[TLS from Marie C. Stopes to Neville Armstrong, from the archive of Margaret Crosland]

Publication date: 1954

  • Signed
  • Softcover
  • Used
See all details
Item image 1 of 3.

Seller: Quair Books PBFA, Leeds, United KingdomQuair Books PBFA

5-star seller

AbeBooks seller since December 5, 2016

Association member: PBFA

Softcover

Condition: Used - Very good

£ 65.00

£ 21.50 shipping 
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket
Free 30-day returns

Item description from seller

One-page TLS (16th February, 1954) on white paper: nine lines in black type, featuring Stopes' Norbury Park, Dorking letter head and signed in blue pen. Toned, folded, with brief pen and pencil notes by Margaret Crosland and, presumably, Neville Armstrong (or an associate at Neville Armstrong Esq.), small stain, a little creased. Very good A wonderfully tart one-page TLS from Marie Stopes to the British publisher Neville Armstrong (1913-2008), expressing, in no uncertain terms and following advice, that she will "not go any further with the matter with you": it seems Margaret Crosland had suggested a biography of the pioneering English birth control advocate, paleobotanist and eugenicist, but, as Crosland notes, "she was writing her own story" and, indeed, feared that, "Miss Crosland's book would embarrass me". Stopes would die four years later, without publishing a memoir; Crosland doesn't appear to have returned to the subject. From Margaret Crosland's archive. Crosland (1920-2017) was an important and prolific British literary biographer and translator of French and Italian authors, "who pioneered Cocteau" in Britain (Owen, 2009). She was the French literature consultant for the British publisher Peter Owen, who issued many of her biographies and translations, and thus she played a crucial role in introducing French authors, such as Jean Cocteau and Colette, as well as the Marquis de Sade, Apollinaire and Anaïs Nin, to mid-century British audiences. Owen observed that Crosland was "very important in advising us on books to publish. It was Margaret who pioneered Cocteau [. and] led us to Dalí, as she knew his novel Hidden Faces" (ibid). Her biographical subjects included both Colette and Jean Cocteau (titles much under discussion in her archive), Simone de Beauvoir, Raymond Radiguet and Edith Piaf, and she translated works by writers including Sade (for Neville Spearman and Peter Owen), Emile Zola, Edmond de Goncourt and Cesare Pavese, as well as Colette and Cocteau. She was also a voluminous correspondent, literary broker and networker, as her letters evidence in rich and fascinating detail. Margaret Crosland's traunch of correspondence with Peter Owen and associates (1955-1969) is held by Special Collections at the University of Tulsa. Peter Owen (2009) Interview with Steven Fowler, Vice Magazine. …

Seller Inventory # 3289

Bibliographic details

Title
[TLS from Marie C. Stopes to Neville Armstrong, from the archive of Margaret Crosland]
Author
[STOPES, Mary]; [ARMSTRONG, Neville]; [NEVILLE SPEARMAN LTD]; [CROSLAND, Margaret]
Publication year
1954
Condition
Very Good
Signed
Signed by Author(s)
Binding
Soft cover
Seller catalogs
Letters, Signed & Association Items

Quair Books PBFA

Leeds, United Kingdom

5-star seller

AbeBooks seller since December 5, 2016

Association member:

Shipping rates from United Kingdom to U.S.A.

Item21 to 45 business days5 to 10 business days
First item£ 21.50£ 24.50
Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.

Payment methods

  • Visa
  • Mastercard
  • American Express
  • Apple Pay
  • Google Pay

Store description

Quair Books specialises in modern literary and visual cultures, particularly alternative, different and radical authors/ artists, presses and histories. We also hold a small general stock, with a focus on rare, significant and bonny books. We trade at fairs, online and via catalogue.

Specialty

Signed & association copies, modernist first editions, feminist & queer-related items

Association member

  • Provincial Booksellers Fairs Association
Members of these associations are committed to maintaining the highest standards. They vouch for the authenticity of all items offered for sale. They provide expert and detailed descriptions, disclose all significant defects and/or restorations, provide clear and accurate pricing, and operate with fairness and honesty during the purchase experience.

Seller's business information

Quair Books Ltd

Organia House, Bradford Road,
Guiseley,, United Kingdom LS20 8NH