Seven letters and Air Letters, [?January 1946], 22 September 1947-10 May 1948, from John Cowper Powys, Corwen, Merionethshire, to actor, theatre director and writer Reginald Pole, in New York City, Denver, Colorado, and West Hollywood, mostly concerning Pole's unpublished novel, 'To An Unknown God', and Powys's attempts to facilitate its publication in Britain or America (ff. 1-6, 9-12).
The letters contain advice on literary agents and publishers (ff. 2 verso, 9-10 verso), a detailed discussion of the novel (ff. 3-6 verso), a self-portrait cartoon (f. 9 verso), references to Romain Rolland's 'Jean Christophe' novels, to which Pole's novel is compared (ff. 10-11), and the text of an open letter, or 'blurb', to publishers concerning the novel (f. 12 recto-verso). Also included are two envelopes, one incomplete (postmarked 21 November and 1 December 1947), for which the letters are absent (ff. 7-8); a typescript copy, with emendations, of the open letter (ff. 13-14) and an alternative typescript introduction to the novel (f. 15). The letters are variously signed 'Jack', 'Jack the Ripper', 'John C.P. ', 'Jack not the Ripper' and 'JCP'; the letter dated 18 October 1947 (ff. 3-6) is unsigned and may be incomplete. The first letter (f. 1) has an envelope in the hand of Marian Powys, having presumably been forwarded by her.