Letter from Edward Thomas to the poet Gordon Bottomley. Sent from Bearsted Green, Maidstone, Kent. Archival ref: 424/1/1/1/10/14
Bearsted Green
12.v.04

My dear Gordon,
I have again
been looking at the Book,
& the more I look at it
the more I understand it
and like it. At
first I confess I was
astonished in an un-
sympathetic & uninterested
way by what I read. Evening
after evening I took it up
and threw it aside sometimes
in sorrow & sometimes in anger.
At lat I must acknowledge
that I have seen some
very fine things in "The White
Watch' & 'Vision of Giorgione'
& Harvest Homes' among
others. But after all,
my dear Gordon, the book is
not for me unless you
can perform an operation
upon my silly skull. Your
moods in these poems (if
I understand them right)
I am often in deep
sympathy with, time
after time you express
things magically that I
have barely experienced.
But. But. But. The
writing makes a very weak
appeal to me, tho I
see that it is capable of a
strong & high appeal to
others. So if I
should get the book from
the "Chronicle" you
will understand if the
review is unintelligent
or if there is no review?
I am sorry: both because
I am so narrow minded
a reader and (above all)
because I can't like everything you do tho
I like everything you are.
I fear you partly
anticipated this dismal
tale. But tell me you
pardon it.
I am busy, tired &
neuralgic & haven't found
a house. With Helen's
love & mine Ever yours
Edward Thomas

I heard from Baillie
this morning & have
written to Haynes about him.