Halcyon Evans collection of books personally dedicated to her mother Pixie O'Harris

MLMSS 10789

fonds

Approximately 1936-1976

9605948

0.30 metres of textual material (2 boxes) - printed

Halcyon Evans, nee Pratt, is the daughter of Bruce Pratt and Pixie O'Harris. Born in 1931, she has 2 sisters, Robyn born 1934, and Megan.
Bruce Pratt was general editor of the second edition of the Australian Encyclopaedia (1958) and editor-in-chief of the third edition (1977). He was also on the editorial advisory board of the fourth edition (1983).
Pixie O'Harris (1903-1991), became known for her drawings for children. She illustrated her own books (over 20), and those of other authors. She also decorated with murals more than 50 children's hospital wards, day nurseries, baby clinics and schools.

Halcyon Evans is the daughter of Australian author Pixie O'Harris and her husband Bruce Pratt. This collection is of 31 books personally dedicated to Pixe O'Harris or annotated by her. "South of the Equator" by Ray Mathew with author's photograph pasted inside and a signed poem by Peter Skrzynecki titled "To Ray Mathew"; "The Feather Serpent" by Roland Robinson, dedicated by the author; "Head-Waters" by Peter Skrzynecki, with 9 signed poems enclosed and a letter from Peter Skrzynecki to Pixie O'Harris; "Me and Nu: Childhood at Coole" by Anne Gregory, dedicated by William de Winton (grandson of Lady Gregory); "The Conquest of Death" by John Murry, with a hand-drawn portrait of Ray Mathew inside front cover and a dedication by Mr Mathew to Pixie; "Caribbean Interlude" by Frank Dalby Davison, dedicated by the author; "The Australian Dream" a poem by Ian Mudie dedicated and with a letter to Pixie enclosed; "Taming the North" by Hudson Fysh; "Rolf's Walkabout" by Carol Serventy and Alwen Harris, dedicated to Pixie (she was Rolf's cousin); "The Garden of Ships" by Douglas Stewart dedicated and with Pixie O'Harris' bookplate; "Ned Kelly" a play by Douglas Stewart, dedicated by the author; "Peer Gynt" by Ibsen, dedicated to Pixie by Ray Mathew; "For Love Alone" by Christina Stead, annotated by Pixie; "Bicycle" by David Malouf dedicated to Pixie; "Under the Wilgas" by Dame Mary Gilmore, annotated and signed by the author, with a biographical sketch written by Pixie enclosed; "Arrow to the Heart" by Albrecht Goes, dedicated to Pixie by Ray Mathew. "Australian Poetry 1955" complied by James McCauley has a photograph tucked inside the cover of the Abbotsleigh All Schools Swimming team 1960 marked "M. Coburn", and two enclosed letters, authorship uncertain; "New Land New Language: An Anthology of Australian Verse compiled by Judith Wright is dedicated to Pixie from "Ray" [Mathew?]; "Colonial Poets : Adam Lindsay Gordon" by Brian Elliot is inscribed by Pixie "For Bruce with thanks and love for a Moree holiday, October 1975"; "Selected Poems" by Geoffrey Lehmann in inscribed to Pixie by the author; "A Puffin Quartet of Poets" is inscribed to Pixie by Geoffrey Lehmann; "Australian Poetry 1958" selected by Vincent Buckley (not inscribed); "Australian Poetry 1958" selected by Nan McDonald is not inscribed, but contains a letter from E. Morton asking Pixie to be a judge of the 1963 Mary Gilmore Award, and a clipping of a review of the book by AD Hope is pasted in the front cover; "Poets of the Month" is dedicated to Pixie by Geoffrey Lehmann; "Lines from the Horizon" is dedicated to Pixie and Bruce by Alex Skovron; "The Younger Australian Poets" is dedicated to Pixie and Bruce by Geoffrey Lehmann; "Selected Poems" by Roland Robinson is dedicated to Pixie by the author; "Songs of a Well Wisher" by Len Green is signed by the author; "The Dreaming Fields" by Dave Kaffey is inscribed to Pixie; "Verse in Australia 1958" inscribed "with Love from Ray 1958"; "The Coast and Other Poems" by Joy Broughton is inscribed to Pixie and Bruce by the author.

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