Kingsley Amis and Elizabeth Jane Howard Letters to Tom Maschler: Finding Aid
mssMaschler
The Huntington Library
February 2022
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San Marino, California 91108
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Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Kingsley Amis and Elizabeth Jane Howard letters to Tom Maschler
Identifier/Call Number: mssMaschler
Physical Description:
0.25 Linear Feet
(1 box)
Date (inclusive): 1957-1977
Abstract: A collection of letters between the
British authors Kingsley Amis and Elizabeth Jane Howard with their publisher Tom
Maschler.
Language of Material: Materials are in
English.
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Conditions Governing Use
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necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item]. Kingsley Amis and Elizabeth Jane Howard letters to Tom Maschler,
The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Peter Grogan, 2020.
Biographical / Historical
Kingsley Amis (1922-1995) was born in London on April 16; he was the son of William Robert
and Rosa Annie (Lucas) Amis. Following service in the British Army from 1942 to 1945 and
first-class honors in English at St. John's College, Oxford, Amis was a lecturer in English
at University College of Swansea, Wales, from 1949 to 1961. He subsequently became a Fellow
of Peterhouse, Cambridge University, from 1961 to 1963, and held visiting professorships at
Princeton and Vanderbilt Universities. Amis achieved both popularity and critical acclaim
with his first novel, Lucky Jim, whose publication in 1953 instantly marked Amis as a major
comic novelist. His many subsequent works have revealed him to be an author of extraordinary
range and versatility. His essays, poems, and short stories have been published in
magazines, journals, and collected editions. Amis' 1986 novel, The Old Devils, received
Britain's prestigious Booker Prize. Amis was married to Hilary Ann Bardwell in 1948 and
divorced in 1965; he married Elizabeth Jane Howard in 1965 and was divorced in 1983. Amis
died on October 22, 1995.
Biographical / Historical
Elizabeth Jane Howard (1923-2014) was born in London, England on March 26; she trained as
an actress and, before the Second World War, played at Stratford-upon-Avon as well as
repertory theater in Devon. At various times she worked as a model, a broadcaster for the
BBC from 1939 to 1946, as an editor for various publishers, and as a writer. She has been
widely published as a novelist, journalist, reviewer, and has written plays for stage, film,
and television. In 1962, she was the Artistic Director for the Cheltenham Literary Festival,
and in 1973, the Artistic Co-Director of the Salisbury Festival of Arts; Howard was awarded
a CBE in 2000. She married Sir Peter Scott in 1942, and divorced in 1951; she married James
Douglas Henry in 1958, and divorced in 1964; and married Kingsley Amis in 1965, they were
divorced in 1983. Elizabeth Jane Howard, died aged 90, at home on January 2, 2014.
Scope and Contents
A collection of correspondence between Kingsley Amis, Elizabeth Jane Howard, and Tom
Maschler, their editor and publisher at Jonathan Cape, Ltd. (London); the letters and
postcards span the years 1957 to 1977 and were written from various locations including
Wales, England, Mexico, Amsterdam, Greece, Mallorca, and the United States. The letters
cover professional subjects such as sales figures and the progress of their novels and also
include personal news about their families and discussions about their marriage. A few of
the letters were written during the period when Cecil Day Lewis, Poet Laureate and former
lover of Elizabeth Jane Howard, lived with Amis and Howard before his death in 1972. The
correspondence also includes a small number of letters from Tom Maschler to Amis and Howard
individually and together; and one letter from Jenifer Marshall, Tom Maschler's secretary.
The collection contains two copies of the short story by Amis, "Four Characters in Search of
a Virus" and a contract for a film treatment of "The Diamond Spy."
Processing Information
The collection was processed by Gayle Richardson in February 2022.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Authors, English -- 20th century
Authors and publishers -- Great Britain
Letters (correspondence) -- Great Britain -- 20th century
Manuscripts -- Great Britain -- 20th century
Postcards -- Great Britain -- 20th century
Maschler, Tom,
1933-
Box 1, Folder 1
Kingsley Amis letter, Swansea, to Tom Maschler
1957 February 6
Box 1, Folder 2
Kingsley Amis postcard, Swansea, to Tom Maschler, London
1957 May 7
Box 1, Folder 3
Kingsley Amis letter, Swansea, to Tom Maschler
1957 May 9
Box 1, Folder 4
Kingsley Amis letter, Swansea, to Tom Maschler
1957 May 19
Scope and Contents
Also enclosed: newspaper article.
Box 1, Folder 5
Elizabeth Jane Howard postcard, Spain, to Tom Maschler, London
1962 July-August
Box 1, Folder 6
Tom Maschler note, London, to Kingsley Amis, London
1963 October 8
Box 1, Folder 7
Elizabeth Jane Howard letter to Tom Maschler
approximately 1963
Box 1, Folder 8
Elizabeth Jane Howard letter, London, to Tom Maschler
approximately 1963
Box 1, Folder 9
Kingsley Amis postcard, Amsterdam, to Tom Maschler, London
1964 April 24
Box 1, Folder 10
Tom Maschler letter, London, to Kingsley Amis and Elizabeth Jane Howard,
Mallorca
1964 October 2
Box 1, Folder 11
Elizabeth Jane Howard letter, Mallorca, to Tom Maschler
1964 October 7
Box 1, Folder 12
Kingsley Amis letter, London, to Tom Maschler
1964 December 30
Box 1, Folder 13
Kingsley Amis letter, London, to Tom Maschler, New York
1965 August 11
Box 1, Folder 14
Kingsley Amis letter, London, to Tom Maschler
1965 August 30
Scope and Contents
On verso: autograph letter by Elizabeth Jane Howard to Tom Maschler, written at a later
date.
Box 1, Folder 15
Kingsley Amis letter, Athens, to Tom Maschler, London
1965 September 17
Box 1, Folder 16
Willoughby Film Productions Limited contract, London, to Kingsley Amis,
London
1965 November 1
Scope and Contents
A contract for doing a film treatment for "The Diamond Spy."
Box 1, Folder 17
Kingsley Amis letter, London, to Tom Maschler, London
1965 November 19
Box 1, Folder 18
Elizabeth Jane Howard and Kingsley Amis invitation to Tom Maschler
1965 December 24
Scope and Contents
The invitation is typed on oversize paper and signed by Howard and Amis.
Box 1, Folder 19
Elizabeth Jane Howard note, London, to Tom Maschler
approximately 1965
Box 1, Folder 20
Tom Maschler letter, London, to Kingsley Amis and Elizabeth Jane Howard,
London
1966 March 14
Box 1, Folder 21
Kingsley Amis postcard, Greece, to Tom Maschler, New York
1966 August 22
Box 1, Folder 22
Tom Maschler note, London, to Kingsley Amis, London
1966 October 25
Box 1, Folder 23
Tom Maschler letter, London, to Kingsley Amis and Elizabeth Jane Howard,
London
1966 December 22
Box 1, Folder 24
Elizabeth Jane Howard postcard, Jamaica, to Tom Maschler, London
1966
Box 1, Folder 25
Kingsley Amis. "Four Characters in Search of a Virus:" short story
approximately 1966
Scope and Contents
A typewritten draft, with a few autograph corrections; also a carbon copy with the same
corrections.
Box 1, Folder 26
Elizabeth Jane Howard letter, London, to Tom Maschler
approximately 1966
Box 1, Folder 27
Elizabeth Jane Howard note, London, to Tom Maschler
1967 April 11
Box 1, Folder 28
Kingsley Amis note, London, to Tom Maschler
1967 April 18
Box 1, Folder 29
Elizabeth Jane Howard letter, Nashville, to Tom Maschler
1967 September 26
Box 1, Folder 30
Tom Maschler letter, London, to Elizabeth Jane Howard, Nashville
1967 November 3
Box 1, Folder 31
Elizabeth Jane Howard letter, Nashville, to Tom Maschler, London
1967 November 20
Box 1, Folder 32
Tom Maschler letter, London, to Elizabeth Jane Howard, Nashville
1967 November 24
Scope and Contents
Also enclosed: note from Maschler to charge Elizabeth Jane Howard's account.
Box 1, Folder 33
Kingsley Amis letter, Mexico, to Tom Maschler
1968 February 6
Box 1, Folder 34
Elizabeth Jane Howard letter, Mexico, to Tom Maschler
1968 February 8
Box 1, Folder 35
Jenifer Marshall letter, London, to Kingsley Amis, Mexico
1968 February 13
Scope and Contents
Jenifer Marshall was Tom Maschler's secretary.
Box 1, Folder 36
Elizabeth Jane Howard letter, Greece, to Tom Maschler
1969 August 11
Box 1, Folder 37
Elizabeth Jane Howard letter, Barnet, Hertfordshire, to Tom
Maschler
1970 May 14
Box 1, Folder 38
Elizabeth Jane Howard letter, Barnet, Hertfordshire, to Tom Maschler and Fay
Maschler
1970 December 30
Scope and Contents
Letter is addressed to Tom and Fay and Hannah.
Box 1, Folder 39
Elizabeth Jane Howard letter, Barnet, Hertfordshire, to Tom
Maschler
approximately 1970
Box 1, Folder 40
Kingsley Amis note, Barnet, Hertfordshire, to Tom Maschler
1971 May 1
Box 1, Folder 41
Elizabeth Jane Howard letter, Barnet, Hertfordshire, to Tom
Maschler
1972 January 24
Box 1, Folder 42
Elizabeth Jane Howard letter, Barnet, Hertfordshire, to Tom
Maschler
1972 January 31
Box 1, Folder 43
Elizabeth Jane Howard letter, Barnet, Hertfordshire, to Tom
Maschler
1972 May 8
Box 1, Folder 44
Elizabeth Jane Howard letter, Barnet, Hertfordshire, to Tom
Maschler
1975 April 24
Box 1, Folder 45
Tom Maschler letter, London, to Kingsley Amis, London
1977 May 26
Box 1, Folder 46
Kingsley Amis letter, London, to Tom Maschler, London
1977 May 30
