622. "Morris (William, designer, author and visionary socialist, 1834-96)" "18 Autograph Letters signed and 3 Postcards signed to the Rev. John Glasse, minister of the Old Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh," "57pp.(excluding postcards) & 14 envelopes, 8vo, Kelmscott House, Hammersmith, 10th February 1886 - 11th March 1895, on Morris's political work and showing his standpoint on parliamentary activities from the Socialist League point of view and others, many relating to arrangements for lectures & journeys in Scotland, "My position to Parliament and the dealings of Socialists with it, I will now [try] to state clearly. I believe that the Socialists will certainly send members to Parliament when they are strong enough to do so: in itself I see no harm in that, so long as it is understood that they go there as rebels, and not as members of the governing body prepared by passing palliative measures to keep 'Society' alive"; relations with George Bernard Shaw and the Fabians, "The attitude of Shaw also and his Fabians is rather difficult to get over: they are distinctly pushing forward that very useful association of lecturers as the only sound socialist body in the country: which I think is nonsense", and sending Glasse a book, "I am sending you a large paper copy of my new book [A Tale of the House of the Wolfings] (which I hope will not encumber your shelves too much) as a memento of the jolly week we had together", folds" (21)
est. £6000 – £8000
"AN EXCEPTIONAL COLLECTION OF PARTIALLY UNPUBLISHED LETTERS DETAILING WILLIAM MORRIS'S SOCIALIST PHILOSOPHY. 7 unpublished letters and postcards comprise: 2 March, 28 February, 14 March, 12 October, 16 October 1888; 3 October, 11 October 1889. 17 February 1890 letter partially published.
Rev. John Glasse (1848-1918), minister of the Old Greyfriars Parish Kirk, Edinburgh; attached to the Social-Democratic Federation and later, the Socialist League.
Provenance: 14 letters published in Unpublished Letters of William Morris, introduced by R. Page Arnot, 1951."