NEW YORK, NY.- The Grolier Club presents an exhibition highlighting the work of Richard Aldington (1892–1962), a prolific yet largely forgotten British poet, literary critic, translator, novelist, anthologist, and biographer. On view in the Grolier Club’s second floor gallery from September 11 through November 15, 2025, Richard Aldington: Versatile Man of Letters traces the chronology of Aldington’s life and work through more than 100 objects from the collection of Grolier Club member Simon Hewett, including first editions, typescripts, letters, photographs, and ephemera. An accompanying booklet, published by the Grolier Club, will be available in September 2025.

Aldington was at the center of British literary culture of his time, associated with Ezra Pound, H.D. (Hilda Doolittle, whom he married), Ford Madox Ford, Amy Lowell, T.S. Eliot, D.H. Lawrence, Norman Douglas, and Lawrence Durrell, among many others, yet he had a mixed critical reception, with career highs and lows. Highlights on view in the exhibition feature his work as a leading member of the Imagist school of poetry, a noted First World War poet, and the celebrated author of Death of a Hero—considered one of the best, and most bitter, First World War novels. However, his personal life was tumultuous, and his biography of “Lawrence of Arabia” was highly controversial and rankled the British Establishment.

“I consider it a travesty that such an accomplished writer as Richard Aldington, with a considerable and wide-ranging body of work to his name, should be so neglected today,” said curator Simon Hewett. “I hope this exhibition will revive attention and interest in his work.”

Exhibition Highlights

As a young man, Aldington began his writing career in newspapers and rapidly became part of the London literary scene. On view in the exhibition is a 1912 photograph of a group of poets at the Peacock Dinner, so named because peacock was served. The lunch was organized by Ezra Pound to honor the poet Wilfred Scawen Blunt and to garner publicity for the Imagists, a new poetic group sponsored by Pound that included Aldington. In 1913, Aldington joined H.D. (Hilda Doolittle) and her parents on a tour of Italy, and wed H.D. later that year, but their relationship quickly became strained.

Aldington became a prolific poet, and some of the publications on view in the exhibition feature Aldington’s early work that gained great acclaim. Des Imagistes (1914) was an Imagist annual organized by Pound, and the first edition included 11 poems by Aldington, more than any other contributor. His first solo poetry collection, Images (1910–1915), was published by Harold Monro’s Poetry Bookshop in December 1915.

In 1916, Aldington enlisted in the British Army and eventually became an officer. He participated in First World War battles in Europe and wrote poems throughout his time as an active-duty soldier—Aldington told his publisher that he composed many poems on the butt of his rifle in the trenches. On view is his silver I.D. bracelet, worn by army officers for identification in case of severe injury or death, inscribed with “2nd. Lt. R. Aldington/ C [Church] of E[England]/Royal Sussex Rgmt.”

After the war, Aldington returned to his literary career, becoming chief reviewer of French books for the Times Literary Supplement (TLS), a post he held until 1929. He also wrote biographies and translations, during a decade of intense literary activity. In 1928–29, he wrote Death of a Hero, the best-selling First World War novel that brought Aldington praise and fame. The novel was described by George Orwell as “much the best of the English war books,” and the exhibition features a 1929 U.K. edition of the book with a modernist dust jacket by artist Paul Nash.

Aldington’s later career was marked by controversy, as he wrote a critical biography of T.E. Lawrence (“Lawrence of Arabia”) that challenged Lawrence’s self-mythologizing stories and revealed Lawrence’s illegitimate birth. After intense battles with Lawrence’s supporters, who sought to prevent publication of the biography, and a lengthy legal review, the book moved forward. Aldington’s assertions were subsequently accepted as substantially correct, but it took an immense toll on his career and reputation. On view in the exhibition is a 1955 Illustrated magazine article with the headline “Why I Debunked the Lawrence Legend,” in which Aldington tells his side of the story.

The exhibition concludes with recent literature reviving Aldington’s reputation as a witty, acerbic, and prolific writer. Richard Aldington: Versatile Man of Letters is the first in a series of literary exhibitions this 2025–2026 season at the Grolier Club focused on singular authors, including Jane Austen and Jack Kerouac..