CHARING

See his entry by his grandson Anthony Rota in the Oxford DNB. On one side of a piece of paper cut from the end of a letter. Refers to the first privately-printed collection of Dobell's poetry, 'Rosemary and Pansies' (1901). Reads: ‘Yours faithfully / Bertram Dobell. / I have printed only 75 copies of my booklet, so that it may have at least the recommendation of being scarce - the only one, I am afraid, that it can claim.’

xiv + [1] + 38pp, 12mo. No.16/500. In blue cloth binding, titled in gilt on cover and spine. No dust wrapper. Printed on thick paper. In good condition, lightly aged. Annotated in pencil throughout, and with a page of annotations at the end. The handwriting is distinctive (and certainly not Block’s), with the capital N in particular. Some of the annotations give dates from the 1970s, but the handwriting is that of someone from an earlier generation. As an example, one of the longer pencil annotations, on p.5, listing an additional item: ‘Caught Napping. / c. 1883.

This prospectus is a scarce item: no other copy has been traced. A 4to bifolium, with four unnumbered pages printed in red. Somewhat aged and worn, with a horizontal strip of light discoloration at the head of the cover, which has the title and author’s name surrounded by a border made up of Tenniel’s illustrations, beneath this is a quotation from Dodgson’s poetry and the price of ‘7/6 net’. Across the middle two pages is the heading ‘The Centenary “Life of Lewis Carroll”’. The text begins by explaining that Reed has made use of Dodgson’s letters to Ellen Terry.

Five copies listed on JISC. Now scarce. 8pp, 16mo. Stitched pamphlet, on good wove paper. In fair condition, lightly aged, with small closed tear at head of first leaf. First two leaves with light crease. Enfolded in ‘wallet’ of the same paper, repeating the title on the front (differently positioned), and also giving the price as sixpence. The poem, covering pp.2-7, is in small print, and the first stanza reads: ‘I bind upon myself to-day / The Strength of the Holy Trinity: / That mighty Breastplate be my Stay! / I here invoke . . . I here confess . . .

The first item is fairly witty, while the second exhibits the sort of ‘excruciating puns’ for which Jekyll is, according to his entry in the Oxford DNB, largely remembered. See also Agar-Ellis’s entry in the same work. The two items are in good condition, lightly aged. ONE: Letter of ‘Sunday Morning’ to ‘Dear Ellis’. 2pp, 12mo. Signed ‘Joseph Jekyll’. Folded twice. Minuted by recipient at head of first page: ‘May 1825 / Jekyll’.

12 pp., 8vo. Modern marbled bds. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. This interesting item is of significance to Ruskin scholars, containing a whole page describing 24 drawings and engravings by him, as well as a number of interesting books from the library of a close associate. The item was previously bound by Rossetti in a volume with two, unrelated, others. It then passed into the collection of the art historian Rose Sketchley, whose sister C. J. Sketchley presented it to Fulham Public Libraries in 1949. It is scarce: no copy has been traced on either OCLC WorldCat or COPAC.

238 + [2]pp., 8vo. In green cloth binding with printed title on paper label on spine. In fair condition, on aged paper, in worn binding. Comprising fifteen parts of 16pp. each bound up by the author-publisher. The volume is still genuinely useful, containing a mass of information in the annotations to each entry, from Mrs Abdy's 'Poetry' in six volumes to William Young's 'A Journal of a Summer Excursion'.

1p., 12mo. Good, on lightly-aged paper. He begins by stating that his book 'contains the details' his correspondent requires, and continues: 'I am sorry to say that I made a little mistake when I was talking to you over the telephone about "Pulcinella". I think I said there was a long description of that ballet in my "Diaghilev Ballet in London", but of course it is the "Complete Book of Ballets".

Four pages, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, on aged paper, with small pinholes to both leaves and slight loss at the head of the second. Substantial first part of long letter, and hence lacking the signature. BBTI has Trelawny [for Trelawney] William Saunders at 6 Charing Cross between 1846 and 1853, and Edward Stanford's entry in the Oxford DNB records that he was an apprentice there, returning as partner in 1852 ('The partnership was dissolved by mutual consent in July 1853.'), and that it was Saunders who proposed Stanford for membership of the Royal Geographical Society.

1p., landscape 12mo. On aged and lightly-creased laid paper ('PRO PATRIA' watermark), with chipping to extremities. On reverse, in another hand: 'At Northampton a Monument at the Inn'.

1p., 4to. Good, on aged and lightly-worn paper. The letter reads: 'Dear Mr. Price | In reply to our advertisement for items on Watlington we have received the enclosed report of deeds, which we could supply at £2.15.0 if of any interest to you. If you wish to see them I think we could get them on apro. | Yours truly | A. E. Dobell'.

1p., 4to. Bifolium, with address ('Mr. Faden. Charing Cross. London'.) on reverse of second leaf, from which the seal has been cut away. He begins by informing Faden that his servant will call to pay his bill. 'I wish you would desire Mr. Wyld [James Wyld the elder (1790-1836)] your successor to send me the largest & best maps extant of Sweden, Norway & Lapland - maps I want in my otherwise beautiful collection very much'. He also enquires after 'Walker's new Map of India 16s', and a 'new map of Ceylon - where my eldest daughter is gone - as the Governor Sr. Edward Barnes' wife -'.

Folio, 12 + [i] pp. Text clear and complete, with a few pencil underlinings. Aged and somewhat worn. Folded vertically in the centre to make the conventional long legal packet, with the right-hand side of the reverse of the last leaf (with is stamped in red with the number 273683) carrying the printed title, with the address of the solicitors altered in pencil to 18 Pall Mall SW1, and with two manuscript names deleted: 'Mr. Finlay. Q.C. | Mr. Rowland Gibson'. Unsigned draft copy. No copy of this historical item on COPAC.

12mo, 2 pp. Good, on aged paper, with two punch-holes to top left-hand corner. Describing the qualities of his former 'chief assistant Mr Colin Craig who has taken up your Lowestoft appointment', including the comment 'I would be quite happy for him to operate on myself or one of my family'.

8vo, 72 pp. Stapled and unbound. Complete. On aged paper. The outer leaves are worn and coming apart at the spine. Otherwise the item is sound and tight. 1976 items. Items 783 to 883 concern 'the Bacon-Shakespeare Controversy'. Items 888 to 893 are 'Books from the Library of the late Dame Ellen Terry.' ('Only a few Books from her Library were sold, and Association Books are very difficult to obtain.'). Items 894 to 982 are 'Books on the Drama and Shakespeare, from the library of Henry Arthur Jones'. Items 983 to 1976 are 'Books on the Drama'.

4to, 1 p. Good, on lightly aged and creased paper with minor rust stain from paperclip at head. Letterhead, in light and dark blue, featuring globe and the mottos 'BOOKSELLERS TO THE WORLD' and 'STOCK OF NEARLY THREE MILLION VOLUMES'. Thirteen lines of text. Bradshaw is clearly unhappy at the price asked for a copy of Cox's 'Memorials of Old Derbyshire'. 'The writer would point out that we received six reports regarding this book from various clients, but in no case at a price allowing us to quote below 15/-.

An interesting collection of material relating to an extraordinary woman whose exploits deserve recognition. According to one obituary Mitchell (sister of American General 'Billy' Mitchell) was 'he only foreign woman to serve with the Chetniks', for whom she acted as a dispatch rider. Captured by the Gestapo while swimming at Dubrovnik, 'still in her bathing suit, and with papers on her that would have caused her to be executed without trial, she turned to the agents and asked: "Gentlemen, you will permit me to change my trousers?" They agreed.

English politician (1877-1938), MInister of Agriculture and Fisheries, and Secretary of the Architecture Club. All four items one page, quarto, and in very good condition. Last item with one inch closed horizontal tear (not affecting text). Three items stamped and two bearing the Society's stamp. All four signed 'J. H. Elder-Duncan'. ITEM ONE: At a recent meeting of the Architecture Club committee Arthur J. Davis 'raised the question of our helping in some way to give wider publicity to your prizes for design'.