A large collection of manuscripts by Anthony Berkeley Cox. Around 60 typescripts and a large quantity of letters and ephemera, most (perhaps all) are recorded in Locke's ABC Bibliography.
A note on bibliography: Notes in square brackets refer to Locke's A B Cox bibliography, and are a best guess where ambiguity remains.
A note on condition: Specific issues are mentioned, but one should assume that each item has wear commensurate with age: loose leaves in mss, some staining and grubbiness and handling wear, edge tears etc. Many items have rust from paperclips.
A note on the manuscripts and corrections: many of the manuscripts have hand corrections, these are not extensive, just general editing (unless otherwise noted).
- A MATCHLESS AFFAIR. 5pp rectos, typed [M122a]
- A SHORT-SIGHTED AFFAIR. 25pp rectos, typed [M194a], 6,000 words.
- A SINGLE-BARREL AFFAIR. 4pp rectos, typed
- AMONG THE CROCKS. 1pp recto, typed foolscap [M12]
- ANNIHILATING ARCHIBALD. 28pp rectos, typed [M13]. Aka Those Terrible Twins.
- CASH ON DELIVERY. 26pp typed rectos. [M31]
- COMMONER AND KING: A JOURNAL. Two volumes, card folders. 123pp and 239pp rectos only, typed. Some leaves loose, some insect damage. Agent’s label to folder, and stamp to first leaf. Seemingly unpublished.
- DOWN A STEEP PLACE. 6pp rectos, typed
- FOUR YEARS AGO TO-DAY. 3pp rectos, typed [M72,M73,M74]
- FULL CIRCLE. 18pp rectos only, typed. [M76]
- GEORGE PERFORMS. 8pp rectos, typed [M82a]
- I WONDER. 3pp rectos, typed foolscap [M100]
- IMPRESSING JOAN. 5pp rectos, typed
- IT ISN’T FAIR. 10pp rectos, typed [M96d] Signed as Francis Iles.
- MARRIED MAN’S BUTTONS. 4pp rectos, typed
- MR SIMPSON GOES TO THE DOGS. 24pp, rectos, typed. Five-line autograph note card included. [M135b]
- MY AUNT. 3pp, rectos, typed on foolscap. [M138a]
- MY AUNT. 6pp, rectos, typed on foolscap. [M140b]
- NOTES ON DRAMATIC TECHNIQUE – 20pp, typed, rectos. Appears to be a non-fiction piece about the craft of writing. Seemingly complete [M150]
- NOTHING ELSE TO DO. 21pp, rectos only, typed. 5,000 word short story. [M151]
- ON CUTTING A WORM IN HALF WITH A SPADE, WHILE DIGGING. 1pp, recto. Typed poem
- ONE MAN WENT TO MOW. 4pp rectos, typed
- OUR CONCERT PARTY. 11pp rectos, typed. Quite a few authorial corrections.
- OUTSIDE THE LAW. 19pp rectos, typed [M158a], annotated showing publication dates in The Strand and Evening Standard
- OUTSIDE THE LAW. 21pp, rectos only. [M158e]
- POOR OLD GEORGE. 6pp, rectos, typed on foolscap. [M165b]
- RED HAIR AND ROGUERY. 24pp rectos, typed [M172a]
- RETROSPECT. 10pp typed rectos. [M177c]
- SAUCE FOR THE GANDER. 22pp, rectos only. Typed. 5,500 words. [M186]
- SENSE OF HUMOUR. 27pp rectos, typed [M190c]
- SPOTTING THE CRIMINAL. 3pp rectos, typed
- SUCH AN ORDINARY WOMAN. 13pp rectos, typed [M205a]
- TAMING JAMES. 6pp, rectos, typed on foolscap. [M215a]
- THE ALCHEMIST. 11pp, rectos only, typed. 2,500 word short story. [M7(a?)]
- THE ALCHEMIST. 11pp, rectos only, typed. 2,500 word short story. Another copy. [M7(b?)]
- THE ART OF GRATITUDE. 3pp rectos, typed [M15]
- THE BABES. 26pp rectos, typed
- THE DEFAULTER. 4pp rectos, typed
- THE DOTTY DIALOGUES. 19pp rectos, typed [M49b]. Some insect damage
- THE GENIUS OF GERALD. 22pp, 17pp, 22pp, 19pp, 21pp rectos, typed [M78c]. Numerous ms amendments. Literary agents’ stamp to covers. Early draft.
- THE MATCH MAKER. 20pp rectos, typed [M125]
- THE MATCHMAKER: A SHORT DUALOGUE. 10pp typed rectos. A script/dialogue between two characters [M124].
- THE PEPPING OF HAROLD. 21pp rectos, typed [M163]
- THE REJUVENATION OF JOHN STANDISH. 23pp rectos, typed [M173]
- THE SOUL OF A TYPIST. 3pp rectos, typed [M200]
- THE UNBENDING OF BERTRAM. 4pp rectos, typed
- Typescript. UNTITLED. 4pp rectos, typed
- WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES. 13pp, rectos only, typed. 3,000 word short story. [M236]
- WHEN A MAN’S LONELY. 8pp rectos, typed [M237]
- WHEN A MAN’S LONELY. 9pp rectos, typed [M123]
- WHITE MAGIC. 24pp, rectos only. Typed. 6,000 words. [239(a?)]
- THE MAJOR WAS RIGHT (aka Vintage Claret). Two copies. Textual differences. 24pp and 26pp. Typed notes sheet and letter from The Strand Magazine to ABC. [M119A and M119(B?)
- Two volumes (1.) Six short stories, bound in card wrapper. Comprising: CASH ON DELIVERY; SAUCE FOR THE GANDER; THE MATTER-OF-FACT YOUNG LADY; THE ALCHEMIST; FULL CIRCLE; FAIR MEANS OF FOUL. C30,000 words, c100pp, rectos. Contents page outlining the stories in the two volumes, with some stories not included. (2.) Typescripts. Five short stories, bound in card wrapper. Comprising: CASH ON DELIVERY; A SHORT-SIGHTED AFFAIR; ABSENCE OF MIND; GEORGE PERFORMS; THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT. C30,000 words, c100pp, rectos.
- Autograph Notebook. COX’S NOTEBOOK. Associated with the above two volumes. Contains a number of story ideas. c20 pages used, maybe 40 paragraphs, mostly in pencil.
- Mock-Up for Photostat. THE MAN WHO COULD HEAR. 10pp, typed cutouts pasted to A4. Presumably GL’s prep work for the Sheringham Stories (1994).
- Poem. A POEM TO PUNCH. 1pp recto, typed (presumably for which the rejection slip from Punch exists)
- Proof. THE ROGER SHERINGHAM STORIES. 1994, London, Pledge Limited Editions. Numbered 4 of 5 proof copies. Produced by George Locke, with a couple of manuscript corrections.
- Radio Script. PANIC PARTY. 75pp rectos, typed. Amendments note to the front. A Roger Sheringham Radio Play for the Home Service.
- Radio Script. THE CASE OF SERAFINO PELIZZIONI, 1958 [1957]. 26pp, some notes. Cast list includes an early appearance by Andrew Sachs!
- Autograph Manuscript. UNTITLED. A play seemingly written by ABC’s agent A.D. Peters, by hand, with input from ABC. Needs reading and researching.
- Telediphone Transcript. THE CASE OF SERAFINO PELIZZIONE, 1957. From a phone call regarding the radio play. 5pp. Foolscap.
- Ephemera. A LARGE QUANTITY. Including but not limited to:
o Solicitors’ letters regarding a possibly fraudulent advert that ABC placed with a newspaper,
o ABC’s last will and testament
o Letters regarding ABC’s will,
o The breakdown of ABC’s will (just 20% to the Mrs!),
o Some calligraphic doodlings, as though ABC was trying to produce some sort of graphic monogram,
o A couple of letters from Basseterre (St Kitts) seemingly from his sister,
o A solicitor’s letter regarding a step-daughter,
o A 4pp letter from his literary agent
o Letters regarding Bolberry Vean
o Publisher’s letters
o A series of letters (with copies) regarding a dinner which ABC wasn’t attending, surely an enlightening read with forgery of a RSVP note the prime subject!
o Rejection slips from Punch, The Daily Express etc.
- Miscellany and Fragments. A QUANTITY. Including (it least at first appearances) typescripts from a daughter(?), further letters, plays, autograph mss. About 40mm of papers.
- Typescript. THE ANTHONY BERKELEY COX FILES: NOTES TOWARDS A BIBLIOGRAPHY. Ayresome Johns’ (George Locke) typescript for his bibliography, or most likely a copy thereof.
- Book. THE ANTHONY BERKELEY COX FILES: NOTES TOWARDS A BIBLIOGRAPHY. Ayresome Johns, London, Ferret, 1993. 91 of 300 copies with mss laid in (4pp mss SWEETS TO THE SWEET).
- Ephemera. PROSPECTUS SHEET for the above.
- Autograph Manuscript. SOME CONTRASTS. 38 pages, rectos only. Hand bound by a length of string. Note by GL suggesting the author is ABC’s father. Being a lecture to Watford Medical Society
[9270, Hyraxia Books].