THE BARRIE SALE

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 28, 3 February 1938, Page 27

THE BARRIE SALE

MODERATE PRICES

PETER PAN FOR AMERICA

When Sotheby's-auctioneer, Mr. F. W. Warre, called the name of Dr. Gabriel Wells as the winner, at £560, of Barrie's. autograph manuscript of "Peter Pan and Wendy," expectations were fulfilled that the chief prize in the sale would go to America (writes A. C. R. Carter in the "Daily Telegraph and Morning Post"). For some time Dr. Wells has been "cornering" Barrie's manuscripts, and I may now reveal that'some years ago he acquired the,manuscript of "Peter Pan" which the\ author had given to Miss Maud Adams, who played the part in America. Dr. Wells told me that itf would never do to mention this in Barrie's lifetime, as he would have been much distressed that the lady had been compelled to part with the precious gift. Next in importance came the original seventy-seven pages of the comedy "Quality Street," styled originally "Phoebe's Garden." Mr. W. T. Shaw, M.P., bought this for £300 and it may go to the Barrie Memorial House which is being projected on the lines of the Burns Museum at Alloway. The third place among the manuscripts was the original autograph of the four verses of Henley's stirring "Out of the Night that Covers Me," ending with the famous line: "I am the captain of my soul." Many of, Henley's former friends strove to capture it and in the end it reached £123. Although such prices as these may be accounted very good, the general run of the sale was moderate. The total, indeed, of the 179 lots removed from Barrie's rooms in the Adelphi came to £2794 only. ' HIS DESK AND CHAIR. Thirty years ago the old farmhouse desk at which Burns wrote many of his immortal poems realised £600 ; The hero-worshjppers of Barrie have yet to arise. At the s*ale his desk and chair fell to Moss, Harris, and Son, at £52. Lady Cynthia Asquith frequently competed and bought the Barrie manuscript of "Shall We Join the Ladies?" for £75, but the Chinese translation of this with the printed version, also in Chinese, brought only £3 ss. Seven intimate letters from R. L. Stevenson totalled £233. They included one in which he stated that '"The Little Minister' ought to have ended badly. We all know it did, and are infinitely grateful to you for the grace and good- feeling with which you lied'about it." This realised £75. As for the Barrie library proper, many expected a higher price than £60 for "The Boy's Own Book" which Thomas Hardy had struggled to buy when he was twelve years old. Bidding ended at £48, too, for the Shelley copy of "Queen Mab," which Hardy always carried about with him. Both had been given to Barrie by Hardy's widow. \ The set of eight school prizes won by Barrie'went for only ten guineas, but the copy of Colonel Lawrence's "Seven Pillars of Wisdom," with a note from the , famous author apologising for the high price of the work, reached £190 It was a subject of general comment that many of Barrie's books were in poor condition.. "Covers soiled and "worn" were frequent notes in the catalogue. " When George Augustus Sala's library was sold in 1896 I bought many of his books at a shilling apiece. At the sale eighteen volumes of Mark Twain s works; sixteen of Zola's, and twentythree of Balzac's totalled £3 4s only. Later in the day the autograph sonnet of Keats, "To My Brother George, 1817, fell to the cabled bid from Dr. Rosenbach of £660.