REVIEW

An interesting item, linking the editors of two prominent literary magazines. See his entry in the Oxford DNB, which states, without giving a date, that ‘Chaotic working conditions led to desperation: Grindea sold the title to Frank Cass and retreated to Hove hoping to write his memoirs, but quickly decided he didn't want to and “in agonies of self-flagellation begged Cass to sell back the magazine”’. The recipient Philip Dosse was proprietor of Hansom Books, publisher of a stable of seven arts magazines including Books and Bookmen and Plays and Players.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. On recto of first leaf of bifolium, the verso of the second leaf addressed, with two postmarks, to 'Mrs. William Smith / Park Street / Westminster'. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. Annotations in pencil in a modern hand. He begins by apologising for not being able to 'come to your party on Monday', as he was 'forced to go to Bed[.] I always knock up the 2d or 3d Week of London - There is nothing in this World so fatiguing, and horrible as pleasure -'.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. On 9 x 11 cm piece of Whatman wove paper. Somewhat worn and creased, with a small nick to one edge, and slight damage from erasure of note on reverse. Folded. Reads ‘Dear Sr / many thanks / yours truly / Sydney Smith / May 11 1844.’

From the papers of Sylvia and Robert Lynd. A scarce piece of Pearse ephemera: no other copy traced. 1p, 12mo. On a piece of discoloured laid paper, worn, with crease to one corner. The full title of the book, which was edited by Desmond Ryan, was ‘The story of a success, being a record of St. Enda's College, September 1908 to Easter 1916’.

A scarce item: no copies on WorldCat or JISC, nor at the Caird Library, National Martime Museum (though the latter does have a signed print of one of the illustrations). Twenty-six broadsheet pages, on news stock paper, in shiny paper covers printed in red, blue and brown. Filled with illustrations and topical advertisements for everything from corsetry to bicycles, from a full-page one on the inside front cover for ‘Brickwoods Jubilee Brew / 4d. per Small Bottle in Public Bars’, to one on the back cover reading ‘On Review / United Ales & Stout Are Supreme’.

See his father?s entry in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 16mo. On first leaf of bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded for postage. The recipient?s full name is not give. Signed ?Walter H Pollock?. The ?Ajax business? referred to in the letter is the performance of the first of the Cambridge Greek plays, organised by the archaeologist Sir Charles Walston [formerly Waldstein] (1856-1927).

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. The recipient (‘Dear Sir’) is not named, but is presumably Alexander Macmillan (see Oxford DNB), the publisher of the two books referred to in the letter, which he seems to have sent for review. The letter is signed ‘H Reeve’. Folded for postage. He begins by thanking him for sending copies of ‘Lady Duff Gordon’s Letters [from Egypt]’ and ‘Ecce Homo’ [‘a survey of the life and work of Jesus Christ’ by J. R. Seeley], which he has ‘already read with great interest’.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged, with strip of mount adhering to inner margin. Folded once for postage. Reads 'My dear Miss Stuart / I don't think Mr. Bridges brings us much forrider with Keats. Many thanks for the article but I am a little disappointed that his criticism seems so flat. I return your paper with many thanks - / Every yours very truly / Robert H Hutton'.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 3pp, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged, and with slight discoloration to corners of second leaf from previous mounting. Folded once for postage. With large firm signature. Begins: ‘My dear Annie, / Please accept my best thanks for your kind present of a pair of slippers on the anniversary fo my birthday, & especially for your kindness of thinking of me.’ He comments on his improved health since the previous year, the long time since their last meeting, and his anticipation of their next.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. Both letters closely written. Both folded for postage. The letters concern the following statement in the Spectator, 6 February 1875: ‘Rumour says that Sir William Harcourt has ascertained from his friend, Mr. Disraeli, that while he will treat the Marquis of Hartington with all the respect due to the leader of a great party, he could not have accorded that deference to Mr. Forster. If rumour does not speak falsely, we could wish that the meeting of the Reform Club had received that very significant message.’ ONE (9 March 1875): 4pp, 12mo. Fifty-seven lines.

See the entries for Stanley and Smith in the Oxford DNB, the former drawing attention to Stanley’s ‘execrable handwriting’. 2pp, 12mo. Bifolium. Nineteen lines of text. Addressed to ‘My dear “Dictionary” ’, and signed ‘A P Stanley’, but with much of what comes in between only deciperable with effort: ‘[...] salutation [...] addressing [...] Could you do anything for the enclosed? I know nothing beyond what the writer says of himself - & Duckworth’s recommendation of him which I also enclose.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB, with that of the recipient Lady [Maria] Theresa Lewis (1803-1865), who lived in Kent House in Knightsbridge with her second husband Sir George Cornewall Lewis, Bart, her first husband having been the novelist Thomas Henry Lister (1800-1842). 32mo, 2pp. On the two sides of a piece of gilt-edged paper. In good condition, folded once for postage. Signed ‘F Jeffrey’. A difficult hand.

Victoria Coren’s comment to the BBC on Gascoigne’s death is most apt: ‘No quiz host has ever seemed more like they could answer all the questions themselves.’ The recipient Philip Dosse was proprietor of Hansom Books, publisher of a stable of seven arts magazines including Books and Bookmen and Plays and Players. 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. 1p, 4to. Written in green ink. Addressed to ‘Dear Mr.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. From the archives of Philip Dosse, proprietor of Hansom Books, publisher of the ‘Seven Arts’ group of magazines, including ‘Books and Bookmen’ and ‘Plays and Players’. 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, 4to. The letterhead, on both leaves, is topped by a pleasing 10 x 6 cm woodcut of Combe Florey House. The paper is creased, otherwise in good condition, and entirely legible.

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’.

C. A. Russell’s 2003 biography of Edward Frankland contains a thumbnail biography of Phipson, who ‘obtained a doctorate at Brussels in 1855, and after editing Cosmos in Paris, directed an analytical laboratory at Putney (at 4, The Cedars, almost on the site of Frankland’s earlier exploits at the now demolished College of Engineering). He became a Fellow of the Chemical Society in 1862 and was a prolific author of short papers as well as an accomplished amateur violinist’. See the short biographical notice in C. J. Bouverie, ‘The scientific and literary works of Dr. T. L.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. The six items - written in the semi-retirement that followed Escott's breakdown in 1885 (Joseph Chamberlain and Lord Randolph Churchill took up a subscription for him) - are in good condition, on lightly aged paper. A total of 12pp, 12mo. Closely written in a well-nigh illegible hand. All six letters are addressed to ‘My dear Sir’ and signed ‘T H S Escott’. Considering the execrable nature of the handwriting, it is ironic that the main topic would appear to be the supplying by Escott of autographs for the recipient’s collection.

Norman is puzzlingly absent from the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. The recipient Philip Dosse was proprietor of Hansom Books, publisher of a stable of seven arts magazines including Books and Bookmen and Plays and Players. 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. The four items are in fair condition, lightly aged and worn. They are all signed ‘Frank Norman’, and the letters are each 1p, 4to. ONE: TLS, 17 February 1975.

See the two men's entries in the Oxford DNB. Russell's papers are in the Harry Ransom Center at Texas. 1p, 4to. Aged and worn, with creasing and closed tear along left edge. Folded one. Carrying a neat and controlled signature, ‘Leonard Russell.’ He has ‘just come across’ the books Wilson lent him, ‘buried under a mass of books and papers’, and apologises. He ends by asking how Wilson’s ‘Notes from a Bookshop’ are going. ‘Copy as soon as you like.’ Wilson has ticked across the two paragraphs to signify action taken.

Sitter, artist and engraver all have entries in the Oxford DNB. No copy in the National Portrait Gallery. In good condition, lightly aged, on good paper with small embossment of castle. Dimensions of paper, 14.25 x 22.5cm. Dimensions of print, 12.5 x 17.75cm. Oval portrait, 10 cm wide and 13 cm high. Without date or place, but produced as the frontispiece to Stockdale’s 1809 memoirs. A half-length portrait of Stockdale, his face turned to the left, with white cravat and powdered hair, loosely wrapped in a coat.

2pp, 12mo. On grey paper. In good condition, lightly aged, in neatly-trimmed remains of windowpane mount. Headed ‘Private’, addressed to ‘My dear M. D [M. P?]’, and signed ‘H. Brougham’. Thirty-four lines of text, in a somewhat challenging hand, resulting in the following tentative reading. (In his 1995 biography of Brougham’s later life, Trowbridge H.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. At the time of writing, a year and a half before his death, Horner was Member of Parliament for St. Mawes in Cornwall. 1p, 4to. Eighteen lines, neatly written. Addressed to ‘My dear Harrison’ and signed ‘Fra Horner.’ In good condition, lightly aged, with negligible remnants of windowpane mount adhering at edges of blank reverse. Folded for postage. He has received both of Harrison’s letters, and is ‘particularly obliged’ to him for ‘sending the copy of Stephen’s communication.

In addition to the entry for Prothero in the Oxford DNB, see those of H. W. C. Davis (1874-1928) and H. W. V. Temperley (1879-1939), which reveal the interest all three had in the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. Both items in good condition, lightly aged. Each folded once. Both addressed to 'Davis'. ONE: 7 November [1921]. 4pp, 12mo. Dictated, and entirely (including signature) in the hand of an amanuensis.

One page, fold marks, good condition. Page headed Memo, continues: In case of any disputed point requires the decision of the Umpires the Major General commanding will sound the 'cease fire' and the troops will halt until again ordered to advance. When the 'cease fire' followed by the 'assembly' is sounded, the corps will fall in, the Brigades be masses, and the Bands resume their places for the march past.

According to the Oxford DNB entry on Carter's wife the crime writer Margery Allingham (whose book jackets were among those he designed): 'Their amiable, childless marriage was funded by Allingham's increasingly successful fiction. And, although Youngman Carter assisted his wife as a sounding board for plot design, and by producing covers and illustrations for her work, he found it difficult to sell his art.

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'.

An interesting period piece. Two synopses of Percy Nash's review 'The Charm', the second dated by him to 1951, and with reference to the nationalisation of the coal industry. Together with the typescript of a song from the play about the 'Man of Might' Winston Churchill, and the Labour Party, who 'Have sullied the Fair name | of dear old England'. Also present is a watercolour drawing by Percy Nash's nephew the Bournemouth artist Eustace Nash of the intended backdrop to the first act of the review, together with an ALS discussing his ideas for the design of the piece.

2pp, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged, with remains of stub adhering to edge on reverse. Folded twice. He begins by apologising that his 'occupations during the winter' have prevented him from seeing the unnamed recipient. If he is 'disengaged next Friday', Napier will be happy to see him 'at dinner at six o'clock, to meet a small party'. Laid down at the foot of the last page is a newspaper cutting of an article titled 'Death of Professor Napier'.

1p, 16mo. Aged, worn and discoloured, with thin strip of paper from mount adhering to reverse. 'Sir | In your notice of the late Mr. A. Smith, Banff, you mention that he wrote “The Ethics of Phrenology” an article in the Edinburgh Review. As this article was generally ascribed to Sir William Hamilton, I should be obliged by your mentioning whether you have full reliance on your authority in ascribing it to Mr. Smith? My only reason for asking the question is to do justice to Sir William Hamilton, if he is not the author.'

p, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded twice. The recipient is not named. Addressed to 'Révérend et cher Monsieur'. Sixteen neatly-written lines of text. He thanks him 'mille fois' for the number of the 'Day of Rest'. He has read the recipient's article, as well as that of 'Madame Hunt', but he is sorry 'de n'être pas assez versé dans la connaissance de la langue anglaise, pour pouvoir apprécier vos écrits comme ils le méritent'. He hopes to make progress, and is at present reading the recipient's piece in the Contemporary Review, 'qui m'intéresse beaucoup'.