Letters relating to Dixon Scott

This series primarily consists of letters from (Walter) Dixon Scott to ANM, who was his closest friend. Scott, originally from Liverpool, had left an earlier job in a bank to work for a time as a tutor in English at the University of Liverpool, and he also joined the staff of the Liverpool Courier. He subsequently worked as a freelance reviewer and critic, and it is from this period that the letters date. They reveal a close friendship; Scott (referred to as "Dickon") clearly respects and looks up to ANM, who in turn gives him much emotional support. The letters include material relating to the work of both Scott and ANM (Scott often read manuscript and proof copies of ANM's plays and novels, offering his comments on them); they document Scott's experiences in the literary world of the day, as well as the period he spent serving as an officer in the Army, leading up to his journey to the Dardanelles and his death from dysentery on 23 Oct 1915.

Also included are letters from ANM to Scott in Turkey which were returned after Scott's death, and letters from Margaret Scott, Dixon's mother, also written after his death.

Scott did not generally date his letters, and dates have therefore been ascertained from postmarks and notes written by ANM on some of the envelopes. Most of the letters appear to have been roughly arranged into yearly bundles by ANM, and this arrangement has been retained. Each yearly bundle forms an item with each letter being allotted a running number within the bundle.

A number of the letters contain editing marks, suggesting that they were possibly used in compiling an edition of Walter Dixon Scott's letters (see ANM/1/1/57 and ANM/1/5/1). A volume of Scott's letters, edited by Mary McCrossan, was published in 1932, and these letters were presumably included in that book.