STORIES

See the two men’s entries in the Oxford DNB. In good condition, on the first leaf of bifolium. (There are extensive pencil annotations in a later hand on the second leaf.) Very neatly written. Addressed to ‘J. G. Wilson Esqre.’ and signed ‘Anstey Guthrie’. He has ‘much pleasure’ in answering Wilson’s question. ‘‘Shut Out’ is a short story of mine which was published in Longmans Magazine about 1895 or 6, afterwards included in a volume of short stories under the title of “The Talking Horse”. I think published by Messrs. Smith & Elder - but now long out of print.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. On 10 x 7 cm piece of paper, cut down from letterhead. In good condition, lightly aged, with pin holes at top left. Clearly sent in response to a request for an autograph. Reads: 'Yours very truly / W. W. Jacobs'. See scan

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. On bifolium. Thirty-lines of text in his distinctive close hand. Addressed to 'Dear Miss Hall' and signed 'S. B. Gould'. In fair condition, lightly aged, with slight loss to the upper corners of the second leaf from removal from mount. Folded twice for postage. He begins by stating that he will be writing to 'the Chaplain & also to some cousins of mine who are at Freiburg, & who are nice cheerful people - the Snows'. He informs her of the death of 'Herr v.

In a letter to ‘John O’London’s’ in 1921, Fletcher boasted of having ‘written (and published) seventy-three novels, twelve volumes of collected short stories, and fifteen historical and topographical works, the last-named mostly of considerable length’. 3pp, 12mo. On bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once for postage. Annotated by recipient with date of response. Addressed to ‘Mr D. Webster.’ and signed ‘J. S. Fletcher.’ He thanks him for ‘the two Chichester pamphlets duly to hand’, noting that one was ‘The Accompt Cleared’ by Roger L’Estrange.

See her entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. On the recto of the first leaf of a bifolium, the blank second leaf of which has been glued to the first. There are also a number of vertical creases. Folded once for postage. Reads: ‘Mrs Hodgson Burnett has much pleasure in accepting Mrs Macheles kind invitation for Tuesday July 12th / 23 Weymouth Street / Portland Place’. See Image.

Blackwood’s entry in the Oxford DNB quotes H. P. Lovecraft’s opinion that he was the author of ‘some of the finest spectral literature of this or any age’. On post card with printed stamp. In good condition, lightly worn, on light-brown card. Addressed to ‘Miss Cond, / Deer Park, / Honiton.’ Apart from the signature, Blackwood has added quotation marks and dealt with two typing mistakes in autograph. Good firm signature. Reads: ‘Savile Club, 69 Brook St, W. 1.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once. The recipient, whose name Jacobs gives as ‘D. H. Denselow Esq’, was the commercial artist and autograph hunter Douglas Harold Hellier-Denselow, whose studio was in Gunnersbury, West London. The note reads: ‘Dear Mr. Denselow / I am much obliged for your letter & its accompanying illustration. I shall not follow your example & affix my eye to my autograph / Yours very truly / W. W. Jacobs’.

One page, cr. 8vo, good condition. Text: I am afraid my autograph is not very valuable and is never likely to be. However I enclose it herewith, and am honoured that you should wish to have it. Tipped on to bottom of note, smaller piece of paper, 11 x 8cm, with the following text in Taffrail's hand: Taprell Dorling || Captain | Royal Navy | Taffrail | July 27: 1931 |

3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. Fifty-one lines of text in a close neat hand, the last page written lengthwise. In good condition, lightly aged, with traces of white paper mount adhering to blank reverse of second leaf. Folded once. The letter is signed 'Barry Pain'. The recipient is not named, but is James Payn, editor of the Cornhill Magazine, who had just published the story that made Pain's name, 'The Hundred Gates'.

1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once. Neatly and closely written out. Good firm signature, not hyphenated (as opposed to his entry in the Oxford DNB). A short letter, begging with thanks to the unnamed recipient 'for a sight of your beautiful drawings.' He continues: 'I have nothing to do with the publication of “Lives of the SS” as I parted with copyright at the time they were just done.' The sixteen volumes of his 'Lives of the Saints' appeared between 1872 and 1877.

On 17 x 12 cm leaf of thickish paper, removed from 'The Meredith Birthday Book'. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. Scratchy signature, underlined. In one of three printed boxes of red rules on one side of the leaf, the other side bearing quotations from George Meredith for the days 25 to 27 April.

On one side of a slip of paper cut from a letter. In good condition, lightly aged. The conclusion of a letter, reading: '[...] also to get another Servant, so I shall put it off till my return & I have every thing in order. | My kind love to all of you & you my dear Mother ever truly | F Marryat'.

243 numbered pp., 8vo, dustjacket, sl chipped and rubbed, condition of book v.g.+ INSCRIBED By Author as follows (front free endpaper): "To Allard | In memory of the days on Shift 2, + how frightfully brave we were when all the mines in Nova Scotia caved in on our heads. | Mavis || Paris | Christmas 79".

The card is 1p., 12mo., sending the 'Third book of proposed Series'. He hopes to 'call to collect agreed £1 on the date arranged', but if this is not possible asks for it to be sent to John Farquharson. The printed volume is 64pp., 12mo. Bound by Townsend in patterned brown cloth, with the title 'One-Punch Chris?' in gilt on front cover. In good condition, on browned newspaper stock, in lightly-worn binding. The story, by 'Eric W. Townsend', in thirty-four chapters, is printed in small print, in double column, with a drophead title and illustration of boxing scene above text on front page.

1p., 12mo. In good condition, lightly-aged, with minor traces of labels from mounting at head and foot. Having 'just returned from rather a long trip to the Mediterranean and found much arrears of correspondence' he can't write to Carr fully, but suggests that he call on him one day that week. 'I do not promise that I will do anything to swell Messrs Cassells bank a/c - I am rather displeased with them.' Carr's reputation was made by his 'Cruise of the Cachalot' (1898), a semi-autobiographical account of a whaling expedition.

1p., 12mo. On aged and ruckled paper, with pinholes to one corner. He is 'in the thick of this "Week in the Country" business'. 'When I come to town I'll come & see you about your proposition of the series for the Grand Magazine, but I'm a rotten short story writer, you know.'

4pp., 12mo. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with the second leaf neatly placed in a paper windowpane mount. He writes that he has been 'excessively busy', and this has delayed his 'coming to a decision re the lecture'. 'Since the 4th Oct. I have written two large books, besides any amount of magazine work &c.' As he has '4 books to write before May', he is afraid his 'lecture on Caravan Life will have to be deferred till another season'. He has been asked to 'lecture on Kindness to Dogs, &c with living specimens on the stage at Birmingham', and fears that 'even this will have to be put off'.

90[6]pp., 8vo (six-page catalogue of Bell & Daldy's "New and Standard Publications" at end), in slipcase, green cloth in good condition, pattern in relief, gold motif of laurels surrounding the title, hinge strain at title/frontispiece, some speckling throughout, some pencilled underlining, and childish daubing of colour onto three of the illustrations. INSCRIBED as follows: "This book was written by my mother [letters crossd out] the stories read to me & Walter for our amusement in 1857-8 | J Parker Smith".

Short stories. First Edition, original brown cloth, minimal damage and staining, mainly good. Scarce.

4to (leaf dimensions 20.5 x 16.5 cm): 63 pp. In original grey-green printed wraps. Tight and generally good, but with damp-staining to a few leaves, some wear to corners and creasing and grubbiness to the last three leaves. Wraps worn and grubby. Embossed bookseller's stamp to rear wrap: 'W. H. Smith & Son. 186 Strand, London.' Scarce: COPAC only lists copies at the Bodleian, the National Library of Scotland and the British Library (the last being attributed to 'MARSHALL, Charles, Traveller'). The beginning is reminiscent of Tolkien's 'Hobbit': 'POOR Glum-glum!

On a piece of paper roughly 7 x 10 cm. Laid down on a piece of card. Fair, rucked and grubby, with traces of previous mount adhering to the reverse. Presmuably in response to a request for an autograph. Reads: 'I wish thee well | [signed] W Gordon-Stables | MD - RN'.

130pp., 8vo, lacking back wrap rebound in green paper wraps with label on front, contenst good, some wear to front cover/titlepage. Scarce: No copy on AddAll, and COPAC lists only later editions.

Typed on one side of 86 quarto leaves, the latter leaves paginated and ending with 86. In printed wraps neatly tied with blue ribbon. Somewhat dusty but in good condition overall. According to the British Library catalogue the story was published by Unity Products in 1949. Patch is a dog, and the first few leaves contain eleven charming illustrations his friends, including Scragg, Tatters and Madame Sing-Hi.

Boys' story writer. 2pp., 8vo. He is pleased that she and her brother enjoyed "The King's Scout" (the "nicest women" enjoy their brother's books), and that she would like his autograph. He is sending her another book with autograph letters from himself and the illustrator, "Mr Masefield". "Mr. Masefield's is not a very good specimen but it is the only one I can find at present."