ALPHONSE

[Alphonse de Lamartine, French poet and leading Second Republic politician.] Autograph Letter Signed to unnamed recipient regarding his legal affairs in his home town of Mâcon.

Author: 
Alphonse de Lamartine (1790-1869), French poet and politician who played a leading role in the foundation of the Second Republic
Publication details: 
‘25 mars. (43 rue ville L’évèque)’.
£80.00

Lamartine is one of the greatest of French poets, and often counted as an early figure in that country's Romantic movement. His influence was extensive, from Verlaine and the Symbolists to Tolstoy. 2pp, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Addressed to ‘Mon cher collegue’, with good firm signature ‘Lamartine.’ He suggests that the recipient send to his notary in his home town of Mâcon all the documents relating to the estate of ‘Mlle Martin’. He has need of his advice and suggests a time for meeting.

[Alphonse de Lamartine, French poet and leading Second Republic politician.] Autograph Letter Signed, responding to a letter and petition from 'Messieurs Hubert' with the assurance that he will try to be of use to them.

Author: 
Alphonse de Lamartine (1790-1869), French poet and politician who played a leading role in the foundation of the Second Republic
Publication details: 
'Paris 9 mai 1838'.
£80.00

Lamartine is one of the greatest of French poets, and often counted as an early figure in that country's Romantic movement. His influence was extensive, from Verlaine and the Symbolists to Tolstoy. 1p, 4to. In fair condition, in faded ink, on aged and lightly worn paper. Previously folded into a packet, but now laid down on brown-paper backing. Addressed to ‘Messierus Hubert’, with signature ‘Lamartine’. He has read with great interest the letter they sent him, and the petition which accompanied it.

[Alphonse Daudet, distinguished French author.] Affectionate Autograph Letter Signed (‘Alph Daudet’), in French, to ‘notre cher Mérédith’ [George Meredith], ‘grand romancier Anglais’, after visiting him at Box Hill.

Author: 
Alphonse Daudet (1840-1897), distinguished French author, noted for ‘Le Petit Chose’ and ‘Lettres de mon Moulin’ [Georges Meredith, Victorian novelist and poet]
Publication details: 
[1896.] ‘31 Rue de Bellechasse à Paris’.
£220.00

An excellent letter, linking leading nineteenth-century writers of the French and English nations. See Daudet's entry in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, and Meredith’s in the Oxford DNB. Daudet’s association with Meredith during his ‘first and only visit to England’ is described on pp.122-124 of the 1911 edition of J. A. Hammerton’s ‘George Meredith, his Life and Art’, which also quotes extensively from Madame Daudet’s account of the Englishman, referred to in the letter. 2pp, 16mo. Twenty-one lines of closely- and neatly-written text. On the rectos of the leaves of a bifolium.

[Alphonse Karr, French critic, novelist and editor of Le Figaro.] Autograph Note Signed ('Alphonse Karr'), renewing a request for a meeting with 'Monsieur le ministre de la marine'.

Author: 
Alphonse Karr [Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr] (1808-1890), French critic, journalist, novelist and floriculturalist, editor of Le Figaro
Publication details: 
No date. Rue de Clichy 5 [Paris].
£50.00

On one side of an irregular piece of thin paper, roughly 12.5 x 13.5 cm. From the celebrated autograph collection of Richard Monckton Milnes (Lord Houghton), and neatly mounted on a leaf extracted from an album. He writes that a few days previously he wrote to ask 'Monsieur le ministre de la marine' for 'une audience de q[uel]ques instants'. He fears that the letter did not reach him, and so renews his request. Signed 'salut et paternité | Alphonse Karr'.

[ Printed item. ] Circular for the First Edition Club, London, by 'A. J. A. Symons, Secretary', inviting publishers to submit books to be included in 'the Fifty Books of the Year', and giving the criteria.

Author: 
The First Edition Club, London, founded by A. J. A. Symons [ Alphonse James Albert Symons ] (1900-1941) [ Curwen Press? ] [ William Foyle ]
Publication details: 
The First Edition Club, 6 Little Russell Street, London. [ Printed by the Curwen Press? ] [ Between 1922 and 1931. ]
£28.00

1p., 4to. Nicely printed (by the Curwen Press?) on watermarked laid paper. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. A nice piece of First Edition Club ephemera. The year to which the circular relates is meant to be added in manuscript, but has not been. Begins: 'The Committee appointed to choose the Fifty Books of the Year for [blank] will be grateful if, at your early convenience, you will submit such of your publications as seem to you most likely to be selected. I may perhaps remind you that the criteria by which judgment is made are | 1. TYPOGRAPHICAL DESIGN | 2. PAPER | 3. BINDING | 4.

[ Guillaume Lejean, French ethnographer and African explorer. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('G. Lejean') to unnamed correspondent, regarding his writing for various publications, and a spat in Le Pays between Lamartine and the Vicomte de La Guéronnière.

Author: 
Guillaume Lejean (1828-1871), French ethnographer and African explorer. [ Alphonse de Lamartine; Louis Étienne Arthur Dubreuil, Vicomte de La Guéronnière (1816-1875) ]
Publication details: 
Orléans. 23 July 1851.
£180.00

2pp., 8vo. On bifolium. In fair condition, on lightly-aged and creased paper. 52 lines of text, written in a close and difficult hand. He begins by explaining his silence 'depuis deux grands mois'. He refers to 'notre ennuyeux papier, comme Guilmer continue à appeler les journaux', and states that he has been doing 'un peu de redaction dans le Pays, soit la Revue de la Presse, soit les comptes rendus des Académies'. He begins by explaining his silence 'depuis deux grands mois'.

[Alphonse de Lamartine, French poet.] Autograph Letter Signed ('Al. de Lamartine'), in French, recommending a selected edition of his 'faibles écrits'. Written on the reverse of a printed 'Prospectus des Œuvres choisies de M. Lamartine'.

Author: 
Alphonse de Lamartine [Alphonse Marie Louis de Prat de Lamartine] (1790-1869), French poet and politician
Publication details: 
Letter: Paris. 1 February 1849. Prospectus: Paris, February 1849. 'Typ. Benard et Comp., pass. de Caire, 2.'
£280.00

Lamartine's letter, of 1p., 12mo, on a blank page on the reverse of the prospectus, which is 2pp., 8vo, on a bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. The letter is addressed to an unnamed individual ('Monsieur'), and consists of twenty lines of text. He has been encouraged by 'Les rapports de bienveillance intellectuelle', he is sending the prospectus for his selected works, which he has himself revised, augmented, annotated and edited.

Autograph Letter Signed ('Alphonse Esquiros'), in French, from Henri-François-Alphonse Esquiros to a 'concitoyen', regarding applications for professorships at the military academies at Woolwich, Addiscombe and Sandhurst.

Author: 
Alphonse Esquiros [Henri-François-Alphonse Esquiros] (1812-1876), French writer [Woolwich; Addiscombe; Sandhurst]
Publication details: 
6 St German's Villas, Lewisham. 2 April [no year].
£80.00

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Very good, on lightly-aged and slightly-creased paper. He begins by apologising for the lateness of his response, caused by work which was supposed to be finished at the end of the previous month.

Autograph Letter Signed "Mlien Foy" to "Monsieur le President" [Louis Napoleon Bonaparte]. In French.

Author: 
[Maximilien?] Foy.
Publication details: 
[?], 9 November 1849.
£265.00

Two pages, 4to, some defects including a small tear but text clear and complete. He reminds the President of their meeting in which he congratulated him on "le grand mouvement populaire qui vous a place at la tete de la nation" and spoke of his brother, Alphonse Foy, "ancien administrateur en chef des telegraphes, whom he would replace when the time was right. He will present arguments on behalf of his brother. Alphonse had been chosen by Casimir-Perier in 1831 "pour diriger l'administration des lignes telegraphiques" and was responsible for establishing the electric telegraph in France.

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