BERNERS, Gerald (1883-1950) - photo 1
BERNERS, Gerald (1883-1950) - photo 2
BERNERS, Gerald (1883-1950) - photo 3

BERNERS, Gerald (1883-1950)

Lot 86
13.02.2025 00:00UTC +00:00
Classic
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CHRISTIE'S
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
ID 1362909
Lot 86 | BERNERS, Gerald (1883-1950)
Estimate value
£ 3 000 – 5 000
BERNERS, Gerald (1883-1950)
The Girls of Radcliff Hall, by ‘Adela Quebec’. Printed for the Author for Private Circulation Only, [c.1935].
Presentation copy of a parody of the schoolgirl novel, inscribed by the author to art critic and Bloomsbury Group member Clive Bell. The Girls of Radcliff Hall offers a sharp and playful critique of Radcliffe Hall’s controversial The Well of Loneliness modelled on the ‘shifting attachments and allegiances among the gay set who partied at Farringdon’, including Cecil Beaton, Oliver Messel, and the author himself. Only around 100 copies were printed and most were destroyed by the author’s lover Robert Heber-Percy. Thinly veiled satires of Berners’ social circle, including Cecil Beaton, Oliver Messel, and Peter Watson, populate this witty Roman à clef, capturing the dynamics of the eccentric protagonists. Published under the pseudonym Adela Quebec, the work remains a fascinating testament to Berners’ satirical brilliance. LibraryHub locates just four copies in institutions: The British Library, Oxford (two copies), Eton College and The National Trust (Sissinghurst). Nick Salvato, Uncloseting Drama: American Modernism and Queer Performance, 2010.

Octavo (181 x 122mm). Half-title (a few leaves faintly stained). Original printed card wrappers (lightly creased and stained). Provenance: Clive Bell (1881-1964; authorial presentation inscription on first blank: ‘Clive Bell, with due esteem from the author’) – John Byrne (bookseller; letter loosely inserted to:) – Barry Humphries (bookplate).
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
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13.02.2025 – 13.02.2025
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