AUTOGRAPH

One page, 12mo, minor creasing, good condition. "I'm so full up with work that I couldn't promise to read yours with the care all efforts deserve. In any case I would advise you not to seek anybody's opinion. Keep at it until somebody puts some cash down then you'll know that your work speaks for itself in the only possible way. | Be prepared for seven years jolly hard work & much disappointment. It took me that time. | Look out for a reprint of a novel of mine called 'The Secret Kingdom'. It might help you to keep your spirits up. It should be on the bookstalls about August."

1p, 4to. In fair condition, aged and worn, folded three times, with labels from mount on blank reverse. With RSPCA date stamp. Singular signature, with all three parts of Fiske's name running into one another, and the middle name elongated. Addressed to Fairholme at the RSPCA, London. 'I regret that the article by Senor de Toledo [i.e. J. Garcia de Toledo of Malaga, Honorary President of the IHA] d[i]d not reach me in time to make it possible for me to send it with our other Anti-Bull-Fight MSS, to the Humane Conference.

At the age of 22 Sulkowski entered the Napoleonic army, taking part in the Peninsular War and the Invasion of Russia. After the death of Józef Poniatowski, he briefly took command of the Polish Corps. He returned to Rydzyna in 1815. 1p, 12mo. Laid down on part of leaf from album. In fair condition, aged and worn, with slight staining and a closed tear at foot. Biographical note in German at foot in nineteenth-century hand.

A good letter, breathing enthusiasm for his field of study. 3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded twice. He begins by stating that he will not be calling at the Museum that week, but writes to 'drop you a line to say that I have received a very long letter from Mr [Suett?] full of details regarding Ilrigocephalus etc and in which he mentions that he can drown you with notes on Rudists'. He also refers to 'a good paper by V. Hauren on the Structure etc of Caprina Partschi' ('a synonym of Cap. Paradoxa Matheron').

4pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Evidently incomplete: the first part only of a long letter. Begins: 'My dear Maclean | I have it not in my heart to put forward an excuse for very long silence, beyond an amount of employment the like of which I have never had thrown upon me before, for many years.' He hopes to see him, but leaves that night 'for the North on a tour of inspection'.

1p, 8vo. In good condition, lightly aged, folded twice. He does not have a copy of his book 'Flying Eggs', but intends 'to order a few. Since computerization, ordering is a longwinded business, but there's reasonable hope they'd arrive before the Christmas post.' He gives instruction concerning payment and postage. He makes a suggestion if McPherson should 'at any point in the future [be] tempted to buy my first book of short stories, PENNINE TALES' (go for the paperback which is cheaper and 'much better edited').

References to the recipient's 'little ones', and to 'Jessie and the children' would date the letter to the early 1870s. Of particular interest is the criticism of Mayor's former student 'Wilkins', this being Augustus Samuel Wilkins (1843-1905), later Professor of Latin at Owens College, Manchester, who had been President of the Cambridge Union in 1868. 4pp, 12mo. The letter, signed 'John E B Mayor', covers the first two pages; the final two pages carry a list of around twenty textual references to Cicero, at the end of which are a few more in pencil in another hand (J. B. Mayor's?). Bifolium.

1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged, with a two fold lines. Ornamented engraved letterhead. Reads: 'Dr Lindley presents his Compts to Major Abby & begs to inform him that there are no such birds as he enquires for in the Garden of the Horticultural Society, nor has there ever been. There is only a couple of gulls & a duck, which were presented by the Zoological Society'.

1p, 12mo. Aged and worn, with slight damage to corners from mounting. The handwriting is a little odd: childish and slightly backwards-sloping. The letter reads: 'My dear Robson. | Many thanks for your letter, & His Excellency is much obliged for your kindness. On the back of this I have written an order for the Transport Dept. to supply you with carts to bring the [Corps?] up to Nikosia, would you fill in the number required.'

2pp, 4to. On leaf tipped-in onto a piece of light-green card from an album, at head of which is attached a printed slip: 'BARENTIN C. L. F. de P. | Born 1738. Died 1819. | KEEPER OF THE SEALS TO LOUIS XVI.' The letter is undated, but the year '1789' has been added in pencil in a nineteenth-century hand. (That same year, following the Storming of the Bastille, Barentin was dismissed by the king.) Nineteen lines of closely-written text. Addressed at bottom left of first leaf to 'M le P Gl' (Monsieur le Procureur général?).

All three 1p, landscape 12mo. All in good condition, lightly aged. ONE: 9 December 1974. He thanks him for 'the invitation […] But as I'm teaching full-time here now, this would be very difficult to arrange as far as schools visits would be concerned. (I asked the Arts Council to take my name off the schools list, but they don't seem to have done so).' He suggests a 'reading during the holiday break, perhaps. One aimed principally at adults, I mean.' The 'London Poetry Secretariat/Arts Council link-up' might 'provide some kind of subsidy'.

The signature ('Robert S Ball') is on a 3.5 x 11 cm slip of paper, laid down on a piece of light-grey paper cut from an album, with the letterhead 'OBSERVATORY, | CAMBRIDGE' on a second slip laid down on the same piece. In good condition, lightly-aged.

2pp, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded twice. The female recipient is unidentified, but would appear to be the editor of a magazine, enquiring after the progress of a 'paper' Ellis has agreed to write on 'Java Sparrows'. Ellis explains that she has 'begun a better story in the Child's department which it is consequently necessary to finish first', to appear 'in the number for June', but that 'your paper shall certainly come next'. The handwriting is not altogether straightforward, but Ellis appears to say here that 'stories will not always [write?] up when [necessary?]'.

The present letter dates from the time of the appearance of the first volume of Napier's 'History of the Peninsular War' (1828-1840), and in it Napier criticises the recently-published rival 'Story of the Peninsular War by the late Marquess of Londonderry; with continuation by G.R.

See his biography by Rosie Llewellyn-Jones, 'The Last King in India' (2014). 1p, 16mo. In fair condition, lightly aged, with several horizontal fold lines, two of which have short closed tears. Reads: 'His Majesty the King of Oude requests the pleasure of Captain Towgood's Company at Breakfast at the Shahmunzil Palace at 9 A. M and Dinner at the Baraduree of the Furruh Buksh Palace at ½ past 7 P. M. on Monday next the 17th. Inst.' Postscript: 'The favor of an answer is requested.'

ONE: Autograph Letter Signed ('Malietoa'). 1p, 4to. On ruled paper. In good condition, lightly aged, folded three times. A tentative reading (by a non-speaker of Samoan) is: 'Misi Uatime | Faffean Apia | Iau Susugae! | Faumolemole sii e silasila gneile faasamoa sa faia e u Le'an'anae o le tulagono lena fro na Tonu? I le toc faa foi mai ai pe a ua tatan ma lon taofi.| Oa'n | Malietoa | fe tupa o Samoa'. 'TWO: Covering Autograph Letter Signed from 'H. W. [Whitwell?]' to 'Mr. Stoate', on embossed letterhead of the Independent College Taunton, 6 January 1894. 2pp, 12mo.

1p, 12mo. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper, folded twice. An elegantly-expressed sentiment: 'Mademoiselle, | Les malheureux sont mes Amis, et l'oeuvre à la quelle vous vous interressez à [sic] toutes mes sympathies; malheureusement je suis si peu de choses que je ne puis vous témoigner que mon bon vouloir a l'oeuvre à la quelle vous vous interressez [sic]si vivement.'

1p, 12mo. In good condition, folded twice. The recipient is not identified. Reads: 'Dear Madam, | I must send you one line to thank you for your kind & sympathetic letter, which has not only given me real pleasure but encouragement as well. It was good of you to write. | Very truly yours | Arthur C Benson'.

3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged, with minor damage at head. Folded once. He begins by requesting with 'much respect' to be excused 'on your great day', and explains: 'I write this from my bed, where I am confined with that delectable complaint the gout, and the moment I can move I must be off somewhere, either to Bath, or Buxton, to go through a regular course -'. He complains: 'This country does not agree with one -; we arrived in England 1 May, and I have already had three attacks of gout. I was seven months absent and was entirely free from it.

See Sewell's entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, landscape 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. The letter reads: 'My dearest Annie | Eliza tells me you wanted a copy of the French Book. I am so glad I happen to have one by me. - for I want you to have it from me. Please accept the book with love. | Yours very affly | Elizabeth M Sewell | Bonchurch. July 13th. 1868'.

2pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once. He begins by informing the unnamed recipient that the reason for the delay in answering his letter is that Selous has 'just returned to this country from a trip to Hungary'. For his part, Selous will be 'very pleased if you will quote anything you like from my book, “Travel and Adventure in S. E. Africa”. He presumes that 'the publishers, to whom the book I suppose really belongs, will have no objection either, as to quote any passage from a book is to call attention to the book itself, which may result in the sale of a copy'.

1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged, attractive. Folded once. Written in purple ink. Reads: 'Dear Denselow | I have pleasure in complying with you request. | Yours truly | G A Henty'.

2pp, 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged, with fold lines. Annotated up one margin: 'Writer of Travels &c'. Andersson writes: 'Dear Mr. Blackett, - | I enclose a literal translation of a paragraph extracted from one of the best Swedish newspapers, by which you will see that the King has honoured me with a medal. If you think that this paragraph may be of any use to you when advertising the 2d. Edition of “Lake Ngami”, it is quite at your service. Of course you may put it any [sic] language you may think proper. | Yours faithfully | Chs. J. Andersson.' Apparently a scarce autograph.

On slip of grey paper, roughly 4 x 13.5 cm. In fair condition, lightly aged, with traces of paper from mount adhering to the blank reverse. With two unobtrusive vertical fold lines. Reads: 'Kindest regards | Yours sincerely | Edward Lear.'

2pp, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. He thanks her for remembering him and sending 'that splendid photograph of yourself – I really think it is the best I have seen'. He continues: 'I have been “slogging” away at water-colours for a shew in Manchester and so have kept pretty busy.' He is sending 'a Nile water colour to the New Gallery', and has sent 'an oil to the Academy – they are sure to kick it out so I shan't mind'. He hopes that she and her sister 'are all right' and 'enjoying this lovely weather'.

On 4 x 5.5 cm piece of paper. In good condition, laid down on square of paper cut from leaf removed from album. An uncommon signature and an unusual one, consisting of a single line in a series of up and down strokes, diminishing in height, tapering off to the right before returning for the underlining.

1p, 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged and grubby, with three folds. The letter reads: 'Dear Streatfield | it is no use sending me the Score of the Symphony here at present, as I am too busy to look at it properly, besides which, all my Programmes are definitely fixed till the end of the season, but if you will ask Mr. Hinton to send it to me to Hamilton Terrace (54, not 73) after Feby., when I shall be back in town, I shall be pleased to look through it.'

4pp, 12mo. Bifolium with mourning border. In good condition, lightly aged. He hopes that his 'increasing labours in the Sacred Cause of Temperance in the Metropolis' will excuse his late acknowledgement of the recipient's 'honoured Letter'. He thanks Coxen and his wife for their 'kind invitation', but fears that he will not be 'able to take up my abode at your Mansion', although he promises himself, 'the pleasure of paying you and your aimiable lady a visit during my stay at Bath'.

Salisbury was a Liberal politician and the son of the Prime Minister. Some background to the correspondence is supplied by the Times articles, 'The Church in War', 6 February 1918 and 'Bishops' War Session' ('Supply of Chaplains'), 10 July 1918. The five items in good condition, on 12mo bifoliums. The first two items below are addressed to Brade himself, and the other three to his private secretary. The first three letters are signed 'Salisbury', the other two are in the third person. ONE: To Brade. War Office, 'Sunday'. 3pp. Written in pencil.

1p, 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged. Reads: 'Palace Dublin | Sept 28/74 | Madam | I send you the autograph which you desire. | Yr. obedt. Servt | Richd. C. Dublin | Miss Julia Glover'.