Waugh, Evelyn--Davie, Michael (ed.)

8vo, PROOF COPY WITH ANNOTATIONS BY GRAHAM GREENE AND SIGNED BY HIM ("Graham Greene") on the half title, with extensive manuscript notes (including a lengthy quotation from Henry James' The Bostonians and Rudyard Kipling's poem 'That Day') in black and blue ink on final blanks and verso of lower wrapper (5 pages) and short marginal comments to another 9 pages, mostly to footnotes, also numerous passages marked by Greene in blue ink, original orange printed wrappers, collector's folding red morocco box, slightly worn at extremities 

Waugh had begun his diaries at the age of seven, and continued them, with occasional periods of inactivity, until the year of his death. For some time they lay untouched until his widow Laura, worried about her finances, sold them as part of his library to the University of Texas. This "time bomb" (ONDB) was first published in extracts in The Observer before appearing - save for the omission of some particularly tedious sections - in full. Waugh had himself excised some sections, but still "reviewers were, by turns, perplexed, outraged, and amused" (ibid.). 

Greene's proof copy of the diaries is enriched with his notes on the final blanks at the end of the volume, presumably notes for his review of the book. He notes numerous passages of particular interest and poignancy, including moments of "self criticism", "a splendid passage that looks forward to Helena" and Waugh's "happiest 48 hours!". Greene also transcribes a lengthy quotation from Henry James' The Bostonians, adding beneath it "James never shows what is behind [Basil] Ransom. Here it is in the case of Waugh."