Lennon, John

12 corrections in blue ink, three additional corrections in pencil, one page, large post quarto (10 x 8 in.; 254 x 201 mm), staple holes, slight staining at bottom of leaf

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

"...Wart am I but a slave tow look upon with deesekfrebit all the peegle larfing and buzing me in front of all the worled..."

This short prose portrait of depression, published on p.72 of In His Own Write, has intriguing hints of autobiography. When discussing the book in an interview, Lennon admitted that "I suppose it was all manifestations of hidden cruelties. They are very Alice in Wonderland and Winnie the Pooh. I was very hung-up; it was my version of what was happening then" (Anthology, p.134). For Lennon, the years of Beatlemania were characterized by a growing sense of malaise. He considered 'Help!' to be his most personal - and therefore best - song of the period, and 'Unhappy Frank' draws on similar feelings. Lennon's complex feelings about his mother come through strongly in Frank, who kicks his mother in the head in one paragraph and remembers her lovingly in the next. The final sentences of 'Unhappy Frank' curiously prefigure Lennon's own later life:

"So he sold it all and left the country and settled down in another country which he did not like half as much as his dear old home in England with his dear old quaint old luvly mother what he (Frank) lost due to a bad harvest. Which judd do to show what happens."