SOCIETY

1p., 12mo. On aged and worn paper, with loss to a few words of engraved text. A good piece of Royal Society ephemera: a nicely engraved form, with ornate letterhead. Addressed to 'A. Ramsay Esq | FGS', and signed 'M. Foster'. Acknowledging Ramsay's 'mark of consideration' in sending 'Scientific Roll. Vol. 1. Nos. 4-7'.

1p., 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. He has 'dutifully employed a portion of this odd [last word underlined] day in the year' looking over his accounts, and finds that his 'Subscription for last Year to the Ch[urch]. Build[in]g. Soc[iet]y. was not paid'. He thinks the former local secretary for the area has retired, 'or has left off reminding the Subscribers when their Subsc[riptio]ns. become due'. He encloses 'what is meant to represent' his subscriptions for the present and previous years.

1p., 12mo. In good condition, on lightly aged paper. The note reads: 'Dear Sir, | All the Catalogues at my disposal have long since been distributed. | Yours faithfully | P. Le Neve Foster | Secy'.

4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. The letter would appear to relate to the formation of the American Society for Psychical Research. Six days before the writing of the present letter, on 23 September 1884, Minot had been a member of a committee of nine scientists who met at Boston to consider the advisability of the formation of a society for psychical research in America, William James being another member.

Both items stitched and unbound 16mo pamphlets. In fair condition, on aged and worn paper, both from the Board of Education Library, and with the former carrying a shelfmark label and the latter the Library's stamp. ONE: 'Association for the Education of Women | Oxford | Home Students | Second Annual Report, 1896-7'. 14pp., 16mo. Containing a list of officers, 'Regulations for Home Students', three-page Report - by 'B. J. Johnson, Principal' - of Home Students' Committee, 1896-7', lists of honours and appointments. Scarce: the only other copies traced at Oxford.

1p., 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. Addressed on reverse (with 'R.S.V.P.') to 'Monsieur N. Boubée | correspondant de la société linnéenne de Mormandie | Paris'. (Nérée Boubée, naturalist, Professor at the University of Paris.) He offers him two works: he is the 'compilateur' of the first, which is titled 'Souvenirs de Bayeux', and 'editeur-annotateur of the second, 'la biographie de Bochart', of which 'le texte est l'oeuvre d'un de mes fils'). It may be that in his reading of the two Boubée encounters 'quelques passages susceptibles d'être cités dans l'Écho du monde savant'.

1p., 12mo. In good condition, with the Society's oval date stamp. He thanks him for the 'kindly renewed invitation to lecture at the R.S.A. As you surmise, I am too much engaged at present to put together anything worthy of so august a body.' He is 'collecting material & perhaps at that indefinite date - "after the war" - I may be able to put it into shape'. He concludes: 'We miss you at the Chadwick'.

The two forms are identical in layout, but the first has the printed date April 1911 and the second July of the same year. Each is 4pp., folio, on a bifolium. The form is divided into: 'Paris', 'Banlieue', 'Départements' and 'Etranger', and lists venues ('Etablissements') - those in Paris in larger print and the rest in smaller print - under the headings 'Concerts', 'Bals', 'Théâtres', 'Cirques', 'Casinos', 'Concours et Festivals', 'Forains'. The famous Paris venues of the period are there, including the Folies Bergère and the Moulin Rouge.

1p., 12mo. In fair condition, on lightly-aged paper.Reads: 'Dear Sir | The 19th May is out of it; becase it falls in Eights Week, which is an impossible time for any sober event – college concerts & dances per evening, with a vista of importunate relatives behind. | Fir the rest, the 26th is very much our best evening, if you can possible manage it without putting yourself to too great inconvenience.' See Ensor's entry in the Oxford DNB.

1p., 12mo. In fair conditon, on aged and worn paper. Headed in another hand 'Answered'. Reads: 'My dear Sir, | Many thanks for your kind note. If you could bring with you tomorrow evening to the Antiqs. [i.e. Society of Antiquaries ] the dates when the late Mr James Elmes became Surveyor of the Port of London, & when he resigned that office, you would further oblige me.'

1p., 4to. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. A somewhat grand and expansive printed form, completed in manuscript by Sowerby. He thanks the 'Gentlemen' who are 'The Proprietors of "Scientific Roll"' for 'the continuation, as published, of The "Scientific Roll"'. From the papers of Alexander Ramsay, editor of the 'Scientific Roll'.

2pp., 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. A tantalizing extract from a correspondence. He begins: 'I doubt whether domestic service, as a rule, is quite the state of slavery you depict, but, as I said before, the question which you ask me is less simple than you appear to think and I can only say that every employer is bound to remember that those he (or she) employs has wants, bodily and spiritual, very similar to his own.' He concludes the letter, and the correspondence, by apologising that he 'cannot continue to write on the subject'.

A scarce piece of Oxford ephemera. The Society for promoting the Study of Gothic Architecture was founded in 1839; renamed the Oxford Architectural Society in 1848; renamed the Oxford Architectural and Historical Society in 1860; merged with The Oxfordshire Archaeological Society in 1972 to become The Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society. In good condition, printed in black ink on a 15 x 11 cm piece of white India paper, laid down on a 22 x 18.5 cm grey card mount. At the foot of the design, in tiny letters, is engraved 'O. JEWITT. | DEL.

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. Begins: 'My dear | Our Jubilee bustle - & subsequently four days spent at Oxford on a College Election have prevented my attending to your little manual - The last corrections which you made - are now sent to the Printer - & a revise shall be sent in a day or two.' He ends by expressing relief at the 'improving accounts of your poor brothers family'.

Printed in black on one side of a 10 x 13 cm piece of grey-blue paper. In good condition, lightly aged, laid down on part of a leaf from an album. A tastefully-presented piece of London artistic ephemera, reading (with manuscript text in square brackets): 'THE NEW SOCIETY OF PAINTERS IN WATER COLOURS. | The Committee solicit the honor of | [The Editor of the Gentleman's Magazine and friend] Company at their Gallery 53, Pall Mall, on Wednesday the 17th. of May, to an Evening View of their 14th. Annual Exhibition. | from 8 o'Clock to 11. | 1848 | [James Fahey] Secy. | NOT TRANSERABLE'.

The Gypsy Lore Society was founded in 1888, and one of its prime movers was John Sampson, friend of Augustus John (for many years President of the Gypsy Lore Society) and the subject of the book 'The Scholar Gypsy' (1997), written by his grandson Anthony Sampson. According to a review in The Times, 17 May 1997, Sampson was 'a Victorian autodidact and philologist, who spent most of his life running the Liverpool University Library.

4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. He begins by conveying his irritation that Masters had arranged 'a visit to the Society's Museum' without consulting 'the authorities'. However, as the notices have been distributed, and 'the party will be a very small one, we must do the best we can'. He asks to be informed, 'by return of post, what you think will interest your friends, in order that the drawers may be got out & prepared for their inspection'.

On 5.5 x 11 cm. slip of paper taken from letter. In fair condition, lightly aged. Closely-cropped, with the lower part of the final flourish of the 'z' in Ganz's name shaved off. Ganz established himself as accompanist to singers including Jenny Lind and Adelina Patti. He became sole conductor of rthe concerts of Henry Wylde's New Philharmonic Society orchestra in 1879, renaming them the following year 'Mr. Ganz's Orchestral Concerts'. He conducted the London premieres of Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique and Liszt's Dante symphony.

2pp., 4to. Bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. The recipient (who dockets the reverse of the second leaf) is not named. He has received the letter in which the recipient, as Chairman, has requested him 'in pursuance of the 8th Resolution agreed to at that Meeting, to accept the office of Vice-President'.

Around 70 items laid down on 36pp. of an 8vo. exercise book with ruled grey-paper pages, in quarter-binding with marbled boards with green cloth spine. With around eight more items loosely inserted. In good condition, lightly aged and worn.

2pp., 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Begins: 'On looking through your "Bibliography to Climate" I find that you are not acquainted with my work on the Climate of Uckfield, pubd in 1871 - which comprises 28 years uninterrupted obs[ervation]s there'. He refers him to the library of the Royal Meteorological Society in George Street for a copy. He is about to publish 'eleven years observations at my present Observatory'

1p., 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with small glue and paper stain affecting one word of text. He asks the unnamed male recipient to thank 'the Dramatic Authors' Society, for the honor they have done me in noticing my humble efforts in the cuase of the Drama'. It will give Knight pleasure, 'at all times [...] to assist in promoting the objects for which they are ciated'.

8pp., 12mo. Stitched into grey printed wraps. Aged and worn. On reverse of title: 'This booklet is produced in accordance with Paper Control regulations and is therefore limited in size and scope | It is publication number one of the Imprint Society and was first issued in August 1944'. The pamphlet begins: 'The idea that led to the Imprint Society being formed was conceived when two compositors, working in Johannesburg in 1939, realized that most of the printed matter produced in South Africa was ugly and uninspired, and that nothing was being done to remedy this.

2pp., 12mo, and 1p., 8vo. On a 12mo bifolium, with the opening written lengthwise as one page. In good condition, lightly aged, with the Society's oval date stamp. He regrets 'exceedingly' that he was not able to meet Wood on the previous day 'when I was at the Hall'. He thanks him for 'recalling to me the Whitefoord Correspondence which I had forgotten altho I used it in writing my monograph on the Unique Portrait of Franklin at the Royal Society that was presented by Caleb Whitefoord and which the Royal Society did not know by whom it was painted until I discovered it & wrote my paper'.

The three items in fair condition, lightly aged and worn. ONE: ALS [to Bartelot] from 'J. Crosland'. (There are postcards printed by 'J. Crosland and Son, Post Office, Sutton Bridge Wisbech.') 3pp., 12mo.

Five items in good condition, lightly aged. All items with the Society's stamp. ONE: TLS. 20 September 1921. 1p., 4to. Agreeing to the Society's request for 'an authoritative paper on the subject of trade with the Netherlands East Indies', and asking for the proposed date ('approximately'), as he will be 'in Holland in the latter part of October, when I shall be in a position to get all the latest and most reliable information obtainable upon this interesting and very important subject'. TWO: TLS. 30 September 1921. 1p., 4to.

In Wyatt-Paine's obituary The Times (13 April 1935) described him as 'probably one of the most learned lawyers who ever held the office of stipendiary magistrate'. Both items in good condition, lightly aged, and both bearing the Society's date stamp. ONE: 12 August 1913. 2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. The letter concerns the Swiney Prize, regarding which Wyatt-Paine has 'perused a notice [...] which states that the prospective award in January 1914 will be made for a treatise on "General Jurisprudence"'.

2pp., 4to. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. With the Society's oval date stamp. He is sending as promised 'a note of the arrangements agreed upon between us at our interview to-day'. Undertaking to provide space at the Museum 'for the purpose of receiving, arranging for judgment, and re-despatching the designs submitted for the Owen Jones prizes for industrial design. The judging will be done by your nominees, and all correspondence in connection with the matter will be in your hands'.

Both items in fair condition, aged and worn. ONE: ALS. 28 September 1872. 4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. He is 'taking somewhat of a liberty', but having heard 'that you are parting with one of your Clerks', says 'a word in favour of a person in whom for many reasons I take a great interest, & of whom you & your Brothers may know something. | I mean Mr. Prothero for many years an Inmate of my House, & an Assistant Master in the School'. Prothero was 'for some years a Clerk in the County Court', but 'is obliged from paucity of business to leave it, & is now out of employment'.

1p., 4to. In fair condition, lightly aged, stapled to the carbon of the letter from Samson to which it is replying. On his return from holiday he states: 'I shall be very happy to take the chair for Sir Rex Cohen, Chairman of Selfridges, when he reads a paper on modern retail trading to the Society on Wednesday, January 13th.'