Item 3 - Letter from G. C. Moore Smith to R. B. McKerrow

1 folded sheet

Park Lodge, Wimbledon Common, S.W. 19.—Thanks him for a copy of his book, and comments on it. Refers to his own forthcoming publications.

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Transcript

31 Endcliffe Rise Road, Sheffield
23 Oct. 1927

My dear McKerrow,

It is extremely kind of you to send me your Introduction to Bibliography, as though my bookshelves did not give sufficient evidence of your generosity already. Very many thanks.

The book is crammed with instruction for all literary students such as noone else could have given as well, and I hope you will find that there is a great demand for it everywhere. I suppose you will get it reviewed in Germany.

You are very scrupulous in making acknowledgment of little observations made by other people. As to ‘Bassifie’ {1}, I think Brett-Smith told me that in the Bodleian copy this curious mistake is corrected. (is not found).

p. 137. last line. You assume that 1581 = 1580/1, not 1581/2. Is this certain?

I notice that in one little point of usage you differ from me. I should say ‘this went on down to 1840’ (regarding Time as a river)—you say ‘up to 1840’ (as though it were a mountain). I imagine that there is plenty of authority for your use, but it always seems to me unnatural.

I dont know why my Warton Lecture of May 20 is not yet out, at least I have had no copies sent me & have not seen any note of its publication. I am getting in Dorothy Osborne proofs. {2} Parry has seen the Introduction & written very amiably about it, so I think he is not going to raise difficulties.

I have not found a reviewer for Lawrence’s Haward Lectures on The† Physical Condition of the Elizabethan Public Playhouse.

Greg prefers not to review Lawrence’s books. I suppose you wont undertake it?

Ever yours
G. C. Moore Smith

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Moore Smith customarily omitted apostrophes from words like ‘dont’ and ‘wont’.

{1} See An Introduction to Bibliography, p. 242.

{2} i.e. proofs of his edition of The Letters of Dorothy Osborne to William Temple, published by the Clarendon Press in 1928. The letters had previously been edited by Sir Edward Parry.

† Sic.