BRITISH

1p, foolscap 8vo. In good condition, lightly aged, with thin strip of paper from mount adhering to an edge. Folded once. At bottom right are Grenville's signature ('W: W: Grenville') and a good impression of his seal in red wax. Twenty-line document, written in a secretarial hand, with two embossed tax stamps at head.

1p, 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. Folded twice. He states that the 'Certificate' of 'M. Meryon [sic] du Mersan' has been 'signed by Lord Aberdeen', and that he wishes to 'get the signatures of Mr. Gurney and Mr. Hamilton to it'. If he does not – 'or rather cannot' – send it to Akerman beforehand, he asks him if 'you can add your signature before it is read on Thursday Evening'. In addition to his literary works, Dumersan was a numismatist and Curator attached to the Cabinet des Médailles et Antiques of the Bibliothèque Royale.

1p, 4to. In fair condition, aged and worn, with creasing and heavy wear at head. Folded three times. Addressed to 'The Rev. C. R. Sumner'. Reads: 'Rev. Sir | As Librarian of the British & Foreign Bible Society, I have the honor to state to you that a Resolution has been passed by the Committee of that Society, requesting permission to offer to His Majesty as a mark of their dutiful homage a set of Copies of the Versions of Holy Scripture executed or reprinted at their expence.

2pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once. Robinson is concerned, as he sent 'the corrected proofs and copy of index some time ago – quite a fortnight, I should say': 'Have you not received them? Please wire on receipt of this, if you can find them: though I am afraid they may have got lost at this end, as several letters did lately.' If need be, he has 'duplicate proofs and could correct these sharp and I have rough copy of most of the index too'. If informed 'at once', he can 'set to work'. From the Grant Richards papers.

1p, 12m. In good condition, lightly aged. Linklater writes that he is enclosing, as requested, his own copy of 'The Devil's in the News'. He asks Ashmore to 'consider the play your own property for the next six months', and to 'take any profit you can from it'. He does not expect royalties. Ashmore is 'at liberty to make any minor alterations, additions, or subtractions' that he may 'consider advisable'. The letter concludes: 'This is my only copy, and I shall be glad if some day you will return it.'

Each 1p, 4to. Both in fair condition, lightly aged and worn, and each folded three times. On the letterhead she is referred to as 'The Lady Edward Spencer-Churchill O.B.E.' Chairman of the British Legion. Women's Section. ONE: 16 November 1934. Having been informed by 'Miss Gerds' that the recipient 'would like to know if I am coming by Car or by train on December 1st, to open your “Fun Fair,”' she states that she is 'not sure how long it would take to motor from London', but thinks it would be quicker by train. 'I see a good one arrives at 2-47!' TWO: 5 January 1935.

One page, 12mo, fold marks, grubby but text clear and complete. "It appears to me that the fibula [broach or clasp] in question is of the XIthe century, and represents a still ruder imitation of the rude Munus Divinus of Louis-Le-Debonaire. It was for several centuries the custom in France, that all sort of coins or imitations of coins in all the different metals, bearing portraitrs with names, or religious legends & were given as mariage presents. And of course such gifts served also for other sacred and religious ceremonies. And afterwards formed into fibulae [an addition in smaller hand].

2pp, 12mo. In fair condition, on aged paper, with slight damage at head repaired with archival tape, and thin strip from stub of mount adhering to one edge. He asks Owen to 'alter or add to the paper sent herewith in any way you please, so that it may harmonize with the report you have drawn up, & represent the meaning you may intend to convey'. He will 'call at the College in the course of the day & affix my signature to the completed document'.

[12]pp, 8vo. Paginated to 14, but twelve pages on six leaves, comprising half-title, title and eight pages of text. Sewn into raspberry printed wraps. Title with engraving of the church, duplicated on front cover. Internally in fair condition, with slight creasing, but with blue ink (or wine?) stain at foot of outer edge of front cover. Bloomfield & Mendelson A46, which states that the edition was printed in November 1963 and limited to 250 copies, 'sent out to a number of personal friends whose names were mainly suggested by Mrs. MacNeice'. In this case, from the library of Christopher Fry.

Between 1604 and 1868 the House of Commons exercised jurisdiction over controverted (disputed) elections, which were usually referred to its Committee of Privileges and Elections. The Parliamentary Archives hold the Controverted Elections Court Evidence minute books for the period between 1829 and 1906. The minute books contain transcripts of the evidence laid before the committee.

2pp, 4to. Bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with dogeared corners. Addressed on reverse of second leaf to 'The Rev. C. Sumner'. Begins: 'Rev. Sir | I have been encouraged by the advice of friends to propose to you confidentially a question, to which you would much oblige me by returning a reply. The Committee of the British & Foreign Bible Society have occasionally transmitted to different quarters, as presents, a set of Copies of the version of the Holy Scripture executed by their aid, and the new edition, which they have published.

1p, 12mo. In fair condition, on browned paper, with glue from mount adhering to blank reverse. The last leaf of a letter, evidently detached for an autograph hunter. Good bold handwriting. Reads: 'I shall be only too glad to avail myself of it | Yours very sincerely | Alfred Gilbert'.

3pp, 12mo. Bifolium on grey paper. In good condition, lightly aged. A letter of seventeen lines, written 'In haste'. Written in a difficult hand. He begins by thanking him for his 'Satisfactory note', written in answer to a point by '[Shuter?]' which Richards was 'not able to answer then'. The postscript refers to the 'sad loss […] I never knew a better man & friend'. As a hydrographer on the coast of British Columbia from 1857 to 1862, Richards was responsible for the selection and designation of dozens of place names (e.g.

On 10 x 6 cm slip of laid paper cut from an album, with partial ruled border in pink and blue. In good condition, lightly aged. A good firm signature, reading 'Randolph S. Churchill.' No other writing on the same side; with signature of 'Geoffrey H. Crump' on the reverse.

4pp, 12mo. Bifolium of grey paper. In good condition, lightly aged.

Four pamphlets. Three with red labels of the Board of Education Reference Library, London, and all four bearing its stamps and shelfmarks. All in good condition, lightly aged and worn. All now scarce. ONE: Rev. J. O. Bevan, M.A., F.S.A. - Dental Hygiene, Especially in Relation to Children and Schools. ('To be obtained from the author, 55, Gunterstone Road, West Kensington, London, W.' No date.) 8pp, 12mo. Stapled into grey printed wraps. No copy on OCLC WorldCat or on COPAC.

Both 1p, 8vo, and each in fair condition, on aged paper, with creasing along one edge. The first letter with smudged date of receipt in one corner. The first letter signed 'Paddy Carstairs', the second 'John Paddy Carstairs'. ONE: Begins: 'Dear Miss Greenwood | What can I possibly say? I am “set” for my next pic, but always want very unique stories – who doesn't?! | In 22 years (nearly!) I've only sold 3 originals for the screen and none of my novels – you see, there aren't any rules'.

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, 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'.

Secret duplicated Home Office document, no other copy of which has been discovered (none on OCLC WorldCat, for example) and no reference to the meeting found.

From a batch of Foreign Office documents, including material from the Information Research Department (for whose activities, financed from the budget of the Special Intelligence Service, otherwise MI6, see The Times, 17 August 1995; and also Michael Cullis's obituary of Sir John Peck in the Independent, 20 January 1995). Duplicated typescript headed: '(c) The purpose of the United States agreement with SPAIN.' 4pp, foolscap 8vo, paginated '(c) 1' to '(c) 4'. Complete, with catchwords to the first three pages. In good condition, lightly aged.

The Mau Mau uprising began in 1952, and the atrocities committed by the rebels were matched by those of the British, whose Attorney General in Kenya, Eric Griffith-Jones, wrote to Governor Baring in 1957 that the colony's detention camps for Mau Mau suspects were 'distressingly reminiscent of conditions in Nazi Germany or Communist Russia'.

Four pages, 4to, bifolium, some foxing but mainly good condition.The work was hugely popular, going through numerous editions between 1894 and 1907. The title is (deliberately) misleading. The work is an exploration of theological rather than biological questions, with the author stating that 'The How, Why, and Wherefore have not received the full amount of profound and reverent study that the ineffably intrinsic importance of the subject to ourselves warrants.' Lewis Carroll had a copy in his library.

3pp, foolscap 8vo. On laid paper with watermark: 'GOLDING | & | SNELGROVE | 1811'. Aged and worn, with closed tears along folds, but with text complete and clear. The document includes two passages written in red ink which has faded but is still legible. The background to the present letter is given in Lambert's entry in the Oxford DNB: 'On 4 June 1813 Lambert was promoted major-general, and was appointed to a brigade of the 6th division. […] Having been sent to America, he joined the army under Sir Edward Pakenham below New Orleans on 6 January 1815, with the 7th and 43rd foot regiments.

On one side of 9 x 14 cm leaf of cream paper. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. Reads: "'Sincerely Yours' | Very Lynn". A good, firm underlined signature, in a large sloping hand, with the words 'Sincerely Yours' in single quotation marks.

An apparently-unique Manuscript – signed by Lord Stanley as Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, and dated from 'Downing Street, | 30: July 1842' – of what W. P. Morrell describes in his 'British Colonial Policy in the Age of Peel and Russell' (1966) as a 'Circular Dispatch to Governors of West Indian Colonies', regarding the 'Act to amend the laws for the regulation of the Trade of the British Possessions abroad' (5 & 6 Vic. c. 49). The document discusses the act with regard to 'the West Indian Colonists' and 'the British Possessions in South America and the West Indies'.

1p., 12mo. In fair condition, aged and spotted. Reads: 'Dear Mrs. Epps, | I shall be very glad to see you and your party this afternoon; or, if I am not able to be with you, an assistant shall meet you in the hall at 3.'

1p., 4to. The salutation 'My dear Rowe,' and the valediction 'Yours sincerely | Hugh Gaitskell' are in Gaitskell's autograph, written in red ink; the rest of the letter is typed. Aged and worn, with discoloration and a small insect crushed onto a blank part. Reads: 'Many thanks for your kind Christmas note and good wishes.

3pp., foolscap 8vo. On a bifolium of laid paper. In fair condition, aged and worn. The first poem, 'Balooning [sic]', covers both sides of the first leaf. No evidence has been discovered that this poem was ever published, but it is inspired by the exploits of 'Mr. Green' in a humorous essay titled 'Ballooning', which appeared in Charles Dickens's 'Household Words' on 25 October 1851. The choice of two phrases ('pipes & backy' and 'Mounted Meershaums') is given in the present manuscript, these variants perhaps suggesting that this item is authorial rather than a transcription.