Letters of Raymond Hook

Single Item

MSS. Afr. s. 2458

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The collection mainly consists of letters written by Raymond Hook at Nanyuki to his godson, John Pollard, from 1940 to 1963. Additionally, there are a few letters from other people to Raymond Hook. John Pollard wrote African Zoo Man. The Life Story of Raymond Hook, which was published in 1963. Hook and Pollard disagreed over the contents of the book and the letters between them cease after Jun 1963.

Raymond writes about his family and the day-to-day life on his hunt in Nanyuki but also about the social and political situation in Kenya. He tells Pollard about his research on wild animals, particularly zebras, birds (especially lammergeiers), and cheetahs, and his work as an animal trainer and stage manager for several film projects. Another important topic in his letters is mountaineering. Raymond Hook was acquainted with some well-known people of his time, for example, Richard Meinertzhagen, Armand and Michaela Denis, Jomo Kenyatta, and General von Lettow-Vorbeck. The letters are arranged by year and are in 3 folders.

Folder 1: Letters from 1944-1949 (fols. 1-39). Includes:

(fol. 1) game warden (later wildlife conservationist) George Adamson, 12 Mar 1944
(fol. 9) African witch doctor/occult sciences, 12 Nov 1945
(fol. 10) African witch doctor/practitioner, 14 Mar 1946
(fol. 12) reference to explorer and mountaineer Eric Earle Shipton; south face of Mount Kenya climbed by Firmin and Atward, 16 Jun 1946
(fol. 14) climbing of Mount Kenya with two fatalities, 13 Aug 1946
(fol. 17) Prehistory Conference in Nairobi (visit of Abbe Brevit and Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey); meteor passes Nanyuki, 24 Nov 1946
(fol. 22) comments on Leakey's performance at Nairobi Professors' conference, 21 Jun 1947
(fol. 36) mention of Richard Meinertzhagen, 25 Dec 1949.

Folder 2: Letters from 1950-1959 (fols. 40-99). Includes:

(fol. 45) mention of article on lammergeier for the National History Publication of Nairobi, 12 May 1951
(fol. 47) invitation from Armand Denis of RKO (American film company) for Hook to train cheetahs for film, 4 Dec 1951
(fol. 48) plans for visit of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, 27 Jan 1952
(fol. 50) mention of Mau Mau attack on cattle, 7 Nov 1952
(fol. 51) Clark Cable in Nanyuki, 14 Dec 1952
(fol. 53) Mount Everest; Mau Mau attack, 29 May 1953
(fol. 55) danger of Mau Mau attacks, 5 Jul 1953
(fol. 56) Mau Mau, 3 Aug 1953
(fol. 58) appearance by Hook (for a few seconds) in the movies Where No Vultures Fly (1951) and Smith of the Sahara, 19 Dec 1953
(fol. 61) film Below the Sahara (1953) by Armand and Michaela Denis, 31 Jan 1954
(fol. 63) Mau Mau situation, 24 Feb 1954
(fol. 64) mention of the book The Story of Civilization by William Durant, 4 Apr 1954
(fol. 66) front side: original letter from Olimpio Gabrioli to Hook asking him for permission to publish photos of his farm in a book he wrote. Back side: letter from Hook to John Pollard, 9 Jan 1955
(fol. 67) film Below the Sahara by Armand and Michaela Denis, partly filmed on Hook's farm, 19 Jan 1955
(fol. 72) the Mau Mau general of the area stands trial, 24 May 1955
(fol. 74) Allan John (Jock) Marshall (Head of the Department of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy at St. Bartholomeus Hospital); and comments on visits of Princess Margaret and the Queen to the area, 25 Oct 1956
(fol. 76) doubts over whether Ronald Truffaut and his party really did climb the North Face (of Mount Kenya), 24 Feb 1957
(fol. 79) discussion of religion of the Olympian gods, black magic, and witchcraft, 3 Jun 1957
(fol. 82) reference to Hook's former film projects with Martin Johnson and Armand Denis (for MGM), 29 Jun 1957
(fol. 85) capture of last Mau Mau, named Timbo, 15 Dec 1957
(fol. 86) political situation in France; Charles de Gaulle, 7 Jun 1958
(fol. 89) letter from Oliver Hook to Raymond Hook (with comments by Raymond Hook himself; Hook enclosed this sheet in a letter he sent to John Pollard), 2 Nov 1958
(fol. 90) award to Hook of the African General Service Medal, 1 Feb 1959
(fol. 91) Frederick Edward Guest (cousin of Winston Churchill), 27 Jun 1959
(fol. 92) this letter includes two sheets (sent separately). First: lammergeier. Second: birds; invitation from Richard Meinertzhagen to the Hook clan for dinner, 18 Sep 1959
(fol. 94) Meinertzhagen-Hook dinner, 2 Oct 1959.

Folder 3: Letters from 1960-1963 (fols. 100-231). Includes:

(fol. 101) social situation in Kenya, 17 Apr 1960
(fol. 102) Lutz Heck (author of Animals my Adventure, Animal Safari); Richard Meinertzhagen (author of Birds of Arabia), 28 Apr 1960
(fol. 103) Richard Meinertzhagen; Armand Denis, 5 Jun 1960
(fol. 104) description of Hook's first meeting with Meinertzhagen in 1936, when he was the white hunter on one of Meinertzhagen's safaris, 12 Aug 1960
(fol. 105) small map (drawn by Hook) displaying areas where zebras lived in Africa; Richard Meinertzhagen; Mau Mau rebellion, 28 Aug 1960
(fol. 106) zebras; lammergeier, 11 Sep 1960
(fol. 107) Lutz Heck, 24 Sep 1960
(fol. 111) General Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck, 30 Oct 1960
(fol. 112) Recollections of Hook's father, Bryan, a painter, one of whose pictures was in the Tate Gallery. His best paintings were in the Silverbeck Hotel, Nanyuki, which belonged to Hook's brother, Logan, 10 Nov 1960
(fol. 115) drawing of Hook's farm (front) and a family tree of the Hooks (back); other sheets appear to be missing, 14 Dec 1960
(fol. 116) description of Hook's first meeting with Richard Meinertzhagen, 30 Jan 1961
(fol. 117) Hook's appearance in the film Where No Vultures Fly and his role as stage manager for half of the film Baboona by Martin Johnson, 4 Feb 1961
(fol. 120) General von Lettow, 19 Feb 1961
(fol. 125) cheetahs racing against greyhounds, 9 Apr 1961
(fol. 129) sportsman and explorer, Kenneth Cecil Gandar-Dower, 30 Apr 1961
(fol. 130) description of Hook's visit to Germany in 1937; Lutz Heck; General von Lettow, 12 May 1961
(fol. 131) Martin Johnson; Armand and Michaela Denis; the shooting of the film Something of Value ten miles away; Hook's meeting with the leading actors, Rock Hudson and Sidney Poitier; Hook's employment to train wild dogs for the film, 20 May 1961
(fol. 132) General von Lettow; Kenneth Cecil Gandar-Dower, 21 May 1961
(fol. 134) General von Lettow's book, Meine Erinnerungen aus Ostafrika, 1 Jun 1961
(fol. 137) recollection of Frederick (Freddie) Edward Guest arranging for Hook to dine with Winston Churchill in 1937, but dying before it could be achieved; films of Martin Johnson, 4 Jul 1961
(fol. 138) front: original letter from Keith R. Pilcher to Raymond Hook. Back: letter from Hook to John Pollard: Martin Johnson's book, Over African Jungles; abstract in German about how Hook saved Johnson's life, 5 Jul 1961
(fol. 140) Harry L. Hopkins, 6 Jul 1961
(fol. 141) mention of the film Something of Value with Rock Hudson and Sidney Poitier by MGM, which had been shot in Nairobi, 17 Jul 1961
(fol. 142) front: original letter from Joseph Roussel in French, announcing his visit, 10 Jul 1961). Back: letter from Hook to John Pollard: description of his visitor, Roussel ('the Holy Man'); situation of the settlers, 17 Jul 1961
(fol. 145) Armand Denis' photographer, Des Bartlett, 19 Jul 1961
(fol. 147) letter from Hook to his sister Sylvia, sent on to John Pollard, 22 Jul 1961
(fol. 148) letter to Hook's sister Sylvia, to be sent on to John Pollard, 25 Jul 1961
(fol. 149) Kenneth Cecil Gandar-Dower; film Something of Value; Mount Kenya, zebras, 27 Jul 1961
(fol. 150) Richard Meinertzhagen; three films by Martin Johnson: Congorilla, Simba, and Baboona; religion; short passage in German from Hindenburg's book Aus meinem Leben, 29 Jul 1961
(fol. 151) Eric Earle Shipton; copy of short newspaper notice about a plane crash involving Martin Johnson, 8 Aug 1961
(fol. 152) small map showing the region around Hook's farm; situation of Somali women; Hook's military career, 17 Aug 1961
(fol. 153) front: original letter from Des Bartlett to Raymond Hook. Back: letter from Hook to John Pollard: photographs for Pollard, 20 Aug 1961
(fol. 154) Richard Meinertzhagen was given a room at the South Kensington Natural History museum for his bird collection; Meinertzhagen's cousin, Theresa Clay, 20 Aug 1961
(fol. 155) Michaela and Armand Denis; Des Bartlett, 22 Aug 1961
(fol. 156) front: original letter from Des Bartlett to Hook about his plans for a visit in Nanyuki and photographs for John Pollard, 23 Aug 1961. Back: letter from Hook to John Pollard referring to Bartlett's letter, 28 Aug 1961
(fol. 157) visit of American woman claiming to be the most travelled woman in the world and who wrote a book (The Trail of Marco Polo, by Jean Bowie Shor), 7 Sep 1961
(fol. 158) NB letter incomplete; map of territory where Hook served in World War II, 17 Sep 1961
(fol. 159) story of a Mau Mau attack, 19 Sep 1961
(fol. 162) Frederick (Freddie) Edward Guest and Winston Churchill, 26 Sep 1961
(fol. 165) Hook's first wireless radio, 4 Oct 1961
(fol. 168) Richard Meinertzhagen, 18 Oct 1961
(fol. 169) 20th Century Fox shoots a film (The Lion) near Hook's farm; differences between white and Somali children, 28 Oct 1961
(fol. 170) story of The Lion; Jomo Kenyatta; Roland Truffaut's book: From Kenya to Kilimanjaro, 11 Nov 1961
(fol. 171) Jomo Kenyatta, 28 Nov 1961
(fol. 172) General von Lettow, 9 Dec 1961
(fol. 176) Kenneth Cecil Gandar-Dower, 15 Apr 1962
(fol. 177) original letter from Des Bartlett and family to Raymond Hook; Hook sent it on to Pollard to bring him 'up to date about Armand & Michaela' Denis, 11 May 1962
(fol. 181) Lutz Hook's book: Animal Safari; accident on Mount Kenya; Kenya's project to preserve the Arabian onyx from extinction, 29 May 1962
(fol. 182) General von Lettow, 5 Jun 1962
(fol. 183) African witch doctor, 14 Jun 1962
(fol. 184) African witch doctor; king cheetahs, 23 Jun 1962
(fol. 185) new book by Lutz Heck, 2 Jul 1962
(fol. 187) situation in Kenya (increasing crime); zebras; witchdoctors, 21 Jul 1962
(fol. 189) mention of Lord Lytton's book: Harold, 1 Sep 1962
(fol. 192) mention of Lord Lytton's books Harold and The Last Days of Pompeii, 20 Sep 1962
(fol. 195) description of a Somali wedding, 13 Oct 1962
(fol. 196) Somali people in Kenya; more accidents on Mount Kenya, 24 Oct 1962
(fol. 197) Jomo Kenyatta; Hook's plans to work for the opposition party (Kenya African Democratic Union (KADU)); Somali culture and language, 10 Nov 1962
(fol. 200) Richard Meinertzhagen, 6 Jan 1963
(fol. 202) Eric Gandar-Dower; Des Bartlett, 4 Feb 1963
(fol. 204) front: letter of District Veterinary Officer from Nanyuki P.J. French (26 Feb 1963) on the problem of rabies. Back: letter from Hook to Pollard, 3 Mar 1963
(fol. 205) small newspaper notice announcing that actor Martin Wilding is suing a newspaper columnist for $3,000,000, due to alleged libel in her book, 6 Mar 1963
(fol. 207) map of Hook's farm, 12 Mar 1963
(fol. 211) mention of errors in Pollard's books; Chester Zoo (head keeper Reg Bloom); caracals; Roland Truffaut's failure to reach the top of Mount Kenya, 13 Apr 1963
(fol. 218) Zoological Society; Richard Meinertzhagen; situation in Kenya, 9 Jun 1963
(fol. 219) argument about errors in Pollard's book, 26 Jun 1963
(fol. 220) first two pages of a letter to John Pollard, the rest appears to be missing: Hook's journey to Germany in 1937; Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey, n.d.
(fol. 221) letter to John Pollard, part of letter seems to be missing: hunting with Frederick (Freddie) Edward Guest; Kenneth Cecil Gandar-Dower, n.d.
(fol. 222) letter from Raymond Hook to his sister Sylvia (Atkinson): situation in Kenya; Jomo Kenyatta, 5 Dec 1963
(fol. 223) letter from Heinz Löffler (from the Zoological Department of Vienna University) to Raymond Hook, 27 Jul 1961
(fol. 224) letter from T.F. Barnley to Raymond Hook, 1 Aug 1963
(fol. 228) letter from Lorent De Bastyai to Raymond Hook, 13 Sep 1961
(fol. 229) short notice from the Office of the District Commissioner in Nanyuki, 16 Sep 1961
(fol. 230) letter from Norway, sender unknown, with short notes by Raymond Hook, 16 Sep 1961
(fol. 231) letter from Keith R. Pilcher (from South Africa) to John Pollard concerning photographs Pollard wants to use in one of his books, 30 Aug 1961.

Dates

Creation: 1940-1963

Extent

1 box

Language of Materials

English
French
German

Preferred Citation

Oxford, Bodleian Libraries [followed by shelfmark and folio or page reference, e.g. MSS. Afr. s. 2458, fols. 1-2].

Please see our help page for further guidance on citing archives and manuscripts.

Shelfmark:

MSS. Afr. s. 2458

Collection ID (for staff)

CMD ID 2459

Additional Description

Abstract

Letters of Raymond Hook to John Pollard concerning life in Kenya.

Biographical / Historical

Raymond Hook was born on 20 Jun 1892 at Beefolds, a country house near Churt (south-west Surrey) as the third child of Bryan Hook and Catherine ('Kate') Moseley Dewrance and grandson of the Victorian painter James Clarke Hook. He went to school in Tonbridge and was to go on to Cambridge, but instead went to Kenya in 1912 and started to farm there. Hook owned a large property in Nanyuki, (Central) Kenya, and ran it as an animal farm where he bred, among others, wildcats and zebras. He also had a mixed business selling dairy products, beef, and ghee to Indians, and wild animals to various countries in the world. He took cheetahs to England to breed and race like greyhounds, but was not very successful with this enterprise.

Hook was a keen ornithologist and mountaineer. He often planned expeditions such as safaris or ascents of Mount Kenya for guests visiting his farm. Hook had some encounters with the Mau Mau, as related in his letters. Raymond Hook married Joan North in 1929; they separated in 1938. They had twin daughters, Amber and Hazel, who were born in 1931. Hook died in 1968.