January–April 1954

Curium 10 Mar 54

Dear Rodney:

Yrs. of 5 Mar received.

I was rather startled that you had gone ahead offering Hesperia for sale; I must go along, of course, but let us call a halt right there for the present, please. Since you have, perhaps it is only a technicality, but we don't own the books yet. And we certainly don't want to cough up any books until late summer. If the gent in Bonn bites, I shall have to tell him not to expect delivery until September.

There are other aspects of the matter. I had thought early on that we would merely take home what books our library lacked and leave the rest as a free gift for the Cyprus Museum, needed and leave the rest as a free gift for the Cyprus Museum, as Fro agreed we could do with the furniture and household equipment, which we are also purchasing from the estate, but which we wouldn't want to be bothered to sell or transport.

I have somewhat changed my mind about the books. But I think that, in any case, if there is any question of selling any of the books, the first refusal under the circumstances should have to the Cyprus Museum. I feel this is a courtesy we should observe. Peter, I am sure, entertained the notion that setting the house meant getting as tactfully as I can, pointing out that part of the contents belonged to the entire contents too. I have disabused him of this notion to be acquiring by Univ. Museum anyway, and that the remainder we are acquiring with purchase from the State. I have given him to understand, with purchase from the State. I have given him to understand, with (which means free) that he can expect to receive generous terms of approval, as far as I'm concerned) the furniture per se, I am the garden equipment, and the like, but have given no indication sure there is a residue of what we might decide to do with the rest. None may come into the hands of the Cyprus Museum. He has hopes of using the house as a headquarters for excavations and archaeological research in the district, and naturally hopes that it will be as completely equipped as possible.

This being the case and his point of view, I think it would be wisest to consider the Cyprus Museum as the first applicant for anything we decide to dispose of. If you feel we must sell to pay postage, we can also use them in bargaining for objects, perhaps (Helene has come to an agreement with them for exchanging publications for objects). They have little money for purchasing books, so barter will probably be the method of preference for them for acquiring such books as they would like to have at Episkopi.

As far as the books are concerned, I would suggest that you check off the books needed to fill in gaps in the Univ. Museum libraries (and such as could be profitably used as duplicates or triplicates for study or teaching books as they lack in their library. Such books as remain after that I would then give them first refusal on for purchase or barter- … continues