ENGLISH

All three items concern Littlejohns' 'British Watercolour Painting and Painters of Today' (London: Pitman, 1931)'. First Letter: 12mo, 3 pp. 43 lines. Text clear and entire. On two leaves attached to one another in a corner by a pin. Good, on lightly-creased paper. Interesting and informative letter concerning 'two watercolours' which Williams would 'like to be 'reproduced in [Littlejohn's] work on water colours'. Gives details of the titles of the works and the name and address of the owner, 'who has consented to send them'.

On irregularly shaped piece of paper, roughly 3 x 7 cm, cut around the signature and its double underlining. Good signature, with slight smudging to a couple of letters.

Landscape 12mo: 1 p. Headed 'Stage and Film Decor.' He thanks her for her letter of 4 November. 'I eagerly await book. If you could spare me more than one [last three words underlined] I should be appreciative.'

The six-line letter, which is laid down on a slightly larger piece of lilac paper, was originally on one side of an octavo leaf, but it has had a strip (presumably carrying the name and address of the recipient) beneath the address cut away. It is now in two pieces: 5 x 15.5 and 12 x 15.5 cm. Otherwise very good. Laid down on the top piece is a slip of paper in Hill's hand, reading 'From: Air Commodore Dame Felicity Hill D.B.E. WRAF (retd)'. In the bottom right-hand corner of the second piece of paper is a strip carrying Hill's autograph.

In light blue, light brown and black on one side of a piece of wove paper roughly 38 x 56 cm. Good: lightly creased and with a little wear at foot. Folded three times. 'Corrections 14th. June' in bottom left-hand corner, and 'Malby & Sons, Lith.' in bottom right-hand corner. Faintly stamped on border at foot 'CHARPENTIER | PORTSMOUTH'. COPAC lists one copy (National Library of Scotland).

Printed on one side only of a piece of watermarked laid paper, dimensions 32.5 x 19.5 cm. Folded twice for insertion in the magazine. Good, apart from strip of approximately 0.5 x 5.5 cm loss along top fold, affecting one word of text, and neatly repaired with archival tape. At head of page clean impression of satirical engraving (roughly 8.5 x 13 cm), showing Beckford (father of the connoisseur), in Lord Mayor's robes, telling Harley to 'Receive Instructions & not Silver'. Harley, holding a jacket, tailor's iron and shears, replies 'Teach us our Lesson! Are we then School Boys?

12mo, [ii] + 235 pp. In contemporary brown-calf half-binding, with marbled boards and grey endpapers. Internally sound and tight, if a little foxed, with some wear to the extremities of the title-leaf. In worn binding with label on spine mostly worn away. The identity of the author is unknown.

8vo, [ii] + 8 pp. Unbound stitched pamphlet. Lightly aged, and with short closed tears at head and foot of outer leaves. Dogeared corner to rear leaf. A 116-line 29-stanza poem, beginning 'The Pilgrims loved Old England, | Their hearts fed on her sod, | Their souls clung close to England, | But closelier [sic] to God.' and ending 'And through those centuries strenuous | In services to Man, | If sometimes sadly tenuous, | We claimed, and kept the Van.' Scarce: no copy on COPAC, in the British Library or Library of Congress.

The collection as a whole is in good condition on aged paper. ITEM ONE: 90-page typescript headed 'II | ANTECEDENT', beginnning 'It has become a commonplace of musicology, at least in this country, that the first two decades of the Twentieth Century show an immense increase of creative activity in the composition of works of music by an astonishingly rich group of their [sic] young composers.

4to, 20 pp. The last page carries advertisements for the publisher Almon. Unbound; stitched. Good, with first and last leaves somewhat aged and chipped. Central vertical fold. A relatively uncommon item, with most of the entries on COPAC turning out to be for a microfilm reproduction.

8vo, 12 pp. Stapled and in original blue printed wraps. Good, with minor staining to wraps at top of spine. Eight 'Rules' and three 'Regulations', with a separate entry on 'Regulations for the Use of the Library'. Not listed on COPAC.

The prospectus is a four-page bifolium. Dimensions of leaf roughly 38.5 x 24 cm. Aged, creased and worn, and with slight loss to spine and with a panel in the second leaf worn through, resulting in loss of some of text. The prospectus is addressed by hand to 'Eton College Wilds Estate'. The 'form of application' is printed in green on one side of a leaf roughly 34 x 20.5 cm. It is in better condition than the prospectus, lightly creased and aged, and complete with a perforated 'Banker's Receipt'. Note: The Wilds Estate provided the land for Hampstead Garden Suburb and the Heath.

NOT in George. Dimensions of paper 27.5 x 41 cm. Dimensions of image 20.5 x 31.5. On aged, grubby paper with wear to extremities. Image entire, but with one closed tear intruding from right across 3 cm of the blue background, and three closed tears (the longest 4cm) horizontally across a central vertical crease. A splendid full-length figure of Wellington (entirely undamaged), in full military uniform, with boots, red coat with gold epaulettes, white breeches, gloves, and sword, flees, hands in air and plumed hat falling to the ground, from a giant pig with three human heads.

Folio: ii + 59 + [1] pp. Unbound. Stitched as issued. Text clear and entire, but in poor condition: on creased, discoloured and stained paper, with wear to extremities. Begins 'WHEREAS fires in warehouses in the borough of Liverpool have of late years been of frequent and alarming recurrence, and have been attended with considerable loss of life and property.' 124 clauses, followed by seven pages of 'Schedules referred to by the foregoing act'.

12mo, 30 pages. In contemporary nonce-binding of brown boards tied with twine. Presumably incomplete, as sequential translations of only thirty psalms are present, ending with the hundred-and-fourth. Scarce: no copy in the British Library, and none on COPAC.

12mo, 4 pp. Good, on aged paper with a little light staining at head. A significant letter, in which Warren gives information of those of Warren's 'poor works' which have been engraved: 'they have been chiefly for book illustration and are spread through many publishers'. Begins by describing how 'Murray's Childe Harold has many vignettes, very well engraved from my drawings'. Ends by saying that 'There is also a print in the mixed style of considerable size engraved by Humphreys but not yet published. It is from my picture of a story teller reciting in a coffee house of Damascus'.

Letter One (November 1848; folio, 1 p; on discoloured, creased and worn paper): Availing himself of Philippart's 'kind permission to contribute to the U. S. Magazine', Stocqueler is sending 'the commencement of a Historical Sketch' he has 'long meditated writing'. 'A note in this month's Dublin University Mag. has afforded the text - & the pretext'. It 'will be calculated to please the India Office', and will contain 'a good deal of personal sketch'. Addressed on reverse to Philippart at the Magazine's office at 19 Catherine Street, Strand, and docketed by Philippart.

12mo, 2 pp, and 8vo, 1 p. A little grubby and creased, but with text clear and entire. He is sorry that Shorter was not able to visit the Chateaux of the Loire, but hopes that 'the sea air of Dieppe' has done him good. The year before Shorter's death, Hammerton writes: 'But you must really cease this brink-of-the-grave touch! Ten years hence, from an inglenook at Knockmoroon [where Shorter would die], you will wonder why you were anticipating the "closing down" of C.K.S.

4to, 1 p. On aged, creased apper, but with text clear and entire. A small piece of paper from a bottom corner has been torn away in opening the letter, and is still present on the reverse, under a red wax seal bearing a clear impression of a lyre and the words 'Addolcire ed Maturare'. Brief communication apologising for the fact that the Literary Souvenir has not reached him sooner. 'The omission is the sin of my booksellers and not mine'. He is sending a copy with the letter, and asks him to accept his thanks, 'for your courtesy'.

Letter: 12mo, 1 p. Grubby and stained. He 'did not mention the Planché-affair' in his letter of the day before. Asks for his name to be put down 'for a copy of the book' [French's edition of Planché's 'Extravaganzas']. The subscription form (12mo, 1 p), heavily worn and with loss to the extremities, is laid down on the reverse of the letter. On it Merivale gives his address as 'Barton Lodge, Kingston on Thames'.

8vo, 2 pp, 33 lines. Good, on lightly aged and creased paper. An interesting letter, written by a former policeman to a former probation officer, on the subject of the latter's book 'Come to Prison: A Tour through British Prisons today' (Longmans, 1957), about which the former has written a negative review. Begins by praising Stokes' 'really generous letter, written at what cost in self-control I can only dimly imagine'. When Hewitt 'read the published review', he thought 'that it was still on the whole unfair'. 'I hate reviewing really, and am a bad reviewer.

On one side of a piece of paper, dimensions 19.5 x 21 cm. Lightly creased. Presumably in response to a request for an autograph. Reads 'Is there a life before Death? | (slogan chalked on wall in Northern Ireland, 1975) | Yours sincerely | [signed] Beryl Bainbridge.' Firm sprawling signature.

On a piece of pink paper, roughly 9 x 11 cm. Neatly laid down onto a piece of white paper. Very good. A reply to a request for an autograph. Reads 'I am | my dear Lady | Yours truly | [signed] Eliza Cook'. The signature is firm and bold, with a small part of the flourish beneath it shaved away.

Letter: 12mo, 4 pp. Bifolium. Text clear and entire, but with the outer pages grubby. He has 'no wish to annoy other members of the Court family', so it will 'go no further'. 'It is cool of Miss Court to talk thhe confidence of her own home, when she made the statement to Mrs Bulkeley in her own drawing-room.' Suggests that Draper send 'the Postmistress' a 'reminder'. 'She is so accustomed to threatening letters from her creditors' lawyers that she possibly may disregard this.' Asks him to 'make her understand that withholding an apology may have sharp consequences'.

12mo, 352 pp. In contemporary brown calf half-binding, with marbled boards and grey endpapers. Loose and foxed in worn binding.

12mo, 2 pp. Text complete and legible, on grubby and creased paper. Trace of grey paper mount adhering to blank verso of second leaf of bifolium. Crude caricature of a man's face in top left-hand corner of first page. Draper 'bolted from the Club last night' - Webber can 'guess the cause' - 'thereby depriving the committee of the unit necessary to form a quorum'. Had he not done so 'Marks would have shown you the drawing which he had brought down, finished, for your inspection.' Webber will 'bring it with me to the Circle to-morrow.

All five items are 12mo, 1 p, and in good condition, with the text entirely legible, but with slight discoloration to the extremities and to the blank second leaves of four of the letters. Letter One (17 May 1898): Concerns a letter by Sir William White, regarding which Knowles has not written as 'it seemed to me there was nothing to write about - & I am compelled to write so many letters!' Knowles 'did not at all think that Sir W. White intended any disparaging reflection in your competence by saying that you were <?> not a man "technically trained in naval architecture" '.

Dimensions of card roughly 8.5 x 11 cm. Good, with slight creasing. Twenty lines of text. Congratulating Hammerton on his appointment as editor of the 'London Magazine'.

12mo: 1 p. Text clear and entire on creased and slightly grubby paper. Asks Hyde Clark to 'make the preliminary report you suggest, & speak with Mr Crompton'. He feels that 'the thing is to be accomplished; & that there will be honour & profit to all who may concern themselves in the undertaking'. Asks to hear from Hyde Clarke 'in a few days'. The subject of the letter is unclear.

12mo, 2 pp. On foxed and aged paper. He has not seen Fawcett that night, despite 'looking out' for him. He would like to talk with him before the following Monday, and if Fawcett writes, he can visit him 'at any time'. 'I can easily drive over, if you will give me your new address.'