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Details
LAWRENCE, Thomas Edward (1888-1935). Autograph letter signed ('T.E.S.') to Mrs Lionel Curtis ('Respected Madam'), inscribed at the head 'Letter to a prophet's wife believed abroad', Southampton, 7 October 1933, one page, folio.
Reporting that Augustus John has said of his drawings of Lionel Curtis that 'the first was much the best...he liked Lionel's head. That might sound like a reflection upon yours - but the order of the sentence is mine, and in the order lies the apparent (but false) significance. I hope that you now feel the justice of my caution that the wives and subjects of John's art are not its best lovers. Ahem...', also asking what John charged, and whether Hales Croft has been rebuilt, and referring to the repairs at Clouds Hill. 'It now houses all my surviving books (alas, only the shadow of the library it was!) and has water flowing through it, and a bath and no drain. We aspire towards a hot-water boiler and a swimming pool. Provided that those Yanks will buy more Odysseys...'.
The American edition of the Odyssey had sold eleven thousand copies, a success beyond Lawrence's dreams, which enabled him to plan the alterations to make Clouds Hill his permanent home on retirement from the RAF. This was his principal interest outside his work, and the chief improvement was the installation of a water supply. But by October the fall of the exchange rate caused his receipts in sterling to fall well below expectations, forcing him to borrow while hoping that sales would continue. The loss of his books had been discovered when they were delivered to him from storage and many were found to be missing.
Reporting that Augustus John has said of his drawings of Lionel Curtis that 'the first was much the best...he liked Lionel's head. That might sound like a reflection upon yours - but the order of the sentence is mine, and in the order lies the apparent (but false) significance. I hope that you now feel the justice of my caution that the wives and subjects of John's art are not its best lovers. Ahem...', also asking what John charged, and whether Hales Croft has been rebuilt, and referring to the repairs at Clouds Hill. 'It now houses all my surviving books (alas, only the shadow of the library it was!) and has water flowing through it, and a bath and no drain. We aspire towards a hot-water boiler and a swimming pool. Provided that those Yanks will buy more Odysseys...'.
The American edition of the Odyssey had sold eleven thousand copies, a success beyond Lawrence's dreams, which enabled him to plan the alterations to make Clouds Hill his permanent home on retirement from the RAF. This was his principal interest outside his work, and the chief improvement was the installation of a water supply. But by October the fall of the exchange rate caused his receipts in sterling to fall well below expectations, forcing him to borrow while hoping that sales would continue. The loss of his books had been discovered when they were delivered to him from storage and many were found to be missing.
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