Moore, Doris Langley, 1902-1989

"Dear Mrs. Moore, This is in ratification of our telephone conversation, to say that I look forward to seeing you on Monday afternoon, when we will, or try to, find out whether we can do any good together with regard to your life of E. Nesbit!..."

"Dear Mrs. Langley Moore, Where are you now? Lately, I was discussing your book on E. NESBIT with our friend ARTHUR WATTS. "Well, since everybody else seems to say practically all they know about her" he said "Why shouldn't we, since all our memories are such happy ones", and indeed I begin to think perhaps better so..."

"My dear DORIS - Yes, I can clear up the E. NESBIT book mystery. 1) The letter is to me. It is in her own writing whilst so ill. It begins "Berta dear". 2) MAUDE ANNERLEY HADDEN, who was when I knew her and may still be MAUDE ANNERLEY BROWNLOW, was an E. NESBIT "fan" to whom I promised an autograph letter of the DUCHESS..."

Teal onionskin paper.

"Dear MRS MOORE. Herewith the book of E. NESBIT's poems which she sent to my MOTHER after a week in WALES - it was 1906 or 7, I think. I remember her reading aloud of several. There was one called "BRIDAL EVE" which she herself (E.N.) liked, I know. I did not then quite see which it meant!..."

"Dear MRS MOORE - (forgive wild [woeking?] or ink as my boy is writing to his girl with all my tools.) Your letter has only just reached me. The above address always will. Don't apologise. I will do my best to answer concisely. I am SO bad at dates, and will not swear to any. But am practically sure E.N. was in Paris in 1905. She went to Paris with ROM and IRIS..."

"Dear Madam I have just been reading your life of "E. Nesbit" and felt I must write to tell you how interesting it was and how much I had enjoyed it. I was at school with Rosamund at the Blackheath High School; she was one of my best friends at school and after had the pleasure of visiting Well Hall. How I enjoyed those visits; they were all so kind to me, altho' I was a most ordinary uninteresting girl..."

"Dear Mrs Langley Moore, - The position as regards Richard Middleton is obscure. I more or less acted as executor at one time, arranging things, but have lost touch with the family for many years. Latterly, I have referred inquiries to Fisher Unwin - now incorporated with Benn. It seems to me that little or no harm could be done by your publishing the letter, and if a sort of moral claim to give permission is valid, you have mine..."

"Dear Madam, I have been so keenly interested and so deeply touched by reading your very sympathetic study of E. Nesbit's life and character that I can't refrain from writing to tell you so: the more so since I too have just written a biography without personal knowledge of my subject, and know its difficulties and its joys. Yet no reader of your book could close it without feeling as if he knew E. Nesbit personally. I had that privilege, but feel that I know her much better now..."