Autograph Letters

Letter: 8vo, 1 p. Twelve lines. Text clear and complete. Fair, on aged paper, with slight damage at foot of page, and strip from previous mount adhering to blank reverse. Addressed to 'Dear Sir'. As she does not hold her correspondent responsible for the 'accident' no compensation is necessary, and she cannot accept 'the valuable volume [...] under any such principle'.

12mo, 1 p. 15 lines. Text clear and complete. Closely written in a difficult hand. Mention is made towards the beginning of the letter of 'l'Excellent G'. The recipient is going on a voyage, and Frederica hopes to see them at Oatlands on their return.

4to, 1 p. Eleven lines. Text clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. He thanks him for having 'appriz'd' him 'of the proposed enclosure of Tooting Common, to which I am equally hostile with the Rector, & the other principal Gentlemen who have express'd their determination to oppose the Measure'. Lady Coventry joins him in sending 'kind remembrances' to Mrs Harrison and her family. The franked envelope is a sheet of folded paper, bearing Coventry's red wax armorial seal in good condition, and postmark. It is addressed 'Pershore Octr. Seventeen | 1817 | Thomas Harrison Esqr.

4to, 1 p. 19 lines. Text clear and complete. On aged and lightly creased paper, with strip of sunning to left-hand margin. Neat signature: 'Nicolas Bentley'. The film and television rights to the book were all 'bought some years ago by Herbert Wilcox, who, as I understand it, still owns them'. Bentley has reports the opinion of 'Messrs A. P. Watt, my late father's agent', on the question of the radio rights. 'I control the stage rights', Bentley states, giving the conditions on which he would agree to a stage adaptation.

4to, 4 pp. 43 typed lines, and two-line manuscript postscript. Signed in pencil 'Sincerely | Dollie & Troy.', with the name of the troupe typed over this. Text clear and complete on discoloured and creased paper. Chatty and humorous letter. 'By the time you read this letter we will have either left a terrible stench in the Theatre or else the Manager will be satisfied. [...] JANUARY 11, FLASH!!!!

Both items on 'Bebe' letterheads, and both with signature 'Bebe' incorporating a drawing of a stick figure with hat. Letter One: 12mo, 1 p. Twelve lines. Good, on lightly-aged paper. With addressed envelope. She is sorry they missed one another 'at the station, especially after all the trouble you went through to get there'. Gives news of show: 'Boy, it will be good to get back to town again. | I have enjoyed the tour but as you know travelling nowadays isn't what it used to be, by a long shot.' Letter Two: 8vo, 1 p. 21 lines.

12mo, 2 pp. 19 lines of text. Clear and complete. Fair, on lightly-aged paper. Begins 'Just a line to tell you we miss you like mad & hope you are well & happy. Praises a 'dinner at Mary's'. They hope to call on Colleano when passing through London on 'Sunday Nite'. Ends 'Well honey, keep us in mind & we will see you soon - Our very best to Bonar Jr. [Colleano's son the film actor Bonar Colleano]' Postscript 'Billy sends his best'. Coogan was married to Ann McCormack, his third wife, from 1946 to 1951. From the Colleano Family archive.

4to, 4 pp. Bifolium. 105 lines of text. Clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Black wax seal with impression of 'D L' adhering to reverse of second leaf, which is postmarked 'LOUGHBOROUGH | 109' and franked '1817 | Loughborough March Eight | S. Pipe Wolferston [sic] Esqr | Stotfold Hall | Tamworth | [signed] P. Gell'. Begins 'I have recd. your obliging communication of the 22d.

12mo, 2 pp. Bifolium. Twenty-one lines. Text clear and complete. On discoloured paper. Begins 'I think if you go into The Park at Hampton Court you will easily satisfy yourself that I am justified in withholding my consent to its being stript of its turf'. He considers that 'positive injury [will be] done to the Pasture', and as 'it is expected that we should maintain Deer to the number of 500. or more & that we endeavour to obtain from the feeding of Cattle some portion of the rent payable to Lady Bloomfield', consent cannot be given 'to diminish the food in the Park'.

16mo, 1 p. Bifolium. Remains of small red wax seal adhering to second leaf, which is addressed to 'A. G. Potter Esqr | 25. Royal Terrace [Edinburgh]'. On worn, discoloured paper. Reads 'Dear Sir - | I have appointed with Dr Hamilton to visit Mrs Potter and he & I will have the pleasure of waiting upon her to-morrow at 12.' Docketed in pencil at head: 'The celebrated Doctor'.

8vo, 2 pp. Bifolium. Thirty-five lines. Text clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Second leaf addressed, with postmarks, to 'Dr. Pultenely | Blandford | Dorset', and docketed by Pulteney. Signed 'John Aikin'. He thanks him for 'the offer of assistance'. He only has 'one of the three books you mentioned, & should be very glad of the perusal of Anthony's apology, & Jones on Buxton baths'. The books willl be 'carefully returned, with my best acknowledgments to the gentleman who favours me with the loand of them'.

On slip, 5 x 9.5 cm, cut from the head of a letter. Fair, on lightly-discoloured grey paper. The reverse reads '14 Hyde Park Terrace | 4 Aug 1868 | Sir | I regret that my engagements at the end of September & the beginning <...>', and the reverse reads 'the promotion of Social Service | I am your obedient | [signed] Romilly'.

4to, 3 pp. In a bifolium. 52 lines of neatly-written text. Clear and complete. Very good on lightly-aged and creased paper. Part of the second leaf has been cut away on the breaking open of the letter, and is now under the seal, with no loss of text. The seal is cracked, with a light imprint of Boucher's monogram beneath a jester's head. The letter concerns the enclosure of the Langtoft Estate and 'Mr. Bankes', who 'never had any Legal Right to interfere in the Business'.

4to, 1 p. Text clear and complete. On lightly-aged paper, with traces of previous mount at four corners of blank reverse. Florid signature (possibly cyclostyled). Concerning the return of cards, and 'enclosing the two reserved seats which you desire'.

12mo, 6 pp. Bifolium and single leaf. Text clear and complete. Fair, on aged and lightly-creased paper. Closely and neatly written. An important and revealing letter, written while Belloc was still at school.

8vo, 3 pp. Bifolium. The letter, on both sides of the first leaf, runs to thirty-seven lines, with nine lines in Icelandic (in another hand?) on the recto of the second page. Fair, on aged paper, and laid down onto a mount by the reverse of the second leaf. The mount is captioned in a contemporary hand. The first part of the letter refers to a facsimile which Ellis has 'caused to be executed and transmitted hither'. Rafn has already received this 'from Mr. Worsaae'. It contains 'an extract possessing interest for us of Ottar's and Ulfstein's account of travels in the North'.

4to, 3 pp. Bifolium. Very good on lightly-aged paper. Minimal damage has been caused to the second leaf (affecting two or three unimportant words of text) by the breaking of the red wax seal. Addressed by Guthrie 'To Charles Sharpe of Hoddam Esqr [Hoddam Castle] | Provenance Grand Master for Dumfries Shire'. Small circular red ink postmark. Docketed. Guthrie's letter, in a secretarial hand but signed and with an initialed postscript by him, covers the two centre pages. He writes that 'a great proportion' of the lodges are in arrears, 'some of them 20 years and upwards'.

Two pages, 4to, some damage at fold mark, but text clear and complete. The writer identifies the author as Rawdon Brown, "resident at Venice", whose "Translation of the 'Despatches of Sebastian Giustinian" had been reviewed in "The Athenaeum". Brown takes exception to the conclduing sentence, refers to a passage in his own book and outlines the rules by which he is writing (using English "authorities" sparingly, etc., being more interested in what was said of the English abroad). He would welcome useful references for his second edition.

Two pages, 12mo, good condition. He presumes on the acquaintance struck up when Bragge was in Montreal two years previously and knowing your great practical interest in the Bessemer I take the liberty to introduce to you Mr [Barner?] the agent of my friend Mr Holley - the manager of the Troy Steel Works who has introduced some very important improvements in the management of the Bessemer process, now successfully adopted in America & visits England for the purpose of there making them business.

12mo, 2 pp. Bifolium. Written out in one hand, and signed 'Bradley & Co' in another. Addressed to 'W. F. Stocks Esqre | Glen Elwy | St Asaph. | Flint[shire]'. Thirteen lines. Text clear and complete. On foxed and lightly-aged paper. Giving the firm's 'charge for receiving unpacking & delivering pictures to the R.A. or other London Exhibitions' and for 'collecting repacking & forwarding', as well as the dimensions of pictures for which these charges apply.

4to, 2 pp. Bifolium. Addressed ('H. Davidson Esqr | | No 3 North Charlotte St | Edinb') and docketed ('Offer | The Clyde Salmon Fishing Company. | For Menzies Fishings in Holy Lock'), with two postmarks, on the reverse of the second leaf. Twenty three lines of text (including four-line initialled postscript), clear and complete. Good, on aged paper, with hole in second leaf from breaking of wafer. Discussing proposed terms, ending 'Or in place of a sent will give the net proceeds of every tenth fish after marketing -'.

12mo, 1 p. In good condition. Laid down on a page removed from an album. Addressed to 'Rev. and Dear Sir', and calling the recipient's attention to an 'enclosed appeal' (not present), and asking that he 'would kindly put it up in your Church'. 'It speaks for iself and I can only add that the efficiency of the opposition to the disastrous change of law must greatly depend on the means at the disposal of those who are contending for an old domestic purity.'

Five of the items are 8vo, with the other on a 12mo slip. All texts clear and complete. Fair, on slightly-aged and worn paper. A total of five typed 8vo pages, and two autograph 8vo and two autograph 12mo pages. Four of the lettters have 'The Fol-de-Rols' printed on the letterhead. Dealing with practical everyday theatre matters, with Newman writing, for example, on 19 November 1955: 'I have bought a few costume from the Punch Revue which died an early death at the Duke of York's theatre last Saturday.

Both letters 8vo, 1 p; the first on pink paper. Both texts clear and complete. Both fair, on lightly-aged and creased paper. Letter One: She was surprised to learn that Lawrence had 'Miss Babbington with you because I did not even know that she was on the stage. I thought she was with a publishing house.' After the 'long and wonderful run' she is sorry that Lawrence's leading lady is leaving. 'Although I never intend to go back to the stage again, I shall always have the same keen interest in matters theatrical [...] the variety profession is my first love'.

4to, 1 p. Text clear and complete. Fair, on lightly-aged and creased paper. Lunn and Kirwan-Taylor were closely associated with the Ski Club of Great Britain, both compiling reports for it in 1951.

Four pages, 12mo, good condition. She has made "enquiries about a lace cushion & find we have a good one with 2 doz bobbins & pins . . . & this I could let the girl you are interested in have for 8/6d . . . I was much interested to see the photographs of your old lace - & the wrist ruffles are very valuable . . . I would have pleasure in putting the pieces in a special case for you - & making a little Georgian Exhibition.

All four items with text clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. The four items pinned together and placed in the stamped envelope of Cameron's letter, addressed to Dickson as 'Clerk of the Peace of the County of Northumberland | Newcastle upon Tyne'. Casting interesting light on the workings of the Ordnance Survey. Letter One: Cameron to Dickson ('for Lieut: Colonel James | Director, absent on duty'), 19 September 1855. 4to, 1 p.

Total 22 (twenty-two) pages, 12mo, good condition. Subjects: [Oct. 1850] receipt of Tynemouth Commission of the Peace; to continue the Tynemouth House of Correction; usefulneess of what he had been sent (Commission); all the Commissions should be in "Burns' justice books"; function of the Tynemouth Commission; doesn't extend to mentioning the use of the Sheriff or Jury; someone instructed to sink a well; building of a "Pauper Lunatic A[sylum]"; [Nov.

8vo, 1 p. Text clear and complete. On aged and creased paper, with chipping to extremities. Thin strip of stub adhering to reverse, which carries the address in Sanderson's hand: 'Mr: Lowry | No: 57 | Tichfield St:'. He asks him to 'send the Books by the Bearer. | I find my self better & am in hopes of goeing out in a Day or two if weather permits'. He concludes by sending his compliments to Lowry's wife and daughters. Docketed in a contemporary hand at foot of page: 'One of the greatest Mathematicians of this country | Originally (and occasionally till his Death) a Taylor'.

Each of the four items has text clear and complete. The four are in fair condition, on aged paper, with minor staining from the paperclip used to attach them, and a small closed tear at the foot of the first letter. Letter One to 'Dear Mrs Chapman'; the other three to 'Dear Ronnie'. Letter One (4to, 2 pp): 19 November 1938. Chapman (referred to throughout as 'Ronnie') has not been well, and Fisher makes a suggestion to his mother regarding his 'future': 'Cecil Rhodes spent seven years on this process and never regretted it.