ESSEX

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. From the Piffard papers. A total of 10pp, 12mo. Aged and worn, with the first letter on creased grey paper, the second with one leading edge rolling inwards, and the last with a 2cm closed tear; but with text clear and entire. The recipient named as ‘B. Piffard Esq’. All signed ‘Henry Doubleday’. ONE: 14 July 1860. 2pp, 12mo. With reference to an excursion by Piffard to Maldon, and also stating that he ‘took a very fine female Deilephila Galei in our garden on Wednesday - it was at rest on a strawberry plant’. TWO: 7 March 1890. 1p, 12mo.

An interesting and sprightly correspondence, mainly concerned with the practicalities of the vocation of a minor provincial poet. See David Gaskin’s obituary of Vanson, Independent, 27 July 1993, and Fry’s entry in the Oxford DNB. A second slice of Vanson material from the Christopher Fry papers (the other collection is offered separately). The collection consists of twenty-one items: nineteen letters from Vanson to Fry, a one-page typescript of three of Vanson’s poems, and a draft of an introduction by Fry to a proposed collection of poems by Vanson.

The item advertised in the present prospectus (no other copy of which has been traced) is unaccountably absent from the bibliography of the Victorian author Charles Kingsley. Information regarding the Universal Group of Intuitives was provided to ‘Light’, the journal of the Spiritualist Alliance, by its General Secretary Mrs Frances Boltwood (‘Angela’), and appeared in its number of 10 September 1936.

See his entries in the Oxford DNB (where his edition of Pepys is described as ‘an amateurish travesty’ of the transcript) and the History of Parliament. 2pp, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged and folded twice. Good neat signature: ‘Braybrooke’. The recipient is not named, but the name of the editor of the work mentioned by Braybrooke is given as 'C.

6pp, 12mo, on two bioliums. A long letter, neatly and closely written. In stamped envelope, with stamps and postmark, addressed to ‘Miss Sprott / Magavelda / Blakeney / Holt [Norfolk]’ and signed ‘John Bacon’. The letter and envelope are in fair condition, on slightly discoloured paper and with short closed tears along the folds made for postage. He begins: ‘Dear Miss Sprott.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded for postage. Signed ‘W Harrison Ainsworth’. Signed ‘W Harrison Ainsworth’ and reads: ‘Dear Mrs Barlow / My Daughters return on the 30th. May[.] I therefore hope to have the pleasure of seeing you and Mr. Barlow at Dinner at a quarter after 9 o’clock on Saturday, 30th?’ See image.

See David Gaskin’s obituary of Vanson, Independent, 27 July 1993, and Fry’s entry in the Oxford DNB. The material is in good condition, lightly aged, with one leaf of poetry typescript creased. Vanson’s eight Autograph Letters Signed date from between 29 December 1983 and 12 January 1993. total 11pp, 8vo, and 2pp, 12mo. One of the letters is lacking all but the last (signed) page; the others are complete. Vanson’s Typed Letter Signed is 1p, 8vo. It is undated, but dated by Fry to 14 August (no year, but from the context written in 1992). The nine letters are all signed ‘Frederic’.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. On 16 x 10 cm rectangle cut from leaf of an autograph album. On lightly aged wove paper, with crease to one corner avoiding the writing. Boldly written: ‘W. Harrison Ainsworth / Dunsnow. / July 19th. 1855.’ Nothing else written on either side of the leaf. See image.

Scarce: the only copy located on WorldCat and COPAC at the Tate Library, London. Unpaginated stapled and duplicated pamphlet: 16pp, 4to. Cover illustration by John Graham. No wraps called for. In good condition, lightly aged and creased. In Vanson's autograph, at top right of cover: 'For Christopher - | affectionately | Frederic | 3.

15pp., foolscap 8vo. Duplicated typescript on twelve leaves, stapled together. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. Several separate documents (some with separate dating) grouped together with a general cover page, which reads: 'Urban District Council of Braintree and Bocking | Civil Defense Exercise “Robin” | at the Braintree Community Centre, Sandpit Road, Braintree | on | Saturday, the 31st October, 1953 | 14.30 hours to 18.30 hours | Clerk's Department, Town Hall, Braintree.' Ownership inscription in pencil at head of cover 'Brig H. H.

179pp., foolscap 8vo, and contains 332 general orders by 'W. H. Poyntz | Major and Chief Constable'. The volume is entirely in manuscript, but is not in Poyntz's handwriting. It comprises 168 paginated pages, followed by an eleven-page index giving a one-line summary of the 'Purport' of each order. The volume is a ruled notebook, in original quarter binding of black cloth spine and marbled boards, with the words 'GENERAL ORDERS' printed on a label on the cover, with 'Rochford' written in manuscript beneath.

1p., 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with central vertical fold. Reads: 'Dear Sir | Would it suit you to meet me here tomorrow from 10 to 1/2 past? | I should be happy to see you.' In pencil at head in a contemporary hand: 'Alderman Mechi - | Great Agriculturalist'.

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. He begins by thanking Ramsay 'for Copy of No 12 of the Scientific Roll, which I presented to the Club at our last meeting, and for which a vote of thanks was accorded to you'. He agrees with Ramsay that the 'subject of Phenological observation' is 'one of very considerable importance', but the Club has been 'so full of work of one kind and another that we have hardly had time to consider the matter' and it has 'not yet been taken up by the Club'. He will raise the subject, and thanks Ramsay for 'the reprint of your paper'.

1p., 4to. In good condition, neatly inserted into a windowpane mount. Bloomfield, 'somewhat more than a year ago', laid 'before the Prince Regent at Sudbourne Hall, two small productions' of Hall's, and he now wishes, 'as they are my mite to the good of my Country, Cottage poems also to be laid before him'. He feels that the 'concluding little poem' in the collection 'cannot displease his Royal Highness'. No copy of the original edition of Hall's 'Cottage Poems' is listed on COPAC, and only one copy, at Oxford, of the new edition of 1820.

2pp.,12mo. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. He has been informed by 'Mr. Hill of the Victoria & Albert Museum' that Harington has 'a Backstaff'. Adams has been 'looking out for one for some years' without success and would like to purchase Harington's if he has 'no use for it. 'I think Mr. Hill mentioned to you that I had a collection of old navigating instruments & he has very kindly been trying to find a backstaff for me'. He ends in the hope that Harington will 'excuse the zeal of the collector'.

Three items, folded into the customary packet. In very good condition, lightly aged. ONE: Prospectus. 4pp., 8vo. Includes the memorandum of association, in small print. The prospectus, dated 12 May 1896, begins: 'The Company was constituted in 1883. It possesses two Mills, one at Northfleet (freehold) with a complete plant for the manufacture of sulphite wood-pulp and four paper machines, and the other at Ilford (leasehold) with one paper machine. The out-put of these five machines is now 150 tons of paper per week.' Docketed at head of first leaf by Sir Richard Harington.

3pp., 4to. Bifolium. 47 lines of text, with emendations. In fair condition, on lightly aged and worn paper. Begins (spelling and capitalization uncorrected): 'Memm. | August 10 1780 It is this Day hearby agreed betwen Richd. Price of knebworth in hartfordshire on the behalf of Richard warburton Lytton Esqr. and Henry Eve of Barnish Roothing in Essex on his Own behalf as fallows vizt.

Seven pages, 12mo, two bifoliums, fold marks, staining caused by (removed) sellotape, text clear and complete. "I have read with great interewst the proposed draft revision of the present Regulations governing the exams & advancement of acct. officers." He hopes they will be adopted, but then raises "points of criticism" about hard-working secretaries, officers who fail first time, fewer different certificates of service, presentation of certificates by candidates, disuse of a writer as a clerk, etc. He had taken command of the "Essex" on the 14 September (i.e.

Both items in good condition, with light signs of age. The card, with postmarks, is addressed to 'Austin Dobson Esq | 75 Eaton Rise | Ealing | W.' The letter is also to Dobson, but is only addressed 'Dear Sir'. In the card he reports that 'The old oak in the forest is now in ruins and quite dead. It has been surrounded with a railing and a young tree planted by its side.' He offers to send a photograph, and asks for 'anthing about my parish which you may publish'.

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly-aged. She is out of town, and Scharf's letter has followed her to Cheshire and Lancashire, and she is sending a letter of introduction to Lord Essex, whom she hopes will 'afford you every facility in your interesting pursuits'. She is flattered 'at the manner in which you always speak of my Grove Catalogue - it was a great pleasure to me & I much regret that other duties & occupations have prevented me for a time from continuing my Biographies'. She concludes by wishing him 'every success in your Blenheim Catalogue'.

1p., landscape 8vo. In fair condition, on lightly aged and creased paper. Headed 'Mr John White Dr. to General Oglethorpe'. Entries dated from 13 February 1777 to 25 August 1778. The accounts, with debits on the left and credits on the right, cover two and a half years' rental on Home Farm at £171 per anum, and one and a half years' rental on Broadfields at £82 2s 0d per anum. Signed note at end: '26 Sep.

An evocative collection of photographs, in which, unusually, a Victorian servant has been allowed to make a record of his masters, their country house, and household. The 53 photographs are laid down on 17 leaves of a contemporary stitched 4to album. In fair condition, lightly-aged, and with the brown marbled wraps of the album detached and separated from one another. Three of the photographs are lacking from the album.

4to, 179pp. Very good, on lightly-aged paper. In lightly-worn original binding in blue cloth, all edges gilt, with 'THE LYRICS | OF HORACE | IN | ENGLISH RHYME.' stamped in gilt on front board, and 'THE | LYRICS | OF | HORACE' on the spine. A fair copy by Baring of his complete translation, paginated by him 5-183, without title or preliminaries (these were presumably intended to be written out on the two blank leaves which precede the translation).

1p., 12mo. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. The letter begins: 'Dear Jack | It is a long time since we met - but perhaps that is my fault. If so, will you let bygones be bygones - and come over to Toppesfield some time?' She suggests a date, 'Or any Sunday lunch in the immediate future', stating that 'after July, all plans are "Hitler permitting"!' Driberg has noted his acceptance of the invitation up one margin. [Driberg was a Lecturer in Anthropology at Cambridge University from 1934 to 1942. His brother was the colourful Labour MP Tom Driberg.

1p., 4to. Fair, on aged paper, with one small burn-hole to margin. Addressed to 'Mrs. T. Driberg, | Bradwell Lodge, | Bradwell juxta Mare, | nr. Southminster, | Essex.' He thanks her for receiving 'an African boy from Northern Rhodesia and some members of my family', and 'showing us the details of your charming house so unhesitatingly'. He discusses the 'astonishing contrast the house is to the landscape around it.

30 + [ii] pp., 12mo. One of 300 copies. Printed in Caslon in red and black on Batchelor handmade paper. Wood-engraved initial and press-mark. Worn grey paper-covered boards with printed labels on spine and front board. Internally good in worn binding with discoloured spine splitting. Inscribed 'With every kind thought from C. Persis Burkitt. | July 17th.' Bookplate in green and black of D. Tecwyn Lloyd. The "second book printed at the Essex House Press".

1p., 4to., with vertical perforation dividing the circular (upper part) from the form (lower part). Fair, on lightly-aged and creased paper. The fourteen-line circular begins: 'It is appreciated that every British Subject wishes to return at once, but all will not be able to get in the first train. | The British Committee will have to select the order of going by the various degrees of urgency. [...] Persons in Government service, men going to mobilisation, and persons in distress, have special claims to priority.' The form, completed in pencil by 'Mr & Mrs R.

1p., 4to. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Fifteen lines of closely and neatly written text, with a slip of paper carrying an unsigned six-line note by Horseman neatly laid down at the foot of the text. The letter deals with personal matters, acknowledging the receipt of £23 13s 6d, thanking Brewster for his 'kind attentions', asking him to send whatever he may receive for 'the few old books, which you sent to Stockton's', to Mary Dixon, enquiring after family news, giving his own ('I enjoy the best possible health. My brother was here, lately; & as hearty as ever.').

A 4to volume, consisting of 224 pp, with the 1732 rentals occupying 89 pp (including a six-page thumb index) at one end, and the 1785 rentals in another hand on 24 pp at the other. Text clear and complete. On aged paper in worn vellum binding, with 'Hornchurch Rental 1732' and 'Hornchurch Rental 1785' in the two hands on cover. The 1732 rentals give details of the quarter-day payments and allowances of 51 tenants.

On piece of paper roughly 29.5 x 44 cm. The image itself is 30 cm wide, with an arched top 18 cm high at sides and 22 cm at the highest point. The image is clear and complete, on dusty spotted paper with fraying and loss to top edge especially. A charming image, showing Victorian middle-class townsfolk comporting in the town centre, with a wide main street with two carriages, and shop names including 'ELLIS' and 'WILSHER BUILDER'. Towards the centre is 'CHEEKS PRINTING OFFICE', 'BOOKSELLER STATIONER'.