Manuscripts

Christopher Isherwood letters to Paul Taylor

Description: This collection contains five letters written by Christopher Isherwood to his friend and fan Paul Taylor. Isherwood writes about his work, travel, and observations of daily life as well as offering brief insights into the early years of his relationship with Don Bachardy. The letters were sent from different addresses in Santa Monica, California before Isherwood and Bachardy settled into their home. There are also two photographs of Paul Taylor.
Type: Manuscripts(Opens in new tab)
Date: 1955-1962
Call number: mssCIPT
Creator: Isherwood, Christopher, 1904-1986(Opens in new tab)
Provenance: Purchased from Julian Machin, December 2025.
Restrictions: Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.
Rights: The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Find out more: View in the Library catalog(Opens in new tab)

Christopher Isherwood letters to Paul Taylor

Manuscripts

This collection contains five letters written by Christopher Isherwood to his friend and fan Paul Taylor. Isherwood writes about his work, travel, and observations of daily life as well as offering brief insights into the early years of his relationship with Don Bachardy. He mentions friends and celebrities that he has seen including Julie Harris, Siobh√°n McKenna, and Gladys Cooper as well as various plays and movies he has recently seen. The letters were sent from different addresses in Santa Monica, California before Isherwood and Bachardy settled into their home. There are also two photographs of Paul Taylor.

mssCIPT

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Christopher Isherwood letters and postcards to Annie Avis, Emily Machell, Kathleen Bradshaw-Isherwood ; Richard Isherwood diary

Manuscripts

This material includes 7 letters and postcards written by Christopher Isherwood to his nanny, Annie Avis (1911-1933, HM 83257-83261, 83263-83264); 1 letter to his grandmother, Emily Machell-Smith (1921, Dec. 28, HM 83262); 1 postcard to his mother, Kathleen Bradshaw-Isherwood (1937, Mar. 22, HM 83265). Also included is a diary kept by Christopher Isherwood's brother, Richard Isherwood for the year 1956 (HM 83266); there is an inscription from Kathleen Bradshaw-Isherwood and various B&W photographs pasted into the volume, including photographs of Christopher Isherwood and Kathleen Bradshaw-Isherwood.

mssHM 83257-83266

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Christopher Isherwood letters to Jack Rosen

Manuscripts

The collection consists of eight postcards and one note written by Christopher Isherwood to Jack Rosen of Portland, Oregon. The correspondence refers to Isherwood's and Don Bachardy's creative output, and several works including A Meeting By the River, Exhumations, Cabaret, Frankenstein: The True Story, Kathleen and Frank, My Guru and His Disciple, and others; Isherwood also mentions his friends W. H. Auden, Igor Stravinsky, and Vera Stravinsky. The postcards are autograph or typewritten and are all written from Santa Monica, California, the home of Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy. The collection also includes one empty envelope postmarked January 15, 1975.

mssCIJR

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Christopher Isherwood letters to Richard Isherwood

Manuscripts

Three autograph letters from Christopher Isherwood to his younger brother Richard Isherwood; the letters are written from Berlin, Sellin on Insel Rügen, and Mohrin in the early 1930s. HM 83232 describes the taking of the often-reproduced photograph of Isherwood, Stephen Spender and W.H. Auden. Also enclosed are three green cloth cases which originally housed the letters.

mssHM 83231-83233

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Cox, Christopher. 1 letter to Christopher Isherwood, 1904- and Don Bachardy, 1934-

Manuscripts

L.S. (typewritten: 1 p.). Enclosures: photographs of Christopher Isherwood, 1904- and Don Bachardy, 1934-, cataloged separately as CI 3720-3721.

CI 3047.

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Christopher Isherwood July 12 1979 : drawing by Don Bachardy

Manuscripts

A printed paper B&W poster of a Bachardy drawing of Christopher Isherwood, advertising the Christopher Isherwood Foundation.

mssHM 82991

Christopher Isherwood letters to Paul Taylor

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Christopher Isherwood letters to Paul Taylor

Christopher Isherwood letters and postcards to Annie Avis, Emily Machell, Kathleen Bradshaw-Isherwood ; Richard Isherwood diary

Christopher Isherwood letters to Jack Rosen

Christopher Isherwood letters to Richard Isherwood

Cox, Christopher. 1 letter to Christopher Isherwood, 1904- and Don Bachardy, 1934-

Christopher Isherwood July 12 1979 : drawing by Don Bachardy