Lot 226
  • 226

Bagnold, Enid--Actors

Estimate
2,000 - 3,000 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • Collection of 18 letters and cards by actors to the writer Enid Bagnold, by:
  • ink on paper
Katherine Hepburn (2, one praising Bagnold's Autobiography), Ingrid Bergman (2), Sir Michael Redgrave (2), Laurence Olivier (4, of which 3 are typed), Charles Laughton (3, of which two are typed, also two retained copies of two letters to him), Richard Burton (typed letter with brief autograph postscript by Elizabeth Taylor), John Gielgud (letter and Christmas card), Ralph Richardson, and Nadia Ustinov (Nadia Benois), all autograph except where otherwise stated, 33 pages, various sizes and places, 1942-74

Provenance

Enid Bagnold, sale of her papers, Sotheby's, 14 March 1979, lots 484 and 514 (part lot)

Condition

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where 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."

Catalogue Note

A LIVELY GROUP OF LETTERS, PRINCIPALLY ON THEATRICAL AFFAIRS. Enid Bagnold (1889-1981) first found success as a novelist, especially with National Velvet (1935), but from the 1940s to the 1960s she wrote primarily for the theatre and many of these letters refer to productions of her plays. The film of National Velvet was Elizabeth Taylor's first starring role, but Richard Burton nonetheless writes to Bagnold that he has read the novel twice and finds it "a remarkable book and infinitely more powerful than the film".