Thomas, Dylan.

thanking him for the "Grand, magnificent dictionary...It is a most valuable thing for me to have", expressing pleasure that he enjoyed The Map of Love ("...Do please tell me what you liked best in it, & what seemed most difficult & unattractive.."), referring to various reviews (particularly  Vernon Watkins review in The Spectator), describing the first batch of dental treatment he had received the day before, and then discussing the unfolding world events, 4 pages, 8vo, with autograph envelope, Seaview, 29 August 1939, slightly worn at folds



 

Published The Collected Letters, ed. Paul Ferris, p.402

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, when appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

"...These are awful days, & we are very worried. It is terrible to have built, out of nothing, a complete happiness -- from no money, no possessions, no material hopes ---& a way of living, & then to see the immediate possibility of its being exploded & ruined...If I could pray, I'd pray for peace. I'm not a man of action; & the brutal activities of war appall me -- as they do every decent-thinking person. Even here the war atmosphere is thick & smelling: the kids dance in the streets, the mobilised soldiers sing Tipperary in the pubs, & wives & mothers weep around the stunted memorial in the grist..."

Dylan Thomas's personal distress at the outbreak of war.  Hitler was to invade Poland a few days later, on 1st September 1939, with Britain and France declaring war on Germany two days later. Though stressing his love of peace, and horror of war, Thomas's indignation here and in other letters appears to have been more personal than political, in stressing the immediate impact of the war on his own family situation.