FOLKLORIST

[Andrew Lang, Scottish author and collector of fairy tales.] Autograph Letter Signed, stating that he has no typing work, and that he is enclosing £3 ‘towards a new typing machine’.

Author: 
Andrew Lang (1844-1912), Scottish poet, author, folklorist and collector of fairy tales
Publication details: 
7 January [no year]. On letterhead of Alleyne House, St. Andrews, Scotland.
£56.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged, and with a minor sooty smudge. Folded once for postage. The recipient is not named. Reads, in an atrocious hand, ‘Dear Sir / My typing work is all being done here, and I cannot take it away from my typist. / I enclose cheque (£3) towards a new typing machine. / Faithfully yours / A Lang’.

[Peter Opie, folklorist, with wife Iona Opie, of children's games and nursery rhymes.] Two Typed Letters Signed to W. J. MacQueen-Pope, on the music hall, John Dunn and 'Jump Jim Crow', the Great Macdermott and 'Jeremiah, blow the fire'.

Author: 
Peter Opie (1918-1982), folklorist who, with his wife Iona Opie (1923-2017), worked on children's games and literature, donating their collection to the Bodleian [W. J. MacQueen-Pope (1888-1960)]
Publication details: 
Opie's two letters on letterhead of 'IONA OPIE | PETER OPIE', Rockbourne House, 100 High Street, Alton, Hampshire. 20 and 25 January 1951. With carbon copy of a reply from MacQueen-Pope, 23 January 1951.
£150.00

The three items (two letters from Peter Opie to MacQueen-Pope and carbon copy of his reply to the first of these) are in fair condition, on aged and lightly-creased paper, with a slight nick at the head of the first letter. Inspired by the recent publication of MP's 'The Melody Lingers On: The Story of Music Hall' (1950), Opie writes to MP via his publishers W. H. Allen & Co, and signs both letters 'Peter Opie.' MP writes to Opie at Rockbourne House. ONE: TLS from Opie to MP. 20 January 1951. 1p, 4to.

[Sabine Baring-Gould, ghost story writer, antiquarian and folklorist.] Autograph Letter Signed ('S. Baring Gould'), regarding the copyright of his 'Lives of the Saints'.

Author: 
Sabine Baring-Gould (1834-1924), ghost story writer, antiquarian, folklorist and Anglican priest
Publication details: 
20 March 1897. Lew Trenchard, North Devon.
£56.00

1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once. Neatly and closely written out. Good firm signature, not hyphenated (as opposed to his entry in the Oxford DNB). A short letter, begging with thanks to the unnamed recipient 'for a sight of your beautiful drawings.' He continues: 'I have nothing to do with the publication of “Lives of the SS” as I parted with copyright at the time they were just done.' The sixteen volumes of his 'Lives of the Saints' appeared between 1872 and 1877.

[Sir James George Frazer, Scottish anthropologist and folklorist, author of 'The Golden Bough'.] Autograph Letter Signed ('J. G. Frazer') discussing 'the marriage rules of savages' and their 'aversion to inbreeding'.

Author: 
Sir J. G. Frazer [Sir James George Frazer] (1854-1941), Scottish anthropologist and folklorist, author of 'The Golden Bough'
Publication details: 
No. 1 Bride Court, Temple, E.C. [London] 7 May 1918.
£500.00

3pp, landscape 16mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with thin strip from stub of mount still adhering. The male recipient is not named. Thirty-five lines of closely and neatly written text.

[Sir James George Frazer, author of 'The Golden Bough'.] Autograph Letter Signed ('J. G. Frazer') to 'Mr. Wright', regarding difficulty getting copies of his obituary of Australian anthropologist Lorimer Fison from publisher Alfred Nutt.

Author: 
Sir J. G. Frazer [Sir James George Frazer] (1854-1941), Scottish anthropologist, author of 'The Golden Bough' [Alfred Trübner Nutt (1856-1910); Lorimer Fison (1832-1907), Australian anthropologist]
Publication details: 
St Keyne's, Cambridge. 7 April 1910.
£400.00

3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged, with two fold lines. Thin strip of stub from mount adhering to one edge. The subject of the letter is Frazer's obituary of 'the Rev. Lorimer Fison and Dr. A. W. Howitt' (their deaths being 'two heavy losses' suffered by 'Australian anthropology in particular'), published in Folklore, Vol. 20, No. 2 (Jun. 30, 1909), pp. 144-180. Frazer begins by thanking Wright 'for the copy of my article which you have succeeded in wringing from the clutches of young Mr Nutt', i.e. the publisher of 'Folklore' Alfred Nutt (himself a folklorist).

[Sir Edgar MacCulloch, Bailiff of Guernsey, folklorist.] Autograph Letter Signed ('Edgar MacCulloch') to 'Chepmell' [society homeopathist Edward Charles Chepmell], discussing the arrangements for his forthcoming adoubement.

Author: 
Sir Edgar MacCulloch (1808-1896), Bailiff of Guernsey, expert in Guernsey Folklore, and founding member of La Société Guernesiaise [Edward Charles Chepmell (1820-1885), society homeopathist]
Publication details: 
On letterhead of the Tavistock Hotel, London. 30 April 1886.
£90.00

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged. He begins by thanking him for his 'kind note and ticket for the Private View at the Academy'. He explains that he 'must pay a visit to the Home Office at noon to report myself', and from there he will find his way to Burlington House. He hopes 'to learn from Mr Childers or one of the Under-secretaries when there is a likelihood of a day being fixed by the Queen for dubbing knights, and am in hopes that it may not be far distant, as I don't wish to be kept here for any lengthened time.' He explains that he came up to London 'on Genl.

[Printed booklet by K. M. Briggs.] Stories Arranged for Mime | By K. M. Briggs | Number 2 | Whuppity Stoorie'

Author: 
K. M. Briggs [Katharine Mary Briggs] (1898-1980), English folklorist, author of the Dictionary of English Folk-Tales [Capricornus press, Dunkeld, Perthshire]
Publication details: 
Made and printed in Great Britain by Capricornus, Dunkeld, Perthshire. [No date.]
£35.00

[16]pp., 12mo. Stapled. In green printed wraps with illustration on cover. In very good condition, very lightly-aged with slight rusting to the two staples. The thirteen Capricornus items on COPAC indicate that the press was connected with K. M. Briggs, or at least with her family, who had moved to Perthshire with their father in 1911. Uncommon. Copac lists sets of the three volumes in the series at the British Library, National Library of Scotland and Oxford, and a single copy of this number at the National Library of Wales.

[Printed booklet by Elspeth Briggs, sister of the folklorist K. M. Briggs.] The Constant Gardener | A Play in One Act | By Elspeth Briggs'.

Author: 
Elspeth Briggs, sister of the folklorist K. M. Briggs [Katharine Mary Briggs] [Capricornus press, Dunkeld, Perthshire]
Publication details: 
Capricornus, Dunkeld, Perthshire. No date.
£35.00

36pp., 12mo. In cream printed wraps with illustration on the front cover. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper with slight spotting to covers. The thirteen Capricornus items on COPAC indicate that the press was connected with K. M. Briggs, or at least with her family, who had moved to Perthshire with their father in 1911. Uncommon. Copies on COPAC at the British Library, National Library of Scotland, Oxford and Trinity College Dublin.

[ Frederick William Fairholt, artist and antiquary. ] Autograph Letter Signed to '<Mayland?>, suggesting an appointment to discuss an individual who 'seems very anxious to come to some arrangement'.

Author: 
Frederick William Fairholt (c.1813-1866), artist and antiquary
Publication details: 
'Wednesday'. [ No place or date. ]
£50.00

1p., 12mo. In good condition, lightly-aged, with fold to one corner. Fairholt's handwriting is legible, but unfortunately the names of the recipient and subject of the letter are not so. It begins: ' seems very anxious to come to some arrangement. Can we meet on the point. I do not know if you are in London, if you are will you give me a call on Thursday evening'. He gives a few other options, before concluding.

[ Macleod Yearsley and the Thinker's Library. ] Copy of Yearsley's book 'The Folklore of Fairy-Tale' with extensive autograph emendations (two notes initialled 'M. Y.') and two proof specimens for intended republication in the Thinker's Library.

Author: 
Macleod Yearsley [ Percival Macleod Yearsley ] (1867-1951), surgeon, author, folklorist and eugenicist [ The Thinker's Library, published by Watts & Co. for the Rationalist Press Association, London ]
Publication details: 
Book: London: Watts & Co., Johnson's Court, Fleet Street, E.C.4. 1924. Specimen proofs by Richard Clay & Sons, Bungay, Suffolk: June and July 1936.
£280.00

The item provides an interesting insight into the editing process of the Thinker's Library, 140 volumes of which Watts & Co. published for the Rationalist Association between 1929 and 1951. The book is xiii + 240pp., 8vo, in red cloth binding, gilt. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper, with slight wear to one corner. A couple of leaves have been neatly torn out, evidently in the process of revision. Stamp of the Rationalist Press Association Ltd on reverse of title.

[ William John Thoms, antiquary. ] Autograph Signature ('William J. Thoms.').

Author: 
William J. Thoms [ William John Thoms ] (1803-1885), English antiquary, founder and editor of 'Notes and Queries', and coiner of the word 'folklore'
Publication details: 
Place and date not stated.
£20.00

On 1 x 5.5 cm. slip of paper. In good condition, with light signs of age. Presumably cut from a letter in response to a request for an autograph.

[ James Orchard Halliwell-Phillipps, Shakespeare scholar and folklorist. ] Autograph Signature ('J O Halliwell').

Author: 
James Orchard Halliwell-Phillipps [ born James Orchard Halliwell; J. O. Halliwell-Phillipps ] (1820-1889), English Shakespeare scholar and folklorist
Publication details: 
Place and date not stated, but before his name change in 1872.
£23.00

On 1.5 x 5.5 cm. slip of paper. In fair condition, with light signs of age. Presumably cut from a letter in response to a request for an autograph.

[Printed Play] The Garrulous Lady

Author: 
K.M. Briggs [Katharine Mary Briggs] Folklorist.
Publication details: 
The Golden Vista Press, Fetter House, Fetter Lane, London, EC4, 1931.
£120.00

29pp., 16mo, paper wraps (covered in tissue), very good condition. Three copies on COPAC (copyright libraries) and three on WorldCat (USA). Scarce.

Ornate engraved invitation from the Lord Provost and Corporation of the City of Glasgow to 'Mr. & Miss Munro-Fraser', inviting them to 'a Highland Reception to meet the Members of An Comunn Gaidhealach' in the City Chambers on 30 October 1907.

Author: 
[The Lord Provost and Corporation of the City of Glasgow; An Comunn Gàidhealach, the oldest Gaelic Language organisation, founded in Oban in 1891; Marjory Kennedy-Fraser ( 1857-1930)]
Publication details: 
City Chambers, Glasgow, October 1907.
£28.00

Printed in grey half-tone on one side of a piece of 13 x 20.5 card. In fair condition: aged and a little grubby. With Gaelic-style lettering and design, with vignette engraving of Bishop's Castle in top right-hand corner. The words 'Mr & Miss Munro-Fraser' neatly added in manuscript. From the papers of the Hebridean folklorist Marjory Kennedy-Fraser and her daughter Patuffa.

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