AUTOGRAPH

An interesting agglomeration of ephemera London cinematic information. The author is working-class or lower-middle-class. Two sturdy ruled small 4to exercise books, with black covers of ribbed watered cloth and spine of red cloth. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. ONE: 150pp. Ownership inscription on inside of front cover: ‘Miss Renee Fish, / 112, Allerford Road / Catford, / S.E.6.’ The first page is headed: ‘31. 12. 29. Films I have seen during 1930.’ Each of the volume’ The entries are numbered from 1 to 272, with an additional numeration for each year from the second year onwards.

An interesting piece of Exeter ephemera. See ‘Besley’s Exeter Directory for 1835’: ‘LUNATIC ASYLUM, St. Thomas. Founded in 1795. The expenses are defrayed by the board of patients whose friends can afford to pay for their maintenance, and by benefactions, legacies, &c.’ (In the entry ‘John Mackintosh’ is still listed as treasurer.) 1p, landscape 12mo. Addressed by Mackintosh on reverse to ‘Mr. James Penny / Bookseller / Fore St. / Exeter’. In fair condition, on aged and lightly-creased paper, with slight staining and damage from breaking open wafer.

On 11 x 6 cm piece of aged paper, with patches of discoloration and traces of mount on reverse. Good clear firm and undamaged signature on front: ‘[...] I am Sir / Yr Obt. Sert. / Sydney’. The reverse reads: ‘[...] ristricted from killing rabbits on the land lately taken on lease from me and also from ploughing up any part of it but I hereby give you leave to kill rabbits or any [...]’. See Image.

See the entries for Barrow and Seymour in the Oxford DNB. On laid Whatman paper dated 1833. Having served for four years as Commissioner at Portsmouth, Seymour had sailed out to South America in 1833 as commander-in-chief, dying of ‘low fever’ at Rio de Janeiro two months before the writing of the present letter. 1p, foolscap 8vo. In good condition, folded twice. At top left: ‘Duplicate, / No 50.’ Initialed at bottom left: ‘J. P.’ Good firm and attractive signature ‘John Barrow’. Writing with regard to ‘the late Rear Admiral Sir Michael Seymour’s letter of the 16th.

According to A. J. P. Taylor, Chamberlain was ‘the greatest force in British politics between the decline of Gladstone and the rise of Lloyd George. See his lengthy entry, and that of Maxse, in the Oxford DNB’. 1p, 16mo. In good condition, lightly aged. With one central vertical fold from postage. Reads: ‘My dear Maxse / I have been away but will try & get a seat for Thursday & write to you again / Yours sincerely / J. Chamberlain’. Postscript at head of page: ‘Can you dine with me here on Friday at 8 p.m?’

See Wendy Trewin, ‘The Royal General Theatrical Fund: a history, 1838-1988’ (1989), and Macqueen-Pope’s entry in the Oxford DNB. ONE: Carbon copy of letter from Macqueen-Pope to Allen, 15 May 1953, with three drafts of advertisement. 4pp, 4to. On four leaves. The letter, on the first page, is somewhat grubby, with rust spotting from paper clip, the other three leaves, each of which carries a proposed version of the advertisment, in good condition, lightly aged. The letter begins: ‘Dear Jack Allen, / Herewith three rough samples for the proposed advertisement concerning the Fund.

See his entry in Who Was Who. The thirteen items in good condition, lightly aged, most with RSA date stamp and annotations. A total of 12pp, 8vo, in autograph; and 5pp, 4to, typed. The first ten signed ‘D T Chadwick’ and the last three ‘David Chadwick’. The earliest letter, to RSA Secretary Sir Henry Trueman Wood on 22 December 1916, deals with the publication of Chadwick’s remarks ‘at the discussion on Prof. Todds paper before the Indian Section of the Society of Arts’.

See Currie’s entry in the Oxford DNB. Both he and the recipient Hutton had South African interests. Both items in fair condition, lightly aged and worn, and each with pinholes at head from being attached, and folded for postage. Each is signed ‘Donald Currie’. ONE: 17 March 1879. 1p, 12mo. Addressed to ‘James E [sic] Hutton Esqr.’ He received Hutton’s ‘kind message’ and ‘called on the King. To-day I met the Duke of Sutherland.’ He will write to him again ‘in a day or two’. ‘Are you to be in town soon?’ TWO: 29 March 1879. 2pp, 12mo. Headed ‘Private’, and addressed to ‘J. F. Hutton Esqre.

1p, 12mo. On grey paper. In fair condition, lightly aged and with slight creasing. Large firm signature. Presumably responding to a request for an autograph. Reads: ‘With my most abject apologies - but I have been away for three months / Robert Morley. See Image.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 4to. In good condition, lightly aged and creased. Folded twice for postage. The letterhead is somewhat striking, with a band of green printed along the top, and the charity’s logo featuring prominently. The names of many officers and committe members are printed down the left-hand margin, headed by President Noel Coward, and including ‘Miss Gladys Cooper’, ‘Dame Edith Evans’, ‘Lady Du Maurier’, ‘Sir Laurence Olivier’, ‘Mr. Michael Redgrave’, ‘Mr. Jack Hawkins’ and ‘Mr. Kenneth More’. Attenborough features both as Hon.

See her entry in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 8vo. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once for postage. Addressed to ‘Dear Miss Scott’ and with good clear signature ‘Myra Hess’. She regrets that it will not be possible for her to join Miss Scott for dinner. ‘I shall probably have to work, rehearse all day on Tuesday [corrected by Hess to ‘Wednesday!’] - so shall have to try & get a rest before 8.30 - (& probably have a scrambled egg at the last minute!!’ She ends ‘Forgive this in haste / Again thanking you’.

See her entry in the Oxford DNB. The three TLsS (Items One to Three), each signed ‘Lilian Baylis’, are all 1p, 4to. They are in fair condition, creased and lightly aged, with Item Three having two punch holes for a binder. The portrait postcard is in good condition, lightly aged. ONE: TLS, 15 November 1921. Addressed to ‘Miss Ingham’. ‘I do hope you will have a big success with the enclosed card.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, foolscap 8vo. In fair condition, on aged paper with nicks and small closed tears to extremities. Addressed to ‘Thos. M. Wilson Esqre / the Captain 59 foot’, and signed ‘Fitzroy Somerset’. The document is in a secretarial hand, only the signature being in Somerset’s autograph.

See his obituary in The Times, 16 June 1987. 1p, 4to. On aged and lightly creased and worn paper. Folded twice, with short closed tears to edges of central horizontal crease. Addressed to ‘Dear Hide’ and ‘Lieutenant G. Hide, R.N.V.R. / 700 Squadron / TWATT.’ Signed ‘Robert Neville’. He feels ‘very guilty’ that he did not write to thank Hide ‘for the Walrus, which was, of course, an absolute Godsend to me. Sargent could not have been a more delightful or obliging pilot.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. Simply Grote's stylish Autograph Signature, 'G. Grote', on a 6 x 3 cm piece of light-grey paper. In good condition, lightly aged. See Image.

See the entries for Hamilton and McCheyne in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. On the recto of the first leaf of a bifolium, with the verso of the second leaf addressed by Hamilton, with broken seal in black wax, to ‘Rev. R. M. McCheyne / Dundee’. Addressed to ‘My dear Friend’ and signed ‘James Hamilton’. In fair condition, lightly discoloured. Folded three times for postage. In the hope that his prayers will give McCheyne strength, Hamilton will ‘venture down to-morrow’ by coach. If he is unable to ‘reach Dundee in time’, he gives the time when he will be ‘in St Peter’s Vestry’.

1p, 4to. Addressed to 'Dear Miss Cond' and signed 'G P Bachmann'. In fair condition, lightly aged and creased. Folded twice for postage. He apologises for the late reply to her ‘nice note and the book-plate’. He gives details of two films he has been ‘terribly busy making’, ‘neither of them stories I wrote’: ‘The Phoenix is to start in Berlin this winter as a very big film with three big stars.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly-aged. Folded once for postage. Addressed to ‘Dear Mr Brett-James’ and signed ‘Cyril Falls’. He is ‘delighted to hear from Brigadier Peter Young’ that Brett-James will, ‘he feels sure, take on Waterloo in the Great Battles Series I am editing’. He explains that the book’s chapters ‘are brief’, and is enclosing an explanatory sheet. Ends: ‘Please, however, let me have your reply at the earliest possible moment.’ The volume ‘Great Military Battles’, edited by Falls, appeared in 1964.

See the entries for Cox and Tuckwell in the Oxford DNB. 4pp, 12mo. On bifolium blind-stamped with the device of the Conservative Club. Addressed to ‘Rev P [sic] Tuckwell / College School / Taunton’, and signed ‘Edwd Wm Cox’. In good condition, on aged paper. Folded twice for postage. He begins: ‘Dr Sir / It gives me very great pleasure to aid the fund of the College School. After its long hybernation 43 years ago, I was the first pupil received on its revival. & within its walls I obtained the larger portion of my education, following the then master, (Rev H Forster) to Oxford.

See his entry, and Craig’s, in the Oxford DNB. 13 x 9 cm envelope, with seal (no impression of any kind) in red wax over the broken flap. In good condition, lightly aged. On the front of the envelope, in Jeffrey’s hand, ‘To / James Gibson Craig Esqre / 7. North St Andrew Street’. Beneath this, at bottom left and between the customary lines is the signature ‘F. Jeffrey’.

See Canning’s entry, with that of Sullivan, in the Oxford DNB, and Binning’s in the History of Parliament. The signatures (‘Geo. Canning / Binning / John Sullivan’) are in a column on one side of a 10 x 7 cm piece of watermarked laid paper. In good condition, lightly aged, with slight discoloration on reverse from the mount. The date is given in pencil on the front, and the back carries the following fragment of text: ‘It is to be a [...] / that every contribution [...] / is to be perfectly & precisely [...] / the names only of those [...] / contribute, (& not of those [...]’.

In good condition. Printed on one side of the card is one of Bennett's self-caricatures, and printed on the other, on a left hand panel, a note apologising for not writing in autograph, as answering so much mail would take away 'time which I would like to spend working'. On the right-hand panel, in actual autograph, is the following: 'Thank you for yr letter and I hope 2021 is a better year for you. I gather from Sam Barnett (ex History Boys) that the Nottingham Playhouse is keeping going. I'm getting slower but still coming to my desk every day. / All good wishes / Alan Bennett.'

An unusual survival, providing details of a little-known Second World War scheme for artists to lend their work to the army for placement in officers’ messes. Three items, in fair condition, lightly-aged. ONE: Mimeographed Typed Circular from ‘T. A. Fennemore. / Director.’, headed ‘The Central Institute of Art and Design, National Gallery, London, W.C.2. / January 1942.’ 1p, 4to. (originally foolscap; a form has been cut away at bottom).

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. On first leaf of a bifolium, with the second leaf carrying a broken seal in red wax, and the address in Sharpe’s autograph, ‘William Frazer Esqre / 12 Duke St.’ In good condition, lightly aged, with glue to one edge of second leaf from mount. Folded several times. Signed ‘Chas. Kirkpatrick Sharpe’. He asks him to accept his ‘sincere thanks for the great favour you have conferred on me, respecting the old [stone?]’. He asks him to mention his ‘obligation to Mr Mackenzie’s Trustees, on the same account’.

On 13 x 7.5 piece of paper, cut down from the label of a packet containing a manuscript (see the annotation on the reverse). On discoloured paper, with glue staining from mount on reverse. Sumner's signature 'C. Sumner' is at top left, with the top of the S slightly cropped. The address, by Sumner, reads 'W. S. Law Magazine / New York / N. Y.' Annotated in pencil on reverse: 'Charles Sumner / M.S.S. 22d Apl 1853 / Massachusetts / Lawyer'. See Image

Plain white card, blank on reverse. In good condition, lightly aged. Reads: ‘I’m sorry I don’t have any photographs - there’s not much demand. / My second TV play (1974) was about Morecambe. Sunset Across The Bay - probably still available from the BBC / All good wishes / Alan Bennet.’

On a ‘Lion Brand’ plain post card. In good condition, but with the hurriedly-written text somewhat smudged, and a small staple at one corner. Addressed to ‘Robt J Drury / 141 Chichester Rd / Cleethorpes / S. Humberside / DN35 OJL.’ The message on the other side is hurriedly written: ‘August 1 1995 / Dear Mr. Drury / I’ve no thought on the Academy Awards I’m afraid. Some are well deserved some not - but thats true of a [?] Alan Bennett.’

1p, 12mo. On grey paper. In good condition, lightly aged. Addressed ‘Dear Mr Robinson’ and signed ‘Alan Bennett.’ A short response to a letter about his play ‘The Old Country’, whose run at the Queen’s Theatre had started on 7 September 1977. He thanks him for his kind letter, and states that ‘It’s nice to hear from people in the audience as I often feel the play goes on night after night & has nothing to do with me at all - one penalty for not performing very much.’ See Image.

Sentiment? and signature, in corner of shiny paper, 14 x 15.5cm, edges somewhat unevenly cut, good condition. I'd appreciate input from someone who can read the script to establish whether this was part of a letter or document.

One page, sm. folio, bifolium, closed tears repaired, fold marks, aging, and sl. foxing, BUT text clear and complete, if obscure at times, and semi-literate. SEE IMAGE. Text: May it please yr Lo[rdshi]ps | In obedience To your Lordships [referr...?] of ye 7th Instant, Re [?] to the offer of Mr Rog[e]r Haws[k]head.