CRIMSON TOURS, ST IVES, CORNWALL – SIGNED BY DAPHNE DU MAURIER – ILLUSTRATED MOTOR COACH TOUR BROCHURE ISSUED BY THE LONG-ESTABLISHED CORNISH TRANSPORT COMPANY – c.1950s

St Ives, Cornwall: Crimson Tours, [circa 1950s].

Original printed wrappers.

42 pages.

Illustrated throughout with numerous photographic illustrations and a folding or full-page route map.

Signed in blue ink by Daphne du Maurier to the upper wrapper.

17.2 x 12.2 cm.

Condition: Very good. Original wrappers. Staples professionally removed to prevent further rust damage. Light handling wear and minor age-toning. Contents clean and complete. Signature bold and highly legible.

Description

A highly attractive and uncommon surviving Crimson Tours promotional brochure, signed on the front wrapper by Daphne du Maurier (1907–1989), one of the most celebrated British novelists of the twentieth century and the author of Rebecca, Jamaica Inn, Frenchman’s Creek, My Cousin Rachel, and numerous other works closely associated with Cornwall.

The brochure was issued by Crimson Tours of St Ives, whose cover proudly records the company’s establishment in 1920 and depicts one of its touring coaches. The firm’s head office is given as The Terrace, St Ives, reflecting the important role played by coach touring in the development of post-war Cornish tourism.

Extending to forty-two pages, the publication is richly illustrated throughout with photographic views of Cornwall and associated tourist destinations, together with route information and mapping intended for visitors exploring the county by organised coach excursion. Such brochures provide an evocative record of the rapidly expanding tourist industry that transformed Cornwall during the mid-twentieth century.

The principal significance of the present example lies in the autograph signature of Daphne du Maurier, boldly inscribed across the front wrapper.

Daphne du Maurier and Cornwall

Few writers are more closely associated with Cornwall than Daphne du Maurier. Although born in London, she developed a lifelong attachment to the county and drew inspiration from its landscapes, coastlines, villages, maritime traditions and folklore.

Her Cornish settings became inseparable from her literary reputation. Fowey, Bodinnick, Menabilly, Bodmin Moor, Frenchman’s Creek and numerous other locations provided the background for some of the most enduring works of twentieth-century English literature. Cornwall itself became one of the central characters within her fiction.

Du Maurier was also familiar with St Ives and West Cornwall, an area long associated with artists, writers and visitors attracted by the region’s distinctive scenery and cultural life. Contemporary records confirm her regular presence in Cornwall throughout much of her life and her continuing association with Cornish literary and social circles.

Crimson Tours and Cornish Tourism

Crimson Tours formed part of the flourishing network of regional coach operators that introduced increasing numbers of visitors to Cornwall during the middle decades of the twentieth century.

Tour brochures of this type were designed for practical use and consequently experienced heavy handling. Most were discarded after a single season or retained only temporarily by holidaymakers. Their survival rate is therefore considerably lower than might be expected, particularly when preserved in complete condition.

The present example captures an important moment in the history of Cornish tourism, illustrating the manner in which visitors encountered the county before the age of mass private car ownership and large-scale package tourism.

Rarity

Signed Cornish tourist ephemera associated with Daphne du Maurier is distinctly uncommon.

Examples bearing her signature occasionally appear on the market, demonstrating collector interest in the intersection between Cornish history, tourism and du Maurier material.

The combination of:

• A complete illustrated Crimson Tours brochure.
• A clear Daphne du Maurier signature.
• Direct Cornish association.
• Attractive visual content documenting regional tourism.

makes this a particularly appealing survival.

Institutional Holdings

A search of major institutional catalogues identifies holdings of Daphne du Maurier manuscripts, correspondence, books and archival material in a number of collections.

However, no institutional holding has been identified for this specific signed Crimson Tours brochure at the time of cataloguing. The ephemeral nature of regional tourist publications means that many survive only in very small numbers.

An appealing and highly displayable piece of Cornish literary ephemera, combining mid-century tourism history with the autograph of one of Britain’s most beloved novelists.

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