The Bedsitting Room.

London: , 1963. Spike has asked me to send you this copy Typescript copy of the play, predating the first edition in book form (M & J Hobbs, 1970), sent to St Trinian's and Molesworth cartoonist Ronald Searle by Spike Milligan, with a typed letter signed from the producer Peter Rawley tipped-in to the front. Rawley's letter to Searle reads: "Spike has asked me to send you this copy of 'The Bed-Sitting Room', and to say that it means nothing without the action, however I do hope you enjoy it and that life in Paris continues to be merry. Kind regards, Yours Sincerely, Peter Rawley." Searle had moved to Paris in 1961; the same year as the release of Invasion Quartet (1961), a British Second World War comedy starring Milligan for which Searle had designed the original film poster. Both Searle and Milligan had fought in the Second World War, and their respective styles were heavily influenced by their experiences: "it is interesting to note how men of Searle's generation - Spike Milligan being another notable example - translated the unimaginable trauma of the war into stuff like St Trinian's or The Goon Show" (Rowson). The Bedsitting Room began as a one-act, satirical, post-apocalyptic play written by Milligan and Antrobus, first produced on 12 February 1962. It was then adapted into a longer play, performed first at the Mermaid Theatre in January 1963 before transferring to the Duke of York's two months later. The play was a critical and commercial hit; "like Samuel Beckett, but with better jokes" (Williams, p. 45), and was the basis for the 1969 film of the same name. Quarto. Original brown wrappers bound with 1 metal paper fastener, front wrapper lettered in black, spine lettered in manuscript "Spike Milligan the Bed Sitting Room", likely Rawley's hand. Spine chipped, a little creasing and few short closed tears to edges of wrappers, else free of marks, title page with one corner creased and a very short closed tear. A very good copy, typescript clean and bright. Martin Rowson, Opinion, The Guardian, 03 Jan 2012, accessible online; Evan Calder Williams, Combined and Uneven Apocalypse, London, Zero Books, 2012, accessible online.