LONDON

Written in blue ink on one side of a card (not a post card, and with the reverse blank). Written a year after his retirement the card reads: 'Dear old friend - any time - love to see you here. I go to London for the middle of the week: but if you whispered a date convenient to you I would precipitate myself down here. | All love | Hardy'.

The proprietor of Truth, Major George Joseph Ball was a Nazi sympathiser and anti-Semite, who became a political adviser to Neville Chamberlain in 1937, and used his journal to attack Chamberlain's political opponents, including Winston Churchill and Anthony Eden. The Secretary of State for War, Leslie Hore-Belisha, who was of Jewish extraction, was subjected to a sustained attack by the journal, but the extent to which this, and Ball's influence over Chamberlain, influenced his resignation in January 1940 is unclear.

Pinned to the second leaf is a printed card of admittance to a 'General Meeting' of the Society for Psychical Research, Council Chamber, Westminster Town Hall, 16 July 1900, at which 'The following Paper will be read: - | “On Trance-Utterance and other Phenomena observed with Mrs. Thompson.” | By the President.' The letter is 3pp., 16mo. Bifolium. Both letter and card in good condition, lightly aged. The subject of the letter is clearly the speech mentioned on the card, given by Myers.

1p., 4to. On bifolium. Aged and worn, with small spots at head and foot. Irving's signature is firm and bold. The only other words in his autograph are 'Dear Hall Caine', but there is slight offsetting of other writing by Irving on the blank second leaf. The circular is an invitation to be 'placed on the list of Stewards on the occasion of the Annual Dinner of "The Actors' Benevolent Fund," of which I am the President'. Irving will be in the chair, and the dinner will take place at the Whitehall Rooms, Hotel Metropole.

The present item was written at the end of a period of great tribulation for Macready. As W. T. Price explains in his biography: 'Macready suffered repeated sorrows in his retirement. His wife died in 1852, and his two sons died in their youth, Walter Francis Sheil, aged 13, in 1853, Henry Frederick Bulwer, aged 19, in 1857.

4pp., 16mo. Bifolium with mourning border, on paper embossed with the Macready crest. In fair condition, lightly aged, with torn hole to one corner of the first leaf (not affecting text), presumably caused by removal from mount. The recipient is clearly a member of the Hawtrey family (and presumably a relation of Edward Craven Hawtrey of Eton), as the letter concludes with the Macready family's best wishes 'to Mrs. Hawtrey'. It must date from before Macready's departure for Cheltenham in 1860.

On a piece of paper, folded three times into a packet. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. The plan covers the whole of one side, with the names of around 150 invitees (including George Augustus Sala, Henry Trueman Wood, A. M. Broadley, Prince Iskandar Ali of Moorshedabad and the Mayor of Colchester) printed in black ink on a seating diagram in brownish-red. Dead centre at the top table is the Lord Mayor of London, flanked by the French ambassador and 'M. Georges Berger (Director-General of the Paris Exhibition). To the right of the ambassador are Sir Lyon Playfair and Sir Lothian Bell.

1p., 4to. In fair condition, lightly aged, with two punch-holes in margin. He has been reading Brooks's book ('Devil's Decade: Portraits of the Nineteen-Thirties') 'during a few days' holiday in Norfolk', and finds it 'excellent': Brooks has 'drawn a very accurate picture of Rothermere'. He proposes a time for them to 'meet again and have lunch'. He wonders whether Brooks 'ever came across that photograph of Northcliffe with Cecil Rhodes which I remember you mentioned you thought you had somewhere or other', asks for a sight of it.

The context of the present letter is explained by Caine's biographer Vivien Allen.

1p., 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. She was glat to receive his letter and will send 'details of my birth as soon as I can get a moment to myself'. She hopes he will 'come and see "Judith" and then come round to my room afterwards and tell me what you think about it all'. Accompanied by a leaf of paper carrying a calligraphic manuscript biography, written during McCarthy's lifetime.

An interesting exchange, casting light on manegerial practices in late-Victorian theatre. ONE: Typed Letter Signed by 'W. Lestocq'. 2pp., 4to. In good condition, lightly aged. A long letter, single-spaced. He has 'talked over the whole matter of the prospects of “The Christian” tour with Mr Frohman for next season, and he does not desire to send out a company on tour himself. Now I could of course let it on Mr Frohman's behalf or perhaps sell his rights and the production outright.' He gives details of his first choice if the latter course were pursued.

The three letters are in good condition, lightly aged. All three signerd 'J Bertrand Payne'. The first has a letterhead in red, the other two have a different letterhead in blue. Both designs feature exuberant monograms and lettering in Victorian Gothic type, which, together with Payne's exuberant handwriting (the last letter also being written in purple ink), accurately reflect the character of the man Tennyson angrily dismissed as 'peacock Payne'. Three excellent letters, the background to which is of interest.

4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Aged and worn, and with closed tears up gutter and one fold. Addressed to 'My dearest Miss OMeara'. With reference to her first published work, 'St. Etienne, a Romance of the First Revolution' (T. C. Newby, London, 1845), she begins by thanking her 'for the Review which the Doctor sent me, as he promised'. She mentions other reviews, stating that one 'did not review the Book it praised the writer – the only thing stated of the Book is however very good, for it is htat the Characters are so very well done that they resemble Miss Austen'.

Hope calls (Item Four below) for 'a frank recognition of the fact that the faith of the nation is to be found under various, and in some cases discordant, forms, which each require cultivation in conformity with the conscientious beliefs of those who hold them', this being the only way that religion 'as a national institution' can be saved from 'eventual submergence under the floods of indifference and infidelity which are yearly making way in our own as in other European peoples'.The five items attached by a piece of string.

6pp., small 4to. Stitched into brown wraps with lithographed title on cover, in pastiche of Gothic design, including monogrammed initials 'IS' in shield, with the letters picked out in red. In fair condition, aged and worn. An extremely scarce item (no copies found on OCLC WorldCat or COPAC), whose text and illustrations cast light on the practices at the Royal Academy in the mid-Victorian period.

Both items in good condition, lightly aged. The autograph receipt is on a slip of paper attached to the invoice with sealing wax. The invoice is docketed: 'For Par Re: Richd Clarke | 1825 | Sepr. 13th. | Mr Lupton Rolfe Bill for Books | £2 13 6 | No 13 Cornhill London'. ONE: Invoice. 1p., 12mo. Handsome letterhead for items 'Bought of Lupton Relfe | (From J. Hatchard's Son's [sic]) | Bookseller, Publisher & Stationer. | No.

4pp., 12mo. Bifolium on grey paper. In good condition, lightly aged. The letter would appear to concern both of the books which Shaw published with Routledge in 1913: 'The Encyclopaedia of the Poultry Yard' and 'The Encyclopaedia of the Kennel'. He begins by explaining that he is finally sending in 'title page, & dedication, which I should have sent in earlier had I not been awaiting Mr T[?]s permission to dedicate the book to him.

1p., 4to. In good condition, lightly aged. He acknowledges Wilson's 'kind letter regarding Dalglish', who 'suffered a good deal during the latter weeks of his life, but I am glad to say that even then he still retained that brightness of disposition of which you speak'.

1p., landscape 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. The letter reads: 'Dear Madam, | As far as I am concerned I shall be very glad for you to copy Cromwell into Braille, but I think you ought to get the formal permission of my publishers, Messers Sidgwick and Jackson, which I am sure that they will give you.'

1p., 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Addressed to 'My dear Richard'. In the first paragraph he explains that he will not be able to accept his inviation as he is 'obliged to go into the country'. In the second he writes: 'Arthur Locker will succeed me here after the first of May; and he will attend at the office, with me, for about a week before his engagement begins. If you don't know him and if you will look in I will introduce you.' The Graphic was first published on 4 December 1869 by William Luson Thomas's company Illustrated Newspapers Limited.

1p., 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. The brothers ask Gregory to 'please accept this special copy of RIDERS ACROSS THE BORDER, with our warmest regards, and with every good wish for Christmas and the New Year.' Gregory had published his book with the firm earlier in the year.

R. J. L. Kingsford, in his history of the Publishers Association, describes Young as 'a bookseller of outstanding character and ability, a friend of Arnold Bennett, and the discoverer of the literary distinction of George Sturt'. 1p., 12mo. Neatly and closely written. Headed 'private', and addressed to 'Dear John'. Young is apparently following a dinner (of the Publishers Association) at which George Bernard Shaw was present, and the subject of the letter would appear to be an exhibition Wilson's firm has mounted of books by the London publisher John Murray.

1p., 12mo. On grey paper. Aged and with light discoloration and chipping along one edge. A somewhat barbed missive, reading: 'Sir, | I thank you for your offer, but I have so many subjects on hand just now that I fear I could not find room for your article even if I approved of it.' The Graphic was first published on 4 December 1869 by William Luson Thomas's company Illustrated Newspapers Limited, with Henry Sutherland Edwards (1828-1906) as editor. Locker had taken over the editorship only a few days before the writing of this note, on 1 May 1870.

2pp., 4to. In good condition, lightly aged, with the two leaves pinned together. Referring to his wife Emilie, Harmsworth has written in red pencil at the head of the letter 'Em to see'. Physick begins by thanking Harmsworth and his wife for their 'most generous appreciation of our efforts'.

1p., 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged, with small circle of ink placed by Hake at bottom right. Regarding his 'Parables and Tales', illustrated by Arthur Hughes and published by Chapman & Hall in 1872, he writes: 'Dear Sir [sic] | Please to give me a line to say when Mr Hughes drawings will be ready for press and when you will require my proofs - | Yours truly | T. G. Hake'.

Printed and in manuscript on both sides of a ragged 19 x 19.5 cm piece of paper, extracted from an Exchequer document (the first page is headed in manuscript 'Bk | (608)'. Aged and ragged. The recto, printed and completed in manuscript explains that the document relates to the 'Repayment of Loan on the Duties on Salt, granted for the Service of the year 1741, and further continued for Seven Years from the 25th Day of March 1746'.

1p., 8vo. In good condition, lightly aged. Closely written in red ink. He begins by thanking him for being 'awfully sweet & kind' in writing, before going on to deal with the state of his health, it having been 'a difficult time, especially as I became so ill – but at the moment things aren't too bad'. The results of 'all the horrible tests' in hospital have 'come out first class', and the 'weird symtoms [sic] have now been proved to have been caused by yet another of those unknown viruses which first of all attacked my guts & then my brain'.

1p., 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged. Strip of glue from tape at head of page. Written in response to a request for an autograph. Centred in the page, and reading: 'Yours truly | James Payn | March 28th 1887.'

1p., 4to. In fair condition, lightly aged and creased. Salutation ('Dear Lord Portal') and valediction ('I hope you are well. | Kindest regards | Yours sincerely | Bernard C. Westall') in autograph, the rest typed. Addressed to 'Marshal of the Royal Air Force, | the Rt. Hon.

On the back of a printed 'Ceylon | Post Card | For use to British countries'. With Galle postmark of 18 May 1939. Pannasara signs 'D. Pannasara' and gives his details as: 'Bhikku [sic], D. Pannasara Thero | Jayawardhanarama | Dangedara, Galle | Ceylon'. An enquiry in English regarding the 'Milinda Panha – translated from Pali by J. W. Rhys Davids Vol. I-ii'. Annotations in pencil and ink by the recipients.