Pym Violet (1 results)

FIRST EDITION, SIGNED BY FRIEND & CONTRIBUTOR. 8vo, incl. b/w plates. Original blue cloth, spine lettered in gilt. Slight bend to boards, wear and bruising to extremities, edges foxed. Signed in black pen by Pym on ffep: "V. Pym". Foxed, especially at front and end. Else, tight and tidy. In George Plank's attractive original red, white and black dust jacket: spine gently sunned, edgewear, creasing and losses to extremities. Very good/ good-only A pleasing association copy of this intimate celebration-cum-commemoration of the actor, costume designer, director and producer of the Pioneer Players, set down "all for love and nothing for reward," including contributions from Craig's partners Chris St. John and Clare Tony Atwood, her brother Edward Gordon Craig, plus, Cicely Hamilton, Vita Sackville-West and close friend, neighbour and this copy's inscriber, Violet Pym. Violet 'Vi' Pym had known Craig and St John since childhood, with "golden, happy" stretches of it spent at Smallhythe, with Ellen Terry, and at the couple's London flat. Following St John's death thirteen years later, Pym sorted the biographer's papers and shared her diaries with their mutual friend Vita Sackville-West, thus bringing to light (in VSW's words): "Christopher's horrifying document [] a love journal [and ] shattering record of her friendship with me".