Letter from Edward Thomas to the poet Gordon Bottomley. Sent from [Berryfield Cottage], Ashford, Petersfield, Hampshire]. Archival ref: 424/1/1/1/10/92
11.x.07

My dear Gordon,
Thank you for your suggestions
about Back to the Land. Imight not to
have troubled you, for it was so
very unlikely that I could at short
notice give any vitality to another man's
form, however good, & that it what I
find. So I have told G. R. I can't do it
yet at any rate.
But I was glad to hear you have
been working so well at Gunnar
You must show it to me when it has
got into shape.
I should like to see you on
Oct. 23 or 26 in London, but you
will be in a hurry & have lots to do, so
that I won't come up specially for that,
tho if I do happen to be in town I will let
you know. So you will come here in
December. I hope it will be a hard,
clear December for your sake.
It will be very pleasant having you &
Emily here & Guthrie too.
Give us time if you can to make
everything ready for you - so that I
need not be having to work. I
am very very busy. [illegible] of books
from the Morning Post which I didn't
refuse - and not [illegible]
Milne. It is writingin the Chronicle
that I feel quite at ease. So
my best when any best is possible.
But he has new men & feels my innate
hostility to him. Arthur Wayne pleases
him & commands his respect.
I rather like Mechen's thing. Do
you recognize Paradise in the Welsh
form Paradwys, Mharadwys?
Thanks for Brocken. You would
like de la Mare himself, & will try to
get him down here to a day while you
are here or at Harting. But he is tied
to an office & has to be there at 9
on Mondays even, so that week
ends are impossible. He has a nice
wife & 3 nice children & I believe
they are often very happy. They are
almost poor.
Fame has found me. A letter
to Edward Thomas, Petersfield
(from Yarmouth) reached me without
delay.
But it is not the natural
price in this that makes me stop so soon.
I am weary in my fingers with reviewing
& in my head with reading & trying
to skim bad books. One of my works

has been a muddled column on various
means of producing visual effects by
words - very muddled. But what
a fine history the growth of the [illegible]
the wish to produce such effects wd
make! I have a mind to fill a
notebook with [illegible] passages
& string them together in the next
world. Tell me what you think. You
are not a reviewer. You can think
things out.
Well now I have to read for
the Bookman:
Lady Gregory 'Saints & Wonders'
Mrs. M. L. Woods 'Poems Old & New'
Wild Life in a Norfolk Estuary
Trees in Nature & Myth & Art
read review them in 48 hours
& also copy out 2 columns, &
saw some wood & get some fresh
air. Goodbye. our love to
Emily & You, & good luck to
Gunnar.
Ever yours
Edward Thomas