° ° Shepherd, Leonard, Actor, (1882-1958) - Scraps & ‘’I Rem...

Hammer

£460

° ° Shepherd, Leonard, Actor, (1882-1958) - Scraps & ‘’I Remember’’, 2 vols, 8vo, half red morocco, watercolour frontispieces, April, 1939. A captivating and often amusing autobiographical manuscript journal and account of the actor’s life and travels, principally covering the years 1895-1930, after early years playing to theatres throughout England, recounts travels, as a jobbing actor, to South Africa and three tours of North America, including a particularly interesting description of the Indian tribes in the far south western states. Written in a clear, legible hand, in black ink and embellished with numerous vignettes and full page views of towns and peoples, principally in watercolour, some en grisaille, many highly accomplished, together with black and white photographs of the actor in play character role costumes. Includes photographs and references to his wife, the actress, Helena Head, and autograph letters, one each, from Dame Ellen Terry, two pages, dated 9th July, ?, from [Smallhythe Place], Tenterden, ‘’I am quite ill & therefore beg you to excuse my not having written before to tell you that the Shylock who was originally to have come to me is coming to me after all - I am sorry you troubled to come to Kings’s Road last week, but hope you are not! Sincerely yours, Ellen Terry’’, and Sir Henry Irving, one page, dated 1st April, 1904, from 17, Stratton Street, Piccadilly, ‘’Dear Mr. Shepherd, I return with thanks your admiral pictures and will bear in mind the purport of your letter. With all good wishes, Yours truly, H[enry] Irving.
Leonard Shepherd, who died in Enfield in 1958, acted in three motion pictures - ‘’It is for England’’ (1916), ‘’The Drefus Case’’ (1931) and ‘’Lucky Jade’’ (1937).