London: The Curtain Press, 1949

8vo, pp. 44, 16pp. b&w photographic illustrations and 1p. catalogue of Masque titles bound in at rear. Illustrated stiff paper wrappers. Blank rear panel just a little marked, otherwise a fine unread copy with an uncreased spine, lacking the dustwrapper.

First edition, INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR TO SIR COLIN ANDERSON: 'To Colin Anderson from Sacheverell Sitwell (6.xii.1961)'. WITH AN ALS FROM THE AUTHOR TO ANDERSON PRESENTING THE BOOK LAID IN. Introduction by William King.

The shipping magnate and art collector Sir Colin Anderson [1904-1980] was Director of both the Royal Opera House and the Tate Gallery, Trustee of the National Gallery and Provost of the Royal College of Art. An avid collector of Art Nouveau, he was an early champion of both Francis Bacon and Lucien Freud, who drew a portrait of Anderson's wife Morna. The letter presenting this book, written on Sitwell's Weston Hall stationery, continues a conversation about an unidentified but clearly unloved painting:

'I found your notes most fascinating reading. It is the pauper family "passing across the centre of the picture" that gets me. Could they really have looked as starving as all that?
As for the four "prematurely old schoolboys" my concentration-camp school at Reigate (which I can barely bear to pass through even now) was full of them!
I send you a little book in exchange, but with a very different subject.'

Sitwell goes on to dampen down hopes of a visit to or from his sister Edith -- 'I don't think there is a hope of getting 'La Dame' out of her hibernation at this time of year' -- and looks forward to another social meeting with the Andersons before Christmas.

An excellent letter, in a fine and inscribed copy of the book.