THE FIRST LORD LEVERHULME
SIR,—When I was helping Mr. Charles Wilson with his History of Unilever I read several hundred letters of the first Lord Leverhulme, besides diaries and a great deal of other material. So I probably know more about him than the late Mr. W. S. Adams, whose Edwardian Portraits is reviewed in your Christ- mas number by Mr., Christopher Sykes. In passing, let me say that the essay on Leverhulme in this book reverses, on totally inadequate grounds, judgments formed by Mr. Wilson on the basis of a very great mass of evidence.
Mr. Sykes, on the strength of Adams's book, writes Leverhulme off as 'comic relief.' Let me assure Mr. Sykes that Leverhulme was in no sense 'comic,' nor was there anything 'funny' about his reaction to Augustus John's portrait. The likeness is brilliant but terrifying, and if Mr. Sykes will go and look at it I think he will realise why Leverhulme was so shaken.
Leverhulme's life and character were tragic, in the strict meaning of that word. By his own shining abilities, which Adams, in his conclusion, quite un- warrantably belittled, he rose to very great heights. Then by megalomania, brought on by his own suc- cess, he was very nearly utterly ruined.—Yours faithfully, W. 7. READER Providence Cottage, 131 North Hill, Highgate, N6
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