Record Number: 10192

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

Letter 271 4 July 1940 'Please forgive me not having written eight and a half days ago or more to thank you for your lovely birthday present. The thin mints went of course in twenty four hours, and I curled up on a sofa with Somerset Maugham until I had finished him. It was a new one to me and marvellously disagreeable and exciting! So acid it nearly burnt!'

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

Between 22 Jun 1940 and 4 Jul 1940

Country:

United States

Time

n/a

Place:

city: Amityville, New York

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

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Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Peter Pears

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

22 Jun 1910

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

Singer

Religion:

n/a

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

United States

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

Somerset Maughan

Title:

[unknown]

Genre:

Fiction

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

owned

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Source Information:

Record ID:

10192

Source:

Print

Author:

Benjamin Britten et al

Editor:

Donald Mitchell

Title:

Letters from a Life: Selected Letters and Diaries of Benjamin Britten. Volume Two 1939-45

Place of Publication:

London

Date of Publication:

1988

Vol:

2

Page:

826

Additional Comments:

From letter to Beata Mayer written on 4 July 1940. Editors: Donald Mitchell and Philip Reed

Citation:

Benjamin Britten et al, Donald Mitchell (ed.), Letters from a Life: Selected Letters and Diaries of Benjamin Britten. Volume Two 1939-45, (London, 1988), 2, p. 826, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=10192, accessed: 13 February 2025

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Additional Comments:

None