Dangos 42 canlyniad

A collection of miscellaneous letters and papers, 1757-1993, purchased or received by donation from various sources by the National Library of Wales during the period June 2008-May 2013 and boxed as one volume.

A letter, 30 December 1952, from Dylan Thomas, Laugharne, to A[lfred] Morgan of Barry, Glamorgan, acknowledging his letter of condolence on the death of Thomas's father [on 16 December 1952]. The poet's statement that his father 'died very peacefully', contrasts with the sentiments expressed in his villanelle 'Do not go gentle into that good night'. The letter is apparently unpublished.

A letter, dated 27 July 1911, from John L. Griffiths, United States Consul-General in London, to David Lloyd George, Chancellor of the Exchequer, thanking him for the seats at the Investiture of Prince Edward (later King Edward VIII and Duke of Windsor) as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle on 13 July 1911.

A carbon copy typescript, [?1940], of the third verse of Dylan Thomas's poem 'Into her lying down head', with the final ten lines crossed through and completely re-written (as nine lines) in Thomas's hand, [1943x1946] (f. 17).
The typescript appears to match the text as originally published in Life and Letters To-day, 27 (November 1940), 124-126, and collected in Dylan Thomas, New Poems (Norfolk, Conn., 1943), pp. 2-4; the manuscript changes, with one exception, conform to those made before its publication in Dylan Thomas, Deaths and Entrances (London, 1946), pp. 20-22. A typescript summary of the poem's history, [late 20 cent], reproducing the original version of the third verse, is also included (f. 18).

Llythyr, 5 Mai [recte Mehefin] 1941, oddi wrth yr Athro [Emeritws] T. Gwynn Jones at yr Athro Ganon W. H. Harris, a oedd newydd ei benodi yn Athro'r Gymraeg, Coleg Dewi Sant, Llanbedr Pont Steffan, yn bennaf yn trafod ei hen gwrs Llenyddiaeth Gymraeg yn Aberystwyth, a'r darpar offeiriaid a gweinidogion a ddysgodd yno. = Letter, 5 May [recte June] 1941, from [Emeritus] Professor T. Gwynn Jones to Professor Canon W. H. Harris, who was newly appointed Professor of Welsh at St. David's College, Lampeter, mainly concerning Jones's former course in Welsh literature at Aberystwyth and the trainee clergy and ministers he taught there.
Mae Jones yn ateb llythyr gan yr Athro Harris, dyddiedig 31 Mai 1941, yn gofyn iddo am gopi o brospectws ei hen gwrs (gw. NLW, Papurau Thomas Gwynn Jones G1930). = The letter is in reply to that of Professor Harris, dated 31 May 1941, asking Jones for a copy of the prospectus for his former course (see NLW, Papurau Thomas Gwynn Jones G1930).

A brief letter, 3 April 1827, from W[illia]m Owen Pughe, London, to his fellow antiquary the Rev. W[illiam] J[enkins] Rees, Cascob, Radnorshire, regretting that he will not see Rees on his visit to London.
Pughe also mentions his son Aneurin Owen. The address (f. 55 verso) is written in a different hand.

A letter, 26 May 1970, from Kyffin Williams, [London], to Meic Stephens, [Literature Director of the Welsh Arts Council], attempting to secure financial support to publish his book on his 1968-1969 visit to Patagonia.
The book remained unpublished, although parts of it appeared as 'An Artist in Welsh Patagonia', in The Anglo-Welsh Review, 18.42 (February 1970), 5-32, or would be adapted for his book A Wider Sky (Llandysul, 1991). The letter contains references to Christopher Falkus of prospective publishers Weidenfeld [& Nicolson].

Three letters to [Thomas] Seccombe from Eleanor Farjeon, 18 April 1917 (ff. 62-65), John Freeman, 19 April 1917 (f. 66), and Edward Garnett, 19 April 1917 (ff. 67-68), concerning the death of Edward Thomas at Arras on 9 April 1917 and Seccombe's letter of tribute published in the Times Literary Supplement, 19 April 1917, p. 189.
Also included is a letter, 1 April 1970, from Myfanwy Thomas, daughter of Edward and Helen Thomas, to a Mr Reynold, discussing collecting her father's books and the Edward and Helen Thomas Window Fund (f. 69); and a typescript copy, [20 cent, third ¼], of a letter, dated 3 August 1908, from Edward Thomas to his literary agent C. F. Cazenove (the original letter was lot 402 in the Dominic Winter auction, 13 December 2012) (f. 70).

An autograph fair copy, [1918], of the poem 'The Soul's Companions' by W. H. Davies. It was first published in the Nation, 20 April 1918, p. 64, and collected in William H. Davies, Forty New Poems (London, 1918), p. 33.
The poem is written on '14, Great Russell Street, W.C.' notepaper. A pencil note 'Poetry for this week' (partially erased) indicates it was used as the printer’s copy.

Llythyr, 4 Gorffennaf 1960, oddi wrth Kate Roberts, Dinbych, at [y Parch. W. Llewelyn Jones], yn trafod bywyd cynnar R. Williams Parry. = A letter, 4 July 1960, from Kate Roberts, Denbigh, to [the Rev. W. Llewelyn Jones], discussing the early life of R. Williams Parry.

Autograph draft, [1972], of Dannie Abse's poem 'Down the M4', containing autograph revisions, deletions and variant readings (f. 74).
Also included is a typescript fair copy of his poem 'Talking to Blake', with a manuscript note to Roy [Davids], dated 28 May 1993 (f. 75). 'Down the M4' was collected (as the first in a sequence of four poems entitled 'Car journeys') in Dannie Abse, Funland and Other Poems (London, 1973), p. 27; 'Talking to Blake' was first collected in Dannie Abse, On the Evening Road (London, 1994), p. 3.

A letter, 5 August [1939], from Dylan Thomas, at 'The Literary Village' [i.e. Laugharne], to Keidrych Rhys, editor of the literary periodical Wales. The writer is critical of the latest issue (Wales, 1.8/9 (August 1939)), and in particular of a story by S. G. Leonard, 'A labour of love' (pp. 235-238).
There are also references to Nigel Heseltine, Lynette Roberts and Glyn Jones. The letter is apparently unpublished.

Autograph letter, 19 February 1945, from Dylan Thomas, New Quay, Cardiganshire, to N[ancy] R. Pearn of Pearn, Pollinger and Higham, his literary agents, agreeing to the broadcast of his poem 'In Memory of Ann Jones' [also known as 'After the Funeral'] on 26 February [1945].
The letter is apparently unpublished. The accompanying envelope has the phrase 'Miss Elizabeth Cree / Remember wee / Three' typed on the front (f. 10a).

An autograph letter, 9 October 1947, from J[ohn] C[owper] Powys, Corwen, to an admirer George X. Basarab, Madera, Pennsylvania, thanking him for sending birthday greetings.
The letter is illustrated with a self-portrait sketch, showing Powys reading Basarab's letter.

An autograph letter, 27 May 1951, from Dylan Thomas, the Boat House, Laugharne, to Ronald [Bottrall], poet and British Council representative in Rome, indicating his willingness to record a piece for the Italian radio station R.A.I. The letter is apparently unpublished.

Five letters and one postcard, 1873-1876, from the Celtic scholar (Sir) John Rhŷs, Rhyl, to W[illiam] H[enry] Bliss, then an assistant librarian at the Bodleian Library, Oxford, mainly discussing early inscriptions in Welsh and Cornish and in ogham (ff. 37-42 verso).
Rhŷs refers, 18 June 1874, to the recent death of his daughter, [Gwladus] (f. 38). Several of the letters are annotated in pencil by W. H. Bliss (ff. 37 recto-verso, 40, 42); the final letter, 23 September 1876, is written on a circular advertising Rhŷs's forthcoming volume, Lectures on Welsh Philology (London, 1877) (f. 42 verso). Also included is a copy of Bliss's obituary from The Athenaeum, 20 March 1909, p. 346 (f. 43), and some pressed flowers (with f. 40).

Manuscript notes in ink and pencil, [1922], in the hand of David Lloyd George, concerning the honours system in Britain. They appear to relate specifically to his statement on the issue in the House of Commons on 17 July 1922, during the 'honours scandal' (see note on f. 45).

Cyfres o bum englyn penfyr yn dwyn y teitl 'Cŵyn yr Indiad', yn llaw R. Bryn Williams, [?1980], sydd yn ddetholiad o benillion o'i awdl 'Patagonia', a enillodd iddo Gadair Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Abertawe 1964 (gw. R. Bryn Williams, Patagonia (Aberystwyth, 1965), tt. 32-33, ac R. Bryn Williams, O'r Tir Pell: Cyfrol o Gerddi (Lerpwl, 1972), tt. 86-87). = A series of five englynion penfyr titled 'Cŵyn yr Indiad', in the hand of R. Bryn Williams, [?1980], being a selection of verses from his awdl 'Patagonia', which won him the chair at the 1964 National Eisteddfod in Swansea (see R. Bryn Williams, Patagonia (Aberystwyth, 1965), pp. 32-33, and R. Bryn Williams, O'r Tir Pell: Cyfrol o Gerddi (Liverpool, 1972), pp. 86-87).

A letter, 16 February [?1903], from the poet Sir Lewis Morris, Penbryn, Carmarthen, to the bibliophile James Carleton Young, Minneapolis, discussing the going rate for literary manuscripts, apparently with a view to selling some of his own to Young.

An autograph fair copy, [1914], of the poem 'Sweet Night' by W. H. Davies. It was first published in W. H. Davies, The Bird of Paradise (London, 1914), p. 20.
The manuscript contains a different reading of line 3, 'Take thou a lover’s grateful heart' rather than the published 'A lover gives his grateful heart', and two corrections in lines 9 and 10, conforming to the printed version. The poem is written on '29 Clarence Gardens, N.W.' notepaper with the address changed by Davies to '22, Priory Gardens, Highgate'.