critic

[Francis Jeffrey, Lord Jeffrey, Scottish judge and literary critic, editor of the Edinburgh Review.] Autograph Signature on envelope sealed in red wax, and Autograph address to James Gibson Craig.

Author: 
Francis Jeffrey (1773-1850), Lord Jeffrey, Scottish judge and literary critic, editor of the Edinburgh Review [Sir James Gibson Craig (1765-1850), lawyer and politician]
Jeffrey
Publication details: 
No place or date.
£35.00
Jeffrey

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’.

[Douglas Cooper, English art critic, friend of Picasso and champion of cubism.] Typed Letter Signed to Philip Dosse, publisher of ‘Art and Artists’, covering a number of subjects, personal and political.

Author: 
Douglas Cooper (1911-1984), English art critic, friend of Picasso, lover of Sir John Richardson, with whom he created a gallery of cubist art at the Chateau de Castille [Philip Dosse (1925-1980)]
Publication details: 
12 June [1979]. On letterhead of the Chateau de Castille, 30 Argilliers, T 10 Vers (par Nimes).
£180.00

See the entries for Cooper (born Arthur William Douglas Cooper) and Richardson in the Oxford DNB. From the papers of the recipient, Philip Dosse, who was proprietor of Hansom Books, publisher of a stable of seven arts magazines including Art and Artists and Books and Bookmen. See ‘Death of a Bookman’ by the novelist Sally Emerson (editor of ‘Books and Bookmen’ at the time of Dosse’s suicide), in Standpoint magazine, October 2018. 2pp, 8vo, on a single leaf of air mail paper. Forty-six lines of text. Somewhat worn and creased, but in fair condition overall.

[John Ruskin, prominent art critic, etc.] Autograph Note Signed J Ruskin to My dear Con (presumably one of his circle called Constance) wishing her (conversationally) a happy Christmas and anicipoating a visit.

Author: 
John Ruskin (1819-1900), prominent Victorian art critic, author, artist and thinker
Ruskin
Publication details: 
Xmas day 63
£1,250.00
Ruskin

One page, 12mo, good condition, laid down on part of an album page (see note below). Text: My dear Con, | Many and many a Happy Christmas to you- & to all who love you - that's a wide wish I know. | Now - when & how do you & mama want me to come to yoy. I will be at your [underlined] orders, (provided they are peremptory-) any day after New Years day. | Thank mama for her kind note. | Ever affectionately Your | J Ruskin. Note: Item detached from Meredith family album containing letters from distinguished contemporaries such as Henry James, Thomas Hardy, Clemenceau, etc etc.

[John Ruskin.] Carte de visite by Elliott & Fry, London, with facsimile signature.

Author: 
John Ruskin, pre-eminent Victorian art critic; Elliott & Fry, nineteenth-century London photographers noted for their cartes de visite
Ruskin
Publication details: 
1867 or 1869. Elliott & Fry, 55, Baker Street, Portman Square, London, W.
£150.00
Ruskin

Rather long for a carte de visite: 6 x 9 cm albumen print laid down on 6.5 x 10.5 cm card. In fair condition, lightly discoloured and worn. On the card beneath the photograph is a facsimile of Ruskin’s signature (‘John Ruskin’) and ‘ELLIOTT & FRY Copyright. 55. BAKER ST.’ Printed on the reverse is the royal crest and the firm’s address. A copy of the present item was offered by Sotheby’s in 2021, dated to 1867, with the claim that it was ‘signed on the mount’. That claim is erroneous: the signature to that copy is identical with the present lithographed one.

[John Wilson, the 'Christopher North' of Blackwood's.] Autograph Note Signed requesting a copy (for review) of Madame Cottin's romance about Saladin'.

Author: 
‘Christopher North’ [John Wilson (1785-1854)], Scottish literary critic and essayist with Blackwood’s magazine, Professor of Moral Philosophy at Edinburgh [Madame Cottin [Marie Cottin (1770-1807]]
Publication details: 
No date or place [1805. Edinburgh?].
£35.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. On recto of first leaf of bifolium. Addressed on reverse of second leaf: ‘123456 / [T. W. Naellz?] Esqr / Ambleside’. Aged and worn, with closed tears along folds, and damage to second leaf from breaking of seal. Reads: ‘Dear Sir / If you can send me Madame Cottin’s romance about Saladin you will much oblige me. / Yours truly / John Wilson’. Good large signature. The first edition of ‘The Saracen; Or, Matilda and Melek Adhel: A Crusade Romance, From the French of Madame Cottin, with an Historical Introduction, by J.

[Edmund Blunden, English poet and critic, Professor of Poetry at the University of Oxford, nominated six times for the Nobel Prize in Literature.] Autograph Note Signed [to Eileen Cond], appending ‘the autograph which you requested’.

Author: 
Edmund Blunden (1896-1974), poet and critic, Professor of Poetry at the University of Oxford, nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature six times [Eileen Cond (1911-1984), autograph collector]
Blunden
Publication details: 
1 April 1936; 9 Woodstock Close, Oxford.
£45.00
Blunden

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. The recipient is not named, but the item is from the papers of Eileen Cond, an enthusiastic collector of autographs. 1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded for postage. In Blunden’s stylish hand the note simply reads: ‘[9 Woodstock Close / Oxford] / 1 April 1936 / Dear Madam / I append the autograph which you requested. / yours faithfully / Edmund Blunden.’

[Clement Scott [Clement William Scott], theatre critic of the Daily Telegraph.] Two copies of studio portrait postcard of Scott, both signed and inscribed by him, with a similarly inscribed postcard of his second wife.

Author: 
Clement Scott [Clement William Scott] (1841-1904), highly influential theatre critic, mainly working for the Daily Telegraph, who feuded with Shaw; his second wife, née Constance Margarite Brandon
Publication details: 
One of Scott's cards dated by him to 1902, the other with postmark of Ingatestone, Essex, dated 1904; his wife's dated 1906. Place not stated.
£90.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. The postcards are bromide prints, and 9 x 14 cm. The two identical images of Scott, dressed for the theatre, with curled moustache and flower in his buttonhole, are both inscribed. In the bottom margin of one he has written ‘late of the D. T.’; in the same position on the other, and rather poignantly considering his later history, ‘Remember me / Clement Scott / 1902’. The former card is addressed by Scott on the reverse, with Ingatestone postmark dated 27 February 1904, to ‘Mr S. Le Sage / Maisonette / Ingatestone / Essex’.

[Sir Robert Witt, art historian and collector, co-founder of the Courtauld Institute in London.] Typed Card Signed (‘R. W.’) ordering item from catalogue of bookseller J. A. Neuhuys.

Author: 
Sir Robert Witt [Sir Robert Clermont Witt], art historian and collector, co-founder of the Courtauld Institute of Art in London and National Art Collections Funds, Trustee of the National Gallery
Publication details: 
31 December 1923. On his letterhead, 32 Portman Square, W1 [London].
£35.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. In fair condition, lightly aged and with slight wear at base. Typed address to ‘Mr. J. A. Neuhuys, / 37, Dean Road, / Willesden Green, / N. W. 2’. Reads: ‘Will you please send me on approval No. 582a, from your catalogue No. 29. / R. W.’ Recipt marked with red date stamp of 1 January 1924, and message lightly crossed out in pencil.

[‘Reeking of the dungheap’: Sir Claude Phillips, first Keeper of the Wallace Collection.] Anonymous original manuscript poem in Latin, with English translation in same hand, attacking him as a ‘lustful’ user of ‘language planted with dirty refuse'.

Author: 
Sir Claude Phillips (1846-1924), first Keeper of the Wallace Collection, art critic of the Daily Telegraph [Albert Curtis Clark (1859-1937), Corpus Christi Professor of Latin at Oxford?]
Publication details: 
No date [circa 1920?] or place, but circa 1920? On paper watermarked ‘The Club Note | Thomas & Sons | London’.
£100.00

The circumstances surrounding this extraordinary original composition in Latin verse are obscure. See Phillips’s entry in the Oxford DNB, which notes that there was ‘an air of Proust’ about him, and quotes Oliver Brown’s description of him as ‘a stout man, immaculately dressed and heavily scented, who talked continuously while he looked at the pictures'. It may be that Phillips and the author of the poem had been educated together, or that they were members of the same club (the Athenaeum for example).

[Saint-Marc Girardin of the Académie Française, French Orléanist politician, professor, and anti-Romantic literary critic.] Autograph Letter Signed, in French, asking ‘Monsieur le Marechal’ for an audience.

Author: 
Saint-Marc Girardin (1801-1873) of the Académie Française, French Orléanist politician, professor, and anti-Romantic literary critic with the Journal des débats and the Revue des deux mondes
Publication details: 
No date. Rue de l’Odean 27 [Paris].
£56.00

1p, 8vo. In good condition, lightly aged. Removed from an album, and with stub still adhering to inner edge. Folded twice. He asks to be accorded ‘un quart d’heure d’audiénce’, as he is leaving on a journey and needs a passport and letters of recommendation. The recipient is not named, but he has written ‘Samedi à midi’ at top left.

[Kenneth Hopkins, poet, critic and crime writer.] ‘Three Sonnets’ by Kenneth Hopkins in ‘The Grasshopper Broadsheets’ series of publications, with Signed Autograph Inscription to London bookseller Andrew Block.

Author: 
Kenneth Hopkins [Hector Kenneth Hopkins] (1914-1988), poet, critic and crime writer [Andrew Block, London bookseller]
Publication details: 
‘Number Three. Third Series. March, 1944.’ ‘Printed by Bacon & Hudson, Ltd., Derby, and published by Kenneth Hopkins, 670, Osmaston Road, Derby.’
£56.00

See Hopkins’s entry in the Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Poetry in English. His papers are in the Harry Ransom Center of the University of Texas. The obituary of the recipient Andrew Block (1892-1987) in ‘The Private Library’ was subtitled ‘the doyen of booksellers’; his business was established in 1911. Printed on one side of a foolscap 8vo leaf. A tasteful piece of provincial printing. Worn, creased and dog-eared, with closed tears at head. Inscribed at bottom-right: ‘for Andrew Block / Kenneth Hopkins’. Titled ‘THREE SONNETS’ and signed in type ‘KENNETH HOPKINS’.

[John Oxenford, playwright, translator and theatre critic of The Times.] Autograph Letter Signed [to the editor of the Athenaeum], expressing thanks for a ‘very handsome and prominent notice’ of the ‘German Tales’ he has written with C. A. Feiling.

Author: 
John Oxenford (1812-1877), playwright, translator and theatre critic of The Times, promoter of Schopenhauer and Richard Wagner [the Athenaeum, London; C. A. Feiling]
Publication details: 
10 December 1844. 12 Birchin Lane [London].
£65.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. On brittle, discoloured paper, cropped at foot. Signed (‘J. Oxenford’). The recipient is not named, but is clearly the editor of the Athenaeum. Reads: ‘Sir/- / In the name of Mr. C. A. Feiling and myself, I beg leave to thank you for the very handsome and prominent notice of our “German Tales” which appeared in the Athenaeum of the 30th. ult. - You will confer a further obligation by letting the gentleman who wrote the article [know] how much we feel indebted to his kindness.’

[Charles Haddon Chambers, Australian dramatist in England, lover of Dame Nellie Melba.] Autograph Letter Signed to Malcolm Watson, Daily Telegraph drama critic, regarding a play he wrote in New York, and a German production of his ‘Tyranny of Tears’.

Author: 
Charles Haddon Chambers [Charles Haddon Spurgeon Chambers] (1860-1921), Australian dramatist who settled in England, where he had an affair with Dame Nellie Melba [Malcolm Watson; Daily Telegraph]
Publication details: 
13 March [after 1900]; on letterhead of L’Hermitage, Monte-Carlo.
£65.00

Chambers is not mentioned in Dame Nellie Melba’s entry in the Oxford DNB. She met him in London in 1895, and their affair ended for unknown reasons in 1904. It is clearly the ‘notorious’ affair in whose fame Chambers ‘rejoiced to the last’, according to Somerset Maugham’s devastating assessment of the man in ‘A Writer’s Notebook’ (1946). Harry de Windt gives a markedly kinder account of Chambers in his ‘My Note-Book at Home and Abroad’ (1923). 2pp, 8vo. Bifolium. Twenty-seven lines of text. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded twice. Signed 'C Haddon Chambers'.

[‘The last production of the late Mr. Dutton Cook’.] Corrected Autograph Manuscript of Edward Dutton Cook’s last story ‘ “Columbines all of a Row” ’, completed within days of his death and published in 'Hood's Comic Annual'. Signed: ‘Dutton Cook’.

Author: 
Dutton Cook [Edward Dutton Cook] (1829-1883), author, journalist, artist, engraver, drama critic of the Pall Mall Gazette [Hood's Comic Annual]
Dutton Cook
Publication details: 
Undated, but written in 1883. Addressed in autograph at head: ‘Dutton Cook / 69 Gloucester Crescent. N.W’.
£450.00
Dutton Cook

For information on Cook see his biography in the Oxford DNB, which points out that the subtlety of his later fiction was lost on his contemporaries, being written in a style that ‘was not sufficiently sensational’ for the period. The present item is the complete text of the last thing Cook ever wrote: a story which appeared in the weeks following his death, in Hood’s Comic Annual for 1884 (London, 1883).

[Sainte Beuve] Autograph Note Signed Sainte Beuve. No addressee.

Author: 
Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve (1804 – 1869), French literary critic.
Publication details: 
No place or date.
£100.00

Paper, 9.5 x 10cm, laid down on larger piece of paper, part of album page, good condition. Vous sentez bien que votre approbation m'est precieuse. Elle l'est par ille-meme & par ce qu'ille suppose - Je suis d'ailleurs toujours un invalide, & ma sante, depuis trois mois et demi, [?] restee avc un grave [accrue?]. | A vous [...]

[L. A. G. Strong, novelist and critic.] Autograph Letter Signed ('Leonard.') to 'Terence' [BBC Producer Terence Dudley?], discussing a proposed broadcast lecture.

Author: 
L. A. G. Strong [Leonard Alfred George Strong] (1896-1958), novelist, critic, and poet, a director of the publishers Methuen Ltd [Terence Dudley, BBC producer]
Publication details: 
10 May 1958. On letterhead of Dromore, Old Frensham Road, Farnham, Surrey.
£50.00

2pp, 12mo. On aged and creased paper, with two torn spike holes resulting in loss of a few letters of text. Date stamp on reverse. The recipient is not named, but is presumably the BBC producer Terence Dudley (1919-1988). Writing three months before his death, Strong begins the letter: 'My dear Terence, | How very kind of you! I [d]on't have any dignity in such matters! and I'd love to have a go, whether live or recorded.

[Christopher Fry annotates a book about his work, inscribed to him by the author.] Christopher Fry | By Glenda Leeming.

Author: 
Christopher Fry (1907-2005), playwright, with Auden and Eliot a leading exponent of twentieth-century English verse drama; Glenda Leeming
Publication details: 
Twayne Publishers, A Division of G. K. Hall & Co., Boston. 1990.
£450.00

xv + 179pp, 8vo. Good tight copy in brown cloth, in worn printed dustwrapper. Frontispiece portrait of Fry. Inscribed on front free endpaper: 'To Christopher Fry | from | Glenda Leeming | with love'. In her preface Leeming notes Fry's 'patience and tolerance, as well as his helpful explanations of his plays, his intentions, and their realization'. The volume contains pencil annotations between pp.43 and 73, mostly relating to 'The Lady's not for Burning'. All are marginal indications of passages with vertical lines, apart from two annotations suggesting a degree of impatience with the text.

[George Henry Lewes, editor of the Fortnightly Review, 'husband' of the novelist 'George Eliot' (Mary Ann Evans).] Autograph Letter Signed ('G H Lewes'), to Reginald Stuart Poole, regarding his article on 'Pagan and Muslim Arabs'.

Author: 
G. H. Lewes [George Henry Lewes] (1817-1878), critic and philosopher, editor of the Fortnightly Review, 'husband' of the novelist 'George Eliot' (Mary Ann Evans) [Reginald Stuart Poole (1832-1895)]
Publication details: 
'Friday' (no date, but in 1865); on letterhead of The Fortnightly Review, Office, 193 Piccadilly [London].
£380.00

2pp, 12mo. Twenty-seven lines of text. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded twice. A nice item, giving an indication of Lewes's editorial principles at the Fortnightly Review (he held the position from 1865 to the following year). Addressed to 'R. S. Poole'. He begins by explaining that he only returned to England the previous night, '& found your notes & m.s awaiting me'.

[Alphonse Karr, French critic, novelist and editor of Le Figaro.] Autograph Note Signed ('Alphonse Karr'), renewing a request for a meeting with 'Monsieur le ministre de la marine'.

Author: 
Alphonse Karr [Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr] (1808-1890), French critic, journalist, novelist and floriculturalist, editor of Le Figaro
Publication details: 
No date. Rue de Clichy 5 [Paris].
£50.00

On one side of an irregular piece of thin paper, roughly 12.5 x 13.5 cm. From the celebrated autograph collection of Richard Monckton Milnes (Lord Houghton), and neatly mounted on a leaf extracted from an album. He writes that a few days previously he wrote to ask 'Monsieur le ministre de la marine' for 'une audience de q[uel]ques instants'. He fears that the letter did not reach him, and so renews his request. Signed 'salut et paternité | Alphonse Karr'.

[Charles Harold Herford, literary scholar, editor of Ben Jonson, professor in Wales and in Manchester.] Two Autograph Letters Signed (both 'C H Herford') to 'Armstrong', regarding an 'indiscretion' and 'more timid & more cruel' proposals.

Author: 
C. H. Herford [Charles Harold Herford] (1853-1931), Manchester-born literary scholar, editor of Ben Jonson with Percy and Evelyn Simpson, professor in Wales and Manchester
Publication details: 
25 and 26 September 1914. Each on letterhead of 5 Parkfield Road, Didsbury, Manchester.
£35.00

Both in good condition, lightly aged. ONE: 2pp, 12mo. He 'must bear the entire blame' for 'an indiscretion', and is 'exceedingly sorry'. 'Nothing was said between us in regard to the giving or withholding of addresses, & I had not at that time considered the point.

[Herbert van Thal and J. C. Trewin discuss the possibility of a book on the murderer Eugene Aram.] Typed Letter Signed from van Thal, with copy of Typed Letter from Trewin, on theatrical matters, with two-age treatment of Trewin's proposed book.

Author: 
J. C. Trewin [John Courtenay Trewin] (1908-1990), author and journalist; Herbert van Thal [Bertie Maurice van Thal] (1904-1983), author, publisher, agent and anthologist; Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London
Publication details: 
Both letters from London, March 1978. Van Thal's letter on letterhead of the publishers Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
£56.00

ONE: Typed Letter Signed from 'Bertie' (i.e. Herbert van Thal) to 'John' (i.e. J. C. Trewin). 15 March 1978. On letterhead of the London publishers Weidenfeld & Nicolson. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. The letter reads: 'My dear John, Alas, they do not think that they would be able to sell this Eugene Aram idea here, without the backing of a television programme or a film to back it up. But Orbis recently asked me if I had any ideas, and I have sent it on to them. Will let you know what they have to say.

[William Moy Thomas, theatre critic, and associate of Charles Dickens.] Autograph Draft, signed with initials ('W M T'), of long 'Letter to Hare [i.e. actor-manager John Hare] about Grundy's Comedy An Old Jew produced at the Garrick Janry 6 1894'.

Author: 
William Moy Thomas (1828–1910), journalist, theatre critic, novelist and associate of Charles Dickens [Sir John Hare (1844-1921), actor-manager; Sydney Grundy (1848-1914)]
Publication details: 
At head of first page: 'Copy | January 16, 1894'.
£320.00

A highly interesting letter from a leading Victorian dramatic critic (Thomas describes himself in the letter as 'For five & twenty years [...] theatrical critic of the Daily news & the Graphic', who has 'served under at least thirteen editors') to a leading actor-manager (Hare was knighted in 1907), on the subject of alleged editorial pressure on Fleet Street's theatre critics. 4pp, 8vo. On four leaves. Aged and worn, but with text complete and clear.

[William Archer, Hans Lien Brækstad and the Norwegian circle in London.] Correspondence addressed to Brækstad and his wife Gertrude Hughes Braekstad: from William Archer, Frances Archer, Einar Sundt, Johan Peter Bull, John Manson.

Author: 
William Archer (1856-1924), theatre critic and translator of Henrik Ibsen; Hans Lien Brækstad (1845-1915); Gertrude Hughes Braekstad; Einar Sundt; Johan Peter Bull; John Manson; Norway; Norwegian
Publication details: 
[London, England; and Kristiania (Oslo), Norway.] Eleven letters, ten of them dating from between 1915 and 1925. Four of Archer's five letters from 27 Fitzroy Square, W. [London]
£1,250.00

A notable item in the present collection is a letter written by William Archer to Braekstad's widow in 1923, in which he gives a fulsome assessment of his character, describing his 'old friend' as 'the unofficial and unpaid consul for Norway', 'unwearied in his service to his country as represented by Norwegians in London'. Hans Lien Brækstad (who has a brief entry in Who Was Who) features prominently in Lionel Carley's 'Edward Grieg in England' (2006), where he is described as 'a major Norwegian presence in London.

[ Weeden Butler, cleric, author and schoolmaster. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('Weeden Butler') to Messrs Nichols and Son, printers and publishers of the Gentleman's Magazine, asking whether they intend to publish a review he has sent them.

Author: 
Weeden Butler the younger (1773-1831), English cleric, author and schoolmaster in Chelsea who taught Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Publication details: 
Chelsea, 26 July 1821.
£180.00

1p., 8vo. Bifolium addressed on reverse of second leaf to 'Messrs: Nichols & son, | No. 26, | Parliament Street, | Westminster.' (Delivered by hand, with word 'Wait.' at bottom left of address.) In fair condition, lightly aged. Written in a bold hand, the letter reads: 'Gentlemen, | I lately sent you by post a careful review of Baron D'Ordre's “Exiles of Parga,” & offered to correct a proof for you. Have you any intention to print the same?

[ George Saintsbury, literary historian and critic. ] Three Autograph Letters Signed to Sir Courtney Mansel, regarding the receipt of a book and his 'fixed rule' on giving his opinion of unsolicited poetry.

Author: 
George Saintsbury [ George Edward Bateman Saintsbury ] (1845-1933), literary historian and critic [ Sir Courtenay Mansel (1880-1933), Welsh Liberal (later Conservative) politician and poet ]
Publication details: 
One: on letterhead of 2 Eton Terrace, Edinburgh. 15 January 1911. Two: 11 Pulling Street, Bath. 17 March 1912. Three: 1 Royal Crescent, Bath. Postmarked 23 April 1928.
£75.00

The three items in fair condition, lightly aged and worn. Postage stamp and paper beneath torn from third letter,, resulting in loss of full date All three signed 'George Saintsbury'. Saintsbury's handwriting is difficult to decipher and the following description only gives a phrase from each of the letters. Mansel had pretentions as a poet, and the first two items at least appear to concern volumes which he had sent Saintsbury. ONE (15 January 1911): 2pp., 12mo. Explaining that he has been compelled to 'make it a fixed rule to decline giving <?> opinion on poetry'.

[ Nancy R. E. Bell, author and wife of artist Arthur George Bell. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('Nancy Bell') to unnamed 'Gentlemen', praising a book on Japan which (as the publishers) they have sent her, and expressing desire to review it.

Author: 
Nancy Bell { Nancy R. E. Bell, born Nancy Regina Emily Meugen ] (1844-1933), American art critic and travel writer, wife of Arthur George Bell (1849-1916), English genre and landscape painter
Publication details: 
On letterhead of Restgarth, Southbourne, Christchurch. 8 December [ no year ].
£45.00

2pp., 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. The 'Gentlemen' are clearly the publishers of a book which they wish Bell to review. She writes that she is greatly obliged to them for offering her 'a copy of your beautiful book on Japan', and has written 'to 4 editors to ask for space for early notices of it'. The book is 'indeed a marvel of technical skill in reproduction & it would be a pleasure to me to speak as highly of it as it deserves'.

[ Dame Edith Sitwell, poet. ] Autograph Signature ('Edith Sitwell') on valediction to a letter, a fragment of which is on the reverse.

Author: 
Edith Sitwell [ Dame Edith Louisa Sitwell ] (1887-1964), English poet and literary critic, with her brothers Sacheverell and Osbert one of 'the Sitwells'
Publication details: 
Place and date not stated.
£30.00

On 8 x 12.5 cm piece of paper, torn from the end of a letter. In fair condition, aged and lightly spotted. On one side of the slip is the conclusion of the letter: '[...] | Yours very sincerely | Edith Sitwell'. On the other side is the following autograph fragment: '[...] kind of you to invite me to your lumcheon party on Tuesday, and I am looking forward to it so much. I have not seen you for [...]'.

[ Sir Charles Lock Eastlake, painter and President of the Royal Academy. ] Autograph Note Signed ('C. L. Eastlake') accepting an invitation to dinner.

Author: 
Sir Charles Lock Eastlake (1793-1865), artist, President of the Royal Academy, Keeper of the National Gallery, London
Publication details: 
13 Upper Fitzroy Street [ London ]. 18 December [ no year ].
£25.00

1p., 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Reads: 'My dear Sir | I have great pleasure in accepting your invitation to dinner on Tuesday next. | Yours very faithfully | C. L. Eastlake'.

[ Sir Claude Phillips, art critic and first Keeper of the Wallace Collection. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('C. P.') to 'Dearest Dick' [ i.e. the art critic R. A. Streatfeild ], regarding the obituaries of 'H. H.' and Elgar's 'wonderful' new 'things'.

Author: 
Sir Claude Phillips (1846-1924), art historian and critic for the Daily Telegraph and Manchester Guardian, first keeper of the Wallace Collection, 1900-1911 [ Richard Alexander Streatfeild ]
Publication details: 
On letterhead of 40 Ashburn Place, S.W. [ London ] 4 May 1916.
£40.00

2pp., 4to. In fair condition, on aged, worn and creased paper. Written in a hurried, difficult hand. He begins by saying he was 'just thinking' of him, 'and wondering!' He then invites him to dine the following Sunday in the 'usual way'. He continues: 'No, I didn't write about H. H. . There was a <?> ordinary notices in the D[aily]. T[elegraph]., but by whom written I can't say. I didn't really know enough about him.' He is 'going with Mr. Crawshay to the Elgar performance: it appears the new things are wonderful.

[ Thomas Pakenham, 5th Earl of Longford. ] Two Autograph Letters Signed (both 'Longford') to the music critic R. A. Streatfeild regarding the suitability as a groom or chauffeur of his 'fellow countryman' Leonard, for whom he has a 'sneaking liking'.

Author: 
Thomas Pakenham, 5th Earl of Longford [ Lord Silchester to 1887 ] (1864-1915), Irish politician and soldier [ R. A. Streatfeild [ Richard Alexander Streatfeild ] (1866-1919), music critic ]
Publication details: 
On letterheads of 44 Byranston Square, W. [ London ] 11 and 12 May 1911.
£60.00

The two letters in good condition, on lightly aged paper. ONE: 2pp., 12mo. He begins by stating that he 'knew Leonard pretty well in the 2nd Life G[uar]ds., he was a good fellow, but rough and wild - he came from Mullingar, my local capital, a good man with a horn but too heavy for a groom'. He could not give Leonard 'a better character than the regiment has done', and if 'his knee is too bad for him to soldier it probably would prevent him being a groom anywhere [...] he occasionally came before me for punishment - and as a fellow countryman I took an interest in him'.

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