Three volumes from the celebrated interwar To-Day and To-Morrow series, each possessing significant association value and forming an unusually coherent provenance group connecting Percy Morton Shand, Jack and Molly Pritchard of Isokon, and the library of Sir Geoffrey and Lady Elspeth Howe. 1. Lycurgus, or The Future of Law
Association & Provenance
Inscribed by the author: "To Morton Shand from E.S.P.H. 29 Oct. 1928"
Condition: Front and back boards clean and unmarked, showing minimal signs of wear, particularly for age. both title bookplates (spine and front board) intact and fairly bright; internally shows minimal toning to pages, copy is bright and sharp, a very clean copy
2. Ethnos, or The Problem of Race
Association & Provenance
Inscribed: "To Molly, from Jack, 1931."
"Jack" is believed to be Jack Pritchard, founder of Isokon and one of the most influential figures in British modernist design.
"Molly" was Pritchard's wife, Rosemary ('Molly') Pritchard.
3. Lysistrata, or Woman's Future and Future Woman
Association & Provenance
inscribed "Molly + Jack Pritchard to first page
The combination brings together:
P. Morton Shand (architectural critic and translator)
Jack and Molly Pritchard (Isokon)
The celebrated To-Day and To-Morrow series
Provenance from the library of Sir Geoffrey and Lady Elspeth Howe
Provenance
These volumes come from the library of Sir Geoffrey Howe (1926-2015), Baron Howe of Aberavon, former Chancellor of the Exchequer and Foreign Secretary, and his wife Lady Elspeth Howe (née Shand, 1932-2022).
Elspeth Howe was the daughter of Philip Morton Shand (1888-1960), the noted architectural critic, translator, wine writer and cultural commentator. Morton Shand occupied a central place within Britain's interwar artistic and intellectual circles and was closely associated with many leading figures of British modernism.
Of particular relevance to this group is Shand's longstanding friendship with Jack Pritchard (1899-1992) and Molly Pritchard (née Rosemary Cooke), the pioneering patrons of modernist architecture and founders of the celebrated Isokon enterprise. Through these personal and professional connections, Shand moved within the same milieu as the architects, writers, designers and intellectuals who helped shape modernist Britain in the 1920s and 1930s.
The present books represent tangible evidence of those relationships:
Lycurgus is inscribed by author E.S.P. Haynes to P. Morton Shand, Elspeth Howe's father.
Ethnos bears the personal inscription "To Molly, from Jack, 1931", identifying a gift from Jack Pritchard to his wife.
Lysistrata carries evidence of ownership by Molly and Jack Pritchard.
The fact that all three volumes ultimately descended through the Howe family library creates an unusually coherent provenance linking the intellectual world of the To-Day and To-Morrow series to Morton Shand, the Isokon circle, and one of Britain's most significant post-war political families.
