[ Heather Bigg to A. C. Benson, with inscribed book. ] Inscribed copy of his poem 'Nell. A Tale of the Thames', with Autograph Letter Signed ('Heather Bigg') to Benson, thanking him for going through the proofs of the book.

ONE: Letter. 1 November 1901. On letterhead of 56 Wimpole Street, London. 3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition. With blank reverse of second leaf laid down onto a flyleaf of the book. Benson is not named, but is without doubt the recipient. Bigg begins his letter: 'About a year ago you very kindly went through a Proof Copy of the book that I now send you, and you enabled me, (in conjunction with the purging advice I also had from Charles Dunphie [ Charles James Dunphie (1820-1908), Irish journalist ] of the Morning Post & Sidney <?> of the Standard) to cut the book down to better proportions'. He explains that it was his 'very old friend & fellow student Sir James Clark' who forwarded the book to Benson. Clark returned Benson's criticism to Bigg, who comments: 'Your initials and your works were too well known for me to be in any doubt as to whom it was I had to express my thanks to'. He thanks him again for criticism which resulted in his 'culling the book down into a somewhat better shape than that in which it formerly stood & first appeared'. TWO: Book. vii + 286pp., 8vo. In brown calf binding, with marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, and internal dentelles, and 'A. C. B. | 1901.' stamped in gilt on front cover. Internally good and tight, with light spotting, in worn binding. Inscribed by Bigg in pencil at head of title-page: 'To | Arthur Christopher Benson | with the Author's kind regards | Nov. 1901.' In a three-page preface Bigg refers to 'the generous and blue-pencil advice of several well-knwon writers and critics'. The poem is also preceded by two pages of 'Extracts from the Press on the First Edition'.