Many of the early Caxton Press publications were produced under direction of two exceptional mid-wives: Denis Glover, and Leo Bensemann. According to Brasch, these two and James Bertram and T. H. Scott were the four who helped Brasch realize his dream of establishing a literary periodical. However, Glover was often critical of the production: its drab, austere covers and sometimes its contents - 'fine reading for a retired canon.' Glover was also an accomplished poet and prose writer. His amusing Bedside Book is from Brasch's library.

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Allen Curnow qualifies as one of New Zealand's best intellectual poets. Brasch qualifies as one of our best intellectual critics, along with Curnow and C. K. Stead. In this unpublished letter, Curnow is responding to something that Brasch wrote: 'I wonder if this book [Sailing or drowning] partly satisfies yr feeling that I should pause & 'digest.' I have felt that necessity myself, & have made some effort to meet it. I blame my newspaper employment & lack of quietness for the impatience I suffer from…'. Later Curnow assures Brasch his letters have not been 'nasty' and thanks him for his honest comments.

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Brasch knew Ian Milner and James Bertram from school days at Waitaki. He met Jack Bennett later in Auckland. Although distance separated them throughout the years, they were like the Four Musketeers: close, confiding, and supportive. Norman Bennett, Jack's pacifist brother, took these photographs in London, 1935 and Deep Creek, Auckland, 1971. Kind thanks to Robin Dudding for permission to reproduce and exhibit the photographs.
Charles Brasch, Ian Milner, Jack Bennett, and James Bertram. London, 1935.	Charles Brasch, Ian Milner, Jack Bennett, and James Bertram. Deep Creek, Auckland, 1971.

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'More than any other poet, James Baxter has succeeded in persuading New Zealanders today that poetry has something to say to all men.' So begins Brasch's 'Phrases and poems', written in 1966. Brasch liked much of what the young Dunedin poet wrote - 'he is a natural phrase-maker' - and noted his 'clear-eyed directness' in contrast to his own 'complicated mesh of guilts.' Baxter was the Burns Fellow in 1966-67, and among his many works, he wrote A small ode on mixed flatting, a satirical piece about the University's prohibitions against student cohabitation. Above is a photograph of Basil Dowling, a poet of Brasch's generation, a beardless James K. Baxter, and Brasch.

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At the end of a memoir on Brasch, Janet Frame called him a 'great good man.' Presentation copies from overseas writers and artists do not figure greatly in Brasch's library. However, in his New Zealand section there are many, including books by John Caselberg, James Courage, Curnow, Fairburn, Mason, Sargeson, David Ballantyne, Ruth Dallas, and Maurice Shadbolt. Frame's first book for children is but one of them. It is in pristine condition.

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