SCIENCE

31 + [1]pp., 12mo. Disbound without covers. In fair condition, on aged paper, with some leaves separating. The fourth and last chapter is a piece of futurology, titled 'The Battle of London; Or, The Last Great Struggle Between the Classes and the Masses.' It begins: 'It was in the year 2000 that the masses took possession of London. For twenty years before they had been preparing.

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. On aged paper, with minor damp staining. If the recipient has 'come home' he invites him to dine. 'We have already such a preponderance of the female sex, from ladies staying here, that I am sorry we cannot ask any more.' If his son is 'still at Sandridge instead of you we shall be glad to have him as your locum tenertem here also'. He is directing the letter 'accordingly', 'but out of the multitude of your name in Crockford [the clerical directory] I dare not make a shot at his Christian name'.

1p., 12mo. In good condition, laid down on leaf removed from album. The note reads: 'The form of receipt is in the printers' hands. Addressed to Buller at the South Kensington Hotel.

The six items are all disbound and in fair condition, with light signs of age and wear. Items One and Five are not productions of the Society, but are closely connected with it. The first five items are scarce: the only copies of One on COPAC at Oxford and the British Library; no copy on COPAC of Two; the only copies of Three and Four at Oxford; Five is a galley proof; and Six only to be found at Oxford, the British Library, the LSE and University College, London. ONE: 'The Idea of an Oxford Modern Ethical Society.

On an irregular slip of paper, laid down on a landscape 12mo leaf. In very good condition, with light signs of age and wear. Beneath Schouw's signature, in an early nineteenth-century hand: 'Joachim Frédéric Schouw, célèbre botaniste, président de la chambre des députés, né 1789.' To the right of the signature and inscription is a simple line portrait of Schouw's head and shoulders, in the same hand as the French inscription.

English electronic engineer (1849-1945), inventor of thermionic valve. Widely considered to be 'the founder of electronics'. All three items good though grubby and on slightly discoloured paper. Item three dog-eared and grubby in top left-hand corner. All signed 'J. A. Fleming' and bearing the Society's stamp. ITEM ONE (two pages, quarto, 15 November 1915, University College, Gower St, to Wood, docketed): On the subject of a paper he proposes to give to the Society entitled 'The Organisation of Scientific Research'.

Good firm signature, written diagonally across a 9 x 12 cm piece of grey card, the reverse of a printed advertisement for the American & Colonial Exchange, 8, The Haymarket, London, S.W. In good condition, lightly-aged, with minor traces of glue from mount on the printed side of the card.

2pp., 4to. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. On two leaves stapled together. The letterhead, printed in red, is a cartoon portrait of the artist with palette and brush, pointing to the address on a blackboard. A long chatty letter, listing the titles and prices of an order Malcolm has made, describing his activities at a time when he is 'pushed like mad', arranging an 'interview for ERG', discribing the contents of the four albums of his stamp collecting ('I wouldn't call myself a philatelist . . . .

ONE (12 January 1975): 1p., 4to. In good condition. First page of letter only, and lacking signature. A generally positive review ('When I write, I suffer from excess, a disease which you and your contemporaries, Aldis, Brunner, Bulmer, etc long since cured yourselves of. [...] The story was, as I am sure you know, good.'), but with some caveats ('I also don't think that a female covered with body hairs would also have hair reaching down to her waist.'). TWO: 1p., 8vo. Signed in green ink. In fair condition, on aged paper with wear at head.

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. He explains his 'great and chief excuse' for breaking his promise to call on her that morning. 'The fact is I have to give an address on Monday evening as President of the Society of Chemical Industry'.

1p., 16mo. In good condition, lightly aged and spotted. Since she is going away, he considers it 'safer' to return the 'Oedipus', which has given him great pleasure. He hopes she will enjoy her 'Freshwater outing', and that 'we may remain above the horizon to welcome your return to town'. The Freshfields were a noted family of solicitors, with strong connections with the Bank of England.

34 lines of typed text on air mail letter on blue paper. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. Addressed to Malcom at Paisley, Renfrewshire.

Both items in good condition, on lightly-aged paper. The letter is 2pp., 4to, and is written in a playful tone. Escaping the accompanying spoof Steward writes: 'Your remark that Glasgow was as alien to you as Mars got me thinking along the lines of the attached headline . . . . . It would be a good idea for a story if it hadnt been done about three thousand times already (See Robert Bloch (Report on Sol III) and others).

1p., 4to. 31 lines of text, written in a neat and close hand.

1p., 8vo. In fair condition, on aged grey paper, laid down on paper mount, and slighty discoloured by glue used. He apologises for being unable to provide him with the desired order, 'but on any particular day you may require one I shall be glad to assist you as far as I can'. He suggests that they speak 'after lecture'. In a contemporary hand, written at foot of mount: 'Professor Robert Bentley F.L.S. (Professor of Botany) Author | born 1821.'

For more information on Common, see his entry in the Oxford DNB. Both items on aged and worn paper. ONE: Typed Letter Signed. 31 March 1900. 1p., 4to. 'I bought a gross of balls of Hunter and paid for them on the understanding that I should take them as I wanted them'. He has a rough idea how many he has had, and will be 'able to say exactly when I look in my locker'. He ends by asking the firm to refer to Hunter's books regarding the matter. TWO: Typed Receipt, signed by Common over two red Inland Revenue penny stamps. 12 May 1900. 1p., 4to. 'Received of Messrs Emmerson & Co.

31 + [1]pp., 12mo. Disbound. In fair condition, on lightly aged and worn paper. No copy of the present item traced, either on COPAC or OCLC WorldCat, or in the Bibliothèque Nationale, but WorldCat does record one copy of ''La Vérité sur le remède d'Abyssinie poudre antiasthmatique' by Hugues Clery (Marseilles, 1874).

1p., 4to. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. He thanks him for his reply to his 'plea for assistance in connexion with the possible publication by a foreign press of my history of Plague'. He had 'no intention' in writing 'of soliciting any financial aid from the Society, because any such solicitation would have been an impertinence on my part.' He would need £20,000 to have the book 'privately printed by one of the smaller English presses, such as Messrs.

12pp., 8vo. In good condition, no wraps, disbound. In manuscript at head of title: 'With the Author's Compts' and, in another hand, 'C. A. Biggs'. No copy traced, either on COPAC or WorldCat.

15 + [1]pp., 8vo. In good condition, lightly-aged, no wraps, disbound. Includes speeches by Jacob Bright, Peter A. Taylor, Mr Arnold, John Hinde Palmer, H. N. Mozley, Miss Downing, Mrs A. Arnold, Mrs Venturi. No copy found on either COPAC or OCLC WorldCat.

On slip of paper, 7 x 13 cm. Reads: 'Norham Gardens. Oxford | Feb 28. - | I send a second article on Free Trade. | B Price'. In purple pencil on reverse: 'Bonamy Price | Professor Poll. Economy | Oxon.'

5pp., 8vo, with five plates. Stitched. In brown printed wraps headed 'Compliments of the Author', with 'Reprint from Popular Astronomy' at foot. Heavily aged, in worn and stained wraps repaired with tape. At the head of the cover Lowell has written 'iss Mary E. Proctor'. Manuscript note in another hand (presumably Procter's) on cover: 'Contains a note in Lowell's own handwriting on page 2'. Lowell's autograph note on p.2, with slight loss due to trimming of the edges of the pamphlet, reads: 'For further story by me see Jan. '97 pular stronomy'.

On the 8 x 13cm cover of the envelope. In fair condition, on lightly-aged paper, with loss at head and to top right-hand corner from removal from an album, traces of which adhere to the reverse. Playfair's signature ('Lyon Playfair') in the bottom left-hand corner is unnaffected, and the address, also in his hand, reads: 'Messrs George Routledge & Son | Broadway | Ludgate Hill | E.C.' The orange circular franking postmark is incomplete, and reads: 'LON | OFF | PAID | B | 9 FE 86'.

22pp., 8vo. Stitched and in brown printed wraps. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, in chipped and damaged wraps with shelfmark. Unopened. In manuscript at head of front wrap: 'de la part des auteurs'. Scarce: no copy in the Bibliothèque Nationale, and only three copies on OCLC WorldCat.

80pp., 8vo. Stitched and unbound. All but the first few leaves unopened. In fair condition, on aged and worn paper, with traces of the original blue wraps adhering at spine. In manuscript at head of title-page: 'hommage de l'auteur'. At the time of his death de la Rive's work was deemed by one obituarist ' indispensable for the scientific student of electricity', and the phrase was repeated in the eleventh edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. Scarce: no copy in the Bibliothèque Nationale, and of the seven copies on OCLC WorldCat, five in Swiss libraries.

35pp., 8vo. Stitched and unbound. All but the first few leaves unopened. In fair condition, on aged and worn paper, with traces of the original blue wraps adhering at spine. At the time of his death de la Rive's work was deemed by one obituarist ' indispensable for the scientific student of electricity', and the phrase was repeated in the eleventh edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. Scarce: no copy in the Bibliothèque Nationale, and of the nine copies on OCLC WorldCat, eight in Swiss libraries.

All three items in good condition, with light signs of age, and minor traces of previous mounting. The two letters are both 2pp., 12mo, on bifoliums. ONE: Letter to Rücker of 12 May 1898. He explains that if he is 'not at the Society ready to give the <5 minutes?> Paper at 4.30' it is because he is 'engaged in getting new results [...] In any case I will appear if all goes well.' TWO: Letter to Lady Rücker of 30 May 1907. His wife has had an attack of bronchitis and 'is in the hands of Nurses and Doctor.

64pp., 8vo. Disbound. In fair condition, with damp staining and slight nicking to the fore-edges of a few leaves. Inscribed at head of half-title: 'A mon excellent collegue et ami | Frantz Glénard | Souvenirs affectueux. | V. Paliard'. Eight copies on COPAC, but none in the Wellcome Library.

1p., foolscap 8vo. In fair condition, aged and worn, with stamp, label and shelfmark of the Board of Education Library. Signed in type at foot by 'T. GREGORY FOSTER, Ph.D., | Principal.' Laid out in the usual variety of types and point sizes. The poster gives details of the lectures and cost.

ONE: Invoice headed 'To Account delivered 1839.40'. 1p., 4to. In good condition, on lightly aged paper. Addressed to 'Rutherford Alcock Esqre. | (for W Williamson)' and listing four titles including 'Wilsons Anatomy' (12s 6d) and 'Alison's Physiology' (12s), totalling £10 15s 0d. Beneath the four entries the bookseller has writen 'Settled | J. Churchill | 24th. April 1841', and beneath this Williamson has added 'The above is quite correct | J Williamson | 9July 4th 1842'. TWO: Receipt on one side of 8 x 18.5 cm slip of paper, with embossed 6d stamp. Reads: 'London 24th April 1841.