Letters to Siegfried Sassoon

The collection largely comprises letters addressed to Sassoon although there are few other recipients such as Glen Byam Shaw and Georgiana Theresa Thornycroft, Siegfried Sassoon's mother. There are also some postcards; draft and unpublished copies of poems; bills; and other related papers.

Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).

Most of Sassoon's books and some papers were dispersed through a number of sales, beginning with a sale at Christie's on 4 June 1975. Cambridge University Library bought a quantity of books in 1991-2, which were catalogued as Rare Books class CCC.39. Many of them had letters to Sassoon loosely inserted (often from the author), and these were classed as MS Add.8889 (section 1). Other letters to Sassoon were bought subsequently, and were also classed as Add.8889 (sections 2-4).

A hard copy finding aid to this collection may be consulted in the Manuscripts Reading Room, Cambridge University Library. It comprises a unified list in which the items from series 1-4 appear as a single list arranged alphabetically by correspondent's surname.

A catalogue of the collection can be found on ArchiveSearch.

Five similar items of manuscript material remain in Rare books classmark CCC.39 because they are tipped in to the volumes or written upon them: MS Add.8889/CCC39.11: Autograph poem by Brown, Thomas Edward, (1830-1897) Manx poet. Tipped in to ''The doctor and other poems'', 1887, six-line stanza in dialect, dated 1895. MS Add.8889/CCC39.5: Letter from Sackville, (Lady) Margaret, (1882 -1963) poet (no place given) to Siegfried Sassoon. Tipped in to ''The pageant of war'', volume published 1916? MS Add.8889/CCC39.47: Autograph unpublished sonnet ''To politicians''. Written on endpaper of R. Swingler: ''Difficult morning'', volume published 1933 MS Add.8889/CCC39.48: Preliminary draft for unpublished sonnet ''Monthly medal''. Written on endpaper of J. Pudney: ''Spring encounter'', volume published 1933 MS Add.8889/CCC39.24: Autograph unpublished poem ''O pure ilex''. Written opposite p.35 of A.E. Mackay: ''The secret country'', volume published 1947. An outline of other collections of Sassoon material held by the Cambridge University Library Manuscripts Department is to be found online at: http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/deptserv/manuscripts/sassoon.html. A few detailed catalogues to these collections may be found at the Archives Hub website: http://archiveshub.ac.uk/.