First Gift of Books for D. H. Lawrence Ranch Visitor’s Center Library
August 26, 2015
From Portfolio/Volume II/ Spring 1947 – photograph Harry Crosby
A recent gift of first and limited edition books and a literary quarterly to the University of New Mexico D. H. Lawrence Ranch Initiatives coincides with the implementation of a fundraising plan aimed at creating an on-site Visitor’s Center and Pavilion as well as restoring the Fellowship Cabin, once used to house scholars from different disciplines. With this gift, a foundation is laid for a library in the Visitor’s Center.
The books, generously donated by Linda Deeds of Nebraska, include Love Poems and Others (Duckworth and Co., 1913), the limited edition of The Man Who Died (Martin Secker, 1931), originally published in 1929 as The Escaped Cock, as well as Portfolio: An Intercontinental Quarterly, Spring Vol II 1947 (Black Sun Press) with the contribution, “Why Not Read Lawrence Too?”(Leaf One), by D. H. Lawrence scholar, Harry Thornton Moore.
The gifts present an interesting mix: Love Poems and Other, Lawrence’s first book of poetry, was published the same year as Lawrence’s third novel Sons and Lovers, considered by many to be his finest work , while The Escaped Cock was published just a year before he died, appearing posthumously as The Man Who Died. Harry Thornton Moore’s piece on the author, written 17 years after Lawrence’s death, compellingly makes a case for the importance of Lawrence’s work for English literature, illustrated by vivid original passages Moore features throughout.
Moore points out:
But one of the principal reasons for the revival of interest in James and Fitzgerald may also prevail in the case of Lawrence. Recent writing has been of such poor quality that the growing body of intelligent readers is on the look-out for stories about the modern world that manage to be well written. James was a disciplined craftsman, Fitzgerald a brilliant one—Lawrence was more spontaneous than either of them and his prose, despite some of its rough edges, is among the best in English.
In accordance with Frieda Lawrence’s bequest of the Ranch to UNM, the D. H. Lawrence Ranch Initiatives is dedicated to preserving the author’s legacy in manifold ways. While the immediate need revolves around renovation and maintenance of the grounds, the space is intended to serve education and enrichment for all.
If you would like to find out more about funding opportunities for the Ranch or make a donation of D. H. Lawrence materials to the Initiatives, please contact us at (505) 277-5572 or dhlawrenceranch@unm.edu.
Monetary donations can be made to: https://www.unmfund.org/fund/dhlawrenceranch/
