'Close of Play'

John Masefield. Poet Laureate 1930-1967. ‘Eighty Five To Win’. Two page handwritten letter in ink from Masefield, written on both sides of his ‘Burcote Brook, Abingdon’ headed note paper. Dated ‘May the 25th 1956’, Masefield is writing to a Mrs Martin at The Times newspaper, thanking her for sending galley proofs for checking prior to the publication of his poem on the Oval Test of 1882 when England’s last five wickets fell to the Australians for eleven runs, watched by 20,000 spectators, ‘The crowd sat stunned an instant at the blow,/ Then cheered (and none had heard men cheering so),/ Cheered the great cricket that had won the game’. Masefield comments on some errors in spacing on a few consecutive lines on the second page of the proof, ‘Otherwise it could go to press’. The accompanying proofs comprise two long narrow pages, each measuring 28”x4.5”, and one shorter 10.5”x4.5”, the first page bearing his annotated comment, ‘Please remedy the gap on the second page of this, then Press’, with his handwritten corrections to the second page. Both the letter and the proof nicely signed ‘John Masefield’. All contained in a buff envelope from Irving Rosenwater’s collection, with titles to the front in different coloured inks in Rosenwater’s distinctive hand. Very good condition.