HI32. A Stunning John Lennon Handwritten Manuscript For Bernice’s Sheep, Which Appears In His Book A Spaniard In The Works

Description

After the success of his first book In His Own Write, John Lennon set about writing another book in the same style of nonsensical short poems and stories using offbeat language, puns and play-on-words that are witty, funny and surreal in nature. As with his first book, this new title, A Spaniard In The Works which was by Jonathan Cape in June of 1965, featured stories and poems were accompanied by line drawings done by John illustrating the many caricatures found in the text. The book was finished and copies were printed just prior to the filming of The Beatles second feature movie entitled HELP!, and 14 copies of A Spaniard In The Works actually make an appearance with John in one of the scenes.

Here is a gorgeous full page of Lennon creative writing, in the form of an A Spaniard In The Works story entitled Bernice’s Sheep, with 25 lines of writing in 5 numbered stanzas, with the title Bernice’s Sheep written out at the bottom of the page. The title is a wordplay related to a Bernese Mountain dog, used to herd sheep. This delightful poem is directed by a young girl named Bernice to her sheep. John’s admiration for Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear is well know and their influence on him is clearly evident her in this marvelous piece of writing.

Bernice’s Sheep as written out by John Lennon reads in full:

1) This night I lable down to sleep
With hefty heart and much saddened
With all the bubbles of the world

Bratting my boulders
Oh dear sheep.

2) I slapter counting one be one

Till I can cow nomore this day
Till bethny hard aches leave we
Elbing my ethbreeds
Dear Griff’s son.

3) What keeps me alberts owl felloon
That is earl I ask from anybottle

That I grape me daily work
Cronching our batter
My own bassoon.

4) Can I get a gribble of me
Should I heffer alway sickened
Should you nabbie my furbern
Wilfing their busbie
Oh dear me.

5) No! I shall streze my eber-teap!
With lightly loaf and great larfter
With head held eye and all
Graffing my rhimber
Oh dear sheep.

Bernice’s Sheep

This is almost exactly letter for letter what appears in the book, the only difference is found in stanza 3, line 2, the last word is “anybottle” is written on the page by John, while “anybottly” is found in the book.

The off-white colored page measures 7″ x 10″ and is in very good condition. It originated from the collection of Tom Maschler, who was John’s publisher and the editorial director at Jonathan Cape. This is a substantial piece of John Lennon writing, written out very neatly by him in blue ballpoint pen, with only one cross out. If this considerable amount of John writing were in the form of a Beatle lyric, depending upon which song it was, it would certainly be valued in the 7 figures. ….SOLD