Book Trade History

12mo, 16 pp. Unpaginated. Unbound and unstitched. Stabbed as issued. Fair, on lightly aged and worn paper. Extensive descriptions of 62 items, from 'The Mother's Manual; or Illustrations of Matrimonial Economy' to 'History of Russia, and of Peter the Great. By General Count Philip de Segur'. Five items 'In the Press' on the last page. Scarce: no copy in the British Library or on COPAC.

One page, 4to, dingy paper, fold marks, text clear and complete. Mr Phillips sent a few days since an enrgaving [sic] to Mr Bentley relative to 'Man as he is Vol 4 [Robert Bage, Man As He Is (1792)- he now wants Mr Bentley's reply, as he wishes to [?] out what is become of the Volume. Bentley adds WB never Saw Man as he is, nor Woman as She Should be.---. The note added in a different hand, Note from Richard Phillips afterwards Sir Richard to Mr. W. Bentley & Mr. Bentley's reply written by himself.

12mo, 2 pp. Bifolium. Nineteen lines. Text clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. They have '300 Bound Copies' of the book 'on hand', 'the remainder have been sold, producing £3. 1 6'. States the cost of shipping the books to Hudson.

12mo, 24 pp. Unbound. Text clear and complete. Fair, on aged paper, with rusting to staples. Hundreds of titles, in such series as 'The Unique Library', 'Choice Readings. Books suitable for presents, etc.', 'Universal Library of Standard Authors', 'Blackwood's Edition of the Poets', 'Library of Thoughtful Books' and 'Choice Books for Young Persons'.

8vo, 8 pp. Unbound. Text clear and complete. On aged paper with wear to extremities. According to the title-page the sale contains 'The Encyclopaedia Britannica, Johnson's Poets, Scott's Works, Swift's ditto, Annual Register, British Theatre, and other Works, in various branches of Literature; Prints, Books of Prints, Paintings, Mahogany Cabinets, Antiquities, Gold Repeater, Grand Piano-Forte, by Zeitter'.

4to, 4 pp. Bifolium. Nicely printed with vignette of flowers and ribbons on first page. Fair, on aged paper. The firm, boasting establishment in 1849, is described on the first page as 'late of Lovell's Court, Paternoster Row, E.C.', where the announcement is made 'that they have Transferred their Business to the Above Address'. Six new editions of works are advertised on the following two pages, with details given of contents. The last page advertises 'Blackwood's Diaries for 1911' and 'Blackwood's New Series of Scribbling Diaries'.

Both items fair, on lightly-aged paper. Both with list of Champion's publications down the left-hand margin, and with the list continuing in the letter to the blank second page. Letter: 4to, 1 p. He is sending 'a few documents which I have so far collected' relating to the Marquis de Chamilly. 'It is a long time since I last heard from the ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION, and am always at your entire disposal.' Invoice: Landscape 8vo. 12mo, 1 p. Containing five Chamilly letters, totalling 268 francs.

12mo, 1 p. On bifolium. Good, on aged paper. Addressed, on reverse of second leaf, to 'Mr. Simco | Warwick St. | Golden Square.' Asking Simco to send a book 'by the Bearer', as well as ' a remittance upon his account of Holbein', as 'he has some large payments to make at the beginning of next week'.

12mo, 2 pp. In bifolium. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Difficult hand. He has not considered the question carefully, but his impression is that 'the Monopoly of the printing of the Holy Scriptures in Scotland and Ireland might cease by the Kings Printers not only without injuring but with benefit to the public'.

The ten items are all in the same 12mo format, each stapled and in coloured printed wraps. Page range between 56 and 106. Internally good, with occasional chipping to the high-acidity paper wraps. Rusting staples. A total of c.4500 items, catalogued in detail by a pioneer in the field and a President of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association. Containing a mass of information about a wide range of individuals ans subjects, from 'Musicians' to 'Prime Ministers', George Gissing to George III, Lord Byron to Florence Nightingale, and Robert Browning to Napoleon Bonaparte.

12mo, 1 p. Bifolium. Fair, on lightly-aged paper, with traces of minor traces of stub adhering to one edge. Franked, with remains of red wax seal, on reverse of second leaf, to 'Messrs. Ridgeway | Piccadilly. | [signed] Js Stuart Wortley'. Giving instructions for the sending of newspapers to Wighill Park, Tadcaster, and to Wortley.

8vo, 1 p. Text clear and complete. On creased and lightly-aged paper. He is glad that Sir Thomas appreciates 'the seriousness of our position', and the reasons for asking Hatchards 'to release Mr. Edgeley to us for approximately six months in order to enable him to concentrate mainly upon the rehabilitation of this business'. Not a minor matter; according to one source the firm had '2,217 branches and 1.3 million books in circulation by 1934'.

Landscape 8vo, 1 p. On aged and discoloured paper, with four spike holes. Neatly written out, in a contemporary hand. Addressed on reverse to 'Mr. R. Triphook'. Pencil annotations on both sides. Headed 'The following is the entry of the Hunting Journal of 1816. 17 -'. First item (of six): 'Setting Press & Printing 20 Copies of Belvoir Hunt 1816.17 13 Sheets & 1/2 Demy, Pica & long Primmer with Tables fine ink. @ 83/. Pr Sheet } 56. 0. 6'. At foot of page: '1817-18 - furnished by R.

Letter: 12mo, 1 p. On bifolium. Text clear and complete. On aged and ruckled paper. Slight damage to second leaf caused by breaking open of wafer. Addressed to 'Illustrissimo Signore'. Having 'un affare di qualche importanza alle nove', he would like to give Twining his lesson (presumably in Italian) the following morning at 8 o'clock. He hopes that coming half an hour early does not cause any inconvence. Receipt: on one side of a slip of paper, 7 x 19.5 cm. Headed 'Memorandum del Signor Twining'. For '18 Lezioni la prima delle quali fa data li 15 Novembee', and signed 'Galignani'.

One page, 12mo, chipped, discoloured andf oxed but text clear and complete, if eccentrically presented: "My Dear Sir | Not at all the same idea - Roses and Thorns are very Namby Pamby and I meant keep the Tares and the wheat. [Space with "To Lady Lytton" written in large and different hand - recycling?] and will answer for its being a better because a higher - and more sensible title | In Great Haste | Yours very Truly | RBL". She has written the address on the reverse ("Mr | Shoberl Esq | 20 Great Marlboro'".

Author (see DNB). Six pages, 4to, with hole and chip causing small loss of text, some staining, pahes attached at margin, obscuring a word or two, text clear. Profuse thanks for his "kind letter from the canal" and a later note and present. He enjoyed his short visit, regretting the loss of a day when he attended "the wrangling of a dull county meeting". More on his enjoyment of his company, and hope that he'll fulfil his promise to visit again. He goes on: "A change . . .

12mo, 1 p. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with remains of stub adhering to blank second leaf of bifolium. Ask for the Morning Post to be sent to Euston Square, and 'the Standard discontinued'. He will require the Morning Post the following day.

4to, 1 p. Fair, on aged paper, with the remains of a stub adhering to the blank reverse. Concerning the insertion of an advertisement in a number of newspapers.

12mo, 1 p. Bifolium. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with thin strip of stub adhering to the reverse of the second leaf. Reads 'Sir John Wrothsley requests Mr. Ridgway will direct his Newspapers [corrected from 'Letters'] Post Office Scarborough. The frank reads 'Doncaster September ten 1835 | Mr. Ridgway | Piccadilly | London | [signed] Wrothsley'. Divided circular Doncaster postmark in black, and frank ('FREE | 11SEP11| 1835') in red.

8vo, 9 pp. Disbound. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Headed with the royal crest. The last seven pages carry the 'Schedule'. The British legislature had refused to ratify the 1872 Dominion of Canada bill that enshrined a fixed-royalty principle for Canadian publishers to re-print British copyrighted works. This act only allowed Canadian republishing of books that had gone out of print.

On a piece of paper 7.5 x 18 cm. Neatly mounted (windowpane mount) on leaf of paper 27 x 23 cm. Neatly written out by Dallas, and reading 'Received Decr. 23d. 1800 the sum of Ten Pounds on account from Messrs Cadell and Davies. | [signed] R C Dallas. - | £10.-.-' On the right a blind-stamped government two pence stamp, 'FOR RECEIPTS'. Dallas published several works with Cadell & Davies, and the receipt may possibly relate to his 'Annals of the French Revolution' (1800), or his 'Natural History of Volcanoes' (1801).

All items octavo, stitched and unbound. Page range between 16 and 32. Each catalogue carrying an illustration on the front cover. The condition of the collection is variable. All items on aged paper: some dogeared or with closed tears, and a handful with damp and other staining. Several catalogues annotated in a contemporary hand, and one with an entry cut out. Coleman's speciality was 'Heraldry, Genealogy, Topography', and the first three catalogues are headed 'Pedigrees!

4to, 2 pp. Twenty-seven lines. Text clear and complete. Fair, on lightly-aged and slightly creased paper. He cannot help Raffin find an American publisher for his book 'Mystery, Mirage and Miracle' (privately printed for the author in London in 1921), although he finds its style 'delightful', and its subject matter 'one which deeply interests me'. 'The book-market is in a very strained condition - a sort of transition period with all the publishers "sitting on the fence", and the public refusing to by any books except a few which have the luck to become fashionable'.

An archive comprising the following: A. Leaflet, 4pp., 4to, small tears at folds, some staining, printed notice dated 30 July 1892 signed "Talbot B. Reed (Hon. Sec. (pro tem.)"[printed] outlining the "aims of the Society" (6 in total) as mooted during the Preliminary Meeting on 15th July, giving a list of Resolutions (including naming a committee which included Richard Garnett, W.A. Copinger, Talbot B. Reed, J.H. Slater, H.B. Wheately, etc.). On the second leaf an application form is printed, returnable to Reed. B.Autograph Letter Signed, Alfred W. Pollard, Hon.

On one side of a piece of foolscap (33 x 20.5 cm). Text clear and complete. On aged paper, with wear to extremities and slight loss to bottom right-hand corner. Three items are listed: 'Description of Ancient Glass at Credenhill' (1884), 'The simile of ancient glass in Bristol Church representing St George in full military costume' and '[Herefordshire] Words & Phrases' (1887). Havergal adds nine lines of annotation to the last item, beginning: '- see Prospectus - issued to Subscribers only at 2/6. present price 4/- issue very small - only 300 copies which will soon be sold out.

Four pages, 8vo, grubby and with fold marks but text clear and complete. Weiss is writing about an untimate contribution to "The Radical" and another article. "I don't know that it is a matter of much consequence, but I rather want to have my "Dangers" [Dangers of Our Political Machinery, published in "The Radical", No.III, Feb. 1866, p.208ff] in hand, that I may put it in print in some form - newspaper perhaps - beause it explains and fills out my sermon, especially on that delicate point of suffrage.

12mo (17.5 x 11 cm): 5 pp. On two bifolium letterheads and half of a third. The text of each page is clear and complete on aged and lightly-spotted paper, but gaps between the various sections indicate that the draft is incomplete. Begins 'Sir | I see that in your obituary notice of Sir James Knowles inn today's paper you say that he was the Editor of the Contemporary Review from 1870 to 1877. | This is news to me. I was the Editor and proprietor of the Contemporary Review all these years, and I think I ought to know the facts of the matter.

8vo: 2 pp. 32 lines of text. Good, on lightly-aged paper. He is willing to help Tomkinson with his book 'Modern Presses', but would not 'have time to be responsible for the writing of any chapters'. Offers to answer 'a questionnaire' regarding 'Flying Fame', and directs Jackson to his 'articles on the work of Lovat Fraser in the "Bookman", the "Fleuron", and "To-day".' Paragraph discusses the 'New Age Press', which 'was not a Press at all, but a publishing business'. In the last paragraph changes his mind, and offers to write a brief chapter.

8vo: [38] pp (unpaginated). In original quarter binding, with buff boards and vellum spine on which is stamped in black 'ECCE MUNDUS'. Good copy: internally tight and clean, in slightly-grubby and worn binding bumped at foot of spine and at one corner. Presentation copy, with autograph inscription by Cobden-Sanderson on the front free endpaper: 'To Mr. Wheatley [the bibliographer Henry Benjamin Wheatley] with the compliments of the writer'. With green leather and gilt bookplate of Alfred Sutro on front pastedown.

8vo (23 x 15 cm), 32 pp. Stapled. Outer pages in blue. In fair condition, with a little damp-staining at the head of the first leaf (with minimal effect on the text), and a tiny dab of the same staining continuing at the corner of each leaf (not affecting the text). Title-page on cover illustrated by C. H. Dennis, showing Uncle Sam sharpening a razor of 'GOOD CUTS'. Note on page 2 begins: 'THIS CUT BOOK contains a few of the many varieties and styles of cuts which we carry in stock and use on your printing free of charge. We have many more and are constantly adding new designs. [...]'.