Autograph Letters

All items clear and complete, on aged paper. Letters totaling: 4to, 1 p; landscape 8vo, 5 pp. The two cards carry long messages, written in red ink in Grubb's close, neat hand; one is standard size, the other 27 x 13.5 cm. Five envelopes are stapled to their letters. Grubb ('one of the last survivors of the famous 1960s Hampstead coterie of writers, actors and critics') writes entertainingly in an emphatic, energetic manner marvellously evocative of the 1970s London literary scene.

12mo, 2 pp. Ten lines. Text clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Jones's letter has been forwarded to him, but he cannot give him 'the information you are seeking', so he has sent to letter on to 'Mr. of the British Museum, asking him to reply to it'.

One page, 12mo, faint marking and slightly grubby, text clear and complete. "I will be at No 10 Downing Street at 2. pm. on Tuesday, as kindly appointed by Mr. Balfour. I sent you the Slavery Memo this afternoon." Online biographies (Wikipedia and DNB) mention his activities indicating that he was anti-slavery (in the main!), but don't mention activity resulting in a Memo. According to the DNB disappointments in England drove him back to Africa in 1895. Perhaps this was it.

One page, 8vo, sunned and grubby, two small chips, small closed tear, spike-hole (loss of two letters), text legible and complete bar two lost letters. A large cross in the white space means perhaps that the bookseller has dealt with the enquiry. "Lord Dynevor begs Mr Andrews will send him the first Voyage of Discovery by Captain Parry in Quarto, (he has got the second - but has lost the first) & whenever any account comes out of Captain Ross's present Expedition to send him a Copy directed to Dynevor Castle, Lan[?] S Wales, by the Paul Pry Gloucester Coach-| Half Bound in Linnen."

12mo, 4 pp. 41 lines. Text clear and complete. Fair, on aged paper, with slight discoloration to edges. 'It was high time that in England, whence so many mountain climbers and tourists go to the Alps, a protest should be raised against the ruin wrought in Switzerland by the construction of tourist railways up the slopes of the mountains'. Deplores the 'irretrievable harm' already done to 'some of the noblest landscapes in the world, [...] easily accessible from the populous cities of Central and Western Europe, such as those on the shores of the Lake of Lucerne'.

4to, 2 pp. Sixteen lines. Text clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. He congratulates her on her 'success in the Saturday Westminster Essay Competition'. He is grateful to her for 'guessing that I should be interested in this work of yours after having plied my scalpel upon your novel "The Sword of Love".' He regrets that 'for many a long year' he has 'done no general reviewing outside the publisher's office. There the flood of MSS. that poured in furnished effectual occupation.

12mo, 2 pp. Letter on one leaf and Morier family tree on another. Clear and complete. Seventeen-line letter and detailed family tree. Very good, on lightly-aged paper. With original envelope, with stamp and postmark, addressed by Sealy to 'Lieut-Commander H. C. Lukach RNVR | Chief Secretary's Office | TROODOS | Cyprus'. After a brief reference to the 'Morier stuff', most of the letter relates stamp collecting ('Salonikas' and 'Long Island overprinted on Turkish').

On rectangle of paper, 11 x 5.5 cm, cut from front frank. Aged and spotted, with closed tear at head repaired on reverse with archival tape. The whole in Amherst's hand, with his signature (as usual on frank) in bottom left-hand corner between two horizontal lines. Launched in 1805, the Pomone was a 38-gun Leda-class fifth rate Royal Navy ship, built by Josiah and Thomas Brindley at Frindsbury. She saw action during the Napoleonic Wars, primarily in the Mediterranean, and was wrecked off the Needles in 1811.

4to, 2 pp. On bifolium. Twenty-two lines. Text clear and complete. In good condition, on aged paper. Lady Popham has written her opinion of the letter on the reverse of second leaf: 'Lord Melvilles cold hearted answer -'. To modern eyes the letter would appear to be a model of tact. Melville begins by expressing 'deep regret' at 'the late most afflicting addition to the loss you had already sustained' (the Admiral had died three weeks before).

All 4to, with the letters totalling 22 pp, and the list of 'Funghi, East Kent' of 15 pp. All items clear and complete. Three leaves with light staining (one with short closed tear), otherwise all in good condition, on aged paper. All three in envelopes (lacking stamps), addressed by Clifton and with his seal in red wax. ONE. 4 October 1889. 4to, 12 pp. Begins: 'It seems a long time since we had a ramble on the Cuxton and Ralling hills from Cobham, and when I killed a viper; and I have been much amused at the apparent incredulity of a brother B.O.U. at the Dumpton Park rarities!

One page, 12mo, good condition. It was very pleasant indeed to get your letter about 'Lily Christine', and of course it is always pleasant to hear of someone who has actually bought a book. | But to talk of more urgent things, it is the fact that you have a son that fills me with envy. Maybe, almost any day now, I shall have one too. And then I shall start some pretty good swanking on my own ... He goes on to give his regards to Brunel's wife, complimenting her and giving further thanks for his appreciation of his book. He hopes to meet while he's in England.

One page, 12mo, good condition. Thanks you very much for writing to me about my boo. It is always nice to hear from oone's readers and I am delighted to learn that both you and your husband found an hour's excitement in this otherwise rather dreary world. | Your good wishes are appreciated. Norte: Apparently Raymond/Chase/Grant only published More Deadly than the Male under the pseudonym Ambrose Grant so letters signed so may well be scarce.

One page, 12mo, good condition. ( Iwill try my hand at [Coventry] patmore, & am rather glad it is Patmore instead of Thomson, because he has so much more positive values. And I will try & get the essay done by June 21, though your brother in his original letter said June 30, which is rather better. I agree to the rate of payment, & though I don't press it, should be glad of payment on acceptance because I have to put other work aside to do the essay."

One page, obl.12mo, fold marks, mainly good. ... It was king of you to write, and Iappreciate it. In candour, I ought to say that [William] Morris was a revelation to me also when I came to read him for the purposes of your brother's book [The Great Victorians pubd 1932, ed. Massingham and his brother]. He was one of the people I had taken as read. I was fairly overwhelmed by the profound insight of his later writings. | I agree with you about Chesterton's 'Chaucer'. I liked it very much indeed.

Total 19pp., 16mo-8vo, fold marks, slightly crupled but text clear and complete. (5 March 1967) he suggests a poignant and dramatic article on the abdication of the last Tsar, or an eye-witness account of the Russian Revolution (50th Anniversary), saying that he was in the British Emabassy at Petrograd - which he should have gathered from his novel Futility, adding there can't be many eye-witnesses of both [underlined] Revolutions aive today. He expalins in a postscript his reversion to an earlier ancestral spelling of his name, with 'e' added as in Shakespeare, Dante, etc.

Three pages, 12mo, in bifolium, black-edged, with original envelope, also black-edged,1.5 inch tear to fold, mainly very good. He explains that his father's illness and death (and consequent complicated affairs) delayed his response to Arkwright's letter. He thanks him for his advice as to my Preface & Introduction to Moore's Melodies [underlined; he edited a new standard edition of Moore’s Irish Melodies, 'The Spirit of a Nation' (1911)].

One page, fold marks, good condition. Please let me know when [underlined] you want copy for your paper. I will give you something but would like to have as much time as possible. I could send something now but might be able to send something better later on. I hope your special number will be successful.

All texts clear and complete. Autograph item with some creasing, otherwise in good condition on lightly-aged paper. Ten items signed 'Compton Mackenzie', and two ''. Eight of the items each one page of landscape 8vo; one 8vo, 1 p; another 12mo, 1 p; the autograph note 4to, 1 p; and the card 16mo, 1 p. The first item (4to, 1 p, in autograph) is dated 22 September 1948. Having met Brett-James he thanks him for sending the proofs of his war memoir 'Report My Signals' (London: Hennel Locke Ltd, 1948): 'I was much impressed by it, and supported it strongly for a Book Society Recommendation.

A., Typescript (gestetner or similar), paper wraps, 70pp., sm. folio, wear and tear to spine, sl. grubby, a few marks, mainly good condition. Inscribed "Daniel Day-Lewis" with underlining and a few notes in his hand. Not listed among his roles on relevant websites. B. Two photographs, one with two duplicate images of Day-Lewis when quite young (Bedales tie?), 9 x 14cm; the other, almost full length holding baby on his shoulder [his son was born in 1995], inscribed by him on reverse, "Happy dressed father with unconscious naked son | I:x:95", 12 x 18cm. C.

12mo, 1 p. On recto of first leaf of bifolium. Addressed, with broken red wax seal, on verso of second leaf. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Knowing of Bell's 'attachment to the Civil Law', he invites him to a breakfast, where he will 'meet with Justinian, & a few select jurists'.

16mo, 1 p. Text clear and complete. On aged, creased paper with pinholes. 'Mr Churchill asks me to thank you very much for your kind letter of yesterday, which he has read with grerat pleasure.'

Complete envelope, 12.5 x 8 cm. With mourning border. Addressed on front: 'Immediate | Rt Hon. J. Moncrieff | MP - | [signed in bottom left-hand corner] W E Gladstone'. Docketed in close hand, lengthwise and downwards from top right-hand corner. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper.

Two pages, 12mo, remnants of album page to which attached formerly, good condition. I will write to you definitely about teh serial early next week. Do you think you could either get me a cheque for 'A Maker of Fortunes' [not traced], or get Mr Colles [literary agent] to discount the sale to me on the usual terms? I should be much obliged if you could, for I have to find a good deal of money on Saturday & this would help. ...

Two pages, 12mo, bifolium, punchhole top left, good condition, text clear and complete. "I have sent to first half of my M.S. to a friend to read & he will forward it on to you very shortly. | Should the book be accepted for publication you will let me have a copy of any proposed agreement, before settling terms. | | Yours truly ..." Note on recto of second leaf, "Book sent to F.P. Rennie Esqre, 58 Queens Gate SW7".

Two pages, 4to, in paper frame, faintly stained but good condition. I suppose you have perused by this time [Richard] Owen's remarks about what he calls my plagiarism of [Schwann?]. I really will take it very kind of you and Mr Irvine can continue to free me from participation in the [?] of the mistake which has given such a handle to him, and of which you know I had nothing to do.

One page, cr.8vo, two pinholes, text clear and complete: I did hope for a Line in amswer to mine by which I acquainted you I was Low - and it will oblige me if you will favor me with one to say if any of the Etchings are sold &c-- Jany 12. 1800 - 156 Etchings@ [1 gn?] selling price- | I thought myself favored by your taking them a Sale or Return - and I assure I am very sincerely ...

Sergius Mikhailovich Kravchinsky, Russian Revolutionist and miscellaneous writer (1852-1895). 3pp., 12mo, small hole (loss of part of letters), small closed tear not affecting text. Perhaps writing to someone organising a lecture by him, he says, Excuse me generously for not having replied to you earlier, which was caused only by my unability [sic] to definitely accept your kind invitation.- The fact is that I want to leave Manchester with the quarter past six train. There are no earlier trains on Sundays and I will be obliged to come on Saturday.

Apart from the card (12mo, 1 p), totalling 4to, 10 pp; 12mo, 2 pp. All items in good condition, with text clear and complete, on lightly-aged paper. All post-1960. Two of the eleven (20 January and 13 June 1974) are fully dated by Devas; another four have day and month. The card from 1960 is the earliest item; the three from Wetherby Gardens date from between this point and Devas's second marriage to Rupert Shephard in 1965, and the seven from Limerston Street from after the marriage. A good-natured correspondence, written in a chatty style.

12mo, 1 p. Twelve lines. Text clear and complete. Fair, on lightly-aged paper, and with remains of tissue mount adhering to one margin. He cannot provide her with the reference she requests on Catherine Cubby. 'The volume on Sir Walter Raleigh was written more than twenty years ago and though all the best authorities were consulted I could not without looking them up again remember what the authority was'. From the papers of Alicia Amy Leith.

Final 4 lines of a letter signed by Dreiser, on paper cut from original, 15 x 9cm, good condition: [proofs?]. And I shall be only too glad to acknowledge in one of the [first?] copies your courtesies.