R. A. Walker Papers

Derry, Georges (1886-1960)

R. A. (Rainforth Armitage) Walker, who used the pseudonym "Georges Derry," was an important early champion of Aubrey Beardsley. He edited three collections of Beardsley's letters, wrote extensively about him, was the first to publish a number of Beardsley's drawings, and assembled materials for a definitive catalog. In 1955, Walker edited 55 letters from the Gallatin Collection of Beardsley in the Princeton University Library, which was printed in the Princeton University Library Chronicle (vol. XVI, no. 1).

Beardsley, Aubrey (1872-1898)

Aubrey Beardsley, English artist, book illustrator, and writer, was born on August 21, 1872 in Brighton, England. He showed signs of intelligence and talent from a young age, developing writing, musical, and drawing skills. Unfortunately, Beardsley was also afflicted with poor health from a young age, infected with tuberculosis by age seven. He tried to work at an insurance company, but his weak lungs prevented him from working there for long. After briefly focusing on his writing, Beardsley began to work more on his drawing. His health improved, and seriously began his artistic career in the early 1890s. In 1892 he received a commission from J.M. Dent to illustrate Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte Darthur. This commission allowed him to survive on his drawing alone. In 1894, he created 17 images for Oscar Wilde's Salome, beginning his relationship with the avant-garde. From 1894 to 1895 he worked as art editor for Yellow Book, but fled to France when the Wilde was arrested. Upon his return to London, Beardsley founded a new magazine The Savoy, which included parts of his romantic novel Under the Hill. He illustrated Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock and Aristophanes' Lysistrata in 1896. Around the same time, Beardsley's health began deteriorating again and he was unable to work continuously. He passed away on March 16, 1898.

Symons, A.J.A. (Alphonse James Albert) (1900-1941)

A. J. A (Alphonse James Albert) Symons (1900-1941) was an English writer and biographer. In 1922, he founded the "First Edition Club" to display exhibitions of manuscripts. He completed his first biographical work, Emin, Governor of Equatoria, in 1928. Previously to that, he produced a bibliography of the first works of Irish poet William Butler Yeats, as well as an anthological work on 1890s authors, of which he was an authority. His most notable work, The Quest for Corvo, was published in 1934. After his death in 1941 he left several unfinished works, such as a biography of Oscar Wilde.

The collection consists of Walker's related correspondence, his annotated typescripts, and galleys--as well as photostats of Aubrey Beardsley's letters in the Huntington Library--for the First Edition Club's edition of the Letters of Aubrey Beardsley to Leonard Smithers (1937), which was edited, with notes and an introduction, by Walker. Some of the correspondence also concerns the Print Collector's Quarterly in London and other matters related to Beardsley; included is correspondence between A.J.A. Symons of the First Edition Club and Oliver W. F. Lodge.

Arranged in the following order: preface, lists, transcripts, photostats, galleys, correspondence, documents, miscellaneous.

Published under same title (London: First Edition Club, 1937)

No acquisition information is currently available for this collection.

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Folder Inventory added by Kelly Rafey '16 in 2013.

No appraisal information is available.

Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); R. A. Walker Papers, Box and Folder Number; Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Publisher

Manuscripts Division

Date

2009

Creator

Derry, Georges (1886-1960)

Subject

Artists -- England -- 19th century

Illustrators -- England -- 19th century

People

Beardsley, Aubrey (1872-1898)

Lodge, Oliver W. F.

Smithers, Leonard C. (Leonard Charles) (1861-1907)

Symons, A.J.A. (Alphonse James Albert) (1900-1941)

Organization

First Edition Club (London, England)

Language

English

Form

Correspondence

Typescripts