Declaration by Tom Maschler, 1st/1st, 1957 with ALS

London: Macgibbon & Kee, (1957). With signed letters by Tom Maschler, John Wain and Colin Wilson. First edition. This is a very good copy. The dust wrapper, designed and illustrated by Eduardo Paolozzi, is bright and in very good condition. The spine features light marks but remains bright and clear. It has not been price clipped. The boards are free from chips and marks. The text blocks are bright and white throughout, but with very minimal foxing present. Each letter is addressed to Mr. D.P.A. King, Esq and are of a similar topic, that being the signing of a copy of Declaration. 
 
The Colin Wilson letter reads: “Dear Mr King, Incidentally, most of the people in DECLARATION will probably be willing to sign it- Bill Hopkins address is: 26e Arundel Gardens, London, W.11., and Stuart Holroyd’s: 55 Filhsam Road, St. Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex, and of course, Tom Maschler is still going strong at Jonathan Cape. But you would have to write to Bill first- he is terribly unreliable.” The letter concludes with Wilson answering King’s request for a book plate and is hand signed at the bottom. It was sent, as stamped on the envelope, on 24th March, 1982. 
 
The second letter, is from Tom Maschler and on Jonathan Cape headed paper, dated 13th April 1982. It reads “Dear Mr King, I would be happy to sign your copy of DECLARATION. Kenneth Tynan, alas, is dead. Lindsay Anderson lives at 9 Stirling Mansions, Canfield Gardens, London NW6. Yours sincerely, Tom Maschler” and is hand signed in blue ink. 
The final of the three letters, a pictorial postcard from the Bodleian, is from John Wain. It reads “I am so very sorry about the delay in sending back your DECLARATION- it is perfectly [?] & I shall send it out in a few days. Emergencies of various [?]. Please be assured that the book will reach you, & in no long time from now. John Wain”. This postcard is entirely handwritten, whereas the other two are typed and hand signed. 
 
Overall, this is a very good copy of a highly collectible title and is accompanied by some highly relevant and hand signed pieces. An anthology of essays by British writers. It features short essays by Doris Lessing, Colin Wilson, John Osborne, John Wain, Kenneth Tynan, Bill Hopkins, Lindsay Anderson and Stuart Holroyd. The book is closely associated with the angry young men movement, and the essays are presented as ‘credos’ or manifesto of the writers.