RHYMES

The three items (two letters from Peter Opie to MacQueen-Pope and carbon copy of his reply to the first of these) are in fair condition, on aged and lightly-creased paper, with a slight nick at the head of the first letter. Inspired by the recent publication of MP's 'The Melody Lingers On: The Story of Music Hall' (1950), Opie writes to MP via his publishers W. H. Allen & Co, and signs both letters 'Peter Opie.' MP writes to Opie at Rockbourne House. ONE: TLS from Opie to MP. 20 January 1951. 1p, 4to.

64pp., 8vo, pictorial coloured covers, worn at spine edges rubbed, hinge strain, pages with edges stained or foxed, but illustrations clear and attractive - chromolithographs by Emrik & Binger. The Nursery Rhymes are a familiar selection. See images on my website. No other copy recorded on COPAC or WorldCat.

[1] + 26pp., 4to. In original plain buff boards. Internally in fair condition, on aged paper, in aged and worn boards with covers detached. 38 poems, almost all of them riddles and charades.

On one side of a strip of wove paper, 46.5 x 9.5 cm. Cut down. In fair condition, on aged and lightly ruckled paper. 96 lines arranged in 12 numbered eight-line stanzas.

8vo, 1 p. Text clear and complete. Fair, on thin aged paper, laid down on a sheet of backing. In small type, with the 'old version' of the nursery rhyme, in the left hand column, transformed into a 'new version' of 78 lines of prose in the right-hand column. The first line - 'This is the house that Jack built' - is changed into 'This is the domiciliary edifice erected by John.' The 'priest all shaven and shorn' becomes 'the ecclesiastical gentleman, the summit of whose pericranium was denuded of its natural covering'. Scarce: no copy in the British Library or on COPAC.

Small 4to, 4 pp. Bifolium. Text clear and complete. Fair, on browned high-acidity paper. Neat strip of stub from mounting in album still adhering to inner margin of verso of second leaf. Headed 'Words.' All but first chorus in double-column. A mixture of the original 'House that Jack built' with 'Jack and Jill'. Begins with 'Chorus. - "This is the house that Jack built."', the first lines of which are 'Our labours are done, our recompense won, | And anger has been on no back spilt, | So now with one voice we'll laugh and rejoice | As this is the house that Jack built.' Characters are: Mr.

Sandland was the author of 'The wanderer, and other poems' (1845). Roughly four and three quarto inches by seven and three-quarters. Grubby, folded twice and mounted on larger piece of light-green paper. Sonnet beginning 'ON they went with a step that was measured and slow' and concluding 'In this temple of quiet, where Nature is free, | Here they left in repose the Apostle of Peace.' MS reads (at head) 'To the Writer of | The Funeral of Mr Cobden | Morning Star Saturday April 8th.