Sotheby’s are to auction the library of Frederick B Adams Jr on 7^th November. ‘Fred’ Adams collection is the last great private library of Hardy correspondence, manuscripts and inscribed books and the Society is trying to raise funds for its acquisition.

The quality of materials is so magnificent that the first priority is to seek to acquire the whole library unbroken as a single private treaty purchase before the sale. £25,000 has already been subscribed from the Society’s ‘Dugdale Fund’ and negotiations are advancing with numerous grant aid bodies to contribute matching funds for a major National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) contribution towards purchase at between £750,000 - £1 million.

Private donations are urgently needed to increase the local sum available for grant matching and the NHMF views such donations as an important gauge of local support.

If negotiations to buy the whole collection are unsuccessful, donations would be put towards some of the most important items including autograph manuscripts and groups of lots relating to Hardy’s involvement with actors and with drama productions, the important correspondences with Edmund Gosse and personal letters, presentation copies and scripts relating to his wives and with Florence Henniker.

Please help as generously as you can by sending donations to the address below. If you are a UK tax payer and willing to fill out a ‘gift aid’ form which will increase the value of your donation or would like to see the catalogue and discuss particular lots please contact the Curator, Richard de Peyer on (01305) 262735 or email: richard@dor-mus.demon.co.uk

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I am pleased to enclose a donation of £......................... towards the Frederick B Adams Library Appeal and would/would not like my gift to be used to purchase individual lots if the whole collection cannot be acquired.

Name: ..............................................................................................................................

Address: ..............................................................................................................................

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Signed: ........................................................................... Date: .......................................