FRITZ

The seven signatures are on top of one another, on both sides of a 12mo leaf removed from an autograph album (evidently owned by a Scottish concert-goer). In good condtion, lightly aged. On the verso are the signatures of Wilhelm Backhaus (1884-1969), German pianist; Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962), Austrian violinist; Maurice ; Mark Hambourg (1879-1960), Russian pianist (dated by him to 1923); with that of Mischa Elman (1891-1967), Russian violinist, on a slip of paper laid down at the foot of the leaf (dated by him ‘Albert Hall, Stirling 2/2/27’).

1p., small 4to. In fair condition, on lightly-aged and creased paper, with slight loss to one corner. Docketed by Clarabut at the head of the page: 'Re book of hours Christie lot 194 8.xii.58'. He thanks Clarabut for 'the solution of the bookplate', and asks him if he knows 'how & when that library was sold', as it would be 'interesting to note'. 'When at the Hague I'll see in my catalogue-list if I find anything on the name of Bateman.'

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'.

Only edition. The dimensions of the volume, which is bound in grey paper printed wraps, are roughly 29.5 x 24 cm. It consists of 25 unpaginated leaves and a frontispiece (sometimes lacking). The other illustrations are eight tipped-in plates and a facsimile of a music score. Some ruckling to the wraps, otherwise a good copy on lightly-aged paper. Striking woodcut on front cover, 13 x 16 cm, showing and old Jew with a boy before a table with two candles. An attractive work, delicately and sensitively illustrated with images of Jews at prayer.

Anglo-German engineer (1842-1927), who administered 'a portion of the conquered territory for the German Government' following the Franco-Prussian War, and who, following his naturalisation as a British citizen in 1876, 'invented practically the mono-rail, now known as the High Speed Mono-Rail System, and obtained two acts of Parliament for the construction of the Manchester and Liverpool Electric Express Railway in 1901 and 1902' ('Who was Who'). No items by this important figure are present in the British Library Department of Manuscripts.