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1 of 253523 objects
A Prayer for King and country. 1935
30.4 x 17.5 x 0.3 cm (book measurement (conservation)) | RCIN 1047151
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John Masefield was poet laureate from 1930 to his death in 1967. He was a prolific poet and fiction writer, and by the end of his life his volume of 'Collected Poems' had sold over 200,000 copies. This was an unprecedented figure for a modern poet, and spoke to his popularity with readers. Today, however, he is perhaps most well known as a children's writer, having authored such classics as The Midnight Folk (1927) and The Box of Delights (1935). This folded sheet of vellum contains a poem written by Masefield in honour of King George V's 70th birthday. The poem rejoices at the end of the First World War, and voices hopes for a peaceful future. The poem was written out in calligraphy by Helen Reid Cross in black ink with red capitals and gold verse openings.
Provenance
Presented to King George V by John Masefield on the occasion of his birthday, June 1935.
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Creator(s)
(calligrapher)Acquirer(s)
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Measurements
30.4 x 17.5 x 0.3 cm (book measurement (conservation))
32.5 x 1.5 cm (book in box)