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Department of Latin, University College, London.—Seeks his support for the publication of a collected edition of A. E. Housman’s articles.

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Transcript

University College London, Gower Street, WC1
Department of Latin
15th December, 1960.

Dear Mr. Symons,

You may remember that in my Memorial speech on AEH I expressed the hope that his explicit wish that his writings should not be collected would one day be set aside. The reasons for your uncle’s wish are stated by Mr Gow, and by providing an index to the articles he admits that it runs counter to the needs of scholarship. The index, however, is not a satisfactory substitute. All over the world scholars need these writings, and only in a few places are the journals containing them available. The copyright of the articles is considered to be vested in the editors, and a preliminary enquiry with the editors of the Classical Review and the Classical Quarterly has brought the reply that they would not only permit but positively welcome the publication of the articles. When journals cease to exist, as e.g. the Classical Journal has done, the copyright, I believe, returns to the heirs. I am therefore writing to you to ask what your own views are, and whom, apart from you, I should approach.

I may say that this is merely exploratory. No editorial committee has been formed, and I myself may in the end not be associated with the venture at all. But because of my speech I seem to have become for the moment the centre at which the voices of those who want and need this publication are gathered, and I have therefore decided that it is for me to put before you and whomever you suggest our point of view. It is that scholarship needs these writings; that they are so distinguished also in their style that they should not be withheld; and that the reasons for your uncle’s wish are not valid. No scholars wants to be judged in the light of his earlier publications. Nevertheless the writings of great scholars are generally collected, and every person whose judgement is worth while understands that the author in his maturity would not have approved everything he had ever written. Perhaps the special circumstances in this case could be stated in a dignified manner either in an English preface or in a prefatory Latin poem.

I should be most grateful for an expression of your views.

Yours sincerely,
O. Skutsch.

N. V. H. Symons, Esq.,
Lymington, Hants.

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Typed, except the signature and a correction.

(Lymington, Hants.?)—Expresses support for the proposed edition of A. E. Housman’s articles, and offers related advice.

(Carbon copy.)

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Transcript

Professor O. Skutsch, Dr. Phil.
University College, | London.
20 Dec. 1960

Dear Professor Skutsch,

Thank you for your letter of the 15th Dec. which reached me yesterday.

I am the nearest surviving relative of A. E. Housman, the next relatives are my nephews, and I think I can speak better than anyone else on behalf of his family. On behalf of the family I would raise no objection at all to the kind of publication you contemplate for the purpose of promoting scholarship. I feel very strongly on the question of the dead imposing their wills on the living and I think the living are entitled to use their own judgment and discretion in carrying out testamentary directions.

But you will have to be careful to keep on the right side of the law and the position as regards this is as follows:—

(1) Barclays’s Bank were appointed by A. E. H. as his executors & trustees.

(2) He gave & bequeathed all his copyrights to the Bank on trust for the last survivor of his brothers & sisters absolutely.

(3) The last surviving brother or sister was Laurence Housman and he left everything to his great nephew R. E. Symons whose address is Box 1328 Salisbury, S. Rhodesia. All A. E. Housman’s copyrights now vest in R. E. Symons.

(4) A. E. H.’s directions in his will regarding his classical writings are:—

“Lastly I expressly desire and wish my desire to be made as widely known as possible that none of my writings which have apeared† in periodical publications shall be collected and reprinted in any shape or form and I expressly forbid the Bank to allow the reprinting of any such artcles† the copyright of which is vested in myself.”

The points that arise are:—

(1) Which, if any, of the writings it is desired to publish are still protected by copyright?

(2) If there are any such, does the embargo imposed on the Bank as regards reprinting apply in any way to R. E. Symons?

(3) If not, is he willing to allow reprinting?

If you decide to aproach† R. E. Symons on point 3, I suggest that you should give him the facts on point 1 and that you should take legal opinion on point 2 and furnish him with it.

I would also request you to send him a copy of this letter so that he will know my attitude which is, of course, not in the least binding on him.

I am informing Barclay’s Bank of what has transpired so far.

Yours sincerely,
(Sd) N. V. H. Symons

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1 sheet. Carbon copy of a typed original. The last line was added by hand.

† Sic.

Department of Latin, University College, London.—Thanks him for his letter. Will inform him of developments.

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University College London, Gower Street, WC1
Department of Latin
3 February, 1961.

Dear Mr. Symons,

I am greatly obliged by your letter with its detailed reply to my enquiry. Helpful as the factual in-formation is, I am even more grateful for the assurance that you, as the nearest surviving relative of AEH, do not consider it an outrage for us to be contemplating this step in defiance of his explicit instructions.

As soon as I have consulted my legal adviser I shall write to Mr. R. E. Symons, and I shall make a point of keeping you informed of developments.

With the assurance of my gratitude and very best wishes for the New Year

I am
Yours sincerely,
O. Skutsch.

Barclays Bank Ltd, Trustee Department, 40 Corn Street, Bristol.—States the Bank’s po-sition on the reprinting of A. E. Housman’s articles.

(Signed as Trust Officer.)

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Barclays Bank Limited
Trustee Department
P. O. Box No. 207, 40 Corn Street, Bristol, 1
9th January, 1961.

N. V. H. Symons Esq.,
Bucklands,
LYMINGTON,
Hants.

Dear Sir,

Further to our letter of the 29th December we have considered your enclosures which we now return and we are grateful for your courtesy in letting us see this correspondence. We do not think at the moment upon reflection that there is any question of the Bank being asked to give consent, and perhaps it would be as well to await a further approach. When that happens we should be quite ready to consider all the factors involved.

In passing Professor Skutsch may be right about the copyright of articles in defunct periodicals vesting in the heirs of the author, but it may be that the copyright would never have vested in the periodical itself but in the publishers. However, this is all part of a field of law with which we generally have little cause to be concerned, and perhaps it would be as well for Mr. R. E. Symons to be approached for his views.

Yours faithfully,
A Baldwin
TRUST OFFICER.

Encs.

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Typed, except signature.