FRENCH

2 pp, 12mo. On the first leaf of a bifolium of wove paper. Fair, on lightly-aged paper. Signed 'L. N.' in type at end. A 114-line poem, in rhyming alexandrine couplets, beginning 'Messieurs, au jeu du whist adoptez constamment | L'air grave britannique et le flegme allemand.

80 lithographic prints, mostly hand-coloured, of drawings of indigenous peoples and tribal groups, made on a voyage to South America, Africa and Asia in 1933 by the Italian painter and film director Pier Antonio Gariazzo. With accompanying French letterpress. This collection of accomplished and beautifully-finished prints is a puzzle, with no apparent reference to it or to the letterpress among Gariazzo's published works.Each print on one side of a separate piece of thick laid paper, 24.5 x 32.5 cm. Numbered 1 to 82, with 61 and 63 lacking.

8vo, 4 pp. Seventy lines of text. Clear and complete. Fair, on aged paper, with the outer pages browned. The identity of the recipient is suggested by the following, written in the margin of the first page: 'Ces Dames vous supplient d'agréer l'hommage de leurs souvenirs. Mesdames de Vaublanc et veulent elles me permettre de leur offrir ici la mienne?' His correspondent is writing his memoirs, and de Marchangy considers that he has 'mille fois raison de vivre dans le passé, s'il vous console du present'.

12mo, 72 pp. Stitched. In remains of original grey wraps, with front wrap present (though worn at extremities), but only a trace of rear wrap remaining. Text clear and complete. On aged paper with many dog-eared corners. An ephemeral item by one of the greatest of French printers: COPAC only lists three copies, at Oxford, University College London, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. None of these record the misprint in the title of 'les Galerie' for 'les Galeries', and it is not present in the Harvard copy either.

4to, 22 pp. In original green printed wraps. Frontispiece photograph on art paper, inscribed in bottom right-hand corner 'A M. Maggs Bros booksellers | Souvenir de la guerre | Pce. Laforge de Vitanval | Madrid 12 Aout 16'. Text clear and complete. In fair condition, on lightly aged and worn paper. No diagrams. The invention is described as 'un Aéro-frein ou frein automatique pour aéroplanes et toutes espèce de machines volantes, empêchant le capotement des appareils, en cas d'accident ou d'arrêt subit du moteur'.

Two pages, 8vo, paper bleached by text clear and complete. Many thanks for your two letters. | 1. Thank you for the good advice in the first. Will you kindly tell me whether the Legion film that you saw was that of my book 'The Wages of Virtue'. This was filmed in America with Gloria Swanson as heroine & a star cast, but I have neither seen nor heard anything of it. | 2. I do not think that 'Tigress' was copyrighted in America in any way. The authoress never heard anything about this being done.

12mo, [iv] + 52 + [i], the last page carrying an erratum. Unopened. In original grey printed wraps. Text clear and complete. Fair, on aged paper, with wear to wraps (particularly spine) and dog-eared front wrap. Bound in at the end is a separate seven-page pamphlet with a title-page which simply reads 'Toulon Port de Guerre par J. P.A. Madden.' The printer of this seven-page item is Imprimérie Cerf at Versailles.

Page detached from album, stained but writing clear and complete. The plain signature of Jean Vallier, French Bass, is followed by the title Ave Maria followed by two or so bars from the song, with words (A-ve Ma-ri-a gra-ti-a ple-na), itself followed by Best wishes from | Percy B. Kahn Stoke Jan 21st 1921. Note: His most noted composition was the song Ave Maria with accompaniment by piano, and violin obbligato.

Folio, 4 pp. Both on the same bifolium. All texts clear. On aged and worn paper, with chipping and fraying to extremities. Presumably part of a series of ongoing receipts, as the the first begins in the middle of the preamble '<...> commandement de Monsieur le Marquis de Roye Lieutenant general, | De la somme de deux cent cinquante neuf livres onze sols huit deniers [...]'. The receipts are neatly written out, with two long authorisations in the margins, each bearing the same illegible signature.

Notebook, 7pp. used, 12mo, some staining and chipped corners but mainly good. A handwritten compilation of the commanding officers of British Land Forces at the conclusion of the Seven Years' War (The French and Indian War, 1756-1763).

Folio, 38 pp; and 4to, 22 pp. Trade source stated that this material was found in a file marked War Office, suggesting official file copies. All documents clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. All foreign documents translated into English. The main documents are Sir John French's Despatch on the Retreat from Mons, 7 September 1914 (folio, 10 pp); French's Despatch on the Battle of the Marne, 17 September 1914 (folio, 5 pp); French's Despatch on the Battle of the Aisne, 8 October 1914 (folio, 12 pp); Joffre's General Instruction No. 1, 8 August [1914] (folio, 4 pp).

Folio, 2 pp. 31 lines. Text clear and complete. On aged paper, chipped at extremities. The elaborate letterhead features a circular engraving by Heuer of two classical female figures in front of a press.

Pp.[159]-164 and [165]-172, reports and debates on the "massacre" on pp.163-4 and 166-8. On the 17 July the Assembly decided that Louis XVI could continue as King. Republicans led by Danton held a protest meeting on the Champs de Mars and were in the end fired upon by Lafayette's National Guard, about 50 people being killed.

Disbound, pp.[101]-108, some staining mainly good condition, account of funeral pp.107-108.

A. Décret de la Convention Nationale du Août 1793 . . . Relatif aux Créanciers de la Liste civile, & aux Dettes contractées par Louis Capet No.1410/No.1220, 2; [2 blank], bifolium, edges frayed, some staining, text clear and complete. B. Décret de la Convention Nationale du 19e. jour de Brumaire an second de la Republique Francaise . . .

4to, 3 pp. Bifolium. Neatly and closely written. Text clear and complete. Fair, on aged paper. Evaluations of the conduct of more than thirty families, from a staunchly Bourbon point of view. First entry: 'Lorraine. Des sentiments trés pur. Ils quitterent ce Pais et furent trouver l'Empereur, qui les Emploie dans ses Armées.' Some families come in for criticism: 'Bethune. Cette maison si illustre s'est couverte d'ignomenie, un seul Bethune d'Artois a Emigrée.' Longest entry (twenty lines) on the Durfort Boissier family.

12mo, 8 pp. Fair, on aged laid paper. On four leaves removed from a pocket book, with two leaves numbered in manuscript '41' and '42'. Apparently a first-person draft of information for an appeal by the oldest surviving member (from the inception of the group) for a stipend. Begins 'Depuis le commencement de l'an 1760 que j'ai ete recu a la Musique du Roi, j'ai été en exercice jusqu'en 1792, avec 222. sujets qui s'y sous dont 40 vivant encore au 18 Janvier 1815. [...]'.

4to album of 33 leaves, with the 112 illustrations each on a separate piece of paper, and all laid down on 59 of the album's 66 leaves (the blank leaves of the album bearing traces of other illustrations having been removed). The illustrations range in size from 19 x 15.5 cm to 6 x 3 cm, with the average around 15 x 11 cm. The album's brown cloth covers are faded and worn, but internally the album is sound, with the illustrations themselves in good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Around twenty are signed, half with the spelling 'Duchene' and the other half 'Du Chene'.

4to, 2 pp. Bifolium, with first page on verso of second leaf, and second on recto of first. Text clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged semi-opaque paper. The 'Prix et Programme de quelques Feux d'Artifices' follow a short introduction by Dresse. Prices range from 'Feux de 100 francs' to 'Feux de 500 francs', the latter including 'Moulin de Don Quichotte' and 'Chutes de Niagara, en feux au magnésium, 6 forts jets donnant une clarté ébloussante avec une pluie blanche merveilleuse.' Final sections headed 'Articles divers' and 'Conditions et Observations Generales'.

Small 4to, [vi] + 135 pp. Frontispiece and three plates, with illustrations and cartouches in text. Internally tight and sound, on aged paper, in worn and stained brown-cloth half-binding, decorative endpapers, sprung hinges. Number 43 of 400 copies. Scarce: no copy in the British Library, and the only copy on COPAC at the University of London SOAS.

Two pages, 12mo, to "Mrs Chapman". She explains that she has had to give up her role in "Dear Charles" because she us "over-tired". Sir Horace Evans has ordered "complete rest for a month, the two more months recuperation". She is "sad and upset about it". She hopes her correspondent willl still enjoy her work when it resumes.

12mo, 1 p. Twelve lines of text. Clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged and creased paper. 'No cheque from the Bystander, [...] my new novel will be out in two months or so. I intend to shock you with that.' Perhaps referring to George's 'Blind Alley', or 'Eddies of the Day', both published in 1919.

Both items fair, on lightly-aged paper. Both with list of Champion's publications down the left-hand margin, and with the list continuing in the letter to the blank second page. Letter: 4to, 1 p. He is sending 'a few documents which I have so far collected' relating to the Marquis de Chamilly. 'It is a long time since I last heard from the ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION, and am always at your entire disposal.' Invoice: Landscape 8vo. 12mo, 1 p. Containing five Chamilly letters, totalling 268 francs.

Two pages, 8vo, bifolium, blank second leaf laid don on stiff paper, c.21 x 27cm, good condition.. He asks Disderi de lui envoyer deux collections des huit vues de Claremont [an earlier refuge in England] & Weybridge qu'il a fait en avril dernier, et un exemplaire du groupe general sur la pelouse de Claremont." He doesn't want the latter mounted but "l'autre collection doit etre montee sur carton." He asks for a "note au compte" made out to him. Note@ Apparently Disderi pioneered the carte de visite.

In pencil, on strip of paper roughly 2.5 x 13 cm. Laid down on piece of card. On lightly-aged and creased paper, with small tear close to the right of the signature.

8vo, 1 pp. A long document, closely written in a clerical hand. Text clear and complete. Fair, on aged paper, with slight loss to one corner. Stamped for tax. Signed twice by both parties, and initialled by them on a couple of occasions. Following the defeat of Napoleon, the broken state of the French economy allowed many wealthy Britains to live there. Drummond is described as 'Mr. Jacques Drummond Ecossais Logé ce jour à Paris, Rue St. Honoré No., hôtel Meurice'.

Letter: 12mo, 1 p. On bifolium. Text clear and complete. On aged and ruckled paper. Slight damage to second leaf caused by breaking open of wafer. Addressed to 'Illustrissimo Signore'. Having 'un affare di qualche importanza alle nove', he would like to give Twining his lesson (presumably in Italian) the following morning at 8 o'clock. He hopes that coming half an hour early does not cause any inconvence. Receipt: on one side of a slip of paper, 7 x 19.5 cm. Headed 'Memorandum del Signor Twining'. For '18 Lezioni la prima delle quali fa data li 15 Novembee', and signed 'Galignani'.

4to, 1 p. Twenty lines. Text clear and complete. On aged and lightly-creased paper. Responding to 'the kind note of his esteemed Country woman Mrs. Wallack'. He is 'gratified to learn, that Mr. Wallack will present to the Parisian public representations in the English language, of the best of our Tragedies & Comedies'. He wishes the Wallacks 'the most complete success, and will with pleasure attend the performances, when his health will permit him & his family to do so'. Two of Mason's family will take up Wallack's offer of tickets for the opening.

8vo, 3 pp. Bifolium. Good, on lightly-aged paper. In a difficult hand. Apparently relating to a proposed meeting and dinner for 'tous les trois' (including ''). It is curiously difficult to discover anything, either about Würtz or about the Commission.

On one side of a piece of paper, an irregular rectangle cut from the front of a letter (10 cm x 13 cm at head and 16 cm at foot). On aged paper with pinholes from mounting. Small signature boxed in to the bottom left-hand corner by Waddington. Addressed to 'Fritz Cunliffe Owen Esqre | 4 Grafton Street | Piccadilly'. Owen's note, above the address, reads 'Dr. friend Leckie. Your sister may like to have this autogr. of the French ambassador Mr. Waddington as you know, a great French statesman - au revoir a Bologna on Sunday morning. Yours affect. [signed] Fritz Cunliffe Owen'.