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It is Sir Basil Blackwell, in his DNB entry on Wilson, who described him as 'the most famous English [sic] bookseller of his time'. The freshness and enthusiasm conveyed by this small volume supports Blackwell's view that Wilson viewed 'bookselling not so much as a matter of retail trade as a service in which bookseller and customer met and shared the experience of contact with the precious manifestations of the spirit of man', as well as casting light on the methods and practices which made Wilson so successful.

For more about Joseph Wilson, ARIBA, FRIAS, see his entry in the Dictionary of Scottish Architects. From the familiar tone of his letters (Items Seven, Ten and Eleven below), there is every indication that he was closely related to his client, J. G. Wilson, proprietor of the prestigious firm of J. & E. Bumpus Ltd, and a man described by Sir Basil Blackwell (in his DNB entry on Wilson) as 'the most famous English [sic] bookseller of his time'. Eleven items, in good condition, lightly aged and worn.

Packet of six items, held together with a pin. Totalling 8pp., folio; 3pp., 8vo. In good overall condition, on aged and worn paper. ONE: Autograph Letter Signed from 'Wm: R: Myers | Secy' to Messrs Thomson Hankey & Co, London. Executive Committee Office; 26 December 1855. 2pp., folio. Giving details of five documents which he is forwarding, 'on the Chairs received from Messrs. Druce & Co'. He writes that he is 'directed to communicate through you, that the Chairs are not accepted and will not be paid for, but will be kept on the account and risk of Messrs.

[2] + 187pp., 8vo. With errata slip. In fair condition internally, on aged and lightly-spotted paper, in a somewhat worn and aged decorative green leather binding, with subtle floral design in gilt on cover, dentelles, all edges gilt, and green decorative endpapers. Stamp of 'A. THOM & CO. LTD. | BINDERS' on rear free endpaper. The book is inscribed at the head of the title page: 'With kindest regards from | Cécile Steinberger'. Uncommon: no copy in the British Library, and only three copies on COPAC.

66pp., 8vo. With 29 illustrations in text. Stapled pamphlet on shiny art paper, in grey printed card wraps. In fair condition, aged and worn.

18pp., 16mo. Stapled pamphlet. In green printed wraps. In fair condition, lightly aged and creased. At head of first page: 'SQUAD DRILL | This Booklet is issued to assist R.A.M.C. personnel to become proficient at drill in threes. It is set out in plain language, the object being to help the reader to obtain a clear mental picture of the subject.' Undated, but found in a collection of Second World War medical pamphlets. (The British Library has five items from the printers, ranging in date from 1925 to 1937.) Excessively scarce: no copy traced, either on OCLC WorldCat or COPAC.

1p., 4to. Bifolium. On aged paper worn at extremities. Addressed on reverse (which also carries docketing and calculations) to 'Messrs. Talver Milburn & Prestwich | 24 High St. Boro' | London'. The letter begins: 'Gentn. | The enclosed bill value £186. 13. 4 - you will place to my Fathers acct. & acknowledge Pr. return to this place. In the statement made of the balance of his acct. I presume you omitted to give him credit for the Stock sold & the Dividend upon it'. In the second paragraph he gives details of '2 bills' he has drawn on the firm.

The Countess of Clarendon had inherited the Mesopotamia Estate from her previous husband John Foster Barham (1799-1838), who had died a certified lunatic year before her marriage to the Earl. The Estate had been in the hands of the Barham family for more than a century. The four items in good condition, on lightly-aged paper. All four with notes by the recipients. ONE: Letter signed by George J. Nicholson of the London soliticitors Vizard & Leman, in secretarial hand, to Messrs Thomson Hankey & Co. Lincolns Inn Fields; 7 July 1845 ('Mesopotamia Estate'). 1p., 4to.

Printed Hankey & Co. cheque for £156 17s 10d., on account of the 'Exors Sir Wm. Alexander', signed by 'Thomas Hankey Jnr. | Exor'. In fair condition, on aged paper. On the reverse: 'Travelling Expenses of | Mr. J. A Hankey | Coll. Hankey | J Hankey J. | R. Alexander | A. Js. Alexander | } and 3 Servants | from London to Edinburgh & back to attend the funeral Expenses of Sir W. Alexander. | £156. 17. 10. | J H Jnr'.

Full title: 'Comparative Statement of the Imports into Bristol from the West Indies of Sugar, Rum & Coffee, together with Sugar from the East Indies and Mauritius from the 1st. January to the 30th. Septr in the Years 1839 & 1840 shewing the Stocks remaining under Bond at the latter date.' 3pp., 4to. Bifolium. In fair condition, on lightly aged and worn paper. Addressed (with two postmarks, one of them from Bristol) on reverse of second leaf: 'P.P. | Messrs. Hankey Wilson & Co | London', and docketed by the recipients: '496 | Ariel & Beloe | 30 Sept 1840 | recd 2 Oct [1840] | no answer'.

1p., 12mo. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. The letter reads: 'I beg to re-enclose for the excerpt from your publication "Men & Women of the Time," of my biography which I have revised, making a very few alterations, & adding a few lines which I write on the other sheet of this note: [not present] my permanent address now is the above'. The note relates to the fifteenth edition of the work, published by G. Routledge & Sons in 1899.

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium with mourning border. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. He has received a note from his friend 'Provost Grieve', asking him to 'allow my name to be put on the back of the Greenock Police & Water Bill, along with Mr Dunlop'. If this were a formality he would readily agree, 'But I find some of my own Constituents have severe alarm about the water part - and I would prefer that you would get some other Member of the House - Mr Bouvene is interested as representative of Pt Glasgow which is to receive the benefit of the water'.

Printed in black on one side of piece of 33 x 20 cm thick paper [full page containg image, 20 x 13cm]. Dimensions of print 23 x 13.5 cm [largest image in book, 15 x 9.5cm] . In good condition, on lightly aged and creased paper, with slight foxing.

ONE: Manuscript results slip, on the firm's letterhead, headed 'BRANCH AUCTION ROOMS - 16 DRURY STREET'. 1p., 12mo. On aged paper, with chipping to extremities and part torn away at foot (not affecting text). Recording that £22 13s 1d has been realised 'By Tokens as per priced Catalogue' and 'To Commission, Selling &c'. Against this are seven itemised 'Outlays' (including 'Advertising in Herald' and 'Likely buyers'), leaving a sum due of £18 4s 5d. TWO: Typed Letter Signed ('J. & R. Edmiston'). 1p., 12mo. In fair condition, on aged paper.

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. For further information about Williamson and his publications, see his entry in 'Who Was Who'; see also Marillier's entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

48pp., 12mo. In illustrated coloured printed wraps. In good condition for an ephemeral item: lightly aged and worn, with slight damage to back cover and spine of wraps. The Kronheim prints are in very good condition, and consist of the frontispiece 'From the Frying-pan' (a boy caught on a wall while trying to steal apples) and 'Into the Fire' (the same boy being dragged by the ear through the orchard by the farmer).

16pp., 8vo. Disbound. In fair condition, on lightly aged and worn paper. Steel engraved portrait of Carlyle on title-page. Clearly produced immediately following Carlyle's death, as the commencement indicates: 'On a cold wintry Monday morning in February the Times announced that Thomas Carlyle was seriously ill.

In very good condition, on the usual card mount. Each of the two prints roughly 8 x 7.5 cm, with curved top corners, the two on an 8.5 x 17.5 cm. mount. Showing the queen's carriage processing before a grandstand of onlookers in front of a fine building (in the Mall?). The photographs taken over the heads of a crowd held by by three rows of policemen (in the foreground). Caption in English, French, German, Spanish, Swedish and Russian printed on the reverse of the mount.

Hand-coloured lithographic prints. Nine panels, each roughly 10 x 18cm, attached to make one accordion-folded strip. In fair condition, aged and worn, with three blank panels inserted in the strip to fill up gaps. Captions along the foot read: '12 Members of the Common Council in their Mazarine Gowns', 'The Sheriffs', 'Aldermens Carriages', 'The Queen's Household', 'Royal Footmen', 'Life Guards Police Officers'. The last panel shows the head of the procession arriving at the new building. The set of prints was sold by the publishers in a blue cloth folder, with title leaf.

[2] + 33pp., 12mo. In fair condition, on aged paper, with stamp, labels and shelfmark of the Board of Education Reference Library, as well as stamp 'Supplied for the Public Service'. Three copies on COPAC and OCLC WorldCat.

ONE: 24pp., 12mo. In brown printed wraps. In fair condition, on lightly-aged paper, with slightly rusted staples and chipping to covers. Labels, stamp and shelfmark of the Education Department Library, London. No copy found on COPAC or OCLC WorldCat. TWO: 26pp., 8vo. In light-blue printed wraps. In fair condition, on lightly aged and creased paper, with rusted staples. With label and shelfmark (of the Board of Education Reference Library, London). No copy on OCLC WorldCat, and the only copy on COPAC at Oxford University.

12pp., 12mo. In cream wraps printed in brown. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper, with rusted staples and shelfmarks, stamp and label of the Board of Education Reference Library. Foreword (pp.1-2) by Bell, and text (pp.3-12) by Pettit. Scarce: no copy on COPAC.

15pp., 12mo. On aged and stained paper, with rust to staples. Stamp, shelfmarks and label of the Board of Education Reference Library, London. Scarce: no material relating to this organisation on COPAC, while OCLC WorldCat has two later items.

72 stereoscopic views of aspects on the Second Boer War, numbered 1-72 inclusive, hence assumed to be a complete set, in custom-made box with image of a (soldier's) belt, with a motto, "For Empire Queen and Flag" within the belt-circle, and "South Africa | 1900, within the image and a motif, "Sun Sculpture" within a rising sun. [The National Army Museum catalogues one of 89 that they have as "produced by Works and Sun Sculpture Studios, 1900" for Underwood & Underwood.

60pp., 12mo. In good condition, on aged paper, with rusted staples. Shelfmarks, stamp and label of the Board of Education Reference Library, London. Scarce.

366pp., narrow folio (16 x 40 cm). 43 lines to the page. In original vellum binding, with covers ruled in blue. On front cover printed label of 'PERKS & LLEWELLYN, | Dispensing & Family Chemist, | HIGH STREET, HITCHIN.' Marbled edges and endpapers. First leaf with 5 cm closed tear. Written out in black ink, in two or three different hands, with the granting of credit recorded in red. Containing a mass of information about local history, product and price. Early entries are stamped with date, later entries have date written out.

The story of the Johnstone family has been told in Emma Rothschild's 'Inner Life of Empires' (Princeton, 2012). According to Rothschild, Alexander Johnstone 'became a soldier in the British army and was sent to North America.

Printed on both sides of a piece of wove paper, 30.5 x 22.5. Text clear and complete, on aged paper with slight wear and a few short closed tears to extremities. The reverse consists of a list of prices for seven types of wine ('Selected from W & A Gilbey's List of 183 varieties.') and six types of spirit ('Selected from W & A Gilbey's List of 72 varieties.'). On the front, beneath the firm's heading (with tiny illustration of the 'Pantheon A.D. 1722') and Mead's details, are the five 'views', ranging in size from 4.5 x 18 cm to 4.5 x 5.6 cm.

Both 1p., 4to, and both in good condition, on lightly-aged paper. ONE (11 September): He is writing regarding Wilson's 'kind suggestion that I should call in and see you one day shortly before the publication of my THACKERAY book'. Having been told by 'Mr. Hartley' that Bumpus is on holiday, he will call on 14 September. TWO (13 September 1932): Presumably with his tongue in his cheek, he writes: 'Dear Sirs, | Thank you for your letter of yesterday, reference II,456JGW, and for saving me the risk of a fruitless visit. I will call to see Mr.

1p., 12mo. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Addressed to 'Dr. Carl Peters | 29 St James Street | W'. The letter reads: 'Dear Sir | We beg to inform you that we have a small amount due to you from the sales of your "Violin Family" by Carl Engel but, before forwarding same, we shall be glad to know whether the above is your correct address.'