Interesting ALS, one page, lightly-lined, 7.75 x 10, November 28, 1918, from Mountain Cottage, Middleton-by-Wirksworth, Derby. Letter to publisher Cyril Beaumont, in part: “Have you any idea when you are going to publish that little volume of verse of mine, called ‘Bay.’ It seems a long time since you took the MS. Did you return to Pinker that other MS. of verse, ‘All of Us’?—or have you it still? If you have, I wish you would post it to me here.” Scattered creasing and intersecting folds (passing through two letters of the signature), and several dots of stray ink, otherwise fine condition.
With his wife’s German heritage and his own vocal opposition to the military, Lawrence suffered constant persecution and harassment in wartime Britain. After being forced to leave under the Defence of the Realm Act in 1917, the couple moved several times, making Mountain Cottage their home for just under a year. During that time, he wrote his short story The White Peacock and put together his poetic reaction to the war in the pieces gathered for ‘Bay.’ While publisher Cyril Beaumont did eventually release the book in a beautiful limited edition—the first such release of Lawrence’s work—their professional relationship quickly deteriorated; disappointed with his publisher’s lack of urgency, as is evident in this letter, Lawrence would later call Beaumont ‘the most undependable insect on earth.’ An outstanding letter regarding this important book of poetry, written during Lawrence’s chaotic wartime years. Pre-certified PSA/DNA.
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