Gibbon — the pen-name used by Mitchell for his best-known trilogy — was a significant contributor to the Scottish literary renaissance; his early death limited a wider reception for his works. MacDiarmid was a close friend and supportive colleague; they collaborated on one book, and even though they held very different views, were united in their hostility to the Scottish establishment. While H. G. Wells was reassuring in his praise of one of Gibbon’s early novels, it is not clear whether they had any direct personal connection.