Scrapbook containing approx. 30 signed letters and Christmas cards from John Masefield to Elizabeth Talbot Rice. Some of them are illustrated, some others contain unpublished poems written specifically for Elizabeth. Also includes a signed photograph of John Masefield with his cat, and an envelope with three wax seals.
Some of the most interesting letters include:
- Letter on p. 1 containing a small watercolour illustration of a boat
- Letter on p. 6 containing a poem that Masefield wrote for Elizabeth, preceded by the following introduction: 'THE POEM WRITTEN ON THIS PAGE IS EARNEST WARNING BY A SAGE'.
- Letter on p. 8 containing a poem using typography to create a visual impact
- Letter on p. 10 containing a poem on wax seals
- Letter on p. 11 containing a poem and an illustration of little ship
- Two printed poems on p. 16-17 entitled 'For the Sailors' and 'The Ambulance Ship', signed by Masefield
- Leaflet on p. 18 entitled 'Words spoken on the unveiling of the Memorials to the poets John Keats and Percy Shelley'
- Three short printed poems by Masefield relating to Christmas on p.19-21.