CHARLES

See the entries in the Oxford DNB for his brothers Robert Barnabas Brough and the subject of this letter Lionel Brough, as well as that of C. L. Kenney. 1p, 12mo. On first leaf of bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with slight discoloration in one margin from the wax seal, and evidence of mount on blank second leaf. Folded for postage. Addressed to ?Chas Kenney Esq / &c &c? and signed ?William Brough?.

Thomas was for upwards of twenty-five years the theatrical critic of the London papers Daily News and the Graphic. See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. On first leaf of bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with evidence of mount adhering to the blank second leaf. Folded for postage. Addressed to ?Will Williams Esq? and signed ?Moy Thomas?. He would have answered Williams?s note sooner, but he has been ?on the Continent for a few days?.

See the entries for Ellis and the recipient?s brother Charles James Smith in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 4to. In good condition, lightly aged, with negligible traces of mount on reverse. Folded for postage. In Ellis?s disciplined and attractive hand. Addressed to ?William James Smith Esqr / &c &c &c? and signed ?Henry Ellis.? He begins by apologising for the delayed response, then writes: ?Pray accept my kind and sincere Thanks for the two beautiful and splendid Numbers of the ?Historical and Literary Curiosities?: I only wish that your poor brother had lived himself to have sent them to me.? (C. J.

See his entry, and Manby?s, in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. In good condition, on first leaf of bifolium, with the blank second leaf carrying traces of tape from the mount. Neatly folded for postage. Addressed to ?My dear Manby? and signed ?Jno. B Buckstone?. In addition to his work as an engineer Manby was for many years involved in the management of the Adelphi and Haymarket theatres.

The recipient is not named, but the item is from Manby's papers. See his entry, and Hudson's, in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. On bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with slightly-discoloured indentation of the royal crest, and thin strip of tape from mount adhering to the blank reverse of the second leaf. The recto of that leaf is docketted 'July 26 1846 / Geo Hudson Esq / York'. Folded for postage. Reads: 'Sir / being unable to give my attention to the Society of which you solicite [sic] my name I beg to [?] becoming a Provisional Director / I am / Your obt. St. / Geo Hudson'.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. The recipient (?Broadley Pasha?) was a renowned autograph collector and shady social figure, as well as the de facto editor of Yates?s ?World?, until the Cleveland Street scandal drove him into exile in 1890 (the year of this item with its reference to 'going away'). A 9 x 5 cm piece of paper, cut from the end of a letter, and laid down on a 13 x 7.5 cm piece, which has been neatly annotated by Broadley: 'Signature of Edmund Yates 1890'. In good condition, lightly aged, with one postage fold. Reads, with good firm stylized signature: '[...] of going away?

See his entry, and those of his brother and Kenney, in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. Bifolium. Twenty-two lines of text, addressed to ?C. L. Kenney Esq? and signed ?Aug: Mayhew?. In good condition, lightly aged, with thin strip of glue from mount adhering to blank reverse of second leaf. Begins: ?Dear Charlie/ Of course, we have to act under legal guidance.

See his entry, with those of his brother and of Manby, in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 16mo. On the first leaf of a bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with strip of tape from mount adhering to the blank second leaf. Good signature with attractive flourish: ?Chas Landseer?. Begins: ?My dear Manby / I don?t know what Knight means by saying C. L is rich, but I do know that if I had a ticket for the private view left, I would have given it to Mrs. Manby with the greatest pleasure.? He is sure there is ?something wrong in the political economy of the R.

An interesting letter from one great of the nineteenth-century stage to another. See the entries on Macready, Webster and Forster in the Oxford DNB. Curtis is a noted Federalist historian. 4pp, 16mo. Bifolium with mourning border. (His eldest daughter Nina had died at the age of twenty on 24 February 1850.) In good condition, lightly aged, with traces of tape from mount adhering to the second leaf. Two postage folds. Forty lines of text, addressed to ‘Benj. Webster Esq.’ and signed ‘W. C.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. Signed ‘W Dilke’. Embossed armorial letterhead of a falcon. The recipient is not named. In good condition, lightly aged, neatly inserted in trimmed windowpane mount. Twice folded for postage. Thirteen lines of text in his distinctive close backwards-leaning hand. The hand is not entirely straightforward, and what follows is a tentative reading.

Haghe features prominently in William Day’s entry in the Oxford DNB, in which their firm’s publication of Robert’s ‘Holy Land’ (1842-49) is described as ‘the most ambitious lithographic work ever published’, for which ‘Haghe, praised by Roberts for the faithful and artistic interpretation of his drawings, must bear most of the credit for the success of this publication’. See also the entry on the recipient Charles Manby (1804-1884), Secretary of the Institution of Civil Engineers. 2pp, 12mo. On the first leaf of a 12mo bifolium.

See his entry and Manby’s in the Oxford DNB. 4pp, 12mo. On bifolium with mourning border. In good condition, lightly aged, folded, with thin strip of tape from mount adhering to reverse of second leaf. Addressed to ‘My dear Manby’ and signed ‘Alfred Paget’. He begins by saying that there seems to be nothing ‘here about’ to prevent him from going with Manby ‘to Barnaby [presumably Nathaniel Barnaby, Assistant-Constructor of H.M.

See his entry and Manby’s in the Oxford DNB. 4pp, 12mo. On bifolium with mourning border. In good condition, lightly aged, folded, with thin strip of tape from mount adhering to reverse of second leaf. Addressed to ‘My dear Manby’ and signed ‘Alfred Paget’. He begins by saying that there seems to be nothing ‘here about’ to prevent him from going with Manby ‘to Barnaby [presumably Nathaniel Barnaby, Assistant-Constructor of H.M.

Haghe features prominently in William Day’s entry in the Oxford DNB, in which their firm’s publication of Robert’s ‘Holy Land’ (1842-49) is described as ‘the most ambitious lithographic work ever published’, for which ‘Haghe, praised by Roberts for the faithful and artistic interpretation of his drawings, must bear most of the credit for the success of this publication’. See also the entry on the recipient Charles Manby (1804-1884), Secretary of the Institution of Civil Engineers. 2pp, 12mo. On the first leaf of a 12mo bifolium.

1p, 12mo. On thin paper. In good condition, lightly aged, in trimmed and spotted windowpane mount. Good bold signature ‘Fanny Brough.’ Addressed to ‘Revd. J. C. [Westly?]’. She has ‘much pleasure’ in sending him ‘the autograph’, and will do her best to get him ‘a few others which may be interesting to send out to you’.

See his entry, and that of his father Charles and wife Madame Vestris, in the Oxford DNB. 3pp, 8vo. Bifolium with mourning border. In fair condition, on lightly aged paper, with slight damage at head of second leaf, the blank reverse of which carries traces of glue from mount. Folded once. Madame Vestris had died two and a half months before the writing of this letter, which evinces a surprising intimacy. Begins: ‘My dear Mrs Williams / Here’s a pretty business! Was there ever such disappointment.

See his entry, and those of his father, wife and Kenney, in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. On first leaf of a bifolium, the blank second leaf of which carries a thin strip of tape from the mount. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded twice. Good bold signature ‘C. Kean’. Begins: ‘My dear Kenney / Would you like a P[rivate]. Box or stalls next Friday, being the opening night of our season - I should like you to give a kind of notice of my past season and of my intended retirement from management next July, to which I shall refer in the parting words I purpose delivering according to the custom’.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB, which states that he had two children - Charles Horace Kenney and the actress Rosa Kenney - by his marriage to Miss Rosa Stewart at the Paris embassy in 1859. 4pp, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. On bifolium, with thin strip of tape from mount adhering to the reverse of the second leaf. Folded once. Sixty-six lines of text, addressed to ‘Dearest Wife’ and signed ‘Your affectionate husband / C. L.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 4pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with strip of tape from mount adhering to reverse of second leaf and small pin holes to one corner. With two folds. Thirty-nine lines of text. The handwriting is a paradox; neat but difficult to decipher. Addressed to ‘My dear Mlle de [Schmidt?]’ and signed ‘Charles Lever’. He begins by claiming that the speed with which he accepted her ‘most kind & cordial invitation’ for her daughter is the best proof he can give of the value he attaches to it ‘& the sincere satisfaction it affords me’.

See his entry, and that of his son, in the Oxford DNB. The topic of this letter is referred to in the second volume of Dickens's edition of the son's life, 1879. 3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with strip of tape from mount adhering at edge of blank second leaf and two folds for postage. Addressed to ‘Dear Harley’ and signed ‘C Mathews.’ He begins by thanking him for his ‘kind enquiries’, and (with regard to his son the actor Charles James Mathews) writes that ‘Our dear good Charles thank God! is recovered, and writes in excellent spirits from Florence.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB, as well as that of Manby who had, as the letter indicates, strong French connections. In addition to his work as Secretary to the Institution of Civil Engineers, Manby was also the business manager of the Adelphi Theatre in London. 3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. Letter of thirty-eight lines on the first three pages, with address and four postmarks (two French and two English) on reverse of second leaf: ‘C. Manby Esq. / Institution Civil Engineers / 25 Great George St. / Westminster / London / Angleterre’.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. Slip of grey paper, 11 x 4 cm, cut from letter. In good condition, lightly aged, with central vertical fold and spotting on reverse (a few dots of which show through) from glue. Bold signature ‘Sydney Buxton’. Text on reverse: ‘[…] paper you thought [?] […] / or if too late for […]’.

See the entries for Mrs Maurice’s sister Octavia Hill and their mother Caroline Southwood Hill in the Oxford DNB. Book: viii + 77 + [1]. 12mo. Errata slip between pp.56 and 57. In original green cloth, gilt. Good copy, lightly aged and worn, in original green cloth binding gilt. Bookplate of Queen’s College, London, on front paste-down, stamped ‘WITHDRAWN’. Presentation inscription on recto of front free endpaper: ‘Queens College Library / Presented by Mrs C. S. Maurice / 1931’.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. Both letters signed ‘B Jowett’. ONE: Autograph Letter Signed to ‘My dear Bramston’. 2pp, 12mo. On bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, but with discoloration (probably deliberate, since he is writing from Scotland) to letterhead. Strip of paper from mount adhering to blank reverse of second leaf. Folded for postage. Begins by asking for his thanks, and those of ‘Lord Kerry’ (his student, see Abbott’s ‘Life and Letters’), to be sent to ‘Captain Egerton for his kind and hospitable invitation’.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. In 1787 he had been appointed equerry to the Duke of York, and he accompanied him to the Netherlands as Aide-de-Camp. The present item was written a three months before the Battle of Villers-en-Cauchies, at which Craufurd, at the head of two squadrons, is said to have captured three guns and a thousand men. 1p, 12mo. On watermarked laid paper. In good condition, lightly aged, with creases from having been folded into a packet. Docketed on reverse. Reads: ‘Major Craufurd’s Account. / Paid to the Russian Minister at Brussels for a Pellice for the Duke ..

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. Ingram's biography of Poe was responsible for his reabilitation, and his extensive collection of material relating to the writer is now in the University of Virginia. Entire small envelope (roughly 12 x 7 cm), self-printed with stamp. In good condition, lightly aged, with flap at back torn in opening of letter. With postmarks at front and back of the envelope, both dated 9 January 1875; front postmark from Malvern and back one from West Malvern. Addressed by Swinburne to ‘John H. Ingram Esq.

From the Sylvia and Robert Lynd papers. Scarce: no copy on JISC, but in NLI. 16pp, 12mo. Stitched. No wraps. The outer covers spotted, and the back cover grubby, otherwise in good condition, lightly aged. One vertical fold. The author’s position, supported with statistical analysis, is that ‘The present position is indefensible as it stands; and it is becoming worse.

See his entry in the Dictionary of National Biography. From the papers of Sylvia and Robert Lynd. Scarce: only three copies on JISC (Oxford, NLS and BL). 24pp, 12mo. Stapled. In blue printed wraps with flaps. Colophon on first page, with small indistinguishable device: ‘THE FIRST BOOKLET / set, printed and published by the / Janus Press at Bickley in Kent / 1933’. Title-page: ‘AN IRISH IDYLL / CHARLES DUFF / [crude vignette of shamrock] / Janus Press’. Information on reverse of title includes: ‘An Irish Idyll was first used by / The British Broadcasting Corporation / on the 12th.

Reade was a fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, from 1836 to his death. According to his entry in the Oxford DNB: ‘in the years of his fame, and particularly in the early 1860s, he did much of his writing in his rooms at Magdalen, using them as a retreat. His tenure of the fellowship was contingent on his remaining unmarried, a stipulation he complained of bitterly but continued to put up with, even when he was earning thousands a year as a writer’. 1p, 12mo. In fair condition, lightly discoloured, on thin wove paper. Folded once.

Fifteen items. On heavily aged paper. All but two clear and complete, but a few items in pieces. Titles include 'Descent or Ascent? Monkey Trial in America' (and two others on the same subject), 'An Epoch Man. Darwin and his work.', 'Darwin's Centenary Celebration' (and others on the same subject), and 'Darwin. (By H. N. Brailsford.)'.