Title page, 'Ides of March' by Muriel Camberg.
Muriel Camberg (Spark) nurtured strong friendships from an early age. 'The Ides of March' was a gift of poetry to her closest childhood friend, Frances Niven.
One of the most touching items in the Muriel Spark archive at the National Library is a hand-made laurel wreath made from wax and paper. Frances presented this to her friend when Muriel was crowned Young Poetess in 1932.
Writing almost 60 years later, Spark said that the wreath was a gift 'which I still treasure'.