BOOK

The collection of sixteen items is in good overall condition, on aged and worn paper. Includes: two lists of 'Messrs. Methuen's Sixpenny Books', one of them dated to 1908; lists for 1912, 1915, 1924 (two), 1934 (two: novels and 'new books'), 1939 (two: one in red of novels, and the other in blue of non-fiction). Also advertisements for: 'The Illustrated Pocket Library of Plain and Coloured Books'; 'The Heather Moon' by C. N. and A. M.

The collection in fair condition, on aged and worn paper. The catalogue stitched and in wraps; the other eight items with rusted staples, and unbound. Items One and Two: Copies of the 'Book Gazette' (both 32pp., small 4to), numbered 8 (October 1896) and 16 (September 1901), and containing Announcements, Literary Notes, and extracts from publications. Items Three to Eight: Six copies of 'Methuen's Monthly Bulletin'. All 8vo, and ranging in length from 20 to 32pp. The earliest of the six (July 1904) with announcement on front cover: 'Messrs.

Both sets of proofs unstitched and unopened (and both opening out into a folio sheet), and both with title-pages printed in red and black. Both in very good condition, on lightly-aged paper, and both stamped on first page 'PLEASE PASS FOR PRESS | MARGINS' in blue, with purple oval dated printers' stamp. FIRST SET: 16pp., 8vo, paginated to xvi. Title: 'THE WORKS OF MR. FRANCIS | RABELAIS | [...] | Illustrated by W. HEATH ROBINSON | The Second Part'. Publishers' details at foot on pasted label at foot of title-page: 'MCMLIV | THE NAVARRE SOCIETY LONDON'.

Printed in black ink on 8 x 12 cm piece of thick watermarked laid paper. In very good condition. Sims acquired the Gill archive from the artist's widow, and it seems likely that he had the illustration made from one of the artist's blocks. The illustration shows a bearded man in loincloth, trailing a sword along the ground as he runs from a tree. Printed beneath the illustration: 'With the compliments of | George Sims'. Above the illustration is typed 'for Tony & Jean', and below the printed text 'just before it was remaindered'.

2pp., 12mo. In fair condition, on aged paper, with minor remains of stub adhering to one edge. The letter would appear to concern Southern's appointment in January 1825 as editor of the new series of the London Magazine. It reads reads: 'My dear Sir | It is needless to say that I shall have great gratification in dining at your table on Tuesday. I fear that my letter has been delusive. I have no claim to the kind word you use. Generosity is smost certainly out of the question. I make no sacrifice - and in point of fact I expect to gain. I shall be deceived if I do not.

4pp., 4to. Bifolium. 135 lines of text. In fair condition, on lightly aged and worn paper. At the time of writing Dolman had just published 'Four Lectures on the Offices and Ceremonies of Holy Week, as performed in the Papal Chapels. Delivered in Rome, in the Lent of 1837, by Nicholas Wiseman'. Later in 1839 he would publish Wiseman's anonymous 'A reply to the Rev. Dr. Turton's "Roman Catholic Doctrine of the Eucharist considered"'. Written in a close neat hand.

Both in the same style. ONE: 'Cheap Meat.' Dimensions: paper 25 x 29.5 cm; plate 22.5 x 27.5 cm; image 18.5 x 23.5 cm. In good condition, lightly aged and worn, with slight discoloration to corners from previous mounting. Beneath plate: 'W. H. Pyne delt.

All three items in good condition, lightly aged and worn. ONE: Untitled proof, with 'Proof 6.12.92 [i.e. 6 December 1992]' in manuscript at foot of first page. 20pp., 8vo. Unbound and unstitched. Two manuscript corrections, and two indications of where maps are to be placed. The first letter is written from 'Dawlish, S. Devon, | May 20, 1892', and the last from 'Clifton, | May 31, 1892'. A passage, on pp.5-8, is under the heading 'The End of the Broad Gauge', the first paragraph reading: 'On Thursday the men arrived from all parts of the G.W.

ONE (Grant of 1908): 9 + [1]pp., 8vo. Unstitched and unbound. Properly printed and paginated, with marginal glosses. On aged and worn paper, with closed tears along fold lines. Containing 27 clauses, in an agreement for a term of seven years from 1 January 1909. Between the railway company and, on behalf of W. H. Smith and Son, the Honourable William Frederick Danvers Smith MP, Charles Awdry, Alfred Dyke Acland, Charles Harry St John Hornby and Charles Selwyn Awdry. W. H. Smith had opened their first railway bookstall almost exactly sixty years before, in November of 1848.

Dibdin's letter: 1p., 12mo. On bifolium, with the Signed Autograph Copy of Chapple's reply (also 1p., 12mo) on the reverse of the same leaf. Reverse of second leaf addressed to 'C. Chapple Esq', with a nineteenth-century shelfmark at the foot of the page: 'C.68.Coll.CR.' In fair condtion, on aged paper.

82pp., small 4to. In good condition, on lightly aged paper, in worn black cloth, with large printed official 'NIGHT ORDER BOOK' label on front cover, to which Chambers has added 'Captain's' in large letters, and 'TO BE RETURNED TO MY CABIN'. Ruled pages, with printed 'NIGHT ORDER BOOK, H.M.S. [name of ship in manuscript] | ORDERS.' at head.

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, on aged and unevenly-sunned paper. He begins by giving six numbered points which 'will do for the Introduction' to a prospectus for a magazine. The first reads: 'The biographical & archaeological portion of the Magazine will be placed under the superintendance of the Revd Professor Christmas, M.A.

2pp., 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. Hanrott writes that he has received the recipient's letter on his 'return to Town', and that he will be pleased to subscribe 'to the work mentioned in the Prospectus you inclosed to me, & should wish to have a large Paper Copy'. He hopes that 'it may meet with that liberal encouragement, which it's [sic] importance & usefullness [sic] deserves'. He concludes in the hope that 'it is to be conducted under your auspices'.

All three items in good condition, on lightly aged paper. The two Aitken letters are both signed 'G A Aitken'. ONE: ALS by Aitken, 3 December 1907. 3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. He begins by suggesting an emendation to a note on an 'enclosed proof' regarding Dr Pearce and 'The Tatler'. He then discusses a reprint by the firm of his edition of the 'Spectator', which he has not seen. 'If it bears a current date on the title-page, I trust you have preserved the date to the Preface, to show that I have not revised the work.

Both items in fair condition, on lightly-aged paper. ONE: 3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. The letter begins: 'Dear Mr Lane, | Conscientious research in Titmarshian activities seems to point to the fact that you owe to the club the sum of 22/- for two dinners in October 1907.' He continues on this theme for a while, before turning to Reynolds: 'I am very glad to hear that you are going to bring out the Holy Mountain & Poor Mans House by Reynolds. As partly responsible for the suggestion of the Mountain & the location at Acton, I take some interest in the book & also in its author.

1p., 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. Written in purple ink. The letter reads: 'My dear Sir, | Here it is, for what it is worth. To-morrow, Jan 16, a new novel of mine, "Some Fell Among Thorns", should be published. I shall send you a copy & ask your acceptance of it. | Yours Sincerely | Andrew Soutar'. Soutar received a brief obituary in The Times, 25 November 1941.

4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. A long and detailed letter, beginning: 'The situation is not quite as we thought it. Yesterday I saw Mr. Higgs at Downing Street and he explained to me all the circumstances concerning the consideration of Mrs. Latey's petitions. | The suggestion emanating from him, with the Prime Minister's concurrence, is as follows.' The plan outlined, as Mrs Latey is not eligible for the pension, is for a fund to be established for her, to which 'the Prime Minister would add [...] a sum from Royal Bounty - the whole to be sunk in an annuity for her.

All four items in good condition, on lightly aged and creased paper. Totalling 6pp., 4to, on six leaves, written lengthwise in red-ruled columns. The first two sets of accounts each 2pp., on a bifolium; the last two each 1p., on a single leaf. Each of the four sets of accounts is on the same printed form, with a full-page printed text, dated from 'Paternoster Row, London, | January 1843.', headed 'Messrs.

Only the prelims of the book are present, on four leaves. In fair condition, on aged paper, with slight damage at the margin of the first leaf. Orioli's two inscriptions are on the two central leaves. Comprising a leaf with series title ('The Lungarno Series No. 12'); leaf with half-title and limitation (no 5 of 300) on reverse, signed 'G. Orioli'; title leaf; and contents leaf. The inscription on the title reads: 'This is for Barbara and Raphael | with love and affection | from Pino [Orioli] | Florence day of publication'.

16pp., 8vo. Vignette and eight full-page illustrations, all hand-coloured, depicting Sly Boots the fox, Farmer Brown, Joe the shepherd boy, and Trusty the dog. Disbound and stapled. On aged and worn paper. Scarce: the only two copies on COPAC and OCLC WorldCat at the British Library and University of California, with dating to the first entry.

Wolfe's four letters total 5pp., 12mo; the copy of the Gollancz letter 1p., 8vo. Item One in its original envelope, with both envelope and letter carrying closed tears, the other four items in good condition, on lightly-aged paper. ONE: ALS on letterhead of the hotel Les Bergues, Geneva; 7 April 1924, with envelope, with both letter and envelope torn on opening. TWO: ALS from the Ministry of Labour, London; 24 April 1924. THREE: TLS from Montagu House, Whitehall; 24 Aug. 1926. Sending, 'in confidence, this letter that I have had from Benn's.

23 + [1]pp., 12mo. Stitched, in blue printed wraps. Aged and worn, with creasing to wraps and fly-leaf, which is inscribed 'Ivor James | from | J. A. Grosvenor | May 20. 1921.' Excessively scarce: the only copy on COPAC or OCLC WorldCat at the British Library.

[16] + 74 + [4]pp., 4to. Erratum slip. Printed on art paper, with numerous black and white photographic illustrations. In brown buckram quarter-binding, with paper boards printed in red and blue. Internally in fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with a leaf of advertisements lacking at the rear; in aged and worn binding.

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.

On the 8 x 13cm cover of the envelope. In fair condition, on lightly-aged paper, with loss at head and to top right-hand corner from removal from an album, traces of which adhere to the reverse. Playfair's signature ('Lyon Playfair') in the bottom left-hand corner is unnaffected, and the address, also in his hand, reads: 'Messrs George Routledge & Son | Broadway | Ludgate Hill | E.C.' The orange circular franking postmark is incomplete, and reads: 'LON | OFF | PAID | B | 9 FE 86'.

Three pages, cr.8vo, bifolium, fold marks, small closed tear on fold, some staining, but text clear and complete. Text in William Boobyer's hand, by comparison with signatures. There are twelve numbered clauses in the Agreement. 1. That Adam Boobyer should conduct the business at 6 Seymour Row for them both. 2. All "monies" "be accounted for to Adam Boobyer". 3. William Boobyer shall receive 30s from the profits. 4. Independently of clause 3, William to receive a "fair share of the increase of profits" and "five percent upon all cash above eighty pounds per month which is taken". 5.

Letter written across two pages, 8vo, small tear with no loss of text, small hole at fold, mainly good, address on verso counter-signed (Free Post) "H.Gally Knight", M.P., traveller and writer. Notation top left corner "F.66.Cole. CR". Text as follows: "The enclosed will prove to you that you are not forgotten. I am but just recovered from a dreadful illness, which has shared one half of my person and two thirds of my purse: but the Tour [Northern Counties and Scotland [see full details below] has been triumphant - and will, I trust, be profitable.

4pp., 8vo. Bifolium. In fair condition, on lightly-aged paper. The first page carries the 'pitch', beginning: 'AN HISTORICAL MAGAZINE has long been the great desideratum of our literature.' The author proceeds to claim that 'THE GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE has stepped forward to occupy this vacant post.' The page ends: 'Five numbers of the new undertaking are before the public, and present a fair example of what the work will henceforth be. The following important subjects have been treated of in some of the recent articles: -'.

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.