At the Sign of the Harlequin's Bat

For more than fifity years, Cyril W. Beaumont, the British dance writer, publisher, bookseller, critic and historian ran his famous bookshop in London's Charing Cross Road. Beaumont was known to a vast number of people in almost every part of the world, and virtually every dancer in the world visited his shop at one time or another. His knowledge of ballet was formidable and for this he was greatly respected and admired. Outwardly stiff and formal and unwilling to accept what he regarded as 'bad behaviour', this demeanour concealed a kind, humorous man with something of a weakness for the ladies. In 'At the Sign of the Harlequin's Bat' Isabelle Stoughton, who worked with Mr. Beaumont in the 1950s, reveals this aspect of his character. Here you will find a picture of the whole being of Cyril Beaumont as remembered by someone who knew him well.