Bruce Lee’s multi-signed handwritten essays and vocabulary assignments removed from his high school dictation book used while attending St. Francis Xavier’s College in Kowloon in the mid-to-late 1950s—some of the earliest known examples of Lee’s handwriting and signatures. The seven-page booklet consists of three essays and three vocabulary lessons penned on four lightly lined 6.5 x 8 sheets in blue ink by Lee, who signs his name in the upper left of each of the three essays, “Bruce Lee.” Each page also bears numerous pencil and red ink corrections and emendations from Lee’s teacher. The essays include a creative description of a rustic inn, an evaluation of British temperament, and a thoughtful critique on famine and land erosion; in addition to the nearly 600 words Lee pens in the essays, the succeeding vocabulary lessons include a total of 100 words, with Lee’s teacher adding missed words in pencil or red ink.
The first essay, in part [grammar and spelling corrected for readability]: “The little roadside inn snugly sheltered behind a great elm tree, with a rare seat for idlers curling its capacious bole, address a cheerful front towards the traveler as a house of entertainment odd, and tempted him with many mute but significant assurances of a comfortable welcome. The…signboard perched up in the tree with its golden letters winking in the sun…the passer-by and from among the green leaves like a jolly face, and promised good cheer. The horse trough full of clear fresh water and the ground below it sprinkled with droppings of fragrant hay, made every horse that passed prick up its ear. The crimson curtains of the lower roof and the pure white hangings in the little bedchambers above, beckoned come in! with every breath of air. Upon the windowsills were flowering plants in bright red pots which made a lively show against the white front of the house, and in the darkness of the doorway there were streaks of light, which glanced off from the surfaces of bottles and tankards. On the doorstep appeared the proper figure of a landlord too for though he was a short man, he was round and broad, and stood with his hands in his pockets, and his legs just wide enough apart to express a mind address upon the subject of the cellar, and an easy confidence—too calm, too virtuous…—in the easy resources of the inn.” In spite of his attractive penmanship, Lee struggles throughout the first essay, with his teacher noting a total of 49 mistakes; he fares slightly better on the lesson’s adjoining negative prefix vocabulary quiz, amassing a total of 11 correct answers.
The second essay, in full: “The endurance of the crowds lining the Coronation route was most commendable. Soaked, chilled, sleepless, they remained wonderfully good-tempered and when the procession finally appeared, they cheered wholeheartedly. The great merit of a British crowd is that its members remained individuals. In some parts of the world, people gathered together—especially under some emotional stimulus—tend to become mobs, prone to acts of cruelty and violence. It is perhaps characteristic of the British type of civilization that British people can collect in crowds which do not degenerate into mobs. This is partly because of their attitude to authority. They respect it whether it is represented by the police or by the military, because they do not fear it and they accept it because they do not feel it is remote or alien. The respect is mutual of course, and the good humour of the Coronation crowd owed much to the patience and paternal forbearance of the police.” Lee shows marked improvement in both the essay and subsequent vocabulary lesson, with his teacher noting a total of only 12 essay mistakes.
The final essay, titled “The threat of world famine,” in full: “Where man has lived longest in organized societies, there, with few exceptions, the lands are in the worst conditions. England, with generally heavy soils and gentle rain is one of the few favourite spots little trouble with soil erosion. Egypt is another, but for a different reason. This soil erosion is a disease of the land that eats away the soil and eats fertility and leaves the fields unproductive and dry valleys beyond cultivation or use. This means that civilization is not yet a success in growing food enough from generation to generation. As old lands have been found out, wasted and damaged, chiefly by soil erosion, peoples have moved westward to newer lands. The saying, ‘Westward the course of Empire takes its way,’ only hides the tragic fact that men had worked out old lands before he moved westward to new lands of abundance. But today there are no more continents to discover, to explore or to exploit, mankind has now occupied all the lands of the earth and taken them into possession. We must therefore find a new way to produce food for increasing populations from the lands already occupied.” This final essay exists as Lee’s most polished piece, with only three main corrections to the text; likewise, Lee also performs well on the vocabulary portion, making a total of six misspellings. In fine condition. Accompanied by a copy of Lee’s original Dictation subject book, featuring these very essays as well as three others, and a Superior Galleries catalog from August 7, 1993, highlighting the Bruce Lee Collection, which includes Lee’s Dictation book as part of its auction; this was the first ever auction to be authorized by Linda Lee Cadwell, Bruce's wife, and featured over 150 items from his estate.
In spite of his intelligence and an already dutiful work ethic, Lee often found himself distracted during his early education. His penchant for school yard brawls and an affiliation with the Junction Street Eight Tigers gang resulted in Lee being transferred from La Salle College to a new high school at St. Francis Xavier in 1956. As both a Yip Man student and a short-tempered child star, Lee entered St. Francis Xavier with a reputation as ‘king gorilla’—boss of the school. Given his celebrity and refusal to turn down a fight, Lee continued to take on all challengers. When a teacher interrupted one particular scrap in a bathroom stall, Lee was given the ultimatum to join the St. Francis Xavier boxing club. He accepted and soon after became the interschool boxing champion with a third-round knockout. Seen by many as a delinquent during his high school years, Lee was nevertheless cognizant of the role education would play in his career, noting in a diary entry from December 1, 1958: ‘Learn more mathematics. Learn more English (conversation).’ Written shortly before leaving for America, these incredible essays represent Lee during one of his most difficult yet formative periods, and exist as a genuine extension of Lee’s pathway to international stardom.
