As you may have heard, the Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections department of the Washington State University libraries has recently undertaken the project of re-uniting and re-shelving the Woolf library. It has been my pleasure to be a part of this project and yesterday as I worked my way through the Ds, carefully removing books from the shelves, placing them on a book truck, and moving them to their new home, I came across a rather strange volume.
The book, bound in faded blue cloth with gold lettering, was rather broadly titled MEN WOMEN AND THINGS. I was immediately curious, so as I took the book from the shelf, I gently opened the cover and discovered, there on the first page, an inscription. As I scanned the handwritten message, my eyes were drawn to the signature of the inscriber none other than that great modernist poet, T.S. Eliot.
Excited to see the signature of one of my favorite poets, I rapidly read the inscription, softly chuckling at Eliot's suggestion that he was Virginia's devoted obedient servant. As I rushed to find someone to show them what I had found, I began to wonder why Eliot had chosen this book, written by the Duke of Portland, as a Christmas present for Virginia in 1937.
Earlier today, Trevor Bond showed up at my work station with a copy of The Letters of Virginia Woolf, 1936-1941. We looked through the book together and found a letter, written to Eliot on Thursday, December 16th 1937. In it, Woolf writes, "What a miracle to come home and find your letter, after so brilliantly cutting each other in the alley. Still more miraculous that you should think of me and Portland together. Id just read Morgans review, and asked for the loan of his copy. Naturally he's forgotten."
So our question is: Does anyone know why T.S. Eliot would have thought Portland's memoirs would have made a good present for Virginia Woolf or why she might have wanted a copy?
Andrew D. McCarthy
Pullman, WA
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