Antiquarian Auctions

Auction #114 begins on 11 Apr 2024

Sandra CARLYLE, ( Mrs. Harrison FORMAN), Harrison FORMAN (PHOTOGRAPHER)

[UNPUBLISHED TYPESCRIPT] Brenda Lu, The Story of a Much Loved Baby

[SINO-JAPANESE WAR]

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Sandra CARLYLE, ( Mrs. Harrison FORMAN), Harrison FORMAN (PHOTOGRAPHER) Brenda Lu, The Story of a Much Loved Baby.
Travels of the FORMAN family in CALIFORNIA, CHINA etc... with numerous manuscript editing by Harrison FORMAN
(Sandra CARLYLE 1907-1996, Harrison FORMAN 1904-1978)
Brenda Lu, (Brenda Lu Forman was born onAugust 1, 1936)
THE STORY OF A MUCH LOVED BABY, an unpublished typescript, although the EGMONT PRESS announced its availability in their 1938 brochure, 189 pages typed on onion skin paper, on recto only, a travel diary in the form of letters to Brenda-Lu (Doodie-bug) the daughter of Sandra (Mummy) and Harrison FORMAN (Popsy) before her birth in 1936 when Harrison was hired as a consultant for Frank CAPRA for the movie LOST HORIZON. The writer describes the scenes as she was present during the shooting, at the insistence of Harrison who asked her to be at his side.
Sandra Carlyle describes her travels in the USA, starting in California in 1936, describing her life with Harrison and their activities in twenty-seven chapters:
My Rebirth, California Interlude, The Monkey Cage, The Perpetual Itinerants, See America First, Pocahontas Enroute, Pike's Peak Regardless, Homeward Bound, Let's Go To China, The Famous Crossroad, Yokohama Bound, Nipponese_Kaleidoscope, Japanese Fragments, Nara,China Greeting, Housekeeping China Fashion, Alone We Two,Hung jao Garden, Shanghai Merry - Go - Round, Life Without Popsy, Maps Of Asia, The Return for Another Leave-taking, War,Bloody Saturday, Exodus,Chaos, Again United.
The work opens a window on an expatriate American woman in a place of conflict giving us a first hand account of the harshness of war. The author also transcribes verbatim letters sent by Harrison while traveling to the various battlefields, this is important as some of these letters may not exists anymore except in this format. There are holographic corrections and editing throughout the typescript, the ones in all caps by Sandra Carlyle and the later by Harrison FORMAN.
During the late thirties Forman covered the Sino-Japanese conflict as a cameraman for the "March of Time" newsreel service and also reported for the New York Times on Japanese forces across Asia. Forman became best known during this time for his coverage of the Sino-Japanese conflict, the Chinese government under Chiang Kai Shek, the Japanese bombardment of Shanghai in 1937. The Battle of Shanghai was the first major battle in the Second-Sino Japanese War (1937-1945), which took place between August and November of 1937. It is known as the bloodiest battle of the war.
Why this work was not published is a mystery to us, as it seems that the author secured a deal with EGMONT PRESS, and that a flier announcing its printing exists. A flyer advertising 1938 releases by the publisher is included in this archive, and the original mock-up or dummy of the cover, front and spine layout, together with a rendering of the title page and other pages were commissioned. They are also included in this archive. In the flyer, the publisher gives us a glimpse of the contents “Because of her father's unpredictable activities, Brenda Lu and her mother managed in a few months to see most of the world and under the most difficult of circumstances. When a tiny child is hurried off from New York to California, Hawaii, Japan, China, the Philippines and way stations, through floods, famine, war and pestilence and not only comes out alive but thrives on it, she has a story worth telling. The narrative of Brenda Lu reveals certain strange facts behind the headlines — facts which tell what happens to women and children when they have to fend for themselves in a dizzy world. The travels and experiences of Brenda Lu and her parents are not recommended as an American way of life - except vicariously."
Besides the small photograph of Brenda Lu with Sandra and Harrison pasted on the title page, a set of larger contemporary photographs bearing the copyright stamp of Harrison Forman is also included in this archives, one in front of a mirror reflecting Forman, eye on the camera viewer, snapping a shot of his wife and child.
  • Sold By: And Books Too
  • Contact Person: Denis Gouey
  • Country: United States
  • Email: [email protected]
  • Telephone: 8605425813
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  • Trade Associations: None


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