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Author, Title, Summary Subject Price
W. E. Henley [William Ernest Henley] (1849-1903), English poet, famed for his poem ?Invictus? [Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, daughter of George du Maurier; J. M. Barrie; Peter Pan]

[W. E. Henley, poet who wrote ?Invictus?.] Autograph Manuscript Signed (Holograph) of his poem ?My songs were once of the sunrise?, on letterhead of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, daughter of George du Maurier and mother of the ?lost boys? in ?Peter Pan?.

Henley?s poem ?Invictus?, with its conclusion ?I am the master of my fate, / I am the captain of my soul?, is one of the most popular in the English language, and has inspired individuals as diverse as Nelson Mandela and Ron Kray. See Henley?s entry in the Oxford DNB. He was a friend of both...

Literature £220.00 Henley
William Temple (1881-1944), Anglican cleric, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1942-1944 (previously Bishop of Manchester and Archbishop of York) [W. D. Ross] (1877-1971), Scottish philosopher]

[William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury during the Second World War.] Typed Letter Signed to the ?Vice-Chancellor? [of Oxford University, Sir David Ross], regarding a visit and the possibility of ?dining in Hall?.

2pp, 8vo. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with slight spotting and single punch hole centred above letterhead. Folded twice. The letter is addressed to 'My dear Vice-Chancellor' without further elaboration, but the item comes from the Ross papers. Temple explains that it has been ?...

£45.00
Sir Iain Moncreiffe of that Ilk [Sir Rupert Iain Kay Moncreiffe, 11th Baronet (1919-1985)], Chief of Clan Moncreiffe, herald and genealogist [P. G. Wodehouse; Philip Dosse of ?Books and Bookmen']

[Sir Iain Moncreiffe of that Ilk, Chief of Clan Moncreiffe.] Typed and Signed ?Letter to the Editor of books & bookmen? regarding the deceased P. G. Wodehouse, with personal recollection, extract from a Wodehouse letter, and genealogical information.

A very nice piece of Wodehousiana, with Moncreiffe using his genealogical expertise to delve into Wodehouse's pedigree (See Moncreiffe's entry in the Oxford DNB.) From the archives of Philip Dosse, proprietor of Hansom Books, publisher of a stable of seven arts magazines including Books and...

£220.00
Yves Delage (1854-1920), French zoologist who discovered the function of the canals in the inner ear and believed in the authenticity of the Turin Shroud [Librairie C. Reinwald & Cie, Paris.]

[Yves Delage, Professor at the Sorbonne, French zoologist who believed in the authenticity of the Turin Shroud; critic of Darwinism] Printed publishers? catalogue, headed by Delage's ?La Structure du Protoplasma et les Th?ories sur l?H?r?dite?.

A scarce piece of scientific publishing ephemera. No other copy traced. 8pp, 8vo. Aged, worn and spotted, with staples rotted away. The cover is headed 'Librairie C. Reinwald & Cie, 15, rue des Saints-P?res, Paris / Derni?res publications / relative aux sciences m?dicales et naturelles.'...

£180.00
[1920s transatlantic ocean liner: TSS Transylvania (1925), cruise ship with the Anchor Line, requisi tioned by the Royal Navy in the Second World War, and torpedoed by the Germans in 1940

[1920s transatlantic ocean liner: RMS Transylvania, cruise ship with the Anchor Line.] Long Typed Letter from ‘Alex’ to his parents, written en route from Glasgow to New York, with account and diagrams of a sea rescue, and postcard of the liner.

TSS Transylvania (the prefix stands for ‘Twin Screw Steamship’) was built in Glasgow for the Anchor Line and launched in 1925. She had three funnels, but two were redundant, only serving to render the ship more attractive to prospective passengers. In 1940 she requisitioned by the Royal Navy,...

Military and Naval History £180.00 RMS Transylvania
[Irishman in the Royal Navy, 1825] Lieut. James Peter O’Ferrall of HMS Revenge, son of Hugh O’Ferrall, MD

[Irishman in the Royal Navy, 1825.] Two documents regarding the estate of Lieut. James Peter O’Ferrall of HMS Revenge: Letters of Administration and Power of Attorney, the later signed by the father Hugh O’Ferrall MD.

Both items in fair condition, with age and wear. ONE: Letters of Administration, 15 November 1825. Printed on square of parchment, with embossed seal appended and usual tax stamps. Completed in manuscript with regard to ‘Hugh O’Ferrall the natural and lawful Father of James Peter O’Ferrall late...

£120.00 rishman in the Royal Navy
[Royal Navy, 1804: Board of Admiralty, Whitehall] Heinrich Ernst Seiffert senior, Hamburgh, Germany

[Royal Navy, 1804: Board of Admiralty, Whitehall.] Contemporary Manuscript Translation of 'Project' by 'Hy: Ernst: Seiffert, senior' of Hamburgh, who offers to arrange for the inventor of a naval weapon to come to England with 'four proper workmen'.

There is a record of one 'Heinrich Ernst Seiffert aus Altona bei Hamburg' in 1787. The letter is clearly addressed to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, whom, we may be sure, were not taken in by what was either the production of a madman or a clumsy confidence trickster. 3pp, foolscap...

£220.00
[World War One: 'The Guns of August', 1914] Sir Edward Goschen (1847-1924), British Ambassador in Berlin [Gottlieb von Jagow (1863-1935), German Foreign Minister]

[World War One: ‘The Guns of August’, 1914.] Silver gelatin negative photostatic print of typed British Government ‘Aide Mémoire’ on the German Army and Belgian neutrality, including copy of note by German Foreign Minister Gottlieb von Jagow.

Silver gelatin negative photostatic print of two documents: 3pp, 4to (i.e. each of the three pages on 19.5 x 24 cm. leaf). The first page of Goschen’s two-page ‘Aide Mémoire’ on a separate leaf, and the second page and von Jagow’s note on different leaves of a bifolium. In good condition,...

History £450.00 Aide Mémoire
Admiral Sir Dudley North [Dudley Burton Napier North] (1881-1961); Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Cecil Murray (1879-1962), 3rd Viscount Elibank [Sir Winston Churchill]

[Churchill was ‘monstrously-unjust’: Lord Elibank and Sir Dudley North exchange complaints.] Seven Signed Letters (six Typed, one in Autograph) from North, telling 'the whole story' of his wartime dismissal, and a signed copy of a reply by Elibank.

A highly-interesting correspondence of some historical significance, in which North tells ‘the whole story’ as he sees it of his controversial wartime dismissal, to one of his leading supporters in the attempt to clear his name. A marked antipathy to Churchill is shown on both sides, with added...

£950.00
Admiral Sir Thomas Sabine Pasley, 2nd Bart (1804-1884), senior Royal Navy officer, Superintendent of Devonport Dockyard and Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth

[Admiral Sir Thomas Sabine Pasley, Superintendent of Devonport Dockyard and Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth.] Autograph Letter Signed to an unnamed ‘Major’, rescheduling an engagement cancelled for 'the best possible reason'.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. With thin mourning border. Extraction from an album has resulted in some wear to the border at the right of the page: otherwise in good condition, lightly aged. Addressed to ‘My dear Major’ and signed ‘Thos Sabine Pasley’. He is sorry the recipient ‘can...

£56.00