[EXTRACT]
The Auction
The battle for Dickens's Final Work
Some years later I heard that Charles Dickens had written a short Life of Our Lord for his children when they were quite young, and that the manuscript was in possession of his son, Sir Henry Fielding Dickens, K.C.
…
He said the book was not to be published – at any rate not in his lifetime – whatever terms might be offered. In the winter of 1933 he was fatally injured in a street accident near his home in Chelsea. He left the precious manuscript to his family, with permission to publish if they thought best.
…
We were soon in the midst of a whirlwind. Cables poured in; the telephone rang continuously; Nancy Pearn, Michael Joseph and I had hectic interviews; our New York, Paris, Berlin and Milan offices were in a state of violent activity.
…
The family re-gathered the next day, and it was decided that if the Daily Mail would put up £40,000 spot cash for the copyright, the offer could be accepted … The Mail agreed, and within a few hours the contracts were signed and the cheque paid in one lump sum. As the text made only 14,000 words, the price worked out at nearly £3 a word, the highest I have ever known.
….
Lady Dickens told me that for a long time, until the MS. was sent for safekeeping to Coutts's Bank, she slept with it under her pillow every night. It was written entirely in Dickens's own hand.
Extract from Contacts p100
[EXTRACT]
A Hole In One
Why Ford Madox Ford Gave up Golf
We had for a few years as a haphazard week-end resort one of a line of coastguard cottages along the front at Littlestone-on-Sea. … Ford Madox Hueffer appeared there, and took us to his Pent House on the Highlands above Hythe, with a view to renting it to us, as it had been vacant since Joseph Conrad had left it.
…
On the way, Hueffer (now Ford Madox Ford) told us why he had given up playing golf on the lovely wind-swept course at Littlestone, or anywhere else.
"You know what that third hole is like," he said. "You tee up on a lovely plateau, drive across a sandy valley and over a distant sand-hill that looks like a mountain. Some distance beyond that is the green. Most people drive into the bunker on the hither side of the sand-hill, but a good player such as I was would carry the ridge and find the green below. I recently did so, but my ball was lost. After a prolonged search for it by all concerned, I was on the point of giving it up when I happened to look in the hole, and there it was.
"I said to myself: When one can play as well as that, golf ceases to be a sport and becomes a mere matter of mechanics. With play of such excellence and accuracy one might as well pick up the ball and walk over to the hole and drop it in.
"I felt that golf had no further charm for me, and I have now abandoned it for other pursuits."
Extract from Contacts p 10
[EXTRACT]
Pure Fluke
The deal that started Curtis Brown
It was a stray chance that led into a new corridor of publishing.
Pearl Theresa Craigie, who wrote novels and plays under the name of "John Oliver Hobbes," was of American origin, and had a name to conjure with in America when I arrived in London, as correspondent of the old New York Press. I went to her father's house in Lancaster Gate to get a page interview with her about her work and her plans and her methods.
(…)
The very next day I happened to see the editor of the Pall Mall Magazine. He said: "You get around among the authors. Do, for Heaven's sake, let me know of a smart society serial. I'm in desperate need of just the right kind, and cannot find it."
"What about John Oliver Hobbes?"
"The very thing. You don't mean to say she has something in hand?"
"You shall have most of it in twenty-four hours."
"Did you come down from Heaven?" he asked.
"Only from Lancaster Gate."
"It's maybe the same," he said.
Next morning, the MS. "The Vineyard" was delivered to him, and in forty-eight hours it was accepted at a price that "John Oliver Hobbes" could scarcely believe at first. She thought I was a "medicine-man," as the American Indians used to call wonder-workers. And she told her friends about it.
It was a pure fluke, of course.
Extract from Contacts by Albert Curtis Brown, published by Cassell, 1935.
[EXTRACT]
The Mouse and His Mates
How Theodore Roosevelt Helped The Wind in the Willows
He [Kenneth Grahame] had prepared for publication a book based on stories he had written primarily for his only child, Alistair, then a little boy of infinite beauty, grace and charm, known to all of us as "Mouse." After many experiments with less happy titles – "Mr. Mole and His Mates" was one of them – he had decided to call it "The Wind in The Willows." I read it excitedly. It was lovely. I tried it with magazine editors all over England and America. They thought it too fantastic and wouldn't have it. Then it went to Charles Scribner, father of the present Charles. He said it wouldn't go; but just then he got a letter from Theodore Roosevelt, who was very fond of Kenneth Grahame, and had read the MS., saying that he heard the book had been submitted, and that it was such a beautiful thing that Scribner must publish it. Charles Scribner sent for the typescript again, and took it – and has been selling steadily year by year ever since.
In England I took it to Algernon Methuen, not then Sir Algernon, and laboured with him long and hard, and triumphantly. He didn't believe in the book enough to pay a guaranteed advance on it; but on the other hand, he agreed to excellent rising royalties, just in case the book should fulfil my dreams. And to this day, a third of a century later, that book is a big asset to the house of Methuen.
The Wind in the Willows was published in 1908; we still represent the estates of Kenneth Grahame and E.H. Shepherd, who did the classic illustrations for the 1930 edition. Extract from Contacts p59
[EXTRACT]
A Fortunate Accident
Winston Churchill and the Genesis of The World Crisis
Extract from Contacts p 38
Once, at the War Office, we were discussing what afterwards became his brilliant series of volumes, "The World Crisis", and cash considerations were being seriously examined, for times were hard just then. Edward Marsh, always the Churchill secretary when conditions permitted, knocked at the door at the far end of the long room, and then came in without waiting for an answer. He had a slip of brown paper in his hand, and made his excuses for intruding, but said it was important. The War Secretary read it, jumped up and paced rapidly up and down the length of the room; then came back and dropped into his chair, gazing abstractedly into space.
"No bad news, I hope?"
"No – no. Or yes, I suppose it was."
And then we went on with the conference.
On emerging into Whitehall, the newsboys were calling out something about "Winston Churchill", and I hurriedly bought a paper, to read that a somewhat distant relative had been killed in a railway accident, and was understood to have left his considerable estates to the Secretary of State for War.
[EXTRACT]
Journey's End
RC Sherriff and a historical success
The story of R C Sherriff's play, Journey's End, was one of the most thrilling romances of our play-department.
When the author brought it in, he was fully aware of the prejudice that prevailed in 1928 against war-plays. It was discussed with Horace Watson of the Haymarket, who agreed that it was an unusually fine play, but thought its grim tragedy would be too much for the feelings of the audiences; and, besides, there were no women in it. Others felt the same way about it, and Sherriff coincided with the view that the best chance for it would be with the Stage Society, for a try-out.
It was sent to Leslie Banks, and after long hesitation the Stage Society undertook to put it on. Their production of it made history – and made R C Sherriff too. It became apparent on the first night that here was a great play, and one that had commercial possibilities, too. There were applications for the rights from various West End managers. The first one to get the offer of it turned it down. He shall remain anonymous. Finally, it went to Maurice Browne, who was just venturing into management. It made a fortune for him.
…
Throughout this sudden tide of success, the modest, retiring author kept his head, and kept his money. The only change he permitted himself was to give up his job in Insurance and go to Oxford, at the age of thirty-two, to take a special course in history.
Extract from Contacts p132
[EXTRACT]
The 10% Rule
Mrs Humphrey Ward and law of commission
Some time later we had and enquiry for the film rights of one of Mrs. Humphry Ward's earlier and most successful novels … I told Mrs Ward I thought we could get £4,000 for the rights, judging by the other deals recently made. "A sale at that price would mean," she reflected sadly, "that you would get £400 commission?"
"Yes," I said firmly, "it would."
As is the way of most film transactions, the actress who thought she saw a part for herself in Mrs. Ward's novel changed her mind, and so the film producer no longer wanted it.
…
Then, suddenly, the film star who had originally "seen herself" as the heroine of the novel, then lost sight of herself, began to yearn for the part again … I quoted £6,000, and the offer was instantly accepted. Mrs. Ward was overjoyed and I was the recipient of rare praise. The deal went through quickly, and I sent to Mrs. Ward a cheque for £6,000 less our 10% commission. She acknowledged receipt, and added: "But, my dear Mr. Curtis Brown, you have deducted £600 commission, whereas I understood it was to be £400."
After I had sufficiently calmed down to be coherent, I pointed out to her that she had authorized me to sell at £4,000, and if she preferred, I would still do so, in which case the commission would indeed be £400.
She saw the point, and said: "Oh! Ah! Doubtless it would be preferable to adhere to the current arrangement."
Extract from Contact, page 113
Primary Source
In 1935, Albert Curtis Brown published a book-length series of semi-autobiographical anecdotes ('a wayward book' as he described it) called Contacts. Below, the juicest of the stories.
Pure Fluke
The deal that started Curtis Brown
The Auction
The battle for Dickens's Final Work
A Fortunate Accident
Churchill and The World Crisis
The Mouse & His Mates
Roosevelt and The Wind in the Willows
A Hole In One
Why Ford Madox Ford Gave up Golf
The 10% Rule
Mrs Humphrey Ward and commission
Journey's End
RC Sherriff and a historical success
Curtis Brown was established in London in 1899 and is one of the oldest independent literary agencies in Europe. The founder, Albert Curtis Brown, was an American journalist and correspondent for the New York Press who started the agency almost by chance (read more: "Pure Fluke").
The Early Days
The first office was at Henrietta Street in Covent Garden, initially at number 5 and moving to number 6 in 1913, where it stayed for over 35 years. In these early years, Albert Curtis Brown was a powerful figure, moving between the worlds of politics (read more: "A Fortunate Accident"), journalism and publishing, as comfortable with politicians as he was with authors (read more: "A Hole in One").
But it wasn't only about books. From the very start, Curtis Brown handled film and stage rights for many authors, including A A Milne, R C Sherriff (read more: "Journey's End") and one Mrs Humphry Ward, for whom Albert Curtis Brown was more than a match when it came to striking a deal (read more: "The 10% Rule").
In 1927, Albert's son Spencer joined the company to run the play department of what was already a very successful agency; a young David Higham had joined a few years earlier, straight out of the army. At that time, Michael Joseph managed the agency and Nancy Pearn ran the magazine department, selling both continental and transatlantic rights.
In 1935, Michael Joseph left to found his eponymous publishing house, and Spencer Curtis Brown succeeded him as manager. Shortly after, much to the dismay of Spencer, three agents - Nancy Pearn, Lawrence Pollinger and David Higham - left to form their own agency, David Higham Associates.
The Second World War was a difficult period for all agencies. The publishing industry in Europe ground to a halt and the New York branch of Curtis Brown was sold to Alan Collins; there remained a reciprocal business relationship until the late 1960s, when the two offices became wholly independent.
The Post-Albert Years
In 1945, Albert Curtis Brown died, and Spencer became Chairman of the agency. He devoted a lot of time to the re-organisation of the book trade in the newly liberated Europe. In this post-war period, the agency was instrumental in establishing the reputations of several British and American writers, including John Steinbeck, William Faulkner, Norman Mailer, C P Snow, Angus Wilson, Lawrence Durrell, Gerard Durrell, Kingsley Amis and Isaiah Berlin. We still represent many of their estates today.
The theatre department thrived under the auspices of the legendary Kitty Black, who joined in 1953. She was involved with the first English production of Beckett's Waiting for Godot in 1956, and was instrumental in the career of Beverly Cross, one of whose plays is based on an idea from Kitty.
Spencer Curtis Brown retired in 1968, and the agency was sold to the unlikely sounding Industrial Finance Investments Ltd. Throughout his retirement, Spencer maintained close links with many of his authors, and was literary executor for several including A A Milne, W Somerset Maugham and Elizabeth Bowen. He died peacefully in 1980.
There were a number of changes of ownership during the 1970s, culminating in a management buy-out by senior employees in 1982. In 1983, the agency acquired the John Farquharson Agency.
Today
In 1995, Jonathan Lloyd became managing director, succeeding Dan Edelman. Nick Marston joined from A P Watt two years later to create the current Theatre, Film and Television department.
In 2001, and internal transfer of ownership created the current Group Board, including Jonathan Lloyd as Group Managing Director; Jonny Geller (Managing Director, Books), Nick Marston (Managing Director, Film and TV) and Ben Hall.
In 2002, Curtis Brown was significantly expanded when Jacquie Drewe, Sarah Spear, Maxine Hoffman and Sarah MacCormick joined to represent Presenters and Actors. Recently we have created a new department to represent our clients for Personal Appearances.
In April 2008, ICM Books in London joined our Book department, and we welcomed Karolina Sutton, Elizabeth Iveson and Daisy Meyrick to our team.