AUTOGRAPH

Two pages, 8vo, bifolium, closed tear on fold, sl. darkeing at edge, mainly good condition, third page with brief biography of Say in French in another hand, adding presumably about his correspondent (?) that "[Say] se consacra a l'economie politique. Comme Smith, il combattit les prohibitions, les imports de consummation [...]". Fourth page has the correspondent's address in Say's hand, and is docketed with name and date. Text of letter: He initially thanks Smith for his letter to him "qui eleve une question interessante sur le produit qui varie le moins envaleur.

Printed programme, Four pages, 8vo, bifolium, signed, often with comments by members of the cast (from Robert Buist and 20+ others) including Joe Orton as follows: ""As Paris said the Helen "Virtue wont [sic] hurt you | But Vice is nice." | John (ist youth)". [First Youth ......... John]. Note (Wiki): "Orton became interested in performing in the theatre around 1949 and joined a number of dramatic societies, including the prestigious Leicester Dramatic Society.

Paper, 13 x 6cm, upper edge sl ragged from detachment from larger page, good condition.

Good bold signature, on 5 x 10 cm slip of paper, cut from the end of a letter. In fair condition, lightly aged. Reads: 'Believe me | Yrs. most sincerely | Charlotte E L Riddell'.

On 12mo landscape leaf detached from album. In fair condition, lightly aged. On one side of the leaf are the Coogans' inscription and signatures, written at a diagonal. Jackie Coogan writes 'Billy Taft | To Geney | Good Luck | Jackie | Coogan'. His wife's signature is beneath his: 'Ann McCormack'. On the other side of the leaf, again written at a diagonal, is 'All my best wishes - | Sincerely, | Billie Love'.

On 4 x 10 cm slip of paper, with corners cut off to make a rectangular octagon. In fair condition, lightly aged and creased. Reads: 'Your's [sic] truly | E. H. Seymour. Admiral.' The other side of the slip has parts of the leaf's black mourning border, and the name of the recipient, who was the Queen's equerry: '[?] Her Majesty in 1891. | Lt. Col. A Davidson | C. V. O.'

1p, 4to. Bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, and folded several times. The main text reads: 'Gentn | By inserting the following correct [last word underlined] Statement of Benefits at the Liverpool Theatre (this season) in your next Mirror you'll particularly oblige your most obt. Servt. | Edwd. Murray'. Beneath this is a list of the names of 15 individuals, with the amount of money made by each one's benefit, coming to a total of £2665. The list begins with 'Miss Murray £263' and ends with 'Mr Simmons 101'. The penultimate entry is for 'Mr Wild (Prompter) 103'.

Good clear signature on one side of slip of paper, an irregular rectangle roughly 1.5 x 12.5 cm. In fair condition, aged and worn, with traces of mount on reverse. Reads: 'Your's [sic] most affectionately | James Hogg'.

1p, 4to. In fair condition, lightly aged, with slight wear at head repaired on reverse with archival tape. The context of the letter is explained in Fawcett's entry in the Oxford DNB: 'In September 1829 Fawcett was superseded in the management of Covent Garden […] the theatre in which he had been a main prop for thirty-nine years. With a salary of £100 a year allowed him as treasurer and trustee of the Covent Garden Theatrical Fund he retired to a cottage at Botley, near Southampton.' The letter begins: 'Some weeks back I enclos'd you a draft for £10 intended for the Widow Paulo.

Postcard with printed stamp. In good condition, on aged paper. Address by her to 'Miss Johnson [identified in pencil as Isa Johnson] | 23 Weltje Road | Hammersmith | London - W'. The card reads: 'My thanks for your letter - I am sorry I did not see you to speak to the other day. I hate leaving here in next few days it has done me such a lot of good.'

1p, 4to. Bifolium. Addressed on reverse of second leaf, with two postmarks (one from Egham) to 'Mr Carpenter | Bookseller | Old Bond Street | London'. Aged and worn, with Carpenter's spike-hole through one word of text. Reads: 'Miss Robinson will be obliged to Mr Carpenter, to send her the following works of her Mother's, uniformly bound – Together with the account of them: - Miss R must have them before Christmas day. | Viz. - | “Herbert De Sevrac” | “Vancenza” | “Angelina”'.

2pp, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. The letter casts an interesting sidelight on the practicalities of the late-Victorian theatre. He begins by explaining that he is sending back a wig he made for him, which was 'an admirable one in every way', and asking that he make him 'one like it for America & to bestow your best skill on it as it is of great importance to me'. He instructs him to 'make the wig a shade darker, something of the color it is dyed behind, & put a little natural white hair on the temples each side'.

On one side of a 10 x 22.5 cm slip of paper. In fair condition, lightly aged, with creasing to one edge. Addressed by Malone on reverse to 'Mr Henry Payne | Pall Mall', and endorsed in another hand 'Edmd Malone Esq'. Indicating that he is a troublesome customer, he writes: 'Mr Malone finds this book (Brome) which was paid for last night was not what he wanted – He returns it – and will take some other article instead of it - | He had quite forgot the Chaucer [added here: 'No. 544'] that was laid by – He does not mean to have it –| Friday Morn –'.

1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Begins: 'My very dear Friend, | I lack words to express my real gratitude for your heartfelt kindness to so young a fellow as your devoted comrade, here writing'. He hopes for an opportunity to show proof of his 'profound and hearty friendship'. He ends with renewed thanks, and 'sincere loves [sic] to your good Wife and dear self'.

Both items are 2pp, 12mo, and bifoliums. Both in good condition, lightly aged, and each folded once. The second has rust marks to margin from a paperclip. Given the sunbject-matter, the recipient may be a relation of the actress Mrs William Barry (1739-1771), whose maiden name was Osborne. ONE: 17 August 1769; on Park Road letterhead. Signed 'Ch. Fechter.' He begins by announcing: 'I have, by no means, altered my mind; but have been – and am still – strolling about the country'.

4pp, 12mo, with postscript crosswritten at head of first page. Bifolium on grey paper. In fair condition, aged and worn, with traces of tape from mount along gutter, which has damage at head.

1p, 4to. In good condition, lightly aged. Written in a clear and attractive hand. The recipient is not named. Begins: 'My dear & ever-honoured Friend! | Some business of great importance kept me nine days absent from this Capital. At my return I found your most obliging Letter of the 7th. instant, & was exceedingly delighted with your Kindness. You are indeed a matchless Nobleman.' He asks if the recipient is acquainted with Prince Charles of [Cunandia?], adding: 'I swear you knew the strangest varlet that ever was. It is pity.

4pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded twice. Addressed to 'My dear Duke', but with the ducal recipient unidentified. He thanks him for the book on Mary Davies, mistress of Charles II (no doubt 'Mary Davies and the Manor of Ebury' by Charles T. Gatty, published in the same year). 'It is really one of the most fascinating books I have ever read and gives me all sorts of new points of view in forming a mental picture of the state of England at the end of the 17th.

Fourteen items, including three letters from Starkie and seven letters from the Oxford University Press – five of them from Geoffrey Cumberlege and two from G. W. S. Hopkins – and copies of two letters from Cumberlege to Fry's agent Emanuel Wax, and a copy of a letter from the OUP to Starkie. All dating from 1955. The collection is in fair condition, lightly aged and worn. The three Starkie letters are all in autograph, and total 7pp. The first two are written from Madrid, and the last from the Athenaeum in Pall Mall.

3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once. With envelope addressed to 'F. Eyles Esq. | 38 Bedford Place, | Russell Square, | WC'. Year of letter added in pencil. Signed 'Arthur Weigall'. Having made his name in Luxor as an Egyptologist, Weigall was a successful set-designer for the London revues during the First World War, and the present item concerns a magazine article regarding this work.

3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, aged and worn. Folded once. Wretched handwriting, resulting in the following tentative transcription. He begins by saying that he is sorry she has been ill, adding, 'I have no advantage over you in that matter. The [?] and [?] got hold upon me.' Regarding the celebrated circulating library, he writes that 'Mudie's little game is 'not to [buy?] another little [me?], knowing that he can weary out the public. | I have therefore to circulate my own copy among students, but it is out at present.

On one side of 11 x 12.5 cm leaf of pink paper, with rounded outer edges, detached from an autograph album. In fair condition, lighty aged and a little grubby. Reads: 'To | Michael | sincerely | Fredric March'.

A fascinating and revealing collection of material, touching on questions of censorship and sexual morality in twentieth-century Britain, as well as the problems of publication during the Second World War. From the papers of Sir John Pollock (1872-1963), and relating to the 1943 revival of his 'Damaged Goods', a translation of Eugène Brieux's scandalous play 'Les Avariés'. Written in 1901, Brieux's play concerns the effects of a diagnosis of syphilis on a respectable family, and was met with outrage on its first appearance in Paris in 1902.

Three items from the papers of Sir John Pollock, relating to his translation of Eugène Brieux's scandalous play 'Les Avariés'.

Written within one of three red rectangular squares on a page on one side of a leaf detached from 'The Meredith Birthday Book'. In good condition, lightly aged. The Princess's inscription reads 'Victoria of Schleswig Holstein Aug. 2. 1902', and the rest of the page is blank. The word 'Victoria' is underlined, and the upper part of the flourish to the 'V' extends over the top of the rectangle, and the date projects into the margin. On the reverse to the leaf are printed quotations from Meredith for the days 4 to 6 May.

Collingwood's ship the Royal Sovereign was the first to engage with the enemy at Trafalgar, at which Nelson exclaimed, 'see how that noble fellow Collingwood carries his ship into action!' Collingwood's comment, at almost the same moment, was 'What would Nelson give to be here?' On 1.5 x 8 cm slip of paper, cut from a printed volume. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. Laid down onto a slip of paper for display. The signature – 'Cuthbt.

2pp, 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged, with strip of paper from mount adhering at foot of reverse. The recipient's name is not decipherable, but he appears to have been a royal equerry. Blakeney hopes that he 'got safe home last night', and thanks him 'for giving me the pleasure of your Company'. He is enclosing a letter from Sir John Wilson (1780-1856) 'who is forwarding an application from Mr Ferrier the Quarter Master of this Establishment in favour of an application to obtain admission into the Cambridge [?]'.

3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with traces of mount, and red wax seal, adhering to the reverse of the second leaf, which is franked (the franker's name and signature illegible) to 'Sir John Phippart [sic] | &c &c | No 8 New Burlington St'. Slight loss to one corner of second leaf, from breaking open of seal, with damage to one word of text.

Four pages, 12mo, bifolium, fold mark, vestiges of tipping into album, text clear and complete, good to very good condition. "I am very pleased that you have found anything that I have written a help to you and especially to find that in your opinion a perusal of 'John Inglesant' is calculated to promote 'a better and a purer life'. I am strongly inclined to think that you will find this the case for a past day rather than in those of the present." His correspondent has sent a reference which Shorthouse explains.

One page, 8vo, good condition. He thanks his corespondent for inviting him to lecture to the Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society. "I ma giving a number of illustrated lectures this winter on Leonardo da Vinci as artist and scientist, and I think this subject would have interested your Society. Unhappily there are two obstacles. I am now so heavily committed for the next tqelve months that I really cannot undertake anything else. And I ought to add that my lecture fee is thirty guineas."