Dear Richard
It was interesting to see your recent message on the C18 mailing list
about developments on the Web. I still have to cope with quite basic
learning in that area, and even at that it is hard to find the time
for searching. A colleague of mine may soon be in touch with you, as
he mentioned to me the other day his interest in the Lewis Walpole
Library. You have heard of him, I know, as I was waving his recent
book around when I was in Farmington myself: Professor Brian
Maidment. He has done a lot of work on graphic prints, and is
currently extending his studies of Regency prints on social themes.
Brian intends to give a paper at a conference in Yale next September,
and was asking me if it was feasible to go up to Farmington for a
couple of days and look into the resources which the library might
have for his purposes. He doesn't drive (a dedicated cyclist) but his
partner might go with him, and she does. In the longer term, if his
chronological range is not outside the library's holdings, he is
thinking of looking into whether he might be a suitable person to
apply for a fellowship at the Lewis Walpole. He's an excellent
scholar and a *very* nice and only over-modest man. I told him that
it was often possible to rent the apartment next door and to work in
the library conveniently that way. I don't know if changes have been
made since I was there that would affect this. If you could help him
in any way with his enquiries, I would be very grateful, and it would
be a service to someone who is producing valuable work and promoting
the use of print evidence. I don't know if you have any standard
information which you might send out to him, in which case his
address is Department of English, Media and Theatre Studies,
University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 3DH. His
email is [log in to unmask] He will be in touch soon, in any
case, I imagine.
Pat and I were over in Princeton a few weeks ago (of course it seems
longer). My paper, on corruption in the Walpole administration, was
very well received, to my relief and delight. It was the first time
that I have been able to use some of my researches at Yale in a piece
for publication: the first fruits. Apart from my brief excursion
Stateside, it has been just departmental administration and hassle;
long days and an ever-mounting in-tray. Real life, I suppose. In the
spring of 2000 (only just over a year now!) I have a sabbatical
semester in which I hope to make serious progress on my Walpole
biographical study. I am trying to arrange my fugitive research
moments so as to clear the decks of all my prior commitments, so that
from August 1999 onwards I am purely going to concentrate on Walpole.
I can't tell you how I am looking forward to the prospect of research
and writing, away from the constant stream of minute but
time-consuming irritations.
It would be good to hear how you all are, if you have time to keep me
in touch. I hope you are comfortably hunkered down for the winter to
come.
All good wishes
Philip
Dr. Philip Woodfine
Department of History
University of Huddersfield
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