Letter from Edward Thomas to the poet Gordon Bottomley. Sent from Wick Green, Petersfield, Hampshire. Archival ref: 424/1/1/1/10/148
Wick Greeen
Petersfield
24 vii 10

My dear Gordon,
I was very glad to see a letter from you at
last. Your silence made me think you must be very
ill or else had at last found it impossible to reply to
my languid letters. The Riding to Lithend is worth waiting
for. It makes altogether I think the best modern book I
have and to open it & see that blue is like a big
natural effect. I am proud & grateful to have it. I must
send my subscription copy to de la Mare. He is doing
very good work now, for some of it very happy
childish [illegible], most delicate & new. He is coming
to Harting for a month at the end of the week & I wish
you could see him here. I am a little too busy & getting
anxious as Helen is within only a few days of her time. She
is still very well though. I gave about 3 months to hard
reading for my Women & Poets & allowed myself, or
will allowed, 2 months to write. It was not enough so I have
really been bent on finishing anyhow & satisfaction at
producing something by the end of a weary day has nearly
overcome ing(sic) disgust at what it really was. The result is
I have worked - in kind of suffered panic - much
faster than I need, & the thing is now nearly at an end,
with all August still at my disposal if necessary. I am
sick at having to do it but I believe I am justified in not
doing as well as possible a piece of work I never could
do really well with my powers. That is provided I
do not know my ability to do other things more
natural to me. The slightest of these you have seen in the

"Nation" &c. How did you like 'Lost or [illegible[ &
"A Group of Statuary? That Welsh girlf Olwen was
very barbourously bowdlerized so as to spoil its
point altogether. Do I mature or only get old? How
can I tell? I only know I am still very childish
& inexperienced. . Your criticism is just I
believe , but I thought it could not be applied to
my recent work so much. You would be kind if you
sent me anything of mine with the inharmonious
notebook stuff marked.

I was very much taken with the 'Gifted friend'.
But you do seem to have got hold of people with Gunnary
I am hoping to see you responding in the if cause(sic)
to me unimaginable ways your nature secretes - what
is it to be? Are you for [illeg] or narratives?

Poor Sturge Moore ! It must he wretched to suffer like
that from publisher's parsimony. I am not sure if I agree
with you about separating the 'temporal & spacious part'
by Blake. It is not like Wordsowrth's , Wordsworh
being at bottom normal , suffering from facility , so
that a great deal of him could be safely destroyed.
Blake had no mere facility . Wordsworth's bad But is
clear as water , Blake's good , bad is always more or less
morbid with good things in imperfect solution.

I haven't either of these books , but can assure
you May's 'Sophocles' is likely to be extraordinarily
bad if anything like his Euripides.

You are lucky to have Trevelyan. I have missed
his last book if not two & am sorry for it

Dent is asking me for another book so either his
brain is softening or my sales have much improved. In
any case I am glad as I have a lot by me which I
can probably use. I want to do a book on houses
& people for him. Did I tell you an imbecile publisher
rejected such a book by Muirhead Bone & me in the
Spring? And now Bone is too busy to collaborate.

Have you Skeat's Chatterton or any sound
text? I have an new 'True Chatterton' & some of
the quotations are extremely different from the text I have in the Muses Library. If you have a really good edition
& can send it at once I shall be very glad.

Suppose I could get away for 10 days from about
August 20 , would you take me & Bronwen in?
She would give no trouble & I believe you would like her. She would sleep with me. It is only just a chance , so
do not put yourself out to make it possible.

Yours & Emily's Ever
Edward Thomas