Michael Toseland

Dear Rosamond Michael Toseland

James Kenneth Stephen (1859-1892), cousin to Virginia Wolf and Vanessa Bell was educated at Eton and King's College Cambridge. He tutored the future King Edward Vll's son Eddy and after a short career as the bar became a full time writer. He published volumes of poetry, mainly of a satirical and humorous nature that have seldom been out of print. JKS developed signs of mental illness and died at Northampton shortly before his 33rd birthday. The present volume consists of previously unpublished poems, mostly written to his younger sister Rosamond who deposited them in King's Library shortly before her death in 1951. They are generally more gentle in their humour and show an affectionate nature not generally associated with JKS. The Stephen family spent most of their annual holidays at Anaverna, a house situated in Co. Louth, Ireland and it was here many of the verses were written for Rosamond on her birthday, September 27th. Notes are included to help explain references in the poems.