Autograph Letters

1 p, 4to. On a bifolium, addressed on reverse of second leaf: 'Thursday at 11 O'Clock | Chas. Westmacott, Esqr., | 5, Clements Inn.' Fair, on creased and aged paper. Christie's note reads 'Mr Christie presents his Compts. to Mr. Westmacott. | with Mr. Westmacott's permission, the bearer of this Mr. Christie's warehouseman, will remove the Pictures to King St. | King St, | Monday Feb. 14 | 1825.' Beneath this, in another hand, Recd 69 Pictures | [signed] John Biddle'. Above Biddle's receipt, in a third hand, are the word 'Received' and 'Recd 69 [i.e. Christie & Manson?]' in pencil.

4 pp, 12mo. Good, on lightly-aged paper. The unnamed recipient appears to have been named as executor in a prvevious will of Sir Henry Bishop. Opens in dramatic style: 'I was very greatly surprised to receive a letter from you this morning, dated from Brighton, as my poor Brother, Sir Henry Bishop, had not the slightest idea that you were still an inhabitant of this world, having heard of your death some time since, in consequence of which, he made another will similar to the one in your possession, but changing the executors'.

The seven items in fair condition, on lightly-aged paper and with the last two with wear to extremities. ONE: 15 June 1929; on letterhead of Lansdowne House, Lansdowne Road, Holland Park. 1 p, 4to. Accepting a dinner invitiation. 'I wish we did not meet so seldom, and after this long gap I hope we shall see each other more often'. TWO: 10 January 1931; on letterhead as One. 2 pp, 12mo. He is 'going to work in Paris a good deal this year - and shall often have occasion to take unfinished - or finished - things - pictures drawings - small sculpture to & fro between here & Paris'.

Letter One: 2 pp, 12mo. 23 lines. Good. Docketed '3.5.26 | copd.' He thanks him for his letters, and has 'sent the verses to Sanderson'. The copies of the 'Quilter publications' that Bennett needed for the writing of an article in the 'Music Teacher' have not arrived. Asks for information on a 'volume of songs by Sibelius'. 'If they are available could they be included in the Quilter parcel'. He is 'writing about Sibelius for publication in July, & want to be as complete as possible'. Letter Two: 2 pp, 4to. 23 lines. Good, with staple holes to one corner.

2 pp, 12mo. He is only in Putney for a day, and does not expect to be able to see Schnadhorst. Sir Charles Dilke 'says that Oct. 13 is fixed for Halifax, and that he is not sure that he may not be able to go there after all'. If this is so, 'it would be best to change my day at Newport from the 13th. October'. He will tell '', and would be grateful to Schnadhorst for arranging another day.

12mo, 1 p. Text clear and complete. On aged and creased paper. As 'Archdeacon Manning was unable to call in Clifford street' on the previous Saturday, he would like 'Messrs Stulz to finish his frock coat, & to send it to 22 Tavistock Square, not to be forwarded.' The address was the home of Manning's brother-in-law John Lavicount Anderdon.

12mo, 1 p. Fair, on lightly-aged paper. He is 'unable to make an offer for the back Vols of The Athenaeum - our stock in house being sufficient to meet demands'.

12mo, 3 pp. On bifolium. Clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. She has 'finished the brown drawing of elves, & birds singing', and, as she is going into the country for a few days, will leave it, 'in a portfolio', at Stratton St. She asks him to 'kindly take care of it', as he has been 'good enough to do with the others. It is, as you know, a very careful & highly-finished drawing'. She asks him to have 'the delicacy of the lines reproduced, & the drawing of the limbs of the little elves, etc. very carefully & exactly rendered, otherwise the drawing wd.

12mo, 1p. Text clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. She is happy that her correspondent is enjoying himself, and looks forward to seeing him the following day, 'to take a friendly dinner'. An initialed pencil note in a contemporary hand at the head of the page reads 'The celebrated Lady who prosecuted Lord Wm Paget - Cassidy - others for getting into her Bed room at night in Paris to endeavour to carry her off & marry her for her large fortune to Cassidy | [signed] ' The incident - a great scandal of the age - was alluded to in 1844 in the Annual Register and other papers.

12mo, 4 pp. 61 lines. Text clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. An impressive letter applying for work. He does not expect Massingham (addressed as 'W. H. Massingham') to remember their meeting 'in the Lobby' when he was 'chief reporter on The Sun', while at the same time holding 'a Parliamentary engagement on the staff of the C. N.' Gives details of his subsequent employment, including joining the editorial staff of the 'Manchester Guardian' ('principally to look after their weekly paper which was in a sad way.

12mo, 2 pp. Bifolium. 37 lines. Text of letter clear and complete, but with damage to head of letter, causing loss to date, with traces of the album leaf to which the letter was attached on reverses. Otherwise good, on lightly-aged paper. He thanks him for his 'friendly congratulation', and has now entered his '81st. year under the most favourable conditions'. He is 'truly thankful that my affectionate Partner and Myself have through a long life been so mercifully dealt with'.

12mo, 2 pp. 21 lines. Text clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. He thanks him for his 'letter (Copy of Flora Macdonald)', and asks which letters he gave him 'of travellers'. 'Richard Lander I cannot give you. Of John I can & of poor Stothard - who was murdered at Bokarra [Bokhara] & of [Alexander] Burnes - but my impression is that I gave you those'. He has 'not heard again from ' and thinks that 'Miss Cole had better have the ring in her own possession - tis better than nothing'.

4to, 2 pp. On bifolium. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Text clear and complete. The letter, of 39 lines, requests Herbert's opinion of 'the feasibility of a plan for the domestication of the Primated Grouse of the western prairies in this section of the country'. He writes because 'some few passages in your own writings have led me to know that one who has the heart of, and a desire to be a true sportsman, would not, if requesting a favor at your hand be overlooked'. Signed 'Titrao Cupido | Box 841 O.O. | Cleveland Ohio'. This has been lightly crossed-out in pencil, with the signature 'Jno.

12mo, 1 p. Text clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. He thanks him for the 'particulars re, Costessey [Norfolk]', will 'write to Sir Hy. Jerningham' and will 'look up' Johnson's 'Journal' in the British Museum.

16mo, 4 pp. 64 lines. Text clear and complete. Hutton was a friend of both de Vere and his correspondent, and 'this will always remain a link between us; for no one who ever knew him can forget him; & no one who remembers him can ever cease to honour him'.

12mo, 1 p. Text clear and complete. Marked up for publication, with the first sentence deleted. On aged and stained paper. He 'can only say that your list seems to me as representative as any that could be drawn up', and that he does not 'feel in a position to offer any criticism upon it'. The edited version of Anstey's letter appeared with others in 'The Academy' in November 1897, in a piece with the opening sentence: 'We have received a large correspondence in response to our request for comment on the list of suggested members for an ACADEMY OF LETTERS published last week.'

Both items in good condition on aged paper. A dramatic, almost novelistic correspondence, regarding 'the Signora' (named in the second letter as 'Mme Sineo', who is staying at her house in Torquay and is apparently too frail to return to her London house. Letter One: Docketed 'No 1'. 12mo, 4 pp. Peard states that she has not 'written of late about the Signora. She has got fairly well again, but she does not seem to us fit to return to London, & I hear that her doctor does not think she ever will be fit.

8vo, 1 p. Good, on lightly-aged paper. A covering letter for 'the supplementary article on Buffalo' (in the 'Encyclopaedia Americana' supplements to 'Encyclopaedia Britannica', 1883-1885, the first two volumes of which Thompson was editor).

13 x 7.5 card. Fair, on aged paper, with minor creasing to one corner. Stamped and addressed on one side to 'Mr. J. Charles Davis | Proctor's Theatre | New York'. The unsigned card (with the words 'and United States' deleted from the heading) has partly printed text. Mather completes it in pencil, acknowledging the 'inquiry about Frank Forester' and stating that 'as a boy I knew him and shot with him but my recollections would be of no value'. He ends by saying that he will 'try to brush them up' on his 'return from the west'.

Items are in fair condition, on lightly-aged paper, and mostly laid down on two pieces of card. Candy's letter to Burton (who is not named, but identified from the context): 12mo, 2 pp. Headed 'Private'. He thanks him for 'the very kind and too flattering way in which you refer in to-day's Advertiser to my remarks at the Balloon Society's meeting anent the "Direct Veto Bill".' Claims that his 'services have always been at the disposal of "the trade", Wholesale & Retail.

12mo, 3 pp. 38 lines. Text clear and complete. The two leaves attached along the margins. Signed in Devanagari and European ('So: Rustam Khan Captain') scripts. He acknowledges 'receipt of the Commission conferring on me the honorary rank of captaincy with a deep sense of gratitude to you and all the Officers of the Regiment'. States that he will 'ever cherish a grateful remembrance of all that the Officers and Regiment have done for me'.

On neat rectangle of grey paper, roughly 14.5 x 5 cm, laid down on piece of pink paper removed from autograph album. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Firm, bold signature: 'Flora M. Woodman./'

Both 4to, 1 p. Texts clear and complete. Both on aged and worn paper. Autograph Letter: He apologises for not acknowledging her letter ('I have been so busy and away a great deal') and regrets that he does not 'for the moment remember anything which would be of service to you'. Typed Letter: He regrets that 'the present is rather a bad time for what we call the free lance in literature'. He is not himself 'very much in Fleet Street and the neighbourhood', the 'bulk' of his work being done 'far from the madding crowd'.

12mo, 1 p. Good, on lightly-aged paper. He had meant to write to him 'at the end of the series' (of articles by Macqueen-Pope?): 'We took a great deal of trouble in putting the series over well, and I am glad you liked the results.' The 'nonsense at the beginning' was caused by 'a series of misunderstandings'. Ends: 'No doubt we will knock into each other shortly.'

The 12mo letter has been cut into two sections, both laid down on a piece of mustard paper, with typed caption. Good, on lightly-aged paper. The body of the letter is on a piece of paper roughly 11 cm square. Six lines of text, enclosing 'autograph & quotation' (not present), and apologising for having 'no photo available'. 'Glad you enjoy my books, & thanks for your good wishes'. The smaller piece, with letterhead and Styles's dating, is roughly 8.5 x 3.5 cm.

12mo, 1 p. Mourning border. Nine lines. Text clear and complete. Fair, on worn and lightly-aged paper. Asks if Clarke knows 'Dutch, or Danish or both enough - to give us in the Christmas number of the Athenaeum a column upon each or one or either of those countries under a general group of "Literature of Foreign Countries in 1869"?' Requests an answer by return.

Both signatures on the same side of a light-green leaf removed from an autograph album, roughly 18 x 14 cm. Good, on lightly-aged paper. The first signature is the larger of the two: 'Wilhelm Backhaus | Nov. 20th. 1922.' The second reads 'Lindley Evans. | 20/11/22'.

On one side of a piece of pink paper, roughly 18 x 7.5 cm, cut from an autograph album. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. At the head James has written ' "The Sun-God" W. G. James', with the opening two bars beneath this, beneath which he has written the words 'I saw the master of the Sun -' In the bottom right-hand corner: 'Yrs Sincerely | William G. James'. James's music for Aubrey de Vere's poem was first published in 1921.

Programme: 12mo, 4 pp. Bifolium. Printed in green on orange paper. Text clear and complete. On lightly-aged paper with slight wear to extremities. Dargavel's signature is in pencil in the top left-hand corner of the second page: 'Best Wishes, | Bruce Dargavel'.

12mo, 2 pp. 23 lines. Text clear and complete. On first leaf of a bifolium, with the second leaf laid down on rectangle of paper cut from album. Fair, on lightly-aged paper. Drawing her attentiont to 'the important, but as yet little attended to, subject of the compulsory drinking usages', a 'topic [...] of increasing moment'. His 'largest work' on the subject is 'at present out of print, & the reserved copies all exhausted', so he is sending 'a small tract extracted from it', together with 'another Vol.