LONDON

See her entry in the Oxford DNB. The Swanboroughs were a significant Victorian theatrical dynasty, and the absence of any member of the family from the same work is puzzling. 3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, on aged and lightly worn paper, with traces of glue and strip of tape from mount adhering to blank reverse of second leaf. Folded twice. Addressed to ‘Mr. Swanborough’ and signed ‘Fanny Stirling’.

See his entry and Blewitt’s in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. On bifolium. In good condition, on lightly aged laid paper, with thin strip of tape from mount on reverse of second leaf. Thirty-seven lines of text. Addressed to ‘Octavian Blewitt Esq.’ and signed ‘G. L. M. Strauss’. He begins by describing his situation: ‘I venture to solicit your kind friendly advice.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB (from which the scandalous Broadley is unaccountably absent). 2pp, 12mo. On bifolium of grey paper. Tears to the second leaf (not affecting signature) have been unobtrusively repaired with archival tape, and its blank reverse carries a thin remnant of the mount. One postage fold. Addressed to ‘My Dear Broadley’ and signed ‘Ernest Hart’.

1p, 12mo. On thin paper. In good condition, lightly aged, in trimmed and spotted windowpane mount. Good bold signature ‘Fanny Brough.’ Addressed to ‘Revd. J. C. [Westly?]’. She has ‘much pleasure’ in sending him ‘the autograph’, and will do her best to get him ‘a few others which may be interesting to send out to you’.

See his entry, and that of his father Charles and wife Madame Vestris, in the Oxford DNB. 3pp, 8vo. Bifolium with mourning border. In fair condition, on lightly aged paper, with slight damage at head of second leaf, the blank reverse of which carries traces of glue from mount. Folded once. Madame Vestris had died two and a half months before the writing of this letter, which evinces a surprising intimacy. Begins: ‘My dear Mrs Williams / Here’s a pretty business! Was there ever such disappointment.

See his entry, and those of his father, wife and Kenney, in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. On first leaf of a bifolium, the blank second leaf of which carries a thin strip of tape from the mount. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded twice. Good bold signature ‘C. Kean’. Begins: ‘My dear Kenney / Would you like a P[rivate]. Box or stalls next Friday, being the opening night of our season - I should like you to give a kind of notice of my past season and of my intended retirement from management next July, to which I shall refer in the parting words I purpose delivering according to the custom’.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB, which states that he had two children - Charles Horace Kenney and the actress Rosa Kenney - by his marriage to Miss Rosa Stewart at the Paris embassy in 1859. 4pp, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. On bifolium, with thin strip of tape from mount adhering to the reverse of the second leaf. Folded once. Sixty-six lines of text, addressed to ‘Dearest Wife’ and signed ‘Your affectionate husband / C. L.

See his entry, and that of his son, in the Oxford DNB. The topic of this letter is referred to in the second volume of Dickens's edition of the son's life, 1879. 3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with strip of tape from mount adhering at edge of blank second leaf and two folds for postage. Addressed to ‘Dear Harley’ and signed ‘C Mathews.’ He begins by thanking him for his ‘kind enquiries’, and (with regard to his son the actor Charles James Mathews) writes that ‘Our dear good Charles thank God! is recovered, and writes in excellent spirits from Florence.

See her entry in the Oxford DNB. LETTER: 3pp, 12mo. Thirty-one lines. Bifolium. In fair condition, with slight staining at foot of first leaf, and traces of glue from mount on blank reverse of second leaf. In an elongated and somewhat opaque hand. Begins: ‘My dear Mrs. Hicks / I was exceedingly sorry to hear that Mr. Hicks had met with an accident on the day you left.’ What follows is hard to decipher, until she writes ‘I have much pleasure in forwarding to you the address of Jackson & Graham. It is No. 35-36 Oxford St.’ She praises ‘the selection he has of patterns’.

See her entry in the Oxford DNB. ONE: ALS to Bagnall. 1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once. Reads: ‘Dear Mr. Bagnall. / How very kind of you to write me such a charming letter. I did appreciate all you said – thank you very much / Sincerely yrs / Sybil Thorndike’. TWO: ACS addressed to ‘Victor Jones Esq. / 83. Ravenhurst Road. / Harborne. / Birmingham.’ Signed ‘Sybil Thorndike.’ Aged and discoloured, with address side lightly stained. She is not sure whether she thanked him for his ‘sweet letter & card for Xmas -it was such a very kind thought & I must seem ungracious!

Emerson’s novels have undergone a re-evaluation in recent years. The first six were republished by Quartet Books as ‘Rediscovered Classics’ in 2017, and in 2021 by Quadrant Books. ‘Books and Bookmen’ was one of a stable of seven London arts magazines owned by Philip Dosse (1925-1980) of Hansom Books. Emerson, who was the editor of the magazine at the time of Dosse’s suicide, has published an account of her time there: ‘Death of a Bookman’, Standpoint, October 2018.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. Slip of paper, roughly 15 x 2.5 cm, cut from form. Somewhat discoloured by the glue with which it is laid down on irregularly-cut backing card. Good firm signature ‘Samuel Cooper’, followed by the lithographed word ‘Professor.’ in gothic script. See IMage.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. The recipient Philip Dosse (Hoggart addresses him as Dosse) was the proprietor of Hansom Books, which operated a stable of seven London arts magazines, including ‘Books and Bookmen’ and ‘Plays and Players’. 1p, 4to. In fair condition, slightly aged, worn and creased. Folded twice. Signed ‘Richard Hoggart’ (‘Assistant Director-General (Social Sciences, Human Sciences and Culture)’. He presumes that the letter with the copies of ‘Books and Bookmen’ was delayed by the French customs.

The recipient Philip Dosse was proprietor of Hansom Books, publisher of a stable of seven arts magazines including Books and Bookmen and ‘Plays and Players’. 2pp, small 4to. Addressed to ‘Dear Philip Dossé’ [sic] and signed ‘Richard Ingrams’. He is enclosing ‘a rather rude review of the Clive James book for the June B & B’, and sends renewed apologies for missing the May issue. He will ‘do Thurber next’ and reminds Dosse that he still has ‘the biography of Thurber which you sent me many moons ago’: ‘Would it be too late to embrace that as well?’ He thanks him for ‘continuing to print the P.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. Slip of paper, roughly 18 x 2.5 cm, cut from form. Somewhat discoloured by the glue with which it is laid down on irregularly-cut backing card. Good firm signature ‘James Copland’, followed by the lithographed word ‘Professor.’ in gothic script, which is followed by ‘pro temp.’ in Copland’s autograph. See Image.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. The two items in good condition, lightly discoloured, and each folded twice. Both addressed to ‘Doyne . C . Bell’. ONE (17 December 1886): 2pp, 12mo. On first leaf of bifolium. Signed ‘J. Callcott Horsley. He explains the reason for not writing sooner: ‘I waited to see how our wants were likely to be as to small pictures’. The picture that Bell describes ‘must be a very interesting one’, and Horsley would ‘much like to see it’.

See the entries for Cathcart and Dundas in the Oxford DNB. 1p, folio. In fair condition, on aged paper, with wear along one edge, and repair with archival tape along folds. Addressed ‘To / The Paymasters General of His Majesty’s Forces, or the Paymasters General for the time being -’. Signed ‘G Hotham Lt Genl. / D. Dundas Lt Gl.

See her entry in the Oxford DNB. On 15.5 x 5.5 cm slip of paper, cut from an autograph album. In good condition, lightly aged, with some show-through from the writing on the reverse. Reads ‘To Minna May / With my love / “Auntie” Gladys / Gladys Cooper / 1935’. See Image.The writing rises slightly across the page, and a small section at the bottom of the initial ‘G’ and the ‘y’ of ‘Gladys’ have been trimmed away. On the reverse is the following, in an unidentified hand: ‘Philatelic Minna May / Came to lunch with me today: / took my box of stamps away, / Says she’ll bring ’em back – some day!

Felix Mendelssohn was his godfather. See the entry on his father Ignaz Moscheles (1794-1870) in the Oxford DNB. Moscheles discusses his acquaintance with Kate Terry and her husband Arthur Lewis in his 1896 reminiscences ‘In Bohemia with Du Maurier’. 1p, 12mo. On first leaf of bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged and creased, with part of mount adhering to the blank second leaf. Addressed to ‘Dear Mrs Lewis’ and signed ‘Felix Moscheles’. He asks her to ‘let the bearer have the necklace you spoke of the other day’, as he ‘can just use it this morning’.

See her entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged, with slight discoloration around edges caused by the show-through of glue from the reverse. As editor of ‘London Society’ she writes: ‘Dear Mr Cork - / The next Number is in the Press, & I should not have room for the Article in question until the subject was stale / Yrs faithfully / F Marryat. Ross Church’.

It was around the time of this autograph that Donovan travelled with the Beatles to India to see the Maharishi, during which he gave Lennon and McCartney tips on guitar playing. A couple of months later he would release one of his biggest hits, ‘Hurdy Gurdy Man’. On 14 x 10.5 cm piece of grey paper, extracted from an album. In good condition, lightly aged. Large flowing inscription in red ink, diagonally down from top left: ‘love / To Clare / from / Donovan’. Also in red ink, in another hand at top left: ‘ROYAL ALBERT / HALL / MARCH ’68’.

Sprawling but not unattractive signature, with curled flourish, on piece of wove paper which has been cut into an irregular 9.5 x 6 cm oval to match the curve of the signature. In good condition, lightly aged. The recipient has noted the singer's name on the reverse, which carries traces of glue and brown paper from mount. See Image.

See Kennington’s entry in the Oxford DNB. All six items in good condition, lightly aged. Previously pinned together, with Kennington’s letters folded for postage, and all three are 1p, 8vo, and signed ‘Eric Kennington’. ONE: Kennington ALS, 11 June 1956. Having conferred with Ackroyd’s clerk ‘Mr. Osborne’, he explains that he cannot give his attention to the portrait until September.

See her entry, and her husband’s, in the Oxford DNB. The recipient Philip Dosse was proprietor of Hansom Books, publisher of a stable of seven arts magazines including ‘Books and Bookmen’ and ‘Plays and Players’. Postcard of 14 x 9 cm, with letterhead and no illustration. Monogram signature ‘RK’. In good condition, lightly aged, with slight smudging to a couple of words in one corner. Addressed to ‘Mr Philip Dossé. [sic] / Hansom Books. / Artillery Mansions. / 75, Victoria Street. / LONDON.

See the entries for Mrs Maurice’s sister Octavia Hill and their mother Caroline Southwood Hill in the Oxford DNB. Book: viii + 77 + [1]. 12mo. Errata slip between pp.56 and 57. In original green cloth, gilt. Good copy, lightly aged and worn, in original green cloth binding gilt. Bookplate of Queen’s College, London, on front paste-down, stamped ‘WITHDRAWN’. Presentation inscription on recto of front free endpaper: ‘Queens College Library / Presented by Mrs C. S. Maurice / 1931’.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. The recipient Philip Dosse was proprietor of Hansom Books, publisher of a stable of seven arts magazines including Books and Bookmen and Plays and Players. Both items 1p, 4to. ONE (11 July 1972): Signed 'A. Wesker'. In good condition, with short closed tear at one edge of central postage fold. He begins by explaining how to apply for permission to print his play 'The Old Ones', adding: 'But as for writing an introduction to it, I am afraid I would prefer not to. It is a very simple, straight-forward play and doesn't need a great deal said about it.

See his entry in Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2pp, 12mo. Closely-written in a neat and elegant hand, signed ‘Philip Schaff’. In good condition, on browned paper, folded twice for postage. Begins: ‘My dear Mrs. Reynolds: / Many thanks for your kind invitation in which Mrs.

An interesting item, linking the editors of two prominent literary magazines. See his entry in the Oxford DNB, which states, without giving a date, that ‘Chaotic working conditions led to desperation: Grindea sold the title to Frank Cass and retreated to Hove hoping to write his memoirs, but quickly decided he didn't want to and “in agonies of self-flagellation begged Cass to sell back the magazine”’. The recipient Philip Dosse was proprietor of Hansom Books, publisher of a stable of seven arts magazines including Books and Bookmen and Plays and Players.

See her entry in the Oxford DNB. The recipient Philip Dosse was proprietor of Hansom Books, publisher of a stable of seven arts magazines including Books and Bookmen and Plays and Players. 1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. She thanks him for his note, adding 'Would this do?', and stating 'I will write my piece definitely by March 15th.' Signed 'Nora Beloff / NORA BELOFF'.

See Astley's entry in the History of Parliament (he was created a baronet at the end of the year in which this letter was written). The ‘Lavender’ mentioned in the letter is Bow Street Runner Stephen Lavender (fictionalized in a series of books by Karen Charlton), who was leaving to take up the position of Deputy Chief Constable at Manchester.1p, 4to. On recto of first leaf of bifolium. Verso of second docketed: ‘Chas. Humphreys / recomn to be an Officer’ and in another hand ‘Dugdale Asteley [sic]’. In good condition, lightly aged, with reverse of second leaf slightly grubby.