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Catalogue of Laurence Housman's works
held in Street Library, Somerset
Note: This catalogue was on the internet, on a site which has now closed. The Street Society includes it as a public service. The printed catalogue has been newly scanned, but not yet corrected, so there will be mistakes for the moment. - David Parsons, webmaster.
INTRODUCTION
Laurence Housman has been called " so brilliantly versatile that there is hardly a field of letters which he has left untried and unadorned." Versatile he most certainly was, and distinguished not only as a writer, but as an artist and social reformer also. His literary output was immense, and his place in English literature would probably have been more significant had he permitted himself time to polish one work before launching into the next. Housman was conscious of this when, in a scene imagining his own death-bed, he causes himself to say: " My brother used to say that I wrote faster than he could read. He wrote two books— of poems—better than all mine put together." Nonetheless, though Laurence was inclined to regard himself merely as " the brother of the ' Shropshire Lad' ", he was very much more than that.
Born on i8th July, 1865, at Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, Laurence Housman was the sixth of seven children. His father was a solicitor. At eighteen Laurence left school, and went with his sister, Clemence, to study art in London. He found some difficulty in establishing himself as an artist, and turned more and more to writing as an alternative. However, he was a more than competent artist, and illustrated a number of books, both of his own and of others. At the end of his life he judged his illustrations for an edition of Shelley's " The Sensitive Plant", published in 1898, to be the best drawings he ever did.
Housman's early literary work was largely of fairy tales, legends and poems. In 1901 he gained a great popular success when he published, anonymously, " An Englishwoman's Love-Letters ". These were attributed to about forty different people, including Queen Victoria, before the true author became known. Later he turned to playwriting, encouraged by Harley Granville Barker, and his most enduring work is undoubtedly to be found amongst his plays. He suffered most severely from censorship, and earned the description " England's most censored playwright". In all thirty-two of Laurence Housman's plays were objected to, because they represented members of the Royal Family or Biblical characters. These restrictions were later lifted.
He was a great champion of underprivileged sections of society, and was deeply involved in such issues as the Suffragette movement, and the treatment of conscientious objectors. In his own words, he was " unmarried, a rabid pacifist and internationalist, and a great admirer of the work of his brother, A. E. Housman, the poet—who, however, did not return the compliment." One should not miss reading his autobiography, " The Unexpected Years ", published in 1937.
Laurence Housman's most considerable contributions to English literature are almost certainly his cycle of plays on the life of St. Francis of Assisi, and his Victorian plays. By far the greater part of these two long series of plays were written whilst Housman lived in Somerset.
He lived in Street for the last 35 years of his life—with his elder sister Clemence—in a house built on land of :
Good measure, meted out, and running over,
Into a field of elms, cows, rooks, and clover,
Where, fronting south, near by, in pleasant hands,
The little watch-tower of gazebo stands.
The house was " Longmeadow ", in Burleigh Lane, Street; and those who know the spot will readily identify " the little watch-tower " on the garden wall of " Whitenights ". Roger and Sarah Clark, of " Whitenights ", were among the very closest friends of Clemence and Laurence Housman. Over the years an extensive collection of the works of Laurence Housman accumulated on the book-shelves at " Whitenights ". Many of these books were presented and inscribed by the author ; and many contain notes and impromptu verses addressed to members of the Clark family.
During the centenary year of Laurence Housman's birth the family of Roger and Sarah Clark presented this collection of books, (together with a long series of letters, some drawings, and other items), to the Street Library, with which the Clark family and Laurence Housman had long been closely connected. The books and papers are now housed, (in a cabinet especially made by Mr. Frederick Rivers, a local cabinet-maket), in the Street Library. Above the cabinet hangs the portrait of Laurence Housman, by Cecile Crombeke, done towards the end of Housman's life. The portrait is confidently thought to be the only one ever painted of Laurence Housman ; it was presented to the Library, by Mrs. Roger Clark, in 1964.
This catalogue sets out to indicate the extent of the Housman Collection. It makes no attempt to be an exhaustive or scholarly bibliography. Those items marked by a single asterisk contain manuscript or other material, often a simple inscription by Laurence Housman to Roger and/or Sarah Clark. The items marked with two asterisks include matter of exceptional interest such as letters or textual annotation.
My thanks are due to those many many people who have been so helpful in the preparation of this booklet.
V I.K.
 A sample of Laurence Housman's handwriting. (From a letter in the Street Library collection).
WORKS OF LAURENCE HOUSMAN IN THE STREET LIBRARY COLLECTION
* AE.H. : some poems, some letters and a personal memoir by his brother Laurence Housman. Cape. 1937. 216 p.
* All-fellows : seven legends of lower redemption ; with insets in verse. Kegan Paul. 1896. ix., 138 p. illus.
* All-fellows and The Cloak of friendship. Cape. 1923. 192 p. illus.
Angels and ministers, see Victorian plays.
** Articles of faith in the freedom of women. 2nd ed. Fifield. 1911. ("Heretical Booklets" series).
Back words and forewords : an author's year-book, 1893-1943 selection in chronological order from the plays, poems, and prose writings . . . Cape. 1945. 264 p.
** Bethlehem : a Nativity play. Macmillan. 1902. 44 p.
Bethlehem : a Nativity play ; The Pageant of Our Lady and other poems. Macmillan. 1902. 85 p.
** Blind love. Boston, Mass. 1901. 30 p.
* The Blue moon. Murray. 1904. viii, 210 p. illus.
** Christianity a danger to the State. No-Conscription Fellowship, n.d. (c.191i5). 8 p. . . . . another copy.
The Cloak of friendship. Murray. 1905. 192 p.
The Collected poems. Sidgwick & Jackson. 1937. xvi, 368 p. front, (portrait).
The Comments of Juniper, see Little plays of St. Francis.
** Cornered poets : a book of dramatic dialogues. Cape. 1929. 255 p.
** Cynthia (a true love tale : poem). Sidgwick & Jackson. 1947- 4° P-
* Dethronements : imaginary portraits of political characters, done in dialogue. Cape. 1922. 95 p.
Echo de Paris : a study from life. (Recollections of a dialogue between the author, Oscar Wilde and others). Cape. 1923. 60 p.
* An Englishwoman's love-letters. Murray, 1901. 322 p.
False premises : five one act plays. Oxford, Blackwell. 1922. 96 p. (" The British Drama League Library of Modern British Drama ", No. 1.)
* The Family honour : a comedy in four acts and an epilogue. Cape. 1950. 128 p.
The Field of clover. Kegan Paul. 1898. 148 p. illus. Followers of St. Francis, see Little plays of St. Francis.
Four plays of St. Clare, see Little plays of St. Francis.
* Gods and their makers, and other stories. Allen & Unwin. 1897, reissued 1920. 222 p.
The Golden Sovereign, see Victorian plays. Gracious Majesty, see Victorian plays.
** Great possessions. Church of St. Ethelburga, within Bishopsgate. 1915. 23 p.
. . . . . another copy.
Green arras, (poems). John Lane. 1896. viii, 90 p. illus.
Happy and glorious, see Victorian plays.
* The Heart of Peace, and other poems. Heinemann. 1918. vi, 140 p.
* Hop-o'-me-heart : a grown-up fairy tale, (in verse). Flansham, Pear Tree Press, n.d. (1938). 16 p.
* ..... another copy.
* The House of joy. Kegan Paul. 1895. 181 p. illus.
The Immoral effects of ignorance in sex relations : a lecture . . . Women's Freedom League. 1911. 42 p.
** Ironical tales. Cape. 1926. 224 p.
* The Kind and the foolish : short tales of myth, magic and miracle. Cape. 1952. 239 p.
* King John of Jingalo : the story of a monarch in difficulties. New ed. Cape. 1937. 416 p.
. . . . . another copy.
The Life of H.R.H. the Duke of Flamborough. Cape. 1928. 287 p.
The Little Land ; with songs from its four rivers. (Poems). Grant Richards. 1899. viii, 97 p. illus.
Little plays of St. Francis. (In order of publication).
In The Venturer : a journal of freedom and fellowship. Brother Sin. 6 p. (Vol. i. New series. No.i. Oct. 1919), Brother Juniper. 8 p. (Vol I. New series. No. 5. Feb. 1920).
Brother Elias. 8 p. (Vol. I. New series. No. 8. May 1920).
Little plays of St. Francis. Sidgwick & Jackson. 1922. xxii, 288 p.
Followers of St. Francis : four plays of the early Franciscan legend. Sidgwick & Jackson. 1923. xiv, 60 p.
The Comments of Juniper : six plays from the life and legend of St. Francis of Assisi. Sidgwick & Jackson. 1926. x, 100 p.
The 'Little plays' handbook : practical notes for producers of ' Little plays of St. Francis ', ' Followers of St. Francis' and ' The Comments of Juniper '. Sidgwick & Jackson. 1927. xxiv. 114 p.
Little plays of St. Francis : second series. Sidgwick & Jackson. 1931. xxiv, 288 p.
* Nunc dimittis : an epilogue to ' Little plays of St. Francis'. Dramatic Society of University College, London. 1933. 14 p.
* » Four plays of St. Clare. Sidgwick & Jackson. 1934. viii, 63 p.
* (Single copies of :)
Naked truth, A.D. 1207. 16 p. Blind heart, A.D. 1210. 14 p. Bond of fellowship, A.D. 1220.14 p.
Sidgwick & Jackson. (1935).
** Little plays of St. Francis. Sidgwick & Jackson. 1935- 3 vols. illus.
* The Lord of the harvest : a morality in one act. French. 1916. 13 p.
* The Love concealed. (Poems). Sidgwick & Jackson. 1928. xii, 116 p.
Mendicant rhymes. 1906. 56 p. (Printed at the Essex House Press, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire).
A Modern Antaeus, by the writer of 'An Englishwoman's love-letters'. Murray. 1901. viii, 519 p.
Modern religious belief: an address at Leighton Paris School,, on the 16th of June, 1925, 15 p.
** National art training : being an address delivered at the Municipal School of Art, Manchester . . . Monday, September 18, 1911.
* The New child's guide to knowledge : a book of poems and moral lessons for old and young ; with elegant engravings . . . Sidgwick & Jackson. 1911. 84 p.
* The New Hangman : a play in one act. Putnam. 1930.23 p.
Nunc dimittis. see Little plays of St. Francis.
Odd pairs : a book of tales. Cape. 1925. 160 p
Old Testament plays. Cape. 1950. 280 p.
Pains and penalties : the defence of Queen Caroline : a play in four acts. Sidgwick & Jackson. 1911. viii, 89 p.
Palace plays, see Victorian plays. Palace scenes, see Victorian plays. Palestine plays. Cape. 1942. 146 p.
Ploughshare and pruning hook : ten lectures on social subjects. Swarthmore Press. 1919. xvi, 244 p.
Possession, see Victorian plays.
The Preparation of peace. Cape. 1940. 252 p.
The Queen's progress, see Victorian plays.
The Religious advance toward rationalism. Conway Memorial Lecture, September 25th, 1929. Watts. 52 p.
The Royal runaway and Jingalo in revolution : (a sequel to 'John of Jingalo'). Chapman & Hall. 1914. vi, 389 p.
Rue. (Poems). At the Sign of the Unicorn. 1899. x, 96 p.
Sabrina Warham : the story of her youth. Murray. 1904. xii. 439 p.
St. Francis Poverello. Sidgwick & Jackson. 1918. xxii, 159 p. ("Messages of the Saints" series).
Samuel, the King-maker : a play in four acts. Cape. 1944. 106 p.
Selected poems. Sidgwick & Jackson. 1908, reprinted 1921. x, 126 p.
The Seven Young Goslings. Blackie. (1908). 40 p.
Sex-war and woman's suffrage: a lecture . . .Women's Freedom League. 1912. 58 p.
The Sheepfold : the story of a shepherdess and her sheep and how she lost them. Duckworth. 1918. vi, 344 p.
The Six O'clock Call, see Victorian plays.
Strange ends and discoveries : tales of this world and the next. Cape. 1948. 189 p.
Trimblerigg : a book of revelation. Cape. 1924. 320 p.
. . . . . another edition. New York, A. & C. Boni.
1925. 320 p.
Uncle Tom Pudd : a biographical romance. Cape. 1927. 224 p.
The Unexpected years. Cape. 1937. 392 p. front, (portrait) Victorian plays. (In order of publication).
Angels and Ministers : three plays of Victorian shade and character. Cape. 1921. 86 p.
Possession : a peep-show in Paradise. Cape. 1921. 61 p.
. . . . . another copy. Palace plays. Cape. 1930. 126 p.
The Queen's progress : Palace plays, (second series). Cape. 1932. 160 p.
Victoria and Albert : Palace plays, (third series). Cape. 1933. I9° P-
Victoria Regina : a dramatic biography. Cape. 1934. 470 p. (Excepting one play, this is a collection of Victorian plays from earlier volumes).
another copy.
Victoria Regina. (Programme of the production at the Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue. Pamela Stanley as Victoria, Carl Esmond as Albert).
Palace Scenes : more plays of Queen Victoria. Cape. 1937. 190 p.
The Golden Sovereign. Cape. 1937. 440 p. (This is a collection of Victorian plays from earlier volumes, notably ' Palace scenes ').
The Six o'clock call : acting version. Cape. 1938. 18 p. (First published as part of 'The Revolting daughter', in 'Palace plays', 1930 ; published in 'Victoria Regina', 1934).
Gracious Majesty. Cape. 1941. 222 p.
Happy and glorious : a dramatic biography. Reprint Society. 1943. 4^o p.
Ways and means : five one act plays of village characters. Deane. 76 p. n.d.
What is "womanly"? Women's Freedom League. (1914). 45 P-
What next? : provocative tales of faith and morals. Cape. I938- 336 P-
What O'Clock Tales. Oxford, Blackwell. 1932. viii, 225 p.
What price salvation now? Peace News. 1949. 13 p.
The Wheel. (A trilogy). Sidgwick & Jackson. 1919. 77 p.
* Ye fearful saints! : plays of creed, custom, and credulity. Sidgwick & Jackson, viii, 158 p.
Works of Laurence Housman in collaboration with others.
(With Harley Granville Barker).
Prunella : or, Love in a Dutch Garden : (a play). 3rd ed. Sidgwick & Jackson. 1911. 89 p. (Contains a programme of a commemorative performance given by Street Players in the gardens of Hindhayes School, 27th June, 1959).
* (With Clarence Henry Kennett Marten).
Histories. Book I: Through the ages. Oxford, Blackwell. 1931. viii, 128 p.
(With Somerset Maugham).
The Venture : an annual of art and literature, edited by Laurence Housman and W. Somerset Maugham. John Baillie. 1903. 249 p. (Laurence Housman also contributed an article and an illustration to this volume).
10
(With Hugh R. L. Sheppard, Dean of Canterbury).
What can we believe? Letters exchanged between Dick Sheppard and L.H., edited by Laurence Housman. Cape. 1939. 255 p.
Other Works Translated, Edited or Contributed to by Laurence Housman.
Arabian Nights.
Ali Baba, and other stories from the Arabian Nights : retold by Laurence Housman. Hodder & Stoughton. 1911.
Stories from The Arabian Nights, retold by Laurence Housman, with drawings by Edmund Dulac. Hodder & Stoughton, for Boots Pure Drug Co. Ltd. n.d. 319 p.
** Aristophanes.
Lysistrata : a modern paraphrase from the Greek of Aristophanes. The Woman's Press. 1911. 77 p.
* Aucassin and Nicolette.
Of Aucassin and Nicolette : a translation in prose and verse ; together with Amabel and Amoris. Chatto & Windus. 1925. 106 p. illus.
Barlow, Jane.
The End of Elfintown: illustrated by Laurence Housman. Macmillan. 1894. 78 p.
Housman, Clemence.
The Were-wolf: with six illustrations by Laurence Housman. John Lane. 1896. 124 p.
** Joy Street : a medley of prose and verse for boys and girls. Vols. 2-14, Oxford, Blackwell. 1924-1936. (All except vol. 5 of this sequence contain stories or poems by Laurence Housman).
Meredith, George.
Jump to Glory Jane : ed. and arranged by Harry Quilter, with forty-four designs invented, drawn, and written by Lawrence ( sic) Housman. Swan, Sonnenschein. 1892. 28,36 p.
**
Omar Khayyam.
Rubaiyat : rendered into English verse by Edward Fitzgerald, ed. by George F. Maine. Rev. ed. Collins. 1954. (Introduction by Laurence Housman, P-7-I3)-
Plato.
The Death of Socrates : a dramatic scene, founded upon two of Plato's Dialogues, the 'Crito' and the 'Phaedo' ; adapted for the stage by Laurence Housman. Sidgwick & Jackson. 1925. viii, 54 p.
Rossetti, Christina.
Goblin Market: illustrated by Laurence Housman. Large paper ed. 1893. 64 p.
Royal Society of Literature.
Transactions, Vol. XII, 1933. "Pre-Raphaelitism in art and poetry" (read November I3th, 1929), by Laurence Housman. 29 p.
Transactions, Vol. XXI, 1944. "Fame versus fashion in literature" (Giff Edmunds Memorial Lecture, read June yth, 1943).
Shelley, Percy Bysshe.
The Sensitive plant, illustrated by Laurence Housman. Aldine House. 1898. 60 p.
Thomas a Kempis.
Of the imitation of Christ. Kegan Paul. 1898. xii, 324 p. (The illustrations and title-page designed by Laurence Housman and engraved by Clemence Housman).
The Universal Review.
(Volume containing articles from 'The Universal Review'): 'Blake as an impressionist' ; 'The Green Gaffer' ; 'The Singers of the nineteenth century' (poem by George Barlow, illustrated by Laurence Housman) ; 'The Wisdom of the Indians' (by R. Garnett, illustrated by Laurence Housman).
Wordsworth, William.
A Wordsworth anthology : selected with an introduction by Laurence Housman. New York, Scribner. 1946. vi, 151 p.
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Title page of the edition of Shelley's "The Sensitive plant", illustrated by Laurence Housman, 1898. Housman considered the illustrations for this volume " the best drawings I ever did ".
Reproduced by kind permission of J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd.
The Drawings of Laurence Housman
Nearly all the drawings in the Collection have been given by Giles and Eleanor Robertson, (son-in-law and daughter of Roger and Sarah Bancroft Clark). On 12th September, 1955, Laurence Housman gave to Mr. Giles Robertson a number of drawings, together with some notes relating to the drawings. These notes are given below. Some additional information had been added by Mr. Robertson, and this appears in brackets, followed by the initials G.R. Other information in brackets is part of Laurence Housman's original list.
Notes on appended sketches and caricatures.
(1) St. Francis and Brother Wolf.
(2) Gleeson White said in an article on my work for "The Art Magazine" that I was under the divided influence of Rossetti and William Morris on the one hand, and Ricketts and A. B. Houghton on the other. (The drawing shows L.H. with Rossetti pulling his right arm and Morris his left, Ricketts his right leg and Houghton his left. G.R.)
(3) Mrs. Gerald Bishop who played the part of the Virgin Mary in Craig's production of "Bethlehem". (Two drawings. G.R.)
(4) Caricature of Max Beerbohm. (Three drawings and one reproduction—of a different drawing. L.H. told me that a paper—he did not remember which—asked him if he would give Max a sitting for a caricature and that he agreed on condition that they also published a caricature of him by Max. The reproduction is a cutting from this paper, but does not reveal what the paper was. G.R.)
(5) Max Beerbohm's caricature of L.H. (Reproduction.) This is the caricature by Max mentioned in the previous note, and is also a cutting from the same paper. It is inscribed " The Englishwoman ?", which seems to date it to the time of the revelation of L.H.'s authorship of "An Englishwoman's Love Letters". On the backs of the two cuttings are portions of a larger picture of the Duchess of Wellington's Party at Apsley House. G.R.)
(6) (There is no number 6 on the list, nor was there ever a drawing with this number in the series. G.R.)
(7) H. G. Wells. Attitude while playing tennis ?
(8) Archer (Translator of Ibsen).
(9) My Landlord at Pembroke Cottage. W. (from life).
(id) Cranmer Byng and his brother, (first to publish C.A.H.'s story " The Drawn Arrow ").
(11) Cyril Scott, composer & founder of Madrigal Soc.
(12) Father George Tyrell. S.J.
(13) Robert Farquarson, (acted male Angel in " Bethlehem ", alias ' De la Condamine').
(14) Martin Harvey (actor of " The Only Way ").
(i 5) Portrait of the Duke of Flamborough. (Inscribed' H.R.H. Augustus William Third Duke of Flamborough, at the age of 48.' G.R.)
(16) Study of blown raiment by L.H. (Black and white chalk on grey paper. G.R.)
(Also in the group, but not listed by L.H.:—Two drawings of Gordon Craig. Four designs for book decoration, one of them for title-page or cover of " The Glorious Liberty of the Children of God." G.R.)
Given by Mrs. Eleanor Robertson is a pastel drawing, (11" x 14", in a frame 18" x 22"). Labels on the back of the drawing are inscribed, in Laurence Housman's hand:
"For Eleanor, from her obedient Uncle Laurence".
"This drawing was done in the back garden of my old home, Perry Hall, Bromsgrove, in my I9th year — a year after I had left home to study art in London. It was my first and last completed drawing in pastels that I can remember making, before I decided to stick to black-and-white.
" If this is a fair example of what I could do as a first attempt, I wish I had gone on with it. It is so much more modern in style than my other work ; and I might have secured a larger public, and become more popular, had I gone on with it.
Your affectionate Laurence Housman. "
There is also a small pastel portrait of Clemence Housman, by Adrian Graham, (yf" x gj") It is in an envelope marked in Laurence Housman's hand : "Clem's portrait by Adrian Graham, for Sarah and Roger."
WORKS OF CLEMENCE HOUSMAN
His elder sister, Clemence, born in 1861, was the person probably closest to Laurence Housman. They shared a home for the greater part of their lives ; and when "Longmeadow" (their house in Street) was built, both brother and sister were active in the preparation of the designs.
Clemence Housman was an accomplished artist and writer. She and Laurence studied art together in London, and Clemence trained especially as a wood engraver, being responsible for preparing most of the blocks used in the illustration of Laurence Housman's works.
It is well-known that Laurence Housman greatly admired the writings of his brother, A. E. Housman, and considered his own work poor by comparison. He had also a very high opinion of the work of his sister, Clemence. She published three books, copies of which are included in the Street Library Collection:
The Life of Sir Aglovale de Galis. Methuen. 1905. 308 p.
..... another edition. Cape. 1954. 272 p. (Clemence Housman added a chapter to this edition when she was nearly 94).
31 stories by thirty and one authors : edited by Ernest Rhys and C. A. Dawson Scott. New York, D. Appleton and Co. 1923. 413 p. (Includes a short story by Clemence Housman, 'The Drawn arrow')
The Unknown sea. Duckworth. 1898. 314 p.
The Were-wolf: with six illustrations by Laurence Housman. John Lane. 1896. 124 p.
A Note on the Manuscript and Miscellaneous Material in the Collection.
The manuscript material comprises a series of more than 200 letters, mostly from Laurence Housman to Roger and/or Sarah Clark. 22 of the letters are from Clemence Housman. The Housman letters range in date from 1908 to 1959, and are written from a variety of addresses, including New York and Chicago. The majority have been bound in folders by the Somerset County Record Office, but a few have been left inside books, as they were found when the collection came to Street Library. Books containing such material are marked with a double asterisk in the catalogue.
Also in the collection are a number of autograph letters and poems in the hands of: Max Beerbohm, Laurence Binyon, G. K. Chesterton, John Masefield, Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, Bernard Shaw, E. H. Shepard, Sir Charles Trevelyan, Oscar Wilde, and A. E. Housman.
Tape recordings of a radio programme about Laurence Housman, ("The Last of the Victorians", first broadcast in November, 1965), are included. This programme was prepared by Mr. David Foot, and in it can be heard the voices of Mrs. Roger Clark, Mrs. Eleanor Robertson, Mr. H. F. Scott Stokes, and others.
Other items include a scrap-book containing production photographs of "Victoria Regina" ; and an envelope of obituary notices on Laurence Housman. There are several volumes of the work of A. E. Housman.
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