NOVEL

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'.

Donne was a neighbour of Lady Cullum's, having moved to Bury St Edmunds in 1846. The present letter is written following Thackeray's near fatal illness of 1849, during the writing and serialisation of 'Pendennis'. The recipient Lady Ann Cullum (1807-1875), wife of Sir Thomas Gery Cullum (1777-1855) of Hardwick House, was a close friend of Thackeray's. 1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. The letter is complete from salutation to signature, but Donne has written '(over)' in the bottom left-hand corner of the page, suggesting a postscript.

1p, 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged and creased. Folded once. Her letter has been forwarded to him and he has 'much pleasure in sending you my autograph. In order to make it a little more personal, I am sending it on one of my own private book-plates.'

1p, 4to. In fair condition, lightly aged and creased. Folded three times. After thanking Wynn for his letter he continues: 'It is a curious coincidence that in looking through a file of old correspondence yesterday I came across your letter of the 20th November 1915, which I read again with great pleasure'. Postscript: 'With good wishes to you & yours. J F.'

1p, 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged and creased. Folded once. The salutation 'Dear B. J.' and valediction 'Yours | Jack' are in Priestley's autograph; the rest is typed. Maire Lynd's letter was 'a delight surprise', Priestley being unaware that her son was 'in the film business'.

1p, 12mo. On aged and creased paper. Folded twice. Written in purple ink. Firm signature, underlined with diagonal downstroke. Reads: 'Decr. 18 | My dear Williams, | What are you doing this Christmas? Will you come down here? | Your always | William Black'. The reverse carries pencil notes of Italian and French musical compositions in another hand.

1p, 12mo. In fair condition, aged and worn. Folded twice. 68 lines of text, written in a minute, neat hand. Folded twice. Black has numbered the page at top right '206'. The text begins: '[...] seemly and maidenly thing [...]', and ends 'she seemed to know beforehand what he had to say.' Black's entry in the Oxford DNB describes his 1884 novel 'Judith Shakespeare: A Romance' (published in America with the subtitle 'Her Love Affairs and Other Adventures') as 'a romance about the dramatist's daughter'.

Weyman is largely forgotten now, but he was admired by Robert Louis Stevenson and Oscar Wilde, and Graham Greene singled him out for regular re-reading among the authors of 'the key books in my life'. 1p, 4to. In fair condition, lightly aged, with pin holes to one corner. Folded twice. He is 'relieved' that Balfour thinks 'it will do. Yes, if you will kindly send it me I will look it over again & get it typed.' He has 'not seen the Church for some years', and will be grateful if Balfour will note any inaccuracy. He supposes that if the work is received within a fortnight 'it will do'.

3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with traces of paper from mount adhering to blank reverse of second leaf. Folded twice. Written in his usual difficult hand. He begins by stating that her note was forwarded to him from Knebworth. The letter continues: 'I had previously requested my Sol[icito]r.

2pp, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. Folded once. Endorsed with a number. A light-hearted letter, possibly written to his agent or secretary, beginning: 'Dear Miss Cohen | Thanks 1001 to you! | Tell the man to send the 21/- book down here, the Keith Johnson books must not be later than Saturday or Monday at the latest. Tell him to send the 1/- & 2/6 ones also. We are a military family!' [Crockett was raised by his Cameronian maternal grandparents.] He asks whether she sent 'the nail scissors', reporting that he has heard from his wife that 'they have not turned up.

3pp, 16mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once. Begins: 'My dearest Aunt Agnes | Thank you very much indeed for your last letter. I send with this the announcement of my new book "Knight Errant", & if it would not trouble you to pass on the cards to any likely readers I should be very grateful.' She gives news of her children Amy and Maurice, and is enclosing 'a list of all the children of the family & their birthdays' (not present).

3pp, 16mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with minor traces of mount adhering to the blank reverse of the second leaf. An energetic letter, giving a sense of the writer's character, in wild and truly atrocious handwriting. It would appear to be addressed to 'Mackenne', but the recipient's name is in fact 'Mackinnon', an associate of Lady Ann Cullum, widow of Sir Thomas Gery Cullum of Hardwick House, from whose papers the item derives.

On both sides of the card. In good condition, lightly aged. The recipient is not named. Reads: 'Dear Sir | I should like to see the [Sandwith?] portrait, & will take an early opportunity of calling at the Club. Perhaps, in case you are not there, you will kindly instruct the poert to shew it me when I call. The signature looks like H. [Sandwiths?] writing – but he certainly wore moustache & whiskers from 1850 onwards.'

3pp, 12mo. Bifolium of grey paper. Good firm and elegant signature: 'Anne Thackeray'. In good condition, lightly aged, with minor traces from two labels from mount adhering at head of second leaf. Folded twice. The recipient is Lady Ann Cullum (1807-1875) of Hardwick House, widow of Sir Thomas Gery Cullum (1777-1855), 8th Baronet of Hardwick. She was a regular correspondent of Thackeray's, eight of whose letters were in the same album.

The letter contains an undertaking by Trollope to publish a piece by Blewitt, but the Wellesley Index has no record of a piece by Blewitt being published at this time in the St Paul's, of which Trollope was editor. The nature of the 'failure' of Dickens (who would be dead within months) and Lytton, is unclear, but it may concern the provision for impoverished authors.

4pp, 16mo. Bifolium. Forty-two lines of text. Letterhead of family crest in gold and red. In good condition, lightly aged, with traces of white paper mount adhering to last page. Three fold lines. The editor's 'obliging Note' affords her 'sincere pleasure to have the opportunity of expressing her gratitude to him in person', and she asks him not to call some day the following week (she is 'going out of Town' the week after), but not in the morning, as she has 'much business, of a disagreeable and imperative nature to transact now'.

Evocative artefacts of the interesting connection between Powys and the man who supplied him with the books for his translation of Rabelais. On 24 September 1940, in 'Letters to Sea-Eagle', Powys gives a lengthy account of 'Our Jew Book-Pedlar' and the bombing by the Germans of his Russell Street address.

On one side of 4.5 x 10.5 cm piece of paper, cut from end of letter for autograph hunter. In good condition, lightly aged. Reads: 'Believe me, dear Mr Browne | Yours very sincerely | Katharine Tynan Hinkson | Robert Browne Esq.'

Perrin's entry in the Oxford DNB describes the renewed interest in her work in recent years. 1p, 4to. In good condition, lightly aged and creased. Folded twice. The salutation is to 'Mr. Wheeler', this being Stephen Wheeler, from whose papers it derives. She suggests an early lunch 'on Friday next 30th', as she and her husband 'have to catch a train about 4 o'clock'. 'We shall much look forward to seeing you.'

2pp, 16mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged and worn, with traces of glue from mount adhering to blank reverse of second leaf. Folded twice. She signs 'Anna Eliza Bray', and the letter is a response to a request of an autograph of the artist Thomas Stothard (1755-1834), father of her late husband Charles Alfred Stothard (1786-1821). She writes that she is 'much gratified' by Spence's 'appreciation of Mr. Stothard, not only as an Artist, but as a man: he was indeed truly estimable'.

Carleton's controversial reputation is dealt with in his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. In fair condition, aged and worn. Folded twice. In response to a request for an autograph, he writes: 'My dear Mrs. Banks | You wish to have my humble name - You have however more than my name – You have my esteem and my highest respect – and I feel proud in [ratifying?] this by the subscription of Yours most faithfully and respectfully - | Wm. Carleton -'.

Admired by both Scott and Byron, Galt's novels are, as his entry in the Oxford DNB states 'so accurate in their account of social change that historians such as G. M. Trevelyan have recommended them as authentic social history'. 1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged, laid down on paper cut from leaf of an album. Folded twice. Addressed to 'Wm. Stewart Esqr.' The letter relates to Galt's 'Autobiography', published in the same year, in which Galt states that 'a visit from Mr. William Stewart, the principal proprietor', led to his appointment as editor of the Courier.

3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, aged and lightly creased. Folded twice. Addressed 'To the Editor of the Courant'. Having been made Recorder of Hull in 1852, Warren begins his letter from that place: 'Sir, | Some friend has sent to me your paper of Thursday, last, containing a very kindly notice on my late Charge to the Grand Jury here.

The letter congratulates the recipient on the engagement of her daughter Ada Maud Broadwood to the Anglo-American sculptor Thomas Waldo Story (1855-1915). Ada Maud Story was the daughter of Mary Davison and Thomas Capel Broadwood, and the granddaughter of the New Orleans jurist Alfred Hennin. In Rome in 1883 she married Story, who was the son of sculptor and writer William Wetmore Story. The couple were friends of the artist James McNeill Whistler. 3pp., 16mo. Bifolium, folded once.

Good bold signature, on 5 x 10 cm slip of paper, cut from the end of a letter. In fair condition, lightly aged. Reads: 'Believe me | Yrs. most sincerely | Charlotte E L Riddell'.

In addition to his distinguished career as a playwright, Fry had some success in Hollywood. He completely rewrote (uncredited) the screenplay of 'Ben-Hur' (1959), and was responsible for the screenplay of the Dino De Laurentiis epic 'The Bible: In the Beginning' (1966), directed by John Houston. The present item is a treatment for a film that did not make it into production. It is [1] + 71pp, 8vo. Each page on a separate loose leaf. With thin card covers, also loose, the front cover carrying a duplication of the title-page, and the back cover blank. In good condition, lightly aged.

Nine items, all in good condition. All of the letters are signed 'Anthony', and four of them (two autograph and two typed) are each 1p, 8vo. The other letter, in autograph, is 1p, 16mo. With four items of material relating to Hostage Action Worldwide. The first letter (11 May 1989) accompanies 'our first reply to our first 350 donors – we're hoping to build rapidly now'. He reports that 'The Archbishop of Canterbury has this week responded positively to us and appointed a man, John Lyttle to our Advisory Council.

3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition. Folded once. Signed with both her real name and her pseudonym: 'Ada Ellen Bayly. | “Edna Lyall.”' An interesting letter, revealing the practicalities of the Irish wool trade. Begins: 'Dear Miss McKeown, | When I was staying last month in Lunare [for 'Lurganare'?] I ordered some wool to be spun, for some frieze. I think you said the blacksmith's wife would do it, & I am afraid she may have been a little disappointed that we did not call as there had been some talk of one doing.

For two months in 1872, during his naval training, Loti 'went native' in Pape'ete, Tahiti, the inspiration for his Polynesian idyll 'Rarahu' (1880, later 'Le Mariage de Loti', and he inspiration for Delibe's 1883 opera 'Lakmé'), whose narrator explains that the name Loti was bestowed on him by the natives. For the Vernier family (also associated with Paul Gaugin), and their contribution of 'a striking missionary succession to the Society Islands' churches under French rule', see John Garrett, 'To Live Among the Stars: Christian Origins in Oceania' (1982).

The two cards are accompanied by the envelope in which the first card was sent, with stamp and postmark. All three items in good condition, lightly aged. Envelope addressed to 'Ian McPherson, Esq.' at his house on the Isles of Scilly. Both cards written in blue ink on side with letterhead, the other side being blank. ONE: 25 April 1983. She thanks him for his letter and cheque, adding: 'I have no signed copies at present, and in any case we must wait for my husband's return from a research trip during the next week before I can get him to inscribe it specifically for Andrew'.