Diana Mitford, Lady Mosley (1910–2003) – A remarkable archive of correspondence
£7,500.00
Lady Diana Mosley: A remarkable archive of correspondence, comprising approximately 78 autograph letters signed and 11 autograph postcards/cards signed, “Diana Mosley” and “Diana,” addressed to her typist and later close friend Kay Gaudin, 1962–1987.
Approx. 89 items, running to around 160 pages. Written from Paris, Orsay, Chatsworth, the Temple de la Gloire and elsewhere. Folds and occasional handling marks, but generally very well preserved. Included with the archive is a 2003 first edition of Anne de Courcy’s biography of Diana Mosley, signed by de Courcy, in very good condition.
An unusually extensive and revealing correspondence, beginning in connection with Gaudin’s work typing Mosley’s manuscripts and developing into a warm, candid and sustained friendship. The letters range widely across family matters, literary projects, society gossip, politics, illness, bereavement and old age, offering a vivid private record of one of the twentieth century’s most controversial figures.
Of particular significance are Diana’s numerous references to her sister Nancy Mitford, including intimate comments during Nancy’s final illness and affecting reflections after her death. Elsewhere she writes of visits to Chatsworth, the preparation of biographies, the complex dynamics of the Mitford family, and memories of a vanished aristocratic world.
The archive is also notable for Mosley’s undiminished political views, expressed with characteristic directness. In one striking passage she writes: “I can understand that you might think Hitler, as you say, ‘the devil himself’. What I cannot understand is any intelligent person, now, can look upon Churchill as a saviour.” Such remarks give the correspondence considerable historical interest, preserving in unguarded form the prejudices and convictions she continued to hold throughout her life.
A substantial and highly personal archive, combining literary, social and political interest, and offering rare insight into the private world of Diana Mosley and the wider Mitford circle.
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- Description
Description
Lady Diana Mosley: A remarkable archive of correspondence, comprising approximately 78 autograph letters signed and 11 autograph postcards/cards signed, “Diana Mosley” and “Diana,” addressed to her typist and later close friend Kay Gaudin, 1962–1987.
Approx. 89 items, running to around 160 pages. Written from Paris, Orsay, Chatsworth, the Temple de la Gloire and elsewhere. Folds and occasional handling marks, but generally very well preserved. Included with the archive is a 2003 first edition of Anne de Courcy’s biography of Diana Mosley, signed by de Courcy, in very good condition.
An unusually extensive and revealing correspondence, beginning in connection with Gaudin’s work typing Mosley’s manuscripts and developing into a warm, candid and sustained friendship. The letters range widely across family matters, literary projects, society gossip, politics, illness, bereavement and old age, offering a vivid private record of one of the twentieth century’s most controversial figures.
Of particular significance are Diana’s numerous references to her sister Nancy Mitford, including intimate comments during Nancy’s final illness and affecting reflections after her death. Elsewhere she writes of visits to Chatsworth, the preparation of biographies, the complex dynamics of the Mitford family, and memories of a vanished aristocratic world.
The archive is also notable for Mosley’s undiminished political views, expressed with characteristic directness. In one striking passage she writes: “I can understand that you might think Hitler, as you say, ‘the devil himself’. What I cannot understand is any intelligent person, now, can look upon Churchill as a saviour.” Such remarks give the correspondence considerable historical interest, preserving in unguarded form the prejudices and convictions she continued to hold throughout her life.
A substantial and highly personal archive, combining literary, social and political interest, and offering rare insight into the private world of Diana Mosley and the wider Mitford circle.
