RHODES

It seems extraordinary that they were able to pull this off during wartime restrictions, and Dickens would have relished the shabby-genteelness of it. The menu is shakily printed in a faded blue on a 10 x 16.5 cm piece of cream card, with rounded edges. At foot: ‘Holborn Restaurant 7th February 1942’. The menu is headed: ‘THE DICKENS FELLOWSHIP / 130th Anniversary of the / Birthday of Charles Dickens / Chairman: WALTER DEXTER, Vice-President / Speakers: HUMPHREY HOUSE, JAMES AGATE’.

The eleven items are in fair condition, lightly aged and worn, laid down on two heavily-worn leaves removed from an album. An interesting slice of social history, relating to introduction into England of a phenomenon which began in the Unites States in the 1850s. Nine of the items relate to spelling bees in Kennington, managed by the compiler of the material T. W. Williams, and one to a 'Grand Spelling Bee' in Guildford.

One page, 16mo, bifolium, sl.spotted, mainly goodcondition. "Dear Sir, | II return your memorandum filled in. | Yours faithfully | George Taubman Goldie \ Stephen Wheeler Esq, | Oriental Club."

2pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once. He begins by informing the unnamed recipient that the reason for the delay in answering his letter is that Selous has 'just returned to this country from a trip to Hungary'. For his part, Selous will be 'very pleased if you will quote anything you like from my book, “Travel and Adventure in S. E. Africa”. He presumes that 'the publishers, to whom the book I suppose really belongs, will have no objection either, as to quote any passage from a book is to call attention to the book itself, which may result in the sale of a copy'.

13pp., 8vo. Stapled. In fair condition, lightly aged, with slight rust to staples. Consisting of a title leaf and 9pp. of text in small print, paginated [2] 3-11. The author is not named, and no other copy of the title has been traced, either on OCLC WorldCat or on COPAC, but the item comes from a collection of papers by Stanley - and Africa is his specailist subject.

1p., 4to. She is 'very happy that RHODES gave you pleasure when you so badly needed it'. She hopes she will 'use your play in any way you wish. I hope it will go very well. It should.' She points out that there is 'a film made from the book - not much to my liking'. The letter ends: 'I hope your eyes are well again.'

For more on Nicholson, see his entry by James Ogden in the Oxford DNB. LETTER: 1p., 12mo. In fair condition, on lightly aged and creased paper. At foot of page: 'An acrostic Written for Mr Lupton Esqre | Septr 20th 1828 | John Nicholson'. The poem, the first letter of whose lines spell out 'LUPTON' (the engraver Thomas Goff Lupton?), reads: 'Love thy father Love thy God | unto him Give honor who the seas has trod | Pray to him upon thy Knees | To him who form'd the world the seas | Order'd Creation made Eternity | Nature is but a shade compard to Thee'. PORTRAIT: Lithographic engraving.

70pp., 8vo, with additional four-page 'Insert' between pp.56-57. Frontispiece photograph of nine members of the battery in old age, with 'Rufus Jones or "Rube," T. A. Dearing's servant.' Stapled. In grey wraps with title also on front cover. Internally in fair condition, on lightly-aged and dog-eared paper, with staples slightly rusted; in worn wraps. Bookplate of Patrick C. Courtney on reverse of front wrap. Printed note on reverse of title-page: 'This History of Lumsden's Battery was written from memory in 1905 by Dr. Maxwell and Dr. Little, with the help of a diary kept by Dr. James T.

The Oxford DNB entry on Sir Walter Besant states that, 'Concerned to cultivate better understanding with North America, Besant worked in the last two years of his life for the Atlantic Union.' In fact it was Besant who founded the club in 1900, with Conan Doyle and others, with the object, according to The Times, 22 February 1900, 'of drawing together the various English-speaking peoples and strengthening the bonds of union by the formation of ties of personal friendship among individual members'.

1p., 12mo. In good condition, with slight spotting to extremities, laid down on leaf removed from autograph album. 'I am sorry that we have missed each other on the occasions you have called. My time is much occupied & it is difficult to fix an hour before 6 P.M.

All items good, on aged paper, with Lady Rose-Innes' letter in its envelope. Bower and Rose-Innes had worked together when the former was Imperial secretary to the High Commissioners for Southern Africa at the time of the Jameson Raid. Rose-Innes three letters are dated 17 October 1935 (12mo, 4 pp), 9 July 1936 (12mo, 4 pp) and 13 April 1939 (12mo, 4 pp). All are closely and neatly written. In the first letter Rose-Innes describes a journey 'through the S.

English artist (1809-42). One page, quarto, with the second leaf of the bifoliate bearing the address ('To | William Haines Esqr.. | Sol[icito]r. | Cannon Street | Birmingham'), with the remains of a red wax seal, and two postmarks. Discoloured, and with damp stains causing discoloration and damage to the paper, but not affecting the legibility of the text. Small spike hole through both leaves, not affecting text. Having been 'from home yestereday on a painting expidition' he could not acknowledge Haines' letter sooner.