BOOK

1p., 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. The brothers ask Gregory to 'please accept this special copy of RIDERS ACROSS THE BORDER, with our warmest regards, and with every good wish for Christmas and the New Year.' Gregory had published his book with the firm earlier in the year.

R. J. L. Kingsford, in his history of the Publishers Association, describes Young as 'a bookseller of outstanding character and ability, a friend of Arnold Bennett, and the discoverer of the literary distinction of George Sturt'. 1p., 12mo. Neatly and closely written. Headed 'private', and addressed to 'Dear John'. Young is apparently following a dinner (of the Publishers Association) at which George Bernard Shaw was present, and the subject of the letter would appear to be an exhibition Wilson's firm has mounted of books by the London publisher John Murray.

2pp., 12mo. The item comprises a note in Sumner's hand on the first page, beneath which, and continuing onto the second page, is an order in another hand for 34 books in eight categories, under the headings 'Bibles', 'Testaments' and 'C[ommon] Prayers'. Sumner writes: 'Revd. Sir. | I request you will send me the following books on the terms of the Society, by Lamport's Farnham Waggon.' The order, in another hand, begins: 'Bibles | 5 8o Medium Small Pica without Marg[inal] Ref[erences]. And Apocr[ypha]'.

On the back of a printed 'Ceylon | Post Card | For use to British countries'. With Galle postmark of 18 May 1939. Pannasara signs 'D. Pannasara' and gives his details as: 'Bhikku [sic], D. Pannasara Thero | Jayawardhanarama | Dangedara, Galle | Ceylon'. An enquiry in English regarding the 'Milinda Panha – translated from Pali by J. W. Rhys Davids Vol. I-ii'. Annotations in pencil and ink by the recipients.

Octavo volume containing seven blank leaves of unwatermarked wove paper. Bound in green calf, tastefully decorated with gilt compartments on spine and gilt tooling along edges of both front and back covers. The design on both covers is identical, with the gilt-tooled edges enclosing a blind-stamped border of dentelles, enclosing a blind-stamped block reminiscent of late-Victorian tiling. All edges gilt and plain green endpapers. Internally in good condition, lightly aged; in lightly-aged covers worn at corners and spine, with loss at head and tail of spine.

1p., 12mo. In fair condition, with central spike-hole and a few burn marks at foot. Reads: 'Lord Harris has just recd the Illustrations to Deserted Village, but retyrns Retsch's Othello by this night's Coach, having received a copy of it about a week since.'

1p., on 12 x 11.5 cm piece of paper, possibly cut from the conclusion of a letter. In fair condition, lightly aged, with traces of glue from mount on reverse and slight loss to two words of text from wear. Apparently written to a family member or intimate (but see note below), the note reads: 'The enclosed is the list of the books that will reach you tomorrow morning by Messrs.

Miles published two books with Richards: 'The Teaching of Jesus To-Day' (1899) and 'A History of Rome to 500 a.d.' (1901), the latter having appeared shortly before the writing of the letter. The work proposed by Miles in this letter does not appear to have been published by Richard or anyone else. 2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. The letter begins: 'Dear Richards, | Would you be likely to publish a Vol. on | “How to Breathe” | in your “How-to” Series? There wd. Be plain-line illustrations. The Indian Yoga System wd.

The 'Ex-Officers' Book Union' (the apostrophe was omitted in later years) was an obscure business. The firm was certainly active between 1919 and 1936, mostly from 16 Rathgar Avenue, West Ealing. In the early 1930s its address was given as '87 Bishop's Mansions, S.W.6', which was also Redway's residence. It seems likely that the business was a joint-venture between Redway and at least one other former army officer. The present item is 40pp., small 4to. Stapled in brown printed wraps. In fair condition, lightly aged, on worn and creased wraps.

Half-penny postcard printed in purple. In fair condition, lightly aged, with thin strip along one edge from former mounting obscuring parts of a few words. Addressed to 'F. Davis Esq. | 4 Upper Phillamore [sic] Place | W.' The communication reads: 'Sir, | I beg to inform you that we have bought out Maltons Gt. Treatise on Perpective in the columns of the Forge & Lathe a fortnightly Journal devoted to Practical Mechanics &c. The Preface appeared in our No. Published yesterday price 6d by post 7d Terms for Subscribers 16/- Yearly 8/- ½ Yearly 4/- Quarterly. | A. Absolon | Publisher'.

2pp., 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. The 'Gentlemen' are clearly the publishers of a book which they wish Bell to review. She writes that she is greatly obliged to them for offering her 'a copy of your beautiful book on Japan', and has written 'to 4 editors to ask for space for early notices of it'. The book is 'indeed a marvel of technical skill in reproduction & it would be a pleasure to me to speak as highly of it as it deserves'.

1p., foolscap 8vo. In fair condition, aged and lightly creased, with some wear to extremities. Healy begins by thanking Duff for his letter, and 'for your generosity in sending me copies of the two letters of Daniel Defoe'. He explains that he has 'searched for their whereabouts for about ten years', and had finally become convinced 'that unless they were in your family they were lost'.

12pp., 8vo. Stapled into light-brown printed wraps, with title in dark-brown on white label on front wrap. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. Blackwell's address is on pp.3-10; p.11 carries a 'List of Members 30th June 1937', in two columns, including R. Cobden-Sanderson, Geoffrey Faber, Rupert Hart-Davis, Harold Macmillan, Stanley Unwin and Sir Hugh Walpole. The final page carries details of the Society's officers, committee, secretary and offices. Blackwell begins his address: 'I have nothing new or strange to propose to-night.

1p., 16mo. In good condition, lightly aged. He has been called away at the last moment, and asks him to 'tell Mr. Brown anything that you may have to arrange respecting the Phiz Exhibition'. From the papers of Arthur Allchin. The Athenaeum reported in 1883 that 'Mr. Arthur Allchin, who was an intimate friend of the late Hablot K. Browne, has written an article on his life and work which will appear shortly in the Century Magazine, and will be copiously illustrated from original drawings by " Phiz."'

The work was hugely popular, going through numerous editions between 1894 and 1907. The title is (deliberately) misleading. The work is an exploration of theological rather than biological questions, with the author stating that 'The How, Why, and Wherefore have not received the full amount of profound and reverent study that the ineffably intrinsic importance of the subject to ourselves warrants.' Lewis Carroll had a copy in his library.

The work for which these proofs were prepared, Burke's 'Genealogical History of the Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited, and Extinct Peerages of the British Empire', was published in London by Harrison in 1866, and was a revision of his father John Burke's 'General and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerages [...] extinct, dormant, and in abeyance', first published in 1831, with a third edition in 1846. The present collection is largely in fair condition, on aged and worn paper, but with some of the items damaged.

1p., 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, aged and worn. Frank on reverse of damaged second leaf to 'Mess Nichols & Son | Parliament Street | Printers | W Curtis'. Seventeen lines of directions to ' his friends Mess Nichols & Son', regarding the binding of legislative works, beginning with 'two Statute books of Geo the Fourth'. Regarding 'an odd, abridgment of some of Geo 3d' he writes: 'it is probable there may be more, if so begs Mess N & Son would get them & bind them, if not it will hardly be worth the expense of binding the one'.

136pp, 8vo, more recent brown paper wraps (i.e. rebound(, contents with minor staining, good condition. At the beginning of each gathering the statement, "VOYAGES and TRAVELS, No. XLV. Vol. VIII"

12 pp., 8vo. Modern marbled bds. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. This interesting item is of significance to Ruskin scholars, containing a whole page describing 24 drawings and engravings by him, as well as a number of interesting books from the library of a close associate. The item was previously bound by Rossetti in a volume with two, unrelated, others. It then passed into the collection of the art historian Rose Sketchley, whose sister C. J. Sketchley presented it to Fulham Public Libraries in 1949. It is scarce: no copy has been traced on either OCLC WorldCat or COPAC.

1p., 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged, Laid down on part of a leaf removed from an album. Reads: 'My Dear Sir | My absence from home must plead my excuse in not sooner replying to your obliging note of the 22nd Ulto - | I have desired 30 more Copies to be forwarded to you as you request, & I am sure you will be glad to hear that thro' your kindness, & that of many others who have interested themselves, we are likely to realize a sum commensurate to the Scholars moderate establishment'.

1p., 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged. Begins: 'Mem. for Mr Henry Gray | I have received your Catalogue dated April 25th. | Will you send me, if still in hand, […]'. A list of five works follows, the last four French, including Sarah Scott's Utopian "Millenium Hall", following which Besant writes: 'for wh. I will remit by return post – on receipt.'

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. The letter begins: 'Mr. [ Park? ], the Artist, of Dublin, has this day written me word that he has some intention of coming to settle in London in the ensuing winter.' He urges Spencer to 'get him to deliver a course of Lectures on Painting at the Surrey Institution. From speeches which I have heard him deliver, I should think his language & delivery well calculated for the purpose & likely to render him popular.' He explains that he is prevented from writing himself by a 'complaint in my eyes'.

38pp., 16mo. Internally in very good condition, in red paper boards printed in gilt, with bubbling at front and back, and in chipped and aged glassine wrapper. The number of the meeting has been added to the title in manuscript ('511'), and the signatures of 'Frederick Keel | Singer' and 'Walter Braithwaite' are written in pencil beneath the limitation (no 24 of 133 copies). Scarce.

1p., 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. He is obliged for Brown's letter, 'pointing out misprints in my father's works. | Such communications are always valuable.' He is happy to say that 'young Bliss is working very well, & we shall make a good business man of him'.

1p., 8vo. In fair condition, on aged paper with small spike hole at head. He thanks the unnamed recipient for his 'obliging letter' and 'ingenious Catalogue', and 'would have acknowledged the receipt sooner' had he not been waiting for 'an opportunity of conveying the same free of expence'. The recipient is 'welcome' to the copy of 'Stewarts Athens' at his 'own price' of two guineas. Burnham has 'adjusted Mr. Hayes's Account with the balance of onepound [sic] ffifteenshillings [sic]', and begs 'to thank that Gentleman for the same'.

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium with mourning border. In good condition, lightly aged and worn, with the blank second leaf tipped-in onto a leaf from an album. His only excuse for 'the long delay' is 'that all my time has been occupied in taking stock, which necessarily has been a most irksome job'. It will be the following month before he can 'put forth an appendix to my Catalogue, as it will be necessary for me to wait the coming event of something, that I may, or may not be engaged in.' He will have time 'to consider & reconsider' Huggins's 'advertisement'.

1p., 12mo. On grey paper. In fair condition, lightly aged. He writes to enquire whether the recipient 'can undertake the publication of the novel I submitted to you – In the World of Mimes – as I am leaving town at the end of the week', and he hopes to 'settle the matter one way or the other (preferably one way & not the other)' before he leaves. 'In the World of Mimes' was published in London by Greening & Co. in 1902.

Four pages including address panel, 4to, bifolium, edges dulled, a little foxing. He outlines what he has done (sending things?), in a one page letter, and, on the other two pages, given a detailed account of what he has done for the bookseller from December 1787 to May 1788, including "brochures" (pamphlets). The recipient has noted when he replied. See images on my website.

Subtitle: 'With an Appendix containing some interesting letters, and other authentic documents, illustrative of the memoir.' 130pp., 12mo. Frontispiece. Bound in at the end is a twelve-page catalogue, dated 1 October 1816, and with drophead title: 'Valuable Periodical Works, Published by Sherwood, Neely, and Jones, Paternoster Row, London. Beneath the drophead title is a woodcut of a lion. Only one copy of the trade catalogue traced on OCLC WorldCat.

4pp., 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged, with closed tears along the fold between the two leaves of the bifolium. Trench's publishers were 'John W. Parker & Son, West Strand'. The letter begins: 'I heartily wish that I could go to the press at once with the 3rd. Edition of the Parables. [ 'Notes on the Parables of Our Lord', first published in 1841 ] I have been however working hard at them & they are nearly ready.