MONTREAL

An interesting correspondence on theatre matters, from one of Canada's most influential critics and designers to 'a favourite poet', the English verse dramatist Christopher Fry. Whittaker discusses, among other matters, mutual acquaintances including Sir John Gielgud and Leonard White, past productions of Fry's plays, a 1998 meeting with the playwright at his West Dean home, and a reading he organises of Fry's 'A Ringing of Bells' at the Toronto Arts and Letters Club. The eight letters are in good condition, lightly aged.

One page, 12mo, good condition. Note says: "If you have nothing to do, we cn make use of your services for 4 or 5 weeks, perhaps longer. | Please let me know if you can come." NOte: Weisz "found work in Montreal carving the frieze for the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts at 1379 Sherbrooke St. W., then was contracted by Edward Wren to carve the stone shields representing Canada's nine provinces which decorate the Dominion Express Building at 201 St. Jacques St. W. Both examples of his work still remain."

A total of 1290 pages, in six 4to notebooks. Internally clean, on lightly aged paper, in worn and repaired bindings, with the back cover of one of the volumes loose. Day has signed three of the covers, and decorated the cover of one volume with the crests of three Universities: Montenegro, St Andrews and London. All the texts are carefully written out Day's neat, close hand, with tables and graphs, some titles in red ink, and occasional pencil annotations. A list of the contents of the six volumes ends this description.

29 + [1]pp., 4to. In grey printed wraps. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper, in worn wraps. Stamps, shelfmarks and label of the Ministry of Education Reference Library, London. Eight copies on COPAC.

Full title: '[Printed item.] The School Book Question: Letters in reply to the Brown-Campbell Crusade against the Educational Department for Upper Canada: with copious notes, further illustrating and confirming what is contained in letters, and refuting various other misstatements which have appeared in the "Globe" since their publication. | 1. First Letter of Rev. Dr. Ryerson. | 2. Letter of Mr. John Lovell. | 3. Second Letter of Rev. Dr. Ryerson. | 4. Third Letter of Rev. Dr. Ryerson. (Seven additional misstatements corrected.) | 5. Correspondence of Mr.

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, on aged paper, with a couple of short closed tears along creases. The body of the letter, written on 9 October 1897, reads: 'Dear Sir, | I have published only one small volume of verse which has long been out of print ['The Prophecy of Merlin and other Poems', published in 1870]. I will see if from some friend I can borrow a copy to send you. | I have written some occasional and other verse besides that of the little book, but for some years have done little expect writing for the press.' In a postscript of 18 October 1897, signed 'J.

Press release and itinerary totalling 6pp., foolscap 8vo, and 1p., 4to. Stapled and folded into a blue cover with a duplicated map of Canada with the 'Queen's route' on the reverse.

The largest man-made explosion before the the development of nuclear weapons, with a force equivalent to nearly 3 kilotons of TNT, occurred when the French cargo ship SS Mont-Blanc, laden with wartime munitions, collided with the Norwegian vessel SS Imo in the Narrows, a strait connecting the upper Halifax Harbour to Bedford Basin. The explosion devastated the Richmond District of Halifax, killing 2000 and injuring 9000. Each postcard carries the words 'Copyright Underwood & Underwood, N.Y.' next to the caption beneath the image, with 'Novelty Mfg.

16mo, 36pp. Printed in small type. Disbound. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. A separate title-page may have been printed on a front wrap, now lacking. The pamphlet begins in stirring style: 'The conflict between labor and capital becomes more and more the struggle of the age. On both sides there are titanic powers engaged in what appears to be headlong and indiscriminating war. There may be now and again a lull in the contest - there may be some kind of truce proclaimed - some good sort of people may approach the combatants andn induce them for a season to lay down their arms.

12mo, 15 pp. In original green printed wraps. Disbound. Vertical fold. On aged paper with fading to wraps and slight damage to spine from disbinding. As Streatfeild explains in his two-page introductory 'Note', five of the seven poems appear here for the first time. Uncommon. COPAC lists copies at Cambridge, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Oxford and the British Library.

The signed letter: 4to, 1 p. 11 lines of text. With the address on a separate and similarly-sized leaf. Franked 'War Office | ', and bearing two circular postmarks, one of them in red with the word 'FREE'. Good, on aged and creased paper. Assuring Tonyn that it will give him 'much pleasure' to recommend Tonyn's nephew George Augustus Tonyn for an army commission, 'as soon as I may be able to do it consistently with the very great number of Applications which I have already on my hands'.