| Description | Personal papers:
Manuscripts and typescripts of poetry and prose written by Eunice Frost, 1930s.
Biographical notes made by Eunice Frost, n.d. [1930s/1940s?].
Eunice Frost's address book. The notebook was formerly used by Margaret Frost and also contains information about Departments of State.
Eunice Frost's season ticket for The Leicester Galleries, London, 1947-1948.
Eunice Frost's membership card for The Pheasantry Club, London, 1947-1948.
Complimentary ticket for the Paul Nash exhibition and concert at the Tate Gallery on 15 March [1948].
Book plate signed by Enid Blyton.
Photographs:
Portrait photograph of Eunice Frost, n.d. [c.1935?]. Photographer: unknown. (1 x black and white photograph).
Photograph of Eunice Frost [with her father?], n.d. [c.1940?]. Photographer: unknown. (1 x black and white photograph).
Passport-style photograph of Eunice Frost, certified and signed on the back by H.F. Rubinstein, 12 March 1945. Photographer: unknown. (1 x black and white photograph).
Portrait photograph of Eunice Frost, n.d. [c.1960s?]. Photographer: Lotte Meitner-Graf. (1 x black and white photograph).
Portrait photograph of Allen Lane, 27 July 1961. Signed 'To Frostie from Allen with love. 23rd April 1969'. Photographer: Rex Coleman, Baron Studios. (1 x black and white photograph).
Articles and newspaper cuttings:
'A concentrated potted Penguin history in 700 words': article to mark Penguin's 15th anniversary, 1950. Annotated typescript.
'Why a Penguin Book exhibition?': article to mark Penguin's 15th anniversary, 1950. Annotated typescript.
Oliver Moore, 'Man of the Month: Sir Allen Lane', Scope Magazine for Industry, August 1954.
Sebastian Haffner, 'Profile: King Penguin, Sir Allen Lane', The Observer, 1 August 1954.
Bruce Bain, 'Watch out, Penguins!', Tribune, 8 July 1955. With typescript copy.
Obituary for Oliver Simon, O.B.E., chairman of the Curwen Press, The Times, n.d. [1955].
Penguin Books Ltd.:
Letter from Margaret Stanley-Wrench, Somerville College, Oxford, to Eunice Frost, 15 May 1938. Stanley-Wrench advises Frost on how to find papers taking verse, with particular reference to those that like 'modern stuff'. She hopes the Penguin Party goes well and says they enjoyed Allen Lane's visit to Oxford and that 'people keep talking about it, and I expect they will all buy Penguin Classics, I've been talking about them, and lots of my friends will'. She thanks Frost for offering to send her copies of Penguin books and asks for a copy of the modern anthology when it comes out and says that she has been asked to supply more poems to Penguin Parade. Snakehips Johnson and his West Indians will be performing at the Commemoration Ball at Balliol.
Copy letter from Eunice Frost, Penguin Books Ltd., to Stefan Lorant, Picture Post, 4 April 1939. Frost suggests that the Picture Post might like to run articles on beer and the improvement and cheap facilities for leisure and education.
Copy letter from Eunice Frost, Penguin Books Ltd., to Mary Adams, Director of Television, Alexandria Palace [BBC], 4 April 1939. Frost suggests a range of ideas for programmes about Penguin books.
Letter from Barnett Freedman to Eunice Frost, 22 November 1952. Freedman regrets that he does not see more of Frost because she is so busy at work. Claudia [Freedman] was pleased Frost liked her drawings and enjoyed the commission. Freedman is now recovering from his illness and invites Frost to lunch - 'you as you & not as part of Penguin Books who now never invite me to any sort of party - altho' I know that plenty of other bad artists are asked!'
Letter from Allen Lane, Penguin Books Ltd., to Eunice Frost, 24 November 1952. Lane is extremely worried about Frost's state of health and for this reason he suggested she took some time away from the office to visit the USA and also went into hospital 'for an overhaul'. He proposes that as from the New Year she should be relieved of the strain of working a full day at the office and instead organizes her work so that she can work from home. Lane adds 'Your two greatest assets to my mind are your editorial judgement and your ability as a co-ordinator with such editors as Eleanor Graham, Carrington, Pevsner, Ayer, Lehmann, Hayward, etc, and I think that it would make sense for you to concentrate on these functions.'
Letter from Allen Lane, aboard the S.S.Strathnaver, 7 January 1953. Lane reports that 'their show' in Ceylon was a great success and the sales mostly of Pelicans, Classics, Scores and some Puffins were in the 3000 mark. Does not think much of Stevens as an agent who Lane suggests should be ignoring the European population and concentrating on the Ceylonese. Most of the reports in the Ceylon press were pure invention and wonders whether the Australian press will behave in the same way.
Letter from Allen Lane, Avalon, New South Wales, to Eunice Frost, 17 February 1953. Lane is in Australia on business, but is spending a few days with Nora. Is disappointed by Maynard's lack of salesmanship and that he is not doing enough to meet the academics and the Educational authorities. Lane suggests adding some Australian titles to the list, such as Professor Kathleen Fitzpatrick's A History of Australia, An Anthology of Australian Verse edited by Alex King or Professor Hope, and An Australian Eleven. Mentions the Percival Marshall and the Boy Scout schemes. Tells Frost that Puffin Picture Books and Puffin Story Books are better displayed in Australia than in the UK. Likes Frost's proposals for new Pelicans on Indian Art, The Spaniards, The Dictionary of Art, Musical Instruments, A History of Music and Flower Decoration, adding that they will 'help to allay my ever present fears that we will run out of books to publish.' Lane has met O'Sullivan, the Minister for Customs, and they both agreed that Woman of Rome should not have been banned and that the only result of this will be 'vastly inflated sales when the ban was lifted'.
Letter from Canon C.B. Mortlock to Eunice Frost, 6 July 1953. Mentions the play at the New Lindsey Theatre and expects that the editor of the Church Times will send a reporter.
Letter from [Olga?] to Eunice Frost, 10 July 1953. Was disappointed by the play at the New Lindsey Theatre.
Letter from [C?], Hill House, Hampton Lucy, Warwick, to Eunice Frost, 18 September 1953. Is trying to find a job in publishing and wonders whether Frost knows of any positions.
Penguin memorandum from M.S.C., B.S., J.P., E.A.K., A.E.L., P.M.W. to Eunice Frost, 27 November 1953. Concerning the 'shameful state' of the ladies' cloakroom. Signed by the female employees at Penguin Books.
Letter from 'The Firkies' to Eunice Frost, Christmas 1953. Sending Christmas greetings.
Invitation from John Lehmann to Eunice Frost to celebrate the birth of The London Magazine on 13 January 1954 at 31 Egerton Crescent.
Letter from Ralph Tubbs to Eunice Frost, 20 July [1954]. Tubbs thanks Frost for her kind words.
Invitation from Sir Allen and Lady Lane to Eunice Frost to celebrate the publication of the 1000th Penguin at a party at Silverbeck on 30 July 1954.
Letter from Eleanor Graham to Eunice Frost, 20 October 1954. Graham is sorry to hear that Frost is unwell. Graham mentions having given a talk on children's literature at a meeting of the representative bodies of newsagents, librarians, and parent-teacher organizations. Does not think Haggard is a suitable author for Puffins, mentions the illustrations for Children in Barn, likes the artwork of W. Randell, Mrs Colville does not want 'PHRA' to be published by Puffin.
Memorandum by Allen Lane and Harry Paroissien on their return from their trip across Canada and the United States, 29 October 1954.
Reply to memorandum of Allen Lane and Harry Paroissien of 29 October 1954, 5 November 1954.
Copy letter from Hans Schmoller to Allen Lane, Jamaica, 8 November 1954. Schmoller sends the cover designs which E. Fabian has prepared.
Notes on staff arrangments, 30 November 1954 and 5 December 1954. Concerning attempt to replace Miss Swann and the need to make improvements to the working conditions and pay of the editorial and secretarial staff. With a comparison chart showing the hours and holidays of staff working for O.U.P, Routledge, Faber and Faber, Collins, Chatto, Hart-Davies, and Cassell.
Letter from David Hughes, The London Magazine, to Eunice Frost, 4 February 1955. Hughes conveys John Lehmann's thanks for Frost's notes and says he is convalescing from an operation. He will bear Miss Quiglys' book in mind.
Penguin memorandum from Allen Lane to Eunice Frost, 22 February 1955. Lane hopes Frost will attend the cocktail party at the Leicester Galleries on 10 March 'so that we can see what the Editorial Committee in real life looks against itself in oils' [referring to Rodrigo Moynihan's painting 'After the Conference'].
Letter from Bob [Maynard], Penguin Books Pty. Ltd., Australia, to Eunice Frost, 28 February 1955. Maynard asks to meet Frost away from the office, adding 'I am tired of being kicked around and I am coming home for a showdown'.
Copy letter form Robert Weaver, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, to the Manager, Penguin Books Ltd., Quebec, 26 May 1955. Weaver sends copies of an article about pocket books [missing].
Notes made by Eunice Frost of changes needed to the editorial board at Penguin Books. Frost no longer feels she has a role on the Pelican editorial board because, since her return from America, Glover, Messer and Morpurgo have taken over all her duties. Frost would also like recognition for her role as proof-reader and initiator of many books in the Pelican (mentions Meaning of Art, Landscape into Art, Herbert Read's Modern Art, Quennell's Everyday Things in England, Silver, Porcelain, English Furniture Style), Puffin and Handbooks series (mentions Elizabeth David's Mediterranean Food, Chess, Flower Decoration).
Letter from Oliver [Simon?] to Eunice Frost, 20 July 1955. Thanks Frost for the evening at the opera.
Invoice from Curry & Paxton Ltd., dispensing opticians, to Eunice Frost, for honey brown pastella spectacle frames, 21 September 1955.
Letter from Douglas Grant to Eunice Frost, 23 March 1956. Thanks Frost for telling him about Oliver Simon [died 1955] and Dennis Brass. He adds that Northrop Frye has written one of the best books on Blake. He will be in London in May/June to correct the proofs of a biography of Hart-Davis he is bringing out. Penguin books are selling well in Canada.
Letter from W.B. Stevenson, Borough Librarian, Hornsey Public Libraries, to Eunice Frost, 11 April 1956. Stevenson encloses the copy of D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover that Frost requested.
Letter from Allen Lane, Penguin Books Ltd., to Eunice Frost, 3 July 1956. Lane thinks the fiction list for 1957 is a strong one, but wants to keep down the slower selling titles to the minimum. Lists 'doubtful starters' in the 1957 list (Alfred Duggan's Knight with Armour, Peter Mayne's Alleys of Marakesh, J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, and Randall Jarrell's Pictures from an Institution.
Letter from Ivon Hitchens to Eunice Frost, 16 July 1956. Arranging to meet.
Letter from Nikolaus Pevsner, Penguin Books Ltd., to Eunice Frost, 8 August 1956. Pevsner thanks Frost for John Walker's letter. He has already received some letters from America.
Letter from W.E. Williams, Paris, to Eunice Frost, n.d. Williams sends supplementary reflections to his cable. Williams states that '(1) if we allow the focus of Penguins to be shifted to American needs or fashions, we shall court, invite & meet - disaster. The American operation was never intended to be more than an auxiliary of the British [brain-ware?]; if it becomes a determinant of our policy we shall be on the slippery slope down which the Gadarene swine slid to their doom. Our existing product is right (& how right!) for Britain; it is building up support year by year; & we would be fools to tinker with the confidence we have won. (2) I can see, of course, that American values may be different. I am all in favour of any discount concessions which the traffic will bear; but I find it hard to believe that we can give such concessions and - at the same time- provide different covers, or jackets, for the Americans & Canadians. Whether it can be done is a matter for Dickson & Co., but I would have thought it was impossible. (3) All HFP's reports, so far, had led me to believe that altho' we cannot compete with the vulgar sort of paper-back, 7 altho' we are not acceptable to the drug-store outlets, yet nevertheless, we were catching on at the campus bookshop & such like places. We were, I was given to understand, a prestige-job - & I have had that view from many other sources. Why should we panic in face of a competition we never intended to appease or imitate? (4) Allen's sending for an immediate reply need not be taken too seriously. The thing to do is to refuse to be stampeded, & to discuss the whole thing when he gets back. Let him see, meanwhile, that we don't want Penguins to be colonized by America.'
Letter from Naomi [Lewis] to Eunice Frost, n.d. Lewis apologises for her father having repaired the broken spout and handle of Frost's [teapot?] without asking her permission.
Letter from Richard and Marjorie, 81 Foyle Road, Blackheath, London, to Eunice Frost, n.d. Sending Christmas greetings.
Draft notes of net profits before and after taxation 1940-1950.
Draft notes of the monthly salaries paid to Professor Pevsner's research staff (Dr G. Boudi, Mrs Michaelson, Miss Littlemore, Michael Butler, Rosa Schafive).
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