ROBERT ROSS AT THE BODLEIAN LIBRARY OXFORD

Author(s): Andrew Mc Donnell

Source: The Wildean, No. 3 (July 1993)
Published by: Oscar Wilde Society
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/45269140
Accessed: 08-09-2023 13:48 +00:00

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 ROBERT ROSS AT THE BODLEIAN LIBRARY. OXFORD.

Robert Ross is alive and well and hidden in the depths of the
Bodleian Library, Oxford.

After being asked to do an article on Wilde and Whistler for 'The

Whistler' , the in house magazine of the Chelsea Arts Club, I paid
my first visit to the Bodleian. It is disgraceful, I know, to think
that I have lived in Oxford all these years and have never taken
out a reader's ticket. However nothing daunted, I went and swore
in front of an official that I would not 'Kindle flames in the
reading rooms, or cause any interference or damage to be done to
any books,' an important prerequisite to receiving my passport to
any manuscript I wished to peruse.

Little did I know that my search would unearth the huge amount of
ephemera which Ross left to University College, and which is on
permanent loan to the Bodleian. Every book was a First Edition and
had the insignia 'The Robert Ross Memorial Collection' . There are
over five hundred books and related articles. I picked about ten,
including 'Wilde v Whistler, Being An Acrimonious Correspondence On
Art Between Oscar Wilde And James A McNeill Whistler' , and also
' The Gentle Art Of Making Enemies ' .

But once I started looking through the catalogues, and realised

there was much more, I requested other Wildean information. Soon
I was immersed in some extraordinary literature, much of it with

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Christopher Millard's or Ross's notes. I read Lady Wilde's
scrapbook, (odd remarks in the margins!) and then quickly on to
'The Oscar Wilde Calendar' . I could not believe what was in front
of me. All this information on Wilde, carefully and faithfully
saved by Ross; bought at various auctions or given by friends of
Wilde after he died.

You are only allowed to use pencil to make notes - ink would ruin
the old manuscripts . I looked out of the windows on to the Quad of
The Old (Bodleian) Library and wondered how many times Oscar must
have sat here to work. Duke Humphrey's Library is beautiful, and
there I was reading 'Ravenna' which won Wilde the Newdigate Prize,
carefully pasted into a proud mother's scrapbook of her son's life.
Sunlight streamed through stained glass windows and the room was
full of figures from the past.

Newspapers don't really change much. The headlines might have come
from today's tabloids. They put the emotional parts in bold type
so you would get "I ask you again, Mr . Wilde, IS THIS LETTER IN
TOUR HAND" set in large type with dramatic spacing š

Since it takes about two or three hours for a book to be brought up

to you, it is not surprising that, in one day, I did not see all of
the items I wished, so I decided to return to the library a week or
so later.

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In the meantime I had phoned Bindon (Russell) to ask about Robbie
Ross, only to find our conversation turning to Joy Melville and her
work on Lady Wilde. Bindon suggested I tell Joy about supposed
"Speranza" scrapbook which I had found in Ross Collection. Phoned
Joy and arranged to meet her outside Blackwell 's in Broad Street.
Had offered to be her (academic) sponsor! Foolish librarians had
accepted me as a bona fide person of intellect! ! ! Previous to this
had gone to order book for Joy so as to save time when she arrived
- books taking up to three hours to 'come up' for readers, only to
find Mervin Holland (gentle correction here..."! think you mean
Merlin." "Ah yes that's it. . .Mr Merlin Holland.") had already got
to some of the Ross collection first. Phoned Merlin that evening
and agreed we should all meet next day in meeting room 132 where
the manuscripts would be brought .

Ended up in readers room 132 of New Bodleian with Merlin already

deep in bibliographical duties. Ross books flew from one to
another as we (unofficially) swapped manuscripts and I read with
ever deepening interest - far away from the real reason for being
there as to study Wilde v Whistler - of Christopher Millard, Robert
Ross, Walter Ledger and others who constituted what appeared to be
not only the first Oscar Wilde 'Club' but also the first people
seriously to collect, collate and sell Wilde's works, and who,
while correcting a great many of the then apparent mistakes in
pirated and , supposedly, authorised editions, did not flinch from
making a bob or two from our Oscar. Robbie Ross taking over the
responsiblity for Wilde's Estate must have had little idea of the
job and/or people he would have to deal with in fulfilling his
promise at Wilde's deathbed. Can only think in all innocence and

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with good faith directed towards the Hollands that the above crew
were doing their best to right the wrongs; put Oscar's name back
where it belonged; raise money to clear the debts which he left
behind and for which Vyvyan would have (eventually) undoubtedly
been liable, but it did seem with one eye on the 'open market' .
There certainly seems to have been a great deal of selling going on
in the first three decades of this century.
Query: Why did they let it all go out of this country?
Answer: I don't really know. Money?
So much was bought up by Americans or eventually ended up in
libraries there.

Should we have a retrospective at The British Museum or the V&A?

Do you think people would lend their originals? What a marvellous
idea for the year 2000.

In the meantime I shall pursue the Ross Collection and keep an eye
out for further interesting items. I have to say that I am sure
Oscar could only have been proud and vastly amused to see three of
us - including his grandson - working studiously over the great
puzzle we all endeavour to unravel.

Andrew Me Donnei 1

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