Box 1

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"I am pleased about your explicitness as to the proof: I am sending you the carbon typescript with my work connections embraced in it. This is the basis of the passage at the close of the Extracts from later portion of the book."

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Typewritten letter:

"I am interested in knowing what kind of bibliographical principle it is that lists an article concerning Laura Riding and Robert Graves under Robert Graves."

....

"I need to tell you, in this connection, that Michael Kirkham has astonished me by his announcing that Madelaine Vera was a pseudonym of mine. He has had no authority for making such a statement."

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"I was overwhelmed to learn in your telephone conversation that you had offered me your list of modifications as a gift, since I had presumed that you were offering me the "presentation" to buy for my collection."

....

"They repose in the vault of our Rare Book Room, and you ay direct any scholar who inquires about them that they are already available for scholarly use."

Scope and Contents "Whatever the past history, Michael did send you a copy of his article, he did follow up by asking me to send you a copy when the original went astray, and he knows, from my writing him, that I have sent the text. He knows you have it in hand, and it is quite common with critics writing about living authors to alter text in deference to personal feelings of the author in cases where there author is gracious enough to review the text in advance, so long as the integrity of the critic's view...

Scope and Contents "The Madeline Vera matter is not for me on the plane of agitation of mine, and its entitlement to respect. We have here a liberty taken by Mr. Kirkham for which he has had no authority from me. I have never made public identification of myself as M.V. Mr. Kirkham has had sufficient acquaintance with me, by correspondence and by personal visit, for awareness of of my my view of the outrage committed by Messrs, Higginson and Graves in their making themselves authorities as to the...

Scope and Contents "I must try to impose upon you that we have a case of bibliographic fraud: that is authority. Robert Graves is no authority for ... of authority to me or anything via Mr. Higginson. The strength of my feelings is not the issue."...."I cannot be with you at all in your solicited in M. K's authorial perogatives - as with your lack of conscience, amidst so much editorial circumstances as to what you are here with respect to a bibliographical desecration by Higginson and...

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"I am moved to put on record, as to your appeal for corrections, that some wrong things involve offences that make their repair by those responsible for them morally impossible; penance, however, is always a moral possibility."

Scope and Contents "I have been wanting to write to you on the Madeline Vera matte again...I have had what I think may be a better solution, all-round. You may communicate to Mr. Kirkham that my final view of the matter is that, although he has not had from me any authority for this attrbution, and I regard as regrettable, unfortunate, his proceeding to make attribution on what is first a Higginson-Graves attribution...suggest that he use the M.V reference with this accompanying data in the mention of M.V.:...

Scope and Contents "I was pleased to get your letter of 4 September and know that you have emerged from the distress that this MV matter has inflicted on you, and have given up your determination to inflict penalties for Michael Kirkham for his transgressions.".... "...Mrs. Jackson has had considerable correspondence with me relating centrally to your public identification of Madeline Vera as a pseudonym for Laura Riding a subject, as you must know, about which she has had pronounced...

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"I thank you very much for giving me the opportunity of seeing the draft before your sending an actual letter on the matter to Mr. Kirkham...I suggest that you modify the text in this way:..."

....

"It is quite false that I had a 'determination to inflict penalties on M.K. for his transgressions'. You alter actualities to fit a drama which is your drama, not mine."