BIBLIOGRAPHER

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. Gridley was the Secretary of the Carlyle Society. He had visited Walt Whitman in America earlier in the year. 2pp, 16mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once for postage. Addressed to ?C. Oscar Gridley, Esq.? and signed ?R H Shepherd?. ?Weather permitting (which is likely)?, he proposes to call on Gridley on the following day, ?for a stroll on the heath, &c.? He is ?quite well and on my legs again, since last Wednesday?. He ends by stating that he is enclosing a cutting which will interest him.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged and creased. Folded for postage. Addressed to ‘Dear Hyman’ and signed ‘C. B. Oldman.’ He begins by thanking him for his ‘kind congratulations’ (on his promotion to at the British Museum, following the retirement of Sir Henry Thomas): ‘I have been laid up with a bad cold over Christmas otherwise I should have written before’. Hyman’s latest catalogue interested him very much, and he hopes that ‘the fact that I don’t buy much nowadays will not deter you from sending me future issues.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged, with a crease, dogeared corner and small nick. Folded once for postage. Signed ‘Michael Sadleir’. He is grateful to Collins ‘for pointing out the careless grammatical mistake of mine in the SUNDAY TIMES review. It is only too easy to slip into a conversational style (for I think that what I meant was perfectly clear) when writing rapid condensations for a newspaper.

For the background to this letter see D’Arch Smith’s memoir ‘The Times Deceas’d: The Rare Book Department of The Times Bookshop in the 1960s’ (2003). The obituary of the recipient Andrew Block (1892-1987) in ‘The Private Library’ was subtitled ‘the doyen of booksellers’; his business was established in 1911. 1p, 4to. Aged and lightly creased. Signed ‘Tim’, with Block writing ‘D’ARCH SMITH’ beside this. Begins: ‘My dear Andrew: / Thanks so much for looking after me so well on Saturday.

1p, 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. Folded twice. He states that the 'Certificate' of 'M. Meryon [sic] du Mersan' has been 'signed by Lord Aberdeen', and that he wishes to 'get the signatures of Mr. Gurney and Mr. Hamilton to it'. If he does not – 'or rather cannot' – send it to Akerman beforehand, he asks him if 'you can add your signature before it is read on Thursday Evening'. In addition to his literary works, Dumersan was a numismatist and Curator attached to the Cabinet des Médailles et Antiques of the Bibliothèque Royale.

16pp., 12mo. Stabbed and unbound. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Dated in pencil in a modern hand at head of first page. Eighteenth and nineteenth century items in alphabetical order between A and G (but complete, nineteenth-century booksellers' catalogues often being issued as parts of series), The entry for the new edition of Dugdale's 'Monasticon Anglicanum', offered at £31 10s 0d, takes up more than half a page of small print. For more on Bohn see his entry in the Oxford DNB. Now scarce.

Greswell's letter is 1p., landscape 12mo; with Ford's note on one side of reverse. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper, with small central spike hole made by recipient. Greswell's letter is written in a neat, attractive hand, and begins: 'Mr. W. P. Greswell requested J. G. to compare the Glasgow Copy of Euripides with Musgrave's Edition after which it is printed & to let Mr.

2pp., 12mo. On bifolium. Fair, on lightly-aged paper. In envelope, with stamp and postmarks, addressed to 'John J. Baron Esqr. | 48 Griffin St. | Witton | Blackburne | Lancashire'. Although Hazlitt's handwriting is legendarily attrocious, the reader escapes lightly on this occasion. Hazlitt regrets that he has no copy of either of the books Baron names, as he 'printed only a few copies for presents. Nor have I any photograph of myself.' He is 'extremely glad that the perusal of my publications' has 'proved agreeable' to Baron.

1p., 12mo. Good, on lightly-aged paper. 'Revd. Thos. Hartwell Horne presents his respectful Comps. to the Rt. Hon. Lord Londesborough; and regrets that the state of his health will not allow him the pleasure of being present at his Lordship's Conversazione, on the 21st. inst.'

4to, 2 pp. Thirty lines of text. Clear and complete. On aged and grubby paper. One closed tear and minor traces of mount to extremities. An interesting letter, casting light on the relationship between bookseller and knowledgeable client in Georgian England. He gives the conditions under which he would be interested in buying a few items from the booksellers monthly catalogue.

12mo (leaf dimensions 18 x 11 cm): 2 pp. Twenty-one lines of text, complete and legible. On aged paper with some wear at head. Casting interesting light on the workings of the provincial Victorian booktrade.

All items good, though on dusty and aged paper. Five items are addressed to sellers of manuscripts (probably the same individual). ONE (to H. Barker, 23 April 1885, on letterhead of 'The Antiquarian Magazine and Bibliographer', one page, octavo): Asks to be offered Wellesley autographs purchased at a recent Sotheby sale, of which he sent an account to 'The Times', which was 'crowded out'. TWO (to F. Barker, 25 April [1885], 'at T.

The Dictionary of National Biography states that T. J. Dibdin (1771-1841, closely associated with Sadler's Wells, Drury Lane and the Surrey Theatre) wrote 'nearly two thousand songs and about two hundred operas and plays'. This list, which covers the whole of his life from his earliest known work in 1789 to his death in 1841, is compiled with considerable care on the rectos and some of the versos of 79 bound and numbered leaves (most being the letterhead of the North-East Coast Exhibition, of which E. Rimbault Dibdin was the Director).

Laird (presumably the 'Francis Laird of Peterborough Court Fleet Street' whose will was proved in May 1825) was the author of 'A topographical and historical description of the County of Rutland' (1815) and 'A topographical and historical description of the County of Worcester' (1818). Upcott (1779-1845) was a noted aniquary and collector of autographs. One page, quarto. In poor condition, grubby and creased, with fraying to extremities and traces of mount and some loss to one edge (affecting one word of text). Repaired loss of triangular fragment from breaking open wafer.

Lawyer and bibliophile (1772-1840), Baron of the Court of Exchequer. Front part of envelope, dimensions approximately 3 1/2 inches by 5 inches. In good condition. With red postmark. Reads 'Bakewell December Eighteen | 1836 | C. A. Thiselton Esq | 4 Cambridge Place | Camberwell New Road | London | Bolland'.

Edition limited to 680 copies. 8vo: 235 pages. Uncut. With numerous portraits and facsimiles. In original printed wraps with loss and splitting at head of spine. Internally a good tight copy on paper discoloured with age.

The recipient, who died in 1898, was the possessor of a celebrated library (see Seymour de Ricci, English Collectors, p.109). 3 pages, 12mo. In good condition, with edge of blank verso of second leaf of bifoliate adhering to remains of stub. She apologises for the delay in replying and regrets that they cannot 'avail ourselves of yr. kind invitation to pay you a visit as my husband is engaged to dine out on Saturday the 31st.' He is 'hard at work again' and they have had 'a delightful holiday in Somersetshire'.

Director and Principal Librarian of the British Museum (DNB). The first on dusty discoloured paper with closed tears to edges. Thanks Slocombe for having 'thought of me' and apologises for writing in pencil. Has been 'knocked over by a rather severe attack from which I am only slowly recovering'. The second and third letters are both replies to the Slocombes for seasonal expressions of goodwill and both are docketed in pencil by Slocombe. Three items,

Bibliographer and antiquary (1721-1807). One page, 8vo, some marks not affecting text. This letter had been accompanied by two books (note under superscription) which Paton describes in the note ("Logan on Government, - & his first part of the Finishing Stroke", which are all he can lay his hand on at present". When other pieces turn up they will be sent "with what duplicates may be by him."