Dues, grants and contributions are tax-deductible to IIW extent allowed by law. eckcardiaieltgriester dVeugletteroftlie cliclaardilf8ocieWlitc. EDITOR: Linda B. McLatchie, 534 Hudson Road, Sudbury, Mass. 01776 Richard1:11 Society, Inc. is a non-profit educational corporation chartered in 1969 under the membership corporation laws of the State of New York. Volume XI — issue 3 — May/June 1977 on Voyage to 1977 Ricardian Tour to Britain Notice to the Membership The 1977 Ricardian Tour members will start their The Legend of Richard III. A condensation of Caroline journey on August 12. They will participate in an exciting Amelia Halsted's important biography of 1844, Richard itinerary, including special Ricardian sightseeing guided by III as Duke of Gloucester and King of England, with the Major Battcock; annual Memorial Service at Sutton views of other writers and additional commentary, re- Cheney and touring of Bosworth Field; sightseeing in York searched and edited by William H. Snyder, Chairman, r and London; trips to Oxford and Middleham; and much, Richard III Society, Inc. :much more. Tour members will be meeting English Ric- ardians throughout Britain, including a get-together with As he has reported at the last two Annual General Meet- Malcolm and Nita Knapp. The Knapps will be showing ings, Bill Snyder has been preparing a condensation of rtdur members Lincoln Cathedral and will host a luncheon Halsted's two-volume, 1,027 page Richard III, to be at the historic Angel & Royal. entitled The Legend of Richard III. , Tour members will also be delivering needlepoint This condensation, while retaining Halsted's thoughts kneelers to Sutton Cheney Church. The kneelers project is a and words, greatly compresses her work and clarifies her '-special project of the American Branch, and is coordinated Victorian, hard-to-read prose. In addition, as Richard's by Janet Snyder. story develops, Bill has summarized the views of other Our tireless Betty Schloss has made all the arrangements major writers and scholars so that the reader may have, in for this interesting tour. Lillian Barker will act as the one volume, a wider basis for evaluating the life, character, group's recorder and coordinator-historian. We look and times of Richard III. The Legend of Richard III forward to their reports on the trip. should be a useful companion to Halsted's Richard III and Betty Schloss has the following notice: especially valuable to those who do not have a copy of her work. "There may be a place for any last minute members We want the members to be fully and clearly informed from the American Branch who may find time and a way of current plans for funding the publication of The Legend to join the tour to England in August (12th to 27th). The of Richard III, so they may have an opportunity to make Arthur Frommer air advance booking charter flight is their views known. sold out, but TWA has one that at present has space for The Board proposes that the Society sponsor this work $389 per person and there is a possibility of finding ar- as a Richard III Society publication because this action rangements on the tour if I hear as soon as possible. would further our Society's aims. We are a non-profit, There are nearly thirty persons traveling on this year's educational Society with the objectives of: promoting program and it looks like the best response so far. This historical research into the life and times of Richard III; will be our own ten-year celebration of our first tour securing a reassessment of the historical material relating program to England in 1967." to this period and of Richard's role in English history; and circulating all relevant historical information to the Betty Schloss, Mattituck Travel, P.O. Box 1421, Society's members and to educational authorities. Mattituck, N.Y. 11952. Tel. (516) 298-5151. Linda McLatchie is donating her services in undertaking the typesetting of the manuscript. Her work will greatly With a touch of envy, we wish the group a fun-filled and reduce costs. To further keep costs down, the book will be rewarding trip. Bon Voyage! a paperback. While Bill Snyder will retain the copyright, all proceeds will go to the Society, and the only reimburse- Membership list available• ment will be for out-of-pocket expenses. We hope and expect that The Legend of Richard III will be a source of A list of the American Branch membership is available income to the Society. from the Editor. If you would like a copy, please send The Board intends to act prudent6r in this matter by first $3.00 to cover the cost of Xeroxing and postage. ascertaining your response to a Pre-Publication Offer (to be published in a subsequent Register) before going further. Publication will not be undertaken if it seems that costs will unduly deplete the treasury. In this event, any moneys received from members will be promptly refunded. We recognize that immediate sales cannot be expected to Notes of interest repay costs fully. So, Bill and Linda are prepared to ad- Nita Slavin-Knapp's article on medieval cookery was vance sums, if necessary, to be repaid later from sales. delightful. When we had lunch at the Angel & Royal If you have any questions or caveats about the above, several years ago, I remember reading about the medieval please let us know. But we hope that your response to the banquets and certainly envy her the opportunity to attend. forthcoming Pre-Publication Offer will be such as to Ricardians may be interested to follow her suggestions encourage us to move ahead with this project which we and recipes, and the following books may be of interest as believe will further the objectives of the Society and prove well: useful to the membership. To the King's Taste: Richard IF s book of feasts and Elizabeth D. Haynes, William Hogarth, recipes (wrong Richard!) Linda B. McLatchie, William H. Snyder To the Queen's Taste: Elizabethan feasts and recipes. Both were adapted for modern cooking by Lorna J. Sass and are available from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Another fascinating title is Phillipa Pullar's AGM to be held on October 1 Consuming Passions, a recent study of British cookery and This year's Annual General Meeting will be held on eating habits dating back to Roman Britain. Saturday, October 1, 1977, at the English-Speaking Union, New York City. Arrangements have yet to be finalized, but Helena Wright our main speaker will probably be Bill Hogarth, who will 80 Osgood Street, N. Andover, Mass. 01845 speak on the dramatist's view of Richard through the ages. Bill will share with us the fruit of his many years of research into this area. Members who have heard him Frances Fisher passes on the following items of interest: speak on previous occasions will look forward to his slide presentation—a blend of amusing anecdotes and (1) Clymers of Bucks Co. (a mail order firm) offered a informative commentary. plaque-sculpture showing Richard III "just prior to the Further details on the meeting will appear in the next Battle of Bosworth Field wearing full plate armour as is the Register. Invitations will be sent to all members in the white charger he rode." It was produced by Marcus De- beginning of September. signs, c. 1974. (2) Postage stamps: (a) Richard III stamp (National Gallery portrait) in West Coast meeting in October the English kings and queens series of Barbuda, 1970-1971. The West Coast area of the Society will be gathering for a birthday get-acquainted gathering in San Francisco on (b) Richard III portrait on the Sc St. Vincent stamp October 7, 1977. We'd love to see all interested members at commemorative series (Queen Elizabeth II anni- a "no host" cocktail hour-5:30 to 8:00—at the Presidio versary issue). Golf Club. The Club is located at the corner of Arguello and Pacific Avenues (phone 751-1322). Anyone planning to attend should notify Ann LeFevre (Mrs. Allen LeFevre) at 3755 Clay Street, San Francisco, California 94118 (phone 221-7795). We look forward to seeing you then! Martha MacBride Regional Vice-Chairman 2 "Richard Ill" at Stratford Festival This year the Stratford Festival, Ontario, staged ‘,. Using a bare set that is a literal prison in which the "Richard III." Richard Eder reviewed the play (The New characters move, Mr. Phillips [director] gives a fast, harsh York Times, June 10, 1977) and found it a splendid pro- pacing. Each ghost that visits Richard before his last battle duction about a "bottled spider." Excerpts of that review has its moment of accusation, imprisoned in a column of follow: smoky light, and then retreats, murmuring, like a receding sea-wave. " 'Richard III' is a hard play to start. True, the "Everything is in somber, dark tones until the moment splendid production that the Stratford Festival opened in of Richard's coronation. Suddenly there is a blaze of red Stratford, Ontario, Wednesday night begins well enough, capes and light. The subterranean king crumples inside his with a crablike figure in black lurching down the aisle, gorgeous apparel: his triumph is the beginning of his doom. mounting the stage, and turning to recite the terrible things he proposes to do. "But what we actually see there is Brian Bedford, a thoughtful-looking man with a small hump discreetly sewn into his shoulder and one gloved hand clutched to his chest. He is in a bent-over stance and he is making faces. "We do not immediately accept the evil he asserts; it has to be layered onto him by what at first is obvious acting, and• by the grim and effective staging devised by Robin Phillips.