Sir Stanley Unwin, asking if he might invite friends to use Sir Stanley's tennis court.
1 l. holograph signed.
16 Laski, Harold Joseph, 1893-1950
Letter, August 11, 1932, London, to Sir Stanley Unwin, explaining why a pamphlet he had written for the Fabian Society had not been submitted to George Allen and Unwin, Ltd. for publication and Leonard Woolf's role in all of this.
1 l. holograph signed.
17 Lewis, Clive Staples, 1898-1963
Letter, November 6, 1962, Cambridge, to Mr. Breckman [London] asking that he not put in a word for Lewis' work, as people might think it "mutual backscratching, like Shanks and Squire."
1 l. holograph signed.
18 Macaulay, Dame Rose, 1889?-1958
Postcard, July 30, 1942, London, to Sir Stanley Unwin, London, thanking him for his letter and accompanying report.
1 l. holograph signed.
19 McCarthy, Desmond
Letter, June?, 1941, London, to Sir Stanley Unwin [London] thanking him for the check and asking what he thinks about a new preface.
1 l. holograph signed.
20 MacDonald, George, 1824-1905
Letter, July 4, 1888, Ewill, to S. Unwin, responding to a request that he lecture on October 6, delineating his fees, and indicating that he would prefer not to lecture in England in October.
2 l. holograph signed.
21 Mackenzie, Compton, 1883
Letter, June 9, 1952, Berkshire, to Sir Stanley Unwin (London] thanking him for his letter to congratulations.
1 l. in part typescript and holograph signed.
22 Masefield, John, 1878-1967
Letter, September 20, 1914, Berkshire, to [George Allen and Unwin, Ltd., London] regarding "sacrificing 2000 copies of the American edition of Shakespeare, in the Home University Library."
1 1. holograph signed.
23 Montague, Charles Edward, 1867-1928
Letter, December 30, 1925, Burford, Oxfordshire, to Sir Stanley Unwin, in which he stresses that he will keep in mind Sir Stanley's offer to publish what he may write.
1 l. holograph signed.
24 Muir, Edwin, 1887-1959
Letter, June 5, 1953, Dalkeith, Midlothian, to Sir Stanley Unwin, thanking him for his letter of congratulations.
1 l. holograph signed.
25 Murray, Gilbert, 1866-1957
Letter, September 14, 1947, to Mr. Beard, indicating what corrections need to be made in the references of Murray's manuscript.
1 l. holograph signed.
26 Nehru, Jawaharlal, 1889-1964
Letter, April 19, 1948, New Delhi, to Sir Stanley Unwin, London, thanking him for sending a copy of Lord Beveridge's book.
1 l. typescript signed.
27 Nevinson, Henry W.
Letter, January 7, 1940, London, to Sir Stanley Unwin, London, thanking him for his letter which commented favorably on some of Nevinson's writing.
1 l. holograph signed.
28 Nicolson, Harold, 1886-1968
Letter, November 5, 1958, London, to Sir Stanley Unwin [London] concerning a Mr. Baldwin who had been chastized by Nicolson for not showing an interest in "foreign politics."
1 l. typescript signed.
29 Ollivant, Alfred, 1874-1927
Letter, 1926, London, to Sir Stanley Unwin, concerning a scandal, possibly connected with The Athenaeum, with a postscript about a manuscript which he was sending under separate cover.
1 l. holograph signed.
30 Phillpotts, Eden, 1862-1960
Letter, January 13, 1951, Broadclyst, Devonshire, to Sir Stanley Unwin [London] thanking Unwin for his letter and deploring the conditions under which young writers have to endure.
1 l. holograph signed.
31 Priestley, John Boynton, 1894
Letter, August 27, 1966, Stratford-on-Avon, to Sir Stanley Unwin, London, thanking him for his letter and the book On Crowing Old by Dr. Vischer.
1 l. typescript signed.
32 Rajagopalachari, Chakravarti, 1879
Letter, December 30, 1964, Madras, to George Allen and Unwin, Ltd., London, acknowledging receipt of the book Sermon on the Mount by Swami Prabhavananda.
1 l. typescript signed.
33 Sitwell, Dame Edith, 1887-1964
Letter, December 1, 1942, Renishaw, Nr. Sheffield, Derbyshire, to George Allen and Unwin, Ltd., London, asking permission to quote from Ernest Boyd's translation of Jean Cocteau's Opium in her book A Poet's Notebook.
1 l. holograph signed.
34 Squire, Sir John Collings, 1884-1958
Letter, September 22, 1919?, London, to Sir Stanley Unwin, concerning a publishing matter.
1 l. holograph signed.
35 Stacpoole, H. de Vere
Postcard, November 13, 1947, Bonchurch, Isle of Wight, to Sir Stanley Unwin [London] thanking him for his previous letter.
1 l. holograph signed.
36 Swinnerton, Frank Arthur, 1884
Letter, April 17, 1937, Cranleigh, Surrey, to Sir Stanley Unwin, thanking him for his kind remarks and for the book Cuckoo Narrow. He mentions Viola Garvin choosing books for him to review.
1 l. holograph signed.
37 Tagore, Sir Rabindranath, 1861-1941
Letter, December 24, 1931, Bengal, to Mr. Bhabani Bhattacharyna, London, giving permission to publish the volume of poems which Bhattacharyna translated into English from the original Bengali.
1 l. in part typescript and holograph signed.
38 Toynbee, Arnold Joseph, 1889
Letter, August 27, 1960, Westmorland, to Sir Stanley Unwin [London] expressing thanks for Sir Stanley's "settling [his] query so promptly ..."
1 l. holograph signed.
39 Trevelyan, S M
Letter, May 2, 1956, Cambridge, to Sir Stanley Unwin [London] apologizing for the "fuss" over the sale, which has turned out to be on most generous terms, of something, possibly a manuscript, belonging to Janet.
1 l. holograph signed.
40 Walpole, Sir Hugh, 1884-1941
Letter, November 18, 1940, London, to Sir Stanley Unwin, London, in which he politely refuses to do a book on a topic suggested by Sir Stanley because he has certain novels, belles lettres, and criticism in mind to write in the time he has left.
1 l. holograph signed.
41 Woolf, Leonard, 1880
Letter, December 12, 1931, London, to Sir Stanley Unwin, London, in which he asks that his writings, if possible, not be included in a book which George Allen and Unwin, Ltd. intend to publish.
1 l. typescript signed.
42 Sotheby Sale Catalogue, July 23, 1976, page 9, containing description of Lot 24.
1 p. photocopy.

Item #	Description

1	Aldington, Richard, 1892-1962 Letter, June 6, 1952, Montpellier, Herault, France, to Sir Stanley Unwin [London] concerning the publication of his poems by another publishing house and praise of the firm George Allen and Unwin, Ltd. 1 l. typescript signed.
2	Belloc, Hilaire, 1870-1953 Letter, September 25, 1935, Shipley, Horsham, to Sir Stanley Unwin, London, informing him that he has no essays on a subject about which Unwin had previously written him. 1 l. holograph signed.
3	Bennett, Arnold, 1867-1931 Letter, November 5, 1929 [London] to Sir Stanley Unwin, asking for a copy of Union's new translation of "Oblomov." 1 l. typescript signed.
4	Blunden, Edmund Charles, 1896 Letter, March 14, 1930, Hawstead Nr. Bury St, Edmunds, to Sir Stanley Unwin, concerning correspondence about a second edition of the Home-Reading Union's List of War Rooks. 1 l. holograph signed.
5	Cope-Hennesey, James Letter, October 30, 1959 [London] to Sir Stanley Unwin [London] making a luncheon appointment with him to discuss Cope-Hennesey's new book. 1 l. typescript signed.
6	de la Mare, Walter, 1873-1956 Letter, December 1, 1937, Taplow, Buckinghamshire, to George Allen and Unwin, Ltd., London, thanking the firm for the two copies of Miss Eileen Duggan's Poems. 1 l. typescript signed.
7	Dickinson, W N Postcard, December 2 (1915] London, to Sir Stanley Unwin, London, thanking him for his assistance. 1 l. holograph signed.
8	Dunsany, Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, baron, 1878-1957 Letter, May 3, 1946, Meath, to Sir Stanley Unwin, London, giving information about George Allen and Unwin, Ltd.'s previous business dealings in the publishing of Lord Dunsany's books. 1 l. holograph signed.
9	Ervine, St. John, 1883 Letter, 1929, Seaton, Devonshire, to Sir Stanley Unwin, regarding the manuscript of his play "The First Mrs. Fraser." 1 l. holograph signed.
10	Forster, Edward Morgan, 1879 Letter, September 3, 1946, West Hackhurst, Dunking?, to George Allen and Unwin, Ltd., London, concerning a quotation which the firm have asked him to identify and which he does not attribute to Dickinson. 1 l. holograph signed.
11	Fry, Roger Elliott, 1866-1934 Postcard, December 15, 1929, London, to George Allen and Unwin, Ltd., London, thanking the firm for suggestions regarding the publishing of some materials but stating that he has already made such arrangements. 1 l. holograph signed.
12	Galsworthy, John, 1867-1933 Letter, August 16, 1925, London, to Sir Stanley Unwin, thanking him for a book which he has received. 1 l. holograph signed.
13	Hogben, Lancelot, 1895 Letter, January 1, 1951, Birmingham, to Sir Stanley Unwin [London] extending New Year's wishes to him. 1 l. holograph signed.
14	Hodgson, Ralph, 1871-1962 Letter, December 17, 1938, Madison, Wisconsin, to Sir Stanley Unwin, making arrangements to meet with Sir Stanley the next time Hogben travels to London. 1 l. holograph signed.
15	Joad, Cyril Edwin Mitchinson, 1891-1953 Letter, n.d. [London] to Sir Stanley Unwin, asking if he might invite friends to use Sir Stanley's tennis court. 1 l. holograph signed.
16	Laski, Harold Joseph, 1893-1950 Letter, August 11, 1932, London, to Sir Stanley Unwin, explaining why a pamphlet he had written for the Fabian Society had not been submitted to George Allen and Unwin, Ltd. for publication and Leonard Woolf's role in all of this. 1 l. holograph signed.
17	Lewis, Clive Staples, 1898-1963 Letter, November 6, 1962, Cambridge, to Mr. Breckman [London] asking that he not put in a word for Lewis' work, as people might think it "mutual backscratching, like Shanks and Squire." 1 l. holograph signed.
18	Macaulay, Dame Rose, 1889?-1958 Postcard, July 30, 1942, London, to Sir Stanley Unwin, London, thanking him for his letter and accompanying report. 1 l. holograph signed.
19	McCarthy, Desmond Letter, June?, 1941, London, to Sir Stanley Unwin [London] thanking him for the check and asking what he thinks about a new preface. 1 l. holograph signed.
20	MacDonald, George, 1824-1905 Letter, July 4, 1888, Ewill, to S. Unwin, responding to a request that he lecture on October 6, delineating his fees, and indicating that he would prefer not to lecture in England in October. 2 l. holograph signed.
21	Mackenzie, Compton, 1883 Letter, June 9, 1952, Berkshire, to Sir Stanley Unwin (London] thanking him for his letter to congratulations. 1 l. in part typescript and holograph signed.
22	Masefield, John, 1878-1967 Letter, September 20, 1914, Berkshire, to [George Allen and Unwin, Ltd., London] regarding "sacrificing 2000 copies of the American edition of Shakespeare, in the Home University Library." 1 1. holograph signed.
23	Montague, Charles Edward, 1867-1928 Letter, December 30, 1925, Burford, Oxfordshire, to Sir Stanley Unwin, in which he stresses that he will keep in mind Sir Stanley's offer to publish what he may write. 1 l. holograph signed.
24	Muir, Edwin, 1887-1959 Letter, June 5, 1953, Dalkeith, Midlothian, to Sir Stanley Unwin, thanking him for his letter of congratulations. 1 l. holograph signed.
25	Murray, Gilbert, 1866-1957 Letter, September 14, 1947, to Mr. Beard, indicating what corrections need to be made in the references of Murray's manuscript. 1 l. holograph signed.
26	Nehru, Jawaharlal, 1889-1964 Letter, April 19, 1948, New Delhi, to Sir Stanley Unwin, London, thanking him for sending a copy of Lord Beveridge's book. 1 l. typescript signed.
27	Nevinson, Henry W. Letter, January 7, 1940, London, to Sir Stanley Unwin, London, thanking him for his letter which commented favorably on some of Nevinson's writing. 1 l. holograph signed.
28	Nicolson, Harold, 1886-1968 Letter, November 5, 1958, London, to Sir Stanley Unwin [London] concerning a Mr. Baldwin who had been chastized by Nicolson for not showing an interest in "foreign politics." 1 l. typescript signed.
29	Ollivant, Alfred, 1874-1927 Letter, 1926, London, to Sir Stanley Unwin, concerning a scandal, possibly connected with The Athenaeum, with a postscript about a manuscript which he was sending under separate cover. 1 l. holograph signed.
30	Phillpotts, Eden, 1862-1960 Letter, January 13, 1951, Broadclyst, Devonshire, to Sir Stanley Unwin [London] thanking Unwin for his letter and deploring the conditions under which young writers have to endure. 1 l. holograph signed.
31	Priestley, John Boynton, 1894 Letter, August 27, 1966, Stratford-on-Avon, to Sir Stanley Unwin, London, thanking him for his letter and the book On Crowing Old by Dr. Vischer. 1 l. typescript signed.
32	Rajagopalachari, Chakravarti, 1879 Letter, December 30, 1964, Madras, to George Allen and Unwin, Ltd., London, acknowledging receipt of the book Sermon on the Mount by Swami Prabhavananda. 1 l. typescript signed.
33	Sitwell, Dame Edith, 1887-1964 Letter, December 1, 1942, Renishaw, Nr. Sheffield, Derbyshire, to George Allen and Unwin, Ltd., London, asking permission to quote from Ernest Boyd's translation of Jean Cocteau's Opium in her book A Poet's Notebook. 1 l. holograph signed.
34	Squire, Sir John Collings, 1884-1958 Letter, September 22, 1919?, London, to Sir Stanley Unwin, concerning a publishing matter. 1 l. holograph signed.
35	Stacpoole, H. de Vere Postcard, November 13, 1947, Bonchurch, Isle of Wight, to Sir Stanley Unwin [London] thanking him for his previous letter. 1 l. holograph signed.
36	Swinnerton, Frank Arthur, 1884 Letter, April 17, 1937, Cranleigh, Surrey, to Sir Stanley Unwin, thanking him for his kind remarks and for the book Cuckoo Narrow. He mentions Viola Garvin choosing books for him to review. 1 l. holograph signed.
37	Tagore, Sir Rabindranath, 1861-1941 Letter, December 24, 1931, Bengal, to Mr. Bhabani Bhattacharyna, London, giving permission to publish the volume of poems which Bhattacharyna translated into English from the original Bengali. 1 l. in part typescript and holograph signed.
38	Toynbee, Arnold Joseph, 1889 Letter, August 27, 1960, Westmorland, to Sir Stanley Unwin [London] expressing thanks for Sir Stanley's "settling [his] query so promptly ..." 1 l. holograph signed.
39	Trevelyan, S M Letter, May 2, 1956, Cambridge, to Sir Stanley Unwin [London] apologizing for the "fuss" over the sale, which has turned out to be on most generous terms, of something, possibly a manuscript, belonging to Janet. 1 l. holograph signed.
40	Walpole, Sir Hugh, 1884-1941 Letter, November 18, 1940, London, to Sir Stanley Unwin, London, in which he politely refuses to do a book on a topic suggested by Sir Stanley because he has certain novels, belles lettres, and criticism in mind to write in the time he has left. 1 l. holograph signed.
41	Woolf, Leonard, 1880 Letter, December 12, 1931, London, to Sir Stanley Unwin, London, in which he asks that his writings, if possible, not be included in a book which George Allen and Unwin, Ltd. intend to publish. 1 l. typescript signed.
42	Sotheby Sale Catalogue, July 23, 1976, page 9, containing description of Lot 24. 1 p. photocopy.