bookselling

[ Christina Foyle of Foyle's Bookshop, London. ] 57 Typed Letters Signed and 20 Autograph Letters Signed to Philip Dosse of 'Books and Bookmen', with letters from her husband Ronald Batty. With other material including correspondence received by her.

Author: 
Christina Foyle (1911-1999), proprietor of London bookshop, Foyle's of Charing Cross Road; her husband Ronald Batty (d.1994) [ Philip Dosse (d.1980) of Hansom Books, publisher of 'Books and Bookmen' ]
Publication details: 
The letters of Foyle and Batty on two letterheads: 'From the Director's Office | W. & G. Foyle Ltd. | Booksellers | 119-125, Charing Cross Road, | London, W.C.2.' and Beeleigh Abbey, Maldon, Essex. Between 1968 and 1980.
£500.00

The collection is in good condition, with light signs of age and wear. Of Foyle's 77 letters, 63 are signed 'Christina Foyle' and 14 'Christina'. Almost all 1p., 4to. Foyle's character shines through, an extraordinary mixture of steely determination, frankness and snobbish hauteur (for a good assessment, see her obituary in The Independent, 10 June 1999). Topics include: literary luncheons for Diana Mosley, Dirk Bogarde ('He is so very appealing. My friend Vivian Ellis thinks he is greater than Shakespeare.

[ James Galt & Co. Ltd., Manchester booksellers. ] Typed Note to E. Vale of Nant Ffrancon, signed on behalf of the firm by B. E. Stevenson, regarding books ordered, on elaborate coloured letterhead.

Author: 
James Galt & Co. Ltd., Manchester academic booksellers and stationers, established 1836 [ B. E. Stevenson; E. Vale of Nant Ffrancon, Wales ]
Publication details: 
On letterhead of James Galt & Co. Ltd. Grove House Works, Plymouth Grove, Manchester 13. Undated [ 1930s? ].
£28.00

1p., 4to. In good condition. The large and unusual letterhead is the point of interest: it is roughly 17 x 11.5 cm, and mostly taken up with an illustration, printed in red, yellow, green, blue, orange and black, depicting an idealised scene in a Victorian bookseller's shop, with a young lady with bonnet and parasol, two schoolboys in top hats with Eton collars and a bespectackled master in mortar board and robes, the last of whom is examining a book shown to him by an elderly bookseller.

[ Herbert Ainslie ('Harry') Roberts, Cambridge mathematician. ] Typed Letter Signed ('H. A. Roberts') to bookseller J. G. Wilson, reminiscing on his purchase forty years before of Ruskin item at the opening of London bookshop Messrs J. and E. Bumpus.

Author: 
H. A. Roberts [ Herbert Ainslie Roberts ] (1864-1932), Secretary to the University of Cambridge Appointments Board [ John Gideon Wilson (1876-1963) of London bookshop Messrs J. & E. Bumpus ]
Publication details: 
On letterhead of the University of Cambridge Appointments Board, 11 March 1931.
£35.00

1p., 4to. In fair condtion, lightly aged and creased. With a few autograph corrections by Roberts. Having been unsuccessful in placing an individual with Wilson, Roberts writes: 'Of course forty years ago the advent of a bookshop like yours was a tremendous event, and we all flocked to it as something new and wonderful, as indeed it was.

[] 'A Catalogue of valuable Ancient and Modern Books, comprising Specimens of Early Typography, Manuscripts on Vellum, with Miniatures, Early Printed Books with woodcuts [...]'.

Author: 
Antoine Bachelin-Deflorenne, bookseller of Paris and London
Publication details: 
Bachelin-Deflorenne, Bookseller, 25, Garrick Street, (Covent Garden), London. Catalogue No. 4. September 1869.
£80.00

66 + 2pp., 12mo. Stitched pamphlet. With printed front cover. In poor condition, aged and worn, with damage to top-edge. 774 lots with prices. Notes in English and French. Among the more expensive items is 228, a collection of material relating to the Chevalier d'Eon, for £12. In poor condition, but a scarce item.

[ B. F. Stevens of Vermont and his 'Index of all the documents of American concern in private or public Archives of Great Britain, Holland, France and Spain', 1763-1783 ] Printed pamphlet: 'American Manuscripts in European Archives.'

Author: 
[ Benjamin Franklin Stevens (1833-1902) of Vermont, American bookseller in London ]
Publication details: 
Without place [ B. F. Stevens, 4 Trafalgar Square, Charing Cross, London ] or date [ 1887 ].
£120.00

18 + [1]pp., 8vo. In red cloth half-binding, with brown marbled boards. Stamp of the Royal Historical Society on endpaper, and pencil shelfmarks. In fair condition, aged and worn. A curious production. The intent of the author (certainly Stevens) is to facilitate 'definite and permanent organisation', by his 'preparation of an Index of all the documents of American concern in private or public Archives of Great Britain, Holland, France and Spain that accumulated between the years 1763 and 1783'.

[ Shakespeariana collection of Prof. Wilhelm Wetz of Freiburg. ] Printed catalogue by Joseph Baer & Co. of 'English Langugage and Literature including a Collection of Shakesperiana partly from the Library of the late Professor W. Wetz of Freiburg'.

Author: 
Shakespeariana; Wilhelm Wetz (1858-1910), Professor at the University of Freiburg [ Joseph Baer & Co., Ancient and Modern Booksellers, Frankfurt, Germany; William Shakespeare ]
Publication details: 
Joseph Baer & Co. Ancient and Modern Booksellers, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Catalogue No. 592. No date. [1911.]
£120.00

209pp., 8vo. In printed wraps, with contents page on inner front cover. Aged and with worn spine, on browned high-acidity paper. The catalogue contains 4510 items, with around 10% (472 items, numbered 2041-2513) under the headings 'Shakespeare' (2041-2208) and 'Shakespeariana' (2209-2513), and including sections of 'Separate Plays' (2082-2137) and 'Translations' (2143-2208). The catalogue also contains sections on other notable authors, including Ossian, Bulwer-Lytton, Macaulay, Thomas Moore and Ruskin. No other copy traced, either on OCLC WorldCat or on COPAC.

[ Robert Hall Westley, eighteenth-century London bookseller and stationer. ] Circular bookseller's ticket.

Author: 
R. H. Westley [ Robert Hall Westley ], bookseller and stationer, No. 159, opposite the New Church, Strand, London
Publication details: 
R. H. Westley, Bookseller & Stationer, No. 159, opposite the New Church, Strand [ London ]. [ Between 1798 and 1829. ]
£80.00

Printed in black on circle of white paper, approximately 4.5 cm in diameter. In good condition, lightly-aged. Tastefully designed, in turn of the century style, with two decorative borders enclosing the text 'Engraving & Printing neatly executed. Books elegantly bound. News Papers sent (Post free) to all parts of Gt. Britain'. The main text, enclosed by both borders, reads: 'R. H. Westley, | Bookseller & Stationer, | No. 159, | opposite the New Church, Strand | Magazines & all periodical | Publications | regularly delivered'.

[ James Kerby, eighteenth-century London bookseller and stationer. ] Printed bookseller's label with information

Author: 
James Kerby, eighteent-century London bookseller, stationer, printseller and proprietor of circulating library
Publication details: 
James Kerby, Bookseller & Stationer, No. 190 Oxford-Street, near Grosvenor-Square. [ Late eighteenth-century. ]
£100.00

Printed in black on white within oval border, roughly 5.5 cm high and 8.5 cm wide. In good condition, laid down on a piece of brown card. Tastefully presented in a style characteristic of the period, and employing the long s. Reads: 'Jas. Kerby, | BOOKSELLER & STATIONER, | NO. 190 | Oxford-Street, near Grosvenor-Square. | Sells all kinds of Papers, Writing & Account Books, | Pamphlets, Magazines, a large Assortment of | Gentlemens & Ladies Pocket-Books, Inks, Quills, | Pens, & every other Article of Stationery. | N.B. News-Papers served at any Part of | Town or Country.

[ Messrs. Harrisons & Sons of Pall Mall, Booksellers and Stationers to His Majesty The King. ] Printed catalogue: 'A List of Messrs. Harrision & Sons' Publications.'

Author: 
Messrs. Harrison & Sons, 'Booksellers and Stationers to His Majesty The King', 45 Pall Mall, London SW
Publication details: 
Messrs. Harrison & Sons, 45 Pall Mall, London. [ Circa 1903. ]
£56.00

16pp., 4to. Stitched pamphlet. Aged and worn. The lay-out is staid and old-fashioned, reminsicent of the 1880s. Very much geared to the St James's Palace market, with such titles as 'Bicycle Gymkhana and Musical Rides' by Major Walter Wingfield, 'No Army, No Empire' by the Earl of Dunraven, and 'Roulette: The Winning Rules' by 'Sperienza'. Includes various of Sir Bernard Burke's publications, and Hertslet's Treaties, as well as 'Dress Worn by Gentlemen at His Majesty's Court. The latest date within the catalogue is 1903. No other copy traced, either on OCLC WorldCat or on COPAC.

[ Penguin Books Ltd. ] 35 items of Penguin Books ephemera, including 11 issues of 'Penguin Book News', stock lists, order forms.

Author: 
Penguin Books Ltd, Harmondsworth, Middlesex [ twentieth-century British publishing ephemera ]
Publication details: 
Penguin Books, . Dating from between 1954 and 1964.
£220.00

The collection is in fair overall condition, on aged and worn paper. Not all from the same source (includes stamps of W. H. Smith & Son, Bromley; the Pioneer Bookshop, Woolwich; and Ascroft and Daw of the Charing Cross Road). ONE: 'November Penguins | published 29 October 1954'. Illustrated fold-out pamphlet. TWO: 3 issues of 'Penguin Books | Order Form', December 1954, August 1958, and October 1958. Fold-out leaflets. The December 1954 issue (creased, as is one other) features a full-page illustrated Christmas message. THREE: 'The New Penguins | ready 27 October 1955'.

[Booksellers Stock 1880-1] A General Catalogue of the Stock of C.J. Stewart. 1880[1881]

Author: 
C.J. Stewart [Charles James Stewart], Bookseller (theological)
Publication details: 
C.J. Stewart, 11 King William Street, West Strand, London, WC, 1880-1.
£280.00

584pp., 8vo, utilitarian cloth binding, sl. hinge strain, for the sections as they were published (A-Calvin, Calvin-Fulke,Fulke-Zaccaria), with original wraps of the three original parts bound in, in good+ condition. Small stamp on spine "Trin.Coll. Camb.."His stock has a theological bent, for example the section on BIBLES runs from pp.106 -165, nos.1312-1912, Biblio polyglotta (1586) to Biblia Maxima Versionum ex Linguis Orientalibus (1660).

[Donnadieu, Autograph Collector; Auction Catalogue] Catalogue of Highly Interesting and Valuable Autograph Letters and Historical Manuscripts, Being the Well Known Collection of Mons. A Donnadieu

Author: 
[A. Donnadieu, Collector, Autograph Letters]
Publication details: 
[London]: Messrs. Puttick and Simpson, 1851
£160.00

[6], 166 pp. , 8vo, many blank pages interspersed for notes (unused), catalogue crudely bound into beige boards, title handwritten on spine, damaged at spine and grubby, contents preserving the front paper wrap only, pages sl. soiled, annotated throughout with prices (many items, not all by any means) and (reflecting a MS. note in the front, "Those mrked BM were bought by the British Museum"), the initials "BM" appear beside many items. Note: No plates. With note about collation inside back cover, " Complete [pp?] Bernard Quaritch [P[...?]]

[ Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co., Ltd., London publishers. ] Illustrated booksellers' 'order form': 'A New Series of Children's Toy Books'.

Author: 
Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co., Ltd., 4, Stationers Hall Court, London, EC4 [ catalogue of 'Children's Toy Books' ]
Publication details: 
Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co., Ltd., 4, Stationers Hall Court, London, E.C.4. [1919, for 1920.]
£65.00

8pp., 4to. Illustrations of covers on every page. Stapled. In good condition, on aged paper, with rusted staples. The cover (with a central photograph depicting the covers of eight titles) is headed: 'Order Form. | A New Series of Children's Toy Books. | The Publishers offer in this new series one of the most striking and original Coloured Toy Books ever published. They will please little children. | These Toy Books will command an immediate sale in any part of the country. They are not expensive.' In right-hand margin of cover: 'A Selection of 49 Titles'.

[ Maggs Brothers.] Two Autograph Letters Signed by W. E. Lent, reporting on sale, with copy of ''Hallgate Auction Rooms, Doncaster. Catalogue of the Library of Rare and Valuable Books, The Property of G. E. Crouch Yarborough, Esq.'

Author: 
[ W. E. Lent [William Lent] of Maggs Brothers, London booksellers; G. E. Cooke-Yarborough; J. H. Crouch & Son F.A.I., Hallgate Auction Rooms, Doncaster ]
Publication details: 
Letters both on letterhead of Danum Hotel, Doncaster. 11 and 12 February 1931. Auction catalogue: J. H. Crouch & Son F.A.I., Hallgate Auction Rooms, Doncaster. 11, 12 and 13 February 1931.
£200.00

The two letters each 1p., 4to. Both on aged paper, with wear to left hand margin causing loss to text. In the first letter Lent gives details of 8 of his 17 purchases on that day, adding that 'The Lots sold quite well, a good many co are here, also Bowes, Blackwell, Mc Leis Taylor (Scheurer). Edwards, Pickering & E. Mathews, have marks.' In the second letter he gives details of 5 of his 10 purchases, one of them for 'Mr Butterwick'. He gives details of three commissions which Butterwick left with him, only one of which was successful. Catalogue: 31 + [1]pp., 4to.

[ The Federation of Master Printers, London. ] Printed booklet titled 'Booklets that make more Business'.

Author: 
[ The Federation of Master Printers, London. ]
Publication details: 
The Secretary, The Federation of Master Printers, 7/10, Old Bailey, London, E.C.4. C.A.4 11/24 [i.e. November 1924].
£100.00

16pp., 8vo. Printed in black and red. In card wraps, with title on front cover also in black and red stylised lettering on front, and an advertisement on the inside back cover ('This is the first of a series of three informative pieces of literature which are to be issued and presented by the printers of the country to users of printing. [...]'). Saddle-stitched with brown thread. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn.

[Eric Gill.] Compliments slip of the bookseller George Sims, featuring a woodcut illustration by Eric Gill, with typewritten inscription by Gill to 'Tony & Jean', stating that the item has been given to them 'just before it was remaindered'.

Author: 
Eric Gill (1882-1940), artist [George Sims (1923-199), English bookseller]
Publication details: 
Without date or place.
£40.00

Printed in black ink on 8 x 12 cm piece of thick watermarked laid paper. In very good condition. Sims acquired the Gill archive from the artist's widow, and it seems likely that he had the illustration made from one of the artist's blocks. The illustration shows a bearded man in loincloth, trailing a sword along the ground as he runs from a tree. Printed beneath the illustration: 'With the compliments of | George Sims'. Above the illustration is typed 'for Tony & Jean', and below the printed text 'just before it was remaindered'.

[Charles Dolman, Roman Catholic London publisher.] First part of Autograph Letter [from the publisher Charles Dolman] to Nicholas Wiseman in Rome, discussing his

Author: 
Charles Dolman (1807-1863), Roman Catholic London publisher ('nephew and successor to the late Joseph Booker') [Nicholas Wiseman (1802-1865), Roman Catholic Cardinal]
Publication details: 
London. 12 May 1839.
£250.00

4pp., 4to. Bifolium. 135 lines of text. In fair condition, on lightly aged and worn paper. At the time of writing Dolman had just published 'Four Lectures on the Offices and Ceremonies of Holy Week, as performed in the Papal Chapels. Delivered in Rome, in the Lent of 1837, by Nicholas Wiseman'. Later in 1839 he would publish Wiseman's anonymous 'A reply to the Rev. Dr. Turton's "Roman Catholic Doctrine of the Eucharist considered"'. Written in a close neat hand.

Two Aquatint engravings by William Henry Pyne, both engraved by 'Smart & Hunt', titled 'Cheap Meat', showing an angry man bursting into an eighteenth-century bookshop, and 'A Thief in the Kirk', showing a man in tartan running through a congregation.

Author: 
William Henry Pyne (1769-1843), author and artist; S. & J. Fuller, 34 Rathbone Place, London printsellers
Publication details: 
Both 'London, Published July 1, 1822, by S. & J. Fuller, 34, Rathbone Place.'
£220.00

Both in the same style. ONE: 'Cheap Meat.' Dimensions: paper 25 x 29.5 cm; plate 22.5 x 27.5 cm; image 18.5 x 23.5 cm. In good condition, lightly aged and worn, with slight discoloration to corners from previous mounting. Beneath plate: 'W. H. Pyne delt.

[Richard Bentley, publisher.] Two copies (one proof) of his pamphlet 'Death of the Broad Gauge', describing a Great Western Railway journey during the switch to Narrow Gauge, in a series of letters to his father George Bentley. With printed envelope.

Author: 
Richard Bentley the younger (1854-1936), member of celebrated firm of London publishers, son of George Bentley (1828-1895) and grandson of Richard Bentley (1794-1871) [Great Western Railway]
Publication details: 
[Privately printed for Richard Bentley the younger, of Richard Bentley & Son, New Burlington Street, London. 1892 and 1893.]
£320.00

All three items in good condition, lightly aged and worn. ONE: Untitled proof, with 'Proof 6.12.92 [i.e. 6 December 1992]' in manuscript at foot of first page. 20pp., 8vo. Unbound and unstitched. Two manuscript corrections, and two indications of where maps are to be placed. The first letter is written from 'Dawlish, S. Devon, | May 20, 1892', and the last from 'Clifton, | May 31, 1892'. A passage, on pp.5-8, is under the heading 'The End of the Broad Gauge', the first paragraph reading: 'On Thursday the men arrived from all parts of the G.W.

[James Tregaskis, London bookseller.] An engraving by Herbert Railton of the interior of his celebrated Holborn shop, captioned 'Old Stairway at the "Caxton Head."' Signed in pencil by Tregaskis.

Author: 
James Tregaskis (1850-1926), London bookseller; Herbert Railton (1857-1910), illustrator
Publication details: 
Published by James and Mary Lee Tregaskis, "Caxton Head," 232 High Holborn, London, 1894.
£100.00

On 32.5 x 23 cm piece of thin wove paper. In fair condition only: aged, especially at extremities, and with loss to all four corners on removal from mount. The image (which is roughly 21 x 17 cm) and text are clear and clean, as is the signature 'James Tregaskis', in pencil in the bottom right-hand corner. A charming view, in Railton's characteristic style, of a somewhat decrepit eighteenth-century interior, with a plump young girl in voluminous late-Victorian smock playing on the stairs with a small dog.

Printed 'Duplicate' of grant by 'The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company to Messrs. W. H. Smith and Son', of 'exclusive right of Selling Newspapers &c., and of Advertising at the Company's Stations and Premises', with two related documents.

Author: 
[The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company; Messrs. W. H. Smith and Son, stationers and booksellers; A. de C. Parmiter, Manchester.
Publication details: 
Grant of 1908: A. de C. Parmiter, Manchester. 'Dated 5th November, 1908.' Agreement of 1915: place not stated. Duplicated agreement of 1918: A. De. C. Parmiter, Solicitor, Manchester. 'Dated 10 January 1918'.
£65.00

ONE (Grant of 1908): 9 + [1]pp., 8vo. Unstitched and unbound. Properly printed and paginated, with marginal glosses. On aged and worn paper, with closed tears along fold lines. Containing 27 clauses, in an agreement for a term of seven years from 1 January 1909. Between the railway company and, on behalf of W. H. Smith and Son, the Honourable William Frederick Danvers Smith MP, Charles Awdry, Alfred Dyke Acland, Charles Harry St John Hornby and Charles Selwyn Awdry. W. H. Smith had opened their first railway bookstall almost exactly sixty years before, in November of 1848.

[Catalogue by Elkin Mathews Limited.] List 71. A Small Collection of Children's Toys and Games.

Author: 
[Percy Muir [Percy H. Muir; Percy Horace Muir] (1894-1979), bookseller, proprietor of Elkin Mathews Limited, Takeley, Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire]
Publication details: 
Elkin Mathews Limited, Takeley, Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England. [1960s?]
£135.00

[2] + 8pp., 8vo., with an additional 6pp of illustrations. Aged and creased, with rusted staples. Typeset with something akin to an IBM golfball. Introductory note: 'This small collection of children's toys and games was formed in the early years of this century and had remained undisturbed in a packing case until purchased by us some months ago. Some of the toys show signs of use but in general the condition is very good. Adequate description is difficult and we have endeavoured to illustrate as many of the toys as possible.

[Rev. Dr Henry Christmas.] Autograph Letter Signed ('Henry Christmas') to Arthur Hall, discussing the plan of a magazine, with the names of contributors and sub-editors of sections, for a prospectus, and describing a section of 'Lyra Evangelica'.

Author: 
Rev. Dr Henry Christmas [Noel-Fearn] (1811-1868), editor and numismatist [Arthur Hall, London publisher [Arthur Hall, Virtue & Co., Paternoster Row]
Publication details: 
Without date or place.
£90.00

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, on aged and unevenly-sunned paper. He begins by giving six numbered points which 'will do for the Introduction' to a prospectus for a magazine. The first reads: 'The biographical & archaeological portion of the Magazine will be placed under the superintendance of the Revd Professor Christmas, M.A.

[G. A. Aitken, editor.] Autograph Letter Signed and Autograph Note Signed to the London publishers George Routledge & Sons, correcting a proof and discussing a reprint of his edition of the 'Spectator', with copy of a typed reply from the firm.

Author: 
G. A. Aitken [George Atherton Aitken] (1860-1917), author and editor [George Routledge & Sons, Ltd, London publisher; the Victorian book trade; English bookselling and publishing]
Publication details: 
Aitken's ALS and ANS both on letterhead of 42 Edwardes Square, Kensington, W. [London] 3 and 6 December 1907. Copy of typed reply from George Routledge & Sons, Ltd, London. 4 December 1907.
£100.00

All three items in good condition, on lightly aged paper. The two Aitken letters are both signed 'G A Aitken'. ONE: ALS by Aitken, 3 December 1907. 3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. He begins by suggesting an emendation to a note on an 'enclosed proof' regarding Dr Pearce and 'The Tatler'. He then discusses a reprint by the firm of his edition of the 'Spectator', which he has not seen. 'If it bears a current date on the title-page, I trust you have preserved the date to the Preface, to show that I have not revised the work.

[Thomas Seccombe, biographer.] Two Autograph Letters Signed to the publisher John Lane, concerning the Titmarsh Club, and Lane's publication of books by Stephen Sydney Reynolds.

Author: 
Thomas Seccombe (1866-1923), English critic and biographer [John Lane (1854-1925), London publisher (The Bodley Head); Stephen Sydney Reynolds (1881-1919), Devon author; The Titmarsh Club]
Publication details: 
One from 18 Perryn Road, Acton, W [London]. 2 April 1908. The other with the same address on letterhead of the East London College (University of London), Mile End Road, E. 21 October [no year].
£120.00

Both items in fair condition, on lightly-aged paper. ONE: 3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. The letter begins: 'Dear Mr Lane, | Conscientious research in Titmarshian activities seems to point to the fact that you owe to the club the sum of 22/- for two dinners in October 1907.' He continues on this theme for a while, before turning to Reynolds: 'I am very glad to hear that you are going to bring out the Holy Mountain & Poor Mans House by Reynolds. As partly responsible for the suggestion of the Mountain & the location at Acton, I take some interest in the book & also in its author.

[Andrew Soutar, novelist.] To an unnamed recipient, informing him that he will be sending him a copy of his new novel, 'Some Fell Among Thorns'.

Author: 
Andrew Soutar (1879-1941), English author of approximately 50 novels
Publication details: 
On letterhead of Brooklyn, Ifield, Crawley, Sussex. 15 January 1931.
£45.00

1p., 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. Written in purple ink. The letter reads: 'My dear Sir, | Here it is, for what it is worth. To-morrow, Jan 16, a new novel of mine, "Some Fell Among Thorns", should be published. I shall send you a copy & ask your acceptance of it. | Yours Sincerely | Andrew Soutar'. Soutar received a brief obituary in The Times, 25 November 1941.

[Longman, Brown & Co. of Paternoster Row, London publishers.] Four sets of double-column manuscript accounts for the publication of Rev. E. J. Shepherd's five 'Letters' to Rev. S. R. Maitland on the genuineness of Cyprian's writings.

Author: 
Longman, Brown & Co. of Paternoster Row, London publishers [Rev. Edward John Shepherd (1805-1874), Rector of Trottiscliffe; Rev. Samuel Roffey Maitland (1792-1866), Librarian at Lambeth Palace]
Publication details: 
All four sets of accounts on the same printed form by 'Messrs. Long and Co.' of Paternoster Row, London. Covering the years 1852, 1853, 1854, 1856 and 1857.
£180.00

All four items in good condition, on lightly aged and creased paper. Totalling 6pp., 4to, on six leaves, written lengthwise in red-ruled columns. The first two sets of accounts each 2pp., on a bifolium; the last two each 1p., on a single leaf. Each of the four sets of accounts is on the same printed form, with a full-page printed text, dated from 'Paternoster Row, London, | January 1843.', headed 'Messrs.

[J. G. Wilson, proprietor of London booksellers J. & E. Bumpus Ltd.] Autograph notebook containing draft of talk to trainee booksellers on 'Modern Fine & First Editions', proposals for 'Anecdotal History of Bookselling' and for trade 'social club'.

Author: 
J. G. Wilson [John Gideon Wilson] (1876-1963), 'the most famous English bookseller of his time' and proprietor of the prestigious London firm of J. & E. Bumpus Ltd., 477 Oxford Street
Publication details: 
Without date or place. [J. & E. Bumpus Ltd., 477 Oxford Street.]
£1,350.00

It is Sir Basil Blackwell, in his DNB entry on Wilson, who described him as 'the most famous English [sic] bookseller of his time'. The freshness and enthusiasm conveyed by this small volume supports Blackwell's view that Wilson viewed 'bookselling not so much as a matter of retail trade as a service in which bookseller and customer met and shared the experience of contact with the precious manifestations of the spirit of man', as well as casting light on the methods and practices which made Wilson so successful.

[Manuscript] Memorandum of an agreement [...] between Adam Boobyer, Bookseller,[of 6 Seymour Row, Little Chelsea] and William Boobyer Bookseller of Pomona Place Eelbrook [Fulham]

Author: 
Adam Boobyer, William Boobyer, booksellers in West London
Publication details: 
25 December 1839.
£150.00

Three pages, cr.8vo, bifolium, fold marks, small closed tear on fold, some staining, but text clear and complete. Text in William Boobyer's hand, by comparison with signatures. There are twelve numbered clauses in the Agreement. 1. That Adam Boobyer should conduct the business at 6 Seymour Row for them both. 2. All "monies" "be accounted for to Adam Boobyer". 3. William Boobyer shall receive 30s from the profits. 4. Independently of clause 3, William to receive a "fair share of the increase of profits" and "five percent upon all cash above eighty pounds per month which is taken". 5.

[Catherine Hutton, novelist.] Three Autograph Letters Signed to Birmingham bookseller James Belcher, discussing in moving terms her nursing of her elderly parents, her plans for a future book ('my incipient Queens') and 'Dr. Hutton's bust'.

Author: 
Catherine Hutton (1756-1846), English novelist and letter-writer, daughter of the Birmingham bookseller and local historian William Hutton (1723-1815) [James Belcher, junior, Birmingham bookseller]
Publication details: 
ONE: No place; 4 December 1821. TWO: Bennett's Hill; 21 January 1827. THREE: 'Saturday Morn.'
£1,350.00

All three items in good condition, on lightly aged paper. ONE: 4 December 1821. 3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. The letter, which concerns her plans for a book, begins: 'My dear Sir | In consequence of your opinion, I send a prospectus for Mr. Dawes [the critic Manassah Dawes (d.1829)?], which you will have the goodness to forward at a proper opportunity. But for this opinion, I should not have had the courage to apply to him, though the refusal of two persons ought not to prevent the application to a third. Nothing in my opinion could have been more certain than the subscriptions of Mr.

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