108 From a letter to Allen & Unwin

[Allen & Unwin had decided to publish Farmer Giles of Ham as a separate volume.]

5 July 1947

I am now sending back (a week late) under separate cover the MS. of Farmer Giles of Ham, revised for the press. I have as you will see gone through it carefully, making a good many alterations, for the better (I think and hope) in both style and narrative. ....

You will note that, whoever may buy it, this story was not written/or children; though as in the case of other books that will not necessarily prevent them from being amused by it. I think it might be as well to emphasize the fact that this is a tale specially composed for reading aloud: it goes very well so, for those that like this kind of thing at all. It was, in fact, written to order, to be read to the Lovelace Society at Worcester College; and was read to them at a sitting.

For that reason I should like to put an inscription to C. H. Wilkinson on a fly-leaf, since it was Col. Wilkinson of that College who egged me to it, and has since constantly egged me to publication.