Letters to my Daughter. Memories of John Millington Synge. Dublin: Talbot Press, 1931. First Edition. Pp, 287, uncut. Green buckram boards in publisher’s dust jacket. A fine bright copy.

Illustrated with photographs.

This biography by Rev. Samuel Synge is a deeply personal and intimate portrait of his brother, the renowned Irish playwright John Millington Synge. The book is structured as a series of letters written by Samuel Synge to his daughter, Edit. provides a rare glimpse into the Synge family’s history and personal life.

For example, the first letter recalls the day of John Millington Synge’s birth and the origins of the family name “Synge,” which was granted by Queen Elizabeth I. He also notes that the family’s motto is Coelestia Canimus, which means “We sing of heavenly things“.