BRIDGES, Robert.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Two autograph letters signed to unidentified correspondents. These letters reveal the Poet Laureate's attitude to "innumerable anthologies", and making arrangements for a parcel.Bridges writes that "the innumerable anthologies do really affect the market", and that his publishers would "reasonably object to my giving away poems which they have contracted to sell for me". Bridges supposes that his correspondent is "paid by your publishers because they think you are in a position to get copyrighted poems for nothing", and suggests that the anthologist writes to the poet's publishers "asking what fee they demand for the poems that you want". He expects that the publishers will come to an agreement, but closes stating that "if your people would not pay any fee you could write again to me and tell me what minimum would suit the conditions". The letter is addressed from Littlehampton with a date of 5 July. The year 1914 can be assumed.In the second letter, Bridges writes that he has left "a parcel for Mrs Haldane... to be sent to her sometime in time for her C. E. S. party tomorrow" and trusts that "I have no doubt that you will have an opportunity of doing this". Bridges then explains that "the parcel came by the Boars Hill coach, too late for me to take it myself", and that he had "no other way of sending it". The letter, with a cancelled "Provost's Lodgings, Worcester College" letterhead is undated beyond "Thursday afternoon".

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