ethel edith mannin (5 Ergebnisse)

hardcover. Zustand: Good. First edition on black cloth.

Cloth. Zustand: Very Good. Zustand des Schutzumschlags: Good. Not Stated (illustrator). First edition. A smart collection of four illustrated volumes on the history of Japan, exploring their discovery of Europe, the Geisha girl, rebuilding post-war, and printing. Four volumes. First edition. This set contains: The Japanese Discovery of Europe: Honda Toshiaki and Other Discoverers 1720-1798, 1952. Illustrated with a frontispiece, seven full-page images, and a map. Collated complete. Exploring the group of Japanese intellectuals who, rebelling against the isolation of their country at the time, turned to Europe and the Dutch traders permitted to visit Japan for inspiration. With specific commentary on Honda Toshiaka and his writings. Written by Donald Lawrence Keene, an American-born Japanese scholar, historian, teacher, writer and translator of Japanese literature. The Flower and Willow World: The Story of the Geisha Girl, 1959. Illustrated with a colour frontispiece, sixteen plates, and six line drawings. Collated complete. A fascinating account of the history of the geisha in Japan: a role that has frequently been misunderstood by Westerners. Describing the development, social background, training and accomplishments of the geisha, as well as her costume and hairstyle. Written by A. C. Scott, a British author and R.A.F. Officer who later became a professional artist and journalist. The Flowery Sword: Travels in Japan, 1960. With a map to the front of the text. A penetrating look at post-war Japan, based on the author's own observations of the country as she travelled, third-class and alone, across the country from Hokkaido to Nagasaki. Written by Ethel Edith Mannin, a popular British novelist and travel writer, anti-fascist activist and anarchist. The Japanese Print: A New Approach, 1960. Illustrated with sixty-four plates. Collated complete. Written due to a revival of interest in Japanese Art, this work is an authority piece on the printmaking of Japanese artists through history and in modern times. With chapters on the Ukiyo-e School, Kabuki Theatre, picture books, bird and flower prints, and the art of Surimono, amongst others. Written by Jack Ronald Hillier, a British scholar of Japanese art. In the original full cloth binding. Externally, very smart with light rubbing and minor fading to the extremities. Original dust wrappers remain unclipped other than The Japanese Discovery of Europe and The Flower and Willow World which have been price-clipped. Wrappers are sound with light wear and chipping to the extremities. Minor sunning to the spines with the odd small mark to the panels. The Japanese Discovery of Europe and The Flower and Willow World have been laminated due to small closed tears to the panel edges. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are very bright with the odd small spot or handling mark. Previous owner's bookplate to the front pastedown. Very Good. book.

Unillustrated official 'POST CARD' with printed penny stamp. Addressed on one side, with Wimbledon postmark, to 'Sewell Stokes, Esq., | 53, Holland Park, W.11.' In good condition, lightly aged and worn. Twelve typed lines of text. The subject of the text is Stokes's forthcoming autobiography 'Monologue' (Hutchinson, 1934), with Mannin referring to her own 'Confessions and Impressions' (Jarrolds, 1930). After thanking him for his letter she writes: 'I am glad you have decided to dispense with an introduction to the book books, particularly of this kind, should stand on their own legs . . . if at all, and the older I get the more I am agin them, except in very exceptional circumstances (which means, of course, that I regret mine deeply)'. She explains that 'being agin such books I couldn't do what you want, though I wish you luck'. Concluding on the subject of Stokes's 'Isadora Duncan: An Intimate Portrait' (Brentano's, 1928) she writes: 'I visited Elizabeth Duncan in Salzburg last summer and met Seroff in Vienna, and recalled you book on Isadora.'.

On four 4to leaves with punch holes in margins. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with rust staining in margins from paper clip. On one side of the leaves are the four pages of typescript of Mannin's 1950 book 'Jungle Journey', paginated at the head 92, 94, 95 and 99. The first page has a short manuscript addition to the text in her hand ("tremendous" for a mistyped "profound"). On the other sides of the leaves are the first four pages of the carbon of the review, the concluding three lines being carried over to the side of the leaf with the typescript, where they are placed above the pagination '- 92 -'. The review is headed 'LEAD KINDLY LIGHT | A Review of Vincent Sheehan's [sic] New Book | by Ethel Mannin.' (Sheean's book had been published in America in 1949; but Mannin is reviewing the 1950 English edition: 'Cassell & Co. Ltd., 17/6d net.') The review begins: 'It is possible that most readers of the Socialist Leader will, like myself, know Mr. Vincent Sheehan only as an able American journalist, of the John Gunther school, outstandingly, perhaps, the author of In Search of History the political history of the dangerous thirties which mounted up to the disastrous forties. His new book, Lead Kindly Light (the title of Gandhi's favourite Christian hymn) which is about India, generally speaking, but primarily about the Mahatma, lifts him clear out of the ranks of journalism and into that literary-philosophic field dominated by Aldous Huxley.' She conclues by finding Sheean's work 'an extremely important book; it is a book to buy if possible; otherwise to place the top of the library list. Its publication just now is very timely.'.

Six long cards, full of interesting content, including surprising thoughts on the 'decadence' of the world, her desire to 'cultivate [her] garden' both in a literal and Voltairean sense, and the fact that the creative urge has left her. All six are signed 'Ethel Mannin'. The penultimate card is in autograph, the others typewritten. Four addressed to Staerck at Maidenhead, two to him on the Isle of Cumbrae, Scotland. The collection is in good overall condition: the first has a smudged autograph note up one margin. ONE (2 April 1973): She begins by thanking him for telling her about his name, before continuing: 'Like you I was born and bred in London (as my father was) but unlike you I do feel myself a Londoner as my Cockney dad did, though I am interested in the Irish origins of the Mannins, and for 17 years had a cottage in Connemara; as you may know but the long Irish loveaffair [sic] came to an end, as loveaffairs have a way of doing.' She still finds the world beautiful: '"God" made a good job of it, but Man is very vile, and increasingly so; sometimes the vileness seems too much to be borne, and one is driven back to cultivating one's garden literally; and thankful to have one to cultivate! The beauty of the world makes one sad because of what Man is doing to it, and to all things living.' She ends by asking him to always write when he feels like it. TWO (17 April 1973): She continues on the subject of her 'belief that mankind is vile', which is 'based on my observation of the growing decadence and vileness of our world, engulfed in a tidal wave of pornography, and a complete destitution (it wd. Appear) of moral sense, and an ever-increasing violence'. She explains her theory on the cycles of civilisations. 'I have no t.v., a medium I dislike and also regard as pernicious'. She discusses King Hussein of Jordan ('H.'), whom she has met 'a number of times, and when I wrote THE LOVELY LAND (Jordan) admired him, but not since he turned his army on the guerillas and became "the butcher of Amman," and Black September was born. But like his grandfather he will eventually die by a Palestinian bullet. For sure.' THREE (14 December 1974): She does not think her 'volume of work is all that remarkable averaging a book and a half a year; if you are a professional author, living by your work, you can't get by with less unless you are a bestseller, which I've never been'. She mentions two recent books, and states that 'there will now be nothing else until the autumn of next year the novel I am currently working on. The By the same author list is big because it represents 50 years of publishing which is a long period.' FOUR (16 September 1975): Discussing her book 'Stories'. FIVE (3 January 1976, in autograph): She thanks him for 'the map-lett', adding that she 'wrote about that area in my novel, KILDOON. (I stayed at the island of GIGHA during the war)'. With reference to the picture on the postcard she writes: 'Devon is far from wild, but has fine red cliffs (as well as red sails!)' SIX (30 December 1978): She thanks him for his card, and for remembering her. 'No, I've written nothing since I finished SUNSET OVER DARTMOOR, A Final Chapter of Autobiography, in July, 1975 (it was published last year, '77) and haven't the slightest desire to. No question of "putting a stop to it" - the creative urge has completely gone from me. I now simply cultivate my garden literally! I enjoy the quiet here. I was 78 in October.'.