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Thirty-four letters and six postcards, 1953-[?1963] and undated, to John Cowper Powys from his sister, Lucy Penny, containing mostly family news, including the death of John Cowper Powys's son Littleton Alfred in 1954 and the final illness and death of Lucy's and John Cowper Powys's brothers Theodore Francis (1953) and Littleton Charles (1955). Two of the letters are written from Allington Sanatorium, Bridport. Enclosures comprise one letter to Lucy from her husband's cousin, Nellie Hounsell, three letters and one note to Phyllis Playter from Lucy, one letter to Lucy from her daughter, Mary Casey, and one letter to Phyllis Playter from Philippa (Katie) Powys. Included as part of this correspondence and filed within an envelope are one undated letter and two undated postcards which pre-date the deaths of Theodore, Littleton Alfred and Littleton Charles but which cannot be placed with any certainty within the chronology of the collection.

Twenty letters, 1948, to John Cowper Powys from his sister Marian Powys, containing mostly personal and family news, including the relationship and subsequent marriage of Marian's son Peter Powys Grey and Barbara Tyler (Ty). Enclosures comprise one letter to Phyllis Playter from Marian.

Letters to John Cowper Powys from his mother Mary Cowper Powys (1), 1914, his sister-in-law Violet Powys (wife of Theodore Francis Powys) (1) (partial), [c. 1915], his father the Reverend Charles Francis Powys (2), 1918, his sister-in-law Alyse Gregory (wife of Llewelyn Powys) (7), 1924-1925, 1929, 1939-1940, 1960, his brother Llewelyn Powys (4), 1925, 1927 and undated, his sister-in-law Mabel Powys (first wife of Littleton Charles Powys) (2), [1939] and undated, his sister Katie (Philippa) Powys (1 + 1 postcard), 1941, 1949; his sisters Gertrude Powys, Lucy Penny and 'Marz' [?Marian Powys] (1 telegram), 1942; his brother Littleton Charles Powys (1 telegram), [1942]; his sister Lucy Penny (1, with an enclosed letter from Lucy to Phyllis Playter) 1946; his companion Phyllis Playter (1), undated; his son Littleton Alfred Powys (1 [?Christmas card]), undated; and Ernest Angell (aka Peter Grey), father of Powys's nephew Peter Powys Grey (1), undated; also an envelope (contents removed) from his sister Marian Powys (1954).

Eighteen letters, 1963, 1969-1970, to Francis Llewellyn Powys and ten letters, 1970, to Phyllis Playter from Laurence Pollinger Ltd, literary agents, London, concerning the publication of, and copyright, royalties, performance rights, etc. relating to, the works and other papers (eg letters and diaries) of John Cowper Powys. Almost all the letters are signed by Laurence Pollinger. Amongst the enclosed items are a copy of a letter, 1969, to Laurence Pollinger from Phyllis Playter, copies of five letters, 1970, to Phyllis Playter from Laurence Pollinger, copies of six letters, 1970, to Laurence Pollinger from Anthony Rota of Bertram Rota Ltd, publishers, London, and a copy of a letter, 1970, to Laurence Pollinger from Francis Llewellyn Powys. Also included is one [?]incomplete letter to Laurence Pollinger from Francis Llewellyn Powys, one letter, 1970, to Francis Llewellyn Powys from the author Malcolm Elwin, and two draft letters, 1970, from Francis Llewellyn Powys to unspecified recipients, one of which relates to a personal insurance policy.

Photocopies of sixty letters, 1948-1952, 1954, from John Cowper Powys to the poet Huw Menai (Huw Owen Williams), including two letters, 1952, dictated by John Cowper Powys to Phyllis Playter. The letters include references to works in progress, health matters, house-hunting in Blaenau Ffestiniog, and family news, including the death of Phyllis Playter's mother in 1953 and of Powys's son Littleton Alfred in 1954. Enclosed with one letter is a photocopy of a letter of invitation to an official lunch from the Mayor of Merthyr Tydfil to Huw Menai (f. 111). Some of the letters are illustrated with Powys's ink drawings, which include caricatures of himself and of Huw Menai, the latter sometimes depicted as a sea-serpent. Together with four poems by Huw Menai, one of which (dated 23rd February 1956) is dedicated to John Cowper Powys and includes notes on the poem.

Four letters, 1929, [1932], from John Cowper Powys to Phyllis Playter's mother Minnie H. Playter, with one letter addressed to Minnie Playter and Phyllis Playter. The letters include references to the death of Toby [?a dog or cat], the acquisition of British rights to the publication of Powys's novel A Glastonbury Romance (1933), and mention of "my little Philosopy Book", possibly A Philosophy of Solitude, published in 1933. F. 2-verso is in Phyllis Playter's hand. The envelopes and all but one letter are annotated by Powys biographer Morine Krissdottir.

Photocopies of one hundred and five letters, [1883, 1902, 1906-1907, 1909, 1912, 1914-1919, 1921-1933], 1935-1936, 1938, 1941-1949, 1951, from John Cowper Powys to his brother Theodore Francis Powys, the earliest of which was written by John Cowper Powys from Sherborne School, together with a typescript copy of one letter, 1947, possibly made by Phyllis Playter (f. 317), and one letter, 1956, from John Cowper Powys to Violet Powys, widow of Theodore (ff. 340-342). A substantial portion of the letters are undated, with likely dates (and other notes) added in pencil by Morine Krissdottir. The letters contain mostly personal, professional and family news and some are illustrated with John Cowper Powys's drawings. Enclosures comprise a photocopy of a printed article containing a review of Theodore Powys's The House with the Echo (1928) and photocopies of letters to John Cowper Powys from Barnet B. Ruder and Reginald Moore. The originals of these letters are housed in Texas. The photocopies were made by Jeffrey Kwintner and given to Morine Krissdottir.

Miscellaneous material of or relating to Father Littleton Alfred Powys, son of John Cowper Powys. They comprise Littleton Alfred's baptismal certificate, [1914]; his Declaration of Ordination, 1927, 1928; birthday greetings to him from his mother Margeret Powys, 1930; a press cutting relating to his service as army chaplain during the Second World War; a holograph copy of his poem 'The Sound'; four photographs showing a procession of nuns and children from Nympsfield Orphanage, Dursley, Gloucestershire, 1950 (with notes on dorse by Littleton Alfred); an undated photograph of Dinah White, close friend of Littleton Alfred, with Dinah's name inscribed on the back cover in Phyllis Playter's hand; press obituaries (one in Welsh) of Littleton Alfred Powys, [1954], including one taken from The Beda Review; an envelope containing an embroidered handkerchief and photograph [?of Littleton Alfred], undated, the envelope inscribed 'From Littleton Alfred's Silver Box' in Phyllis Playter's hand; a copy, in the hand of Littleton Charles Powys (Littleton Alfred's uncle), of a letter from Dinah White, dated 22 August 1954, to Littleton Charles, together with typescript notes by Littleton Charles on Littleton Alfred's poem 'Ode to the West Wind', including public response to the work (see also NLW MS 24061D); and a printed copy of Littleton Alfred's poem 'Ode to the West Wind', at the back of which is inserted a press cutting from The Listener, 24 June 1954, relating to Theodore Francis Powys's possible influence on Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood'. There is a note in Morine Krissdottir's hand on f. 8.

Letters largely to and between various members of the Powys family, as follows: To Lucy Penny from her mother Mary Cowper Powys (5), 1911-1912, 1914; to Marian (May) Powys from her mother Mary Cowper Powys (1), [1914]; to Margaret Powys from her son Littleton Alfred Powys (1), 1926; to Gamel Woolsey from Mary (Molly) MacCarthy (1), undated, which refers to Gamel's then contentious work One Way of Love (1930) (with a note by Powys biographer Morine Krissdottir); to Gertrude Powys from [her brother Theodore Francis Powys], (3), 1941, 1946 and undated (typescript copies); to Gertrude Powys from her sister Lucy Penny (1 postcard), [1944]; to Marian Powys from 'E. R.' (1), 1947; to Peter Powys Grey from his mother Marian Powys (1), 1948; to Bernard O'Neill from Philippa (Katie) Powys (1), 1949 (photocopy); to Francis Llewellyn Powys from his cousin Littleton Alfred Powys (1 postcard), 1951; to Littleton [?Charles] Powys from an unnamed correspondent (the letter lacking a signature and appearing incomplete) (1), 1953; to George Frederick Sims from John Cowper Powys's nephew Francis Llewellyn Powys (1), 1958 (photocopy); to Alyse Gregory, widow of Llewelyn Powys, from Francis Llewellyn Powys (1), 1960; to Jill Olson from Katie Powys (1), 1961 (photocopy) (with note by Morine Krissdottir); to Lucy Penny from her sister Marian Powys (1), [1963]; to Lucy Penny from Powys biographer Marie Canavaggia (including a note to Phyllis Playter) (1), 1964; to Lucy Penny from her niece Isobel Powys Marks (1), 1966; to Lucy Penny from her niece Rose Dyer (1), 1969; to Lucy Penny from her nephew Gilfrid Powys (1), 1969; to Lucy Penny from her great-nephew Michael (2) and her great-niece Lucy (1), 1969; to Francis Llewellyn Powys from C. Benson Roberts (1), 1970; to John Cowper Powys's brother William Ernest (Willie) Powys from Agnes [ ? ] in Poland, enclosing a photograph [?from Adrian Upfield]) (1), 2002; together with undated letters to Alyse Gregory from Lucy Penny (1) and Ty (Barbara) Powys Grey (née Tyler), first wife of Peter Powys Grey (1), an undated letter to Bernard O'Neill from Lucy Penny (photocopy), and an undated postcard from Marian Powys to an unnamed recipient (on the dorse of which is a printed notice of an auction of some of Marian Powys's lacemaking stock upon her retirement). Included separately in an envelope are photographs of Marian Powys and Peter Powys Grey, [?1936], and an obituary of Gertrude Powys, [1952].

Seven notebooks, [1970s-1990s], of Francis Llewellyn Powys, one of which has most of the leaves and the front cover missing with the volume inverted and the text written from the rear, mostly relating to the proposed publication of John Cowper Powys's letters and diaries. They contain draft letters, a short autobiographical piece (f. 68), what appears to be a draft of a driver's insurance claim (ff. 1, 2, 3), personal accounts, arithmetical calculations and rough memoranda. Two of the notebooks (ff. 85- 221) contain notes detailing receipt of royalties from publication, film adaptations, etc. of John Cowper Powys's and Theodore Francis Powys's works. Some of the notebooks contain rough sketches and drawings and there is evidence of watercolour paint mixing on f. 83. Also included are an undated draft letter from Francis Llewellyn Powys to Denzil de Silva of Laurence Pollinger Ltd, literary agents, London, relating to sales and royalties of some of John Cowper Powys's works and a copy of a letter, 1976, to Phyllis Playter, but marked for the attention of Francis Llewellyn Powys, from Laurence Pollinger Ltd, on the back of which Francis has written rough arithmetical calculations and a draft letter, probably his intended response to Pollinger's letter.

Correspondence and other papers, 1962, 1967-[1990], relating to the publication, disposal and literary copyright of the works and manuscripts of John Cowper Powys, with one letter (f. 4) relating to the disposal of Theodore Francis Powys letters. The material includes forty-six letters (some of which are photocopies), 1980-1990, to Francis Llewellyn Powys from Bertram Rota Ltd, booksellers, London, together with three letters, 1984, and two undated drafts to Anthony Rota from Francis Llewellyn Powys; eight letters, 1972-1973, to Phyllis Playter from Michelmores, solicitors, Exeter and four letters, 1972, 1974, to Phyllis Playter from Wilfred T. Fry Ltd, taxation consultants, Exeter relating to the transfer of John Cowper Powys's literary copyright from Phyllis Playter to Francis Llewellyn Powys; three notebooks, [1980s-1990s], of Francis Llewellyn Powys containing draft letters, some of which are addressed to Gerald Pollinger of Laurence Pollinger Ltd, literary agents, London; a list of books in Alyse Gregory's library; etc.

A typescript copy of an unfinished study by John Cowper Powys of Aristophanes' play The Acharnians, together with an envelope, in which the typescript was originally kept, bearing a note on the contents in the hand of Phyllis Playter. The manuscript of the work is in the Powys Collection at Dorset County Museum. The text was published in 1984.

A manuscript draft of John Cowper Powys's story 'The owl, the duck, and "Miss Rowe! Miss Rowe!"' (Chicago, 1930), which differs from the published version. Ff. 32-35, also in manuscript draft form, are in the hand of Phyllis Playter.

Unpublished poems by John Cowper Powys, all but one (typescript) of which are in manuscript, some in draft form. Attached (f. 1) is a note in Phyllis Playter's hand regarding date of production.