Max and Will : Max Beerbohm and William Rothenstein, Their Friendship and Letters, 1893-1945

John Murray, London, first edition, 1975. Cloth, 8vo, 24 cm,. xiv, 193 pp, plates, ills. From the blurb: "Max Beerbohm and William Rothenstein first met in 1893, two precocious young men with their sights set on London. Their friendship warmed and prospered, though nmch of it was at a distance and took the form of letters. Thus it is preserved for us in one of the last great correspondences, a glortous relic of the pre-telephone age. The subjects on which they wrote were as multifarious as one could wish for-in particular their own and others' efforts in painting, caricature, drama and prose; the vagaries of the famous and infamous. Even after the First War, when the world in which they had made their names had gone for ever, their comments remain informed and acute. Rothenstein by then was head of the Royal College of Art and Beerbohm, although living in Italy, was still producing his inimitable caricatures. As well as explanatory notes, including many outstanding passages from Max's and Will's letters to other people, and Mary M. Lago's introductory essays discussing the letters and giving the necessary biographical detail, there are a number of little known or unpublished caricatures, paintings and photographs. In particular, the notorious Edwardyssey series by Max is reproduced here for the first time. A feast for Beerbohm enthusiasts, for lovers of the Nineties and the Edwardian Era, this is also a record remarkable for its continuity and its insights into fifty vears of English life. Near Very Good in a slightly used dustwrapper.