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Nod Hill, R.F.D.1, Wilton, Connecticut.—Refers to the difficulty of publishing his biography of Housman, and returns cuttings.

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Transcript

Nod Hill, R.F.D.1, Wilton, Connecticut {1}
March 29, 1955

Dear Dr. Jackson:

I was both glad and ashamed to receive your letter the other day, after such long and inexcusable neglect on my part. If I had written, however, it would have been only to report further illness, personal or in my family, with attendant set-backs to the book, all of which I was afraid you might be tired or suspicious of hearing about. So I vowed to wait until I could give you some affirmative news. The book was finished last November, and I then supposed that delays and disappointments were at an end; but arranging for its publication has turned out to be almost equally slow and difficult, even though editorial opinion encourages me to think it’s a good job. The trouble is that Housman’s reputation, though still high in a literary sense, has become sadly forgotten by the average reader, at least over here; and since publishing is in the doldrums anyway, the risks of bring out such a book make the sales department (which wields great influence) hard to persuade. As matters now stand, I believe it will require only a little more time and patience, but you can see how uncommunicative and disheartened the author feels.

Here in the meanwhile are your clippings, with my deepest apologies as well as thanks; and of course I’ll let you know what eventually happens.

Sincerely yours,
George L. Watson

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Typed, except the signature and the addition to the address (see below).

{1} ‘R.F.D.1,’ added in pencil. The initials stand for Rural Free Delivery.

85 North Avenue, Salisbury, S. Rhodesia.—Sends cuttings relating to A. E. Housman.

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Transcript

85 North Avenue, Salisbury, S. Rhodesia
4.8.50

The set of 13 cuttings concerning Housmans death, The Name & Nature of Poetry & a review of “More poems” {1} were collected by myself. {2}
I hope these will be of use to you.

I see the reproduction of AEH print {3} as a young man in the attached John O’London of Oct. 16th 1936 is the same as the original mentioned in my letter of 16 Aug 15 {4} (air mail). The reproduction is very poor & if you would like the original I will gladly send it

GJ

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Besides the address the letter-head also includes Jackson’s name, professional qualifications, and telephone numbers.

{1} Closing inverted commas supplied.

{2} The implication appears to be that the three earliest cuttings, which relate to Housman’s Last Poems (Add. MS a. 681/1–3 were collected by Gerald’s father Moses, who, it may be noted, referred to one of them in his last letter to Housman. These cuttings were numbered by Gerald 1–3, in contrast to the other cuttings (Add. MS a. 681/4–19), most of which were marked with his initials. It is unclear which of the latter group are the thirteen referred to.

{3} Probable reading.

{4} This appears to be what is written, but the date seems unlikely.