Printed Ephemera

Seven scarce examples of English Second World War propaganda, six aimed at Germany and the last at France. Ephemeral and scarce. The seven are clear and complete, on lightly-aged paper with occasional minor rust spotting. Each consists of two pages printed on a leaf 21 x 13.5 cm, except for Five, the dimensions of which are 21 x 13 cm. Five (red and black) is the only item not printed simply in black and white. All seven in German, except Seven, which is in French. All translations in typescript and on A4 leaves.

The two items rolled into tubes. The 'Crown Deep Ltd. Insurance Plan' carbon printed on one side of a piece of cloth roughly 44 x 102 cm. In good condition: slightly discoloured and frayed. The keyed entries range from '1 No. 1 Headgear & all appurtenances' to '77 Shed near Feedwater tanks', and include '69 Coolie Compound at Dam' and '57 Stable Boy's House'. The table of results of the 'milling tests', approximately 37 x 74 cm, is clear and complete on discoloured paper with closed tears at head repaired with archival tape.

On a piece of board roughly 45 x 30 cm. Foxed and discoloured, with the extremities chipped and worn, with loss and closed tears affecting the illustration's border, which is in gold in the style of the carved decoration of eighteenth-century furniture. The illustration itself, roughly 36 x 25 cm, is clear and undamaged. It features full-length depictions, each around 29 cm high, of two stylish figures: on the left a behatted lady, fan in hand, elegantly attired in eighteenth-century costume of orange compere-fronted gown and full yellow skirt.

8vo: 18 pp, paginated 200-217. Grubby and lightly-aged and creased, with rusty staples. Title-page headed 'For Official Use. M.O. 245s.' Scarce. No copy at the British Library, and the only copy on COPAC at Nottingham.

A specialist on Dickens and Tennyson, Cuming Walters was for many years a central figure in the literary life of the north-west of England. Shortly before his death (and as reported in The Times, 28 April 1932) he boasted of having written 'between 15,000 and 20,000 leading articles, nearly 20,000 reviews of books, 8,000 dramatic notices, and 15,000 special articles. He had published about 20 books and had written 250 lectures.' The present collection is divided into two parts. A.

Printed in brown on a piece of watermarked laid paper, 29 x 36 cm. Dimensions of image 18 x 22 cm. On lightly-creased paper, with a few short closed tears to margins at extremities. A bustling scene, from the top storey of a building, showing the traffic of coaches, carriages and carts around the church, which is seen from the front with St Paul's Cathedral in the background. In addition to the pencil signature, the print has the dated facsimile signature 'Hanslip Fletcher 1912'.

Printed on one side of a piece of thick wove paper, 21 x 17.5 cm. At the head of the page is the engraving, enclosed in an oval 12.5 cm high and 15 cm wide. A clear impression of a scarce print, on grubby, spotted paper. Within the border is engraved in red 'Part of Christs Hospital taken from the Stewards Office 1765.' According to the six lines of copperplate text at the foot of the page 'It was 129 feet long and 31 feet in breadth, [...] It was furnished with Books at the expence of £556 . 10s of which £400 were given by the founder, and the remainder by Dr.

12mo bifolium (leaf dimensions 22 x 14 cm): 4 pp. Text clear and complete, on lightly-aged and grubby paper with wear to extremities. The first pages includes a section beginning 'Land in Liverpool has been sold at £226 the square yard; £1,093,840 an Acre! | PAY YOUR RENTS! and YOUR RATES!! | You must Pay them or be Put Out!!! | But when you pay, think what you are paying for: [...] The Liverpool Stock Exchange had to pay Three Shillings and Sixpence for every square inch of the land facing Exchange Street and corner of Dale Street. There are over 6 1/4 million square inches in an acre!

4to: 1 p. Printed on the recto of the first leaf of a bifolium of paper watermarked 'R BARNARD | 1828'. Fifteen lines of text. Text clear and complete on aged, creased paper with chipping to extremities, and the two leaves of the bifolium nearly detached. Docketed in contemporary hands '819' at the head of the printed page, and 'No. 72' on the reverse of the second leaf 'No. 72'.

12mo (leaf dimensions 13 x 9 cm): 62 pp. Folded 'Proposal' tipped in on perforated stub. Sewn into cream wraps, printed in red. Text clear and complete. Internally tight on lightly-aged paper. In worn and grubby wraps with a few ink notes on front. Index on p.ii (reverse of front wrap) gives sections (each with subsections) devoted to Sickness Department, Accident Department, Employers' Liability and Accidents to Workmen, Indemnity and Third Party Insurance, Fidelity Guarantees, and Life Department. Also lists Directors, Office-Bearers, Head Office and Branches.

Items One to Three: three 'Co-operative Holidays Association General Notes' pamphlets, all 4pp, on unbound 8vo bifoliums. Text clear and complete, on aged and worn paper, with a 3 cm closed tear to both leaves of the second number. Each issue ends with a long list of 'Rambling Clubs and Secretaries'. Headings of notes include 'One Shilling Literature Subscription', 'Sir William Mather', 'Canadian Guests', 'Personalia'. Also a report of the annual general meeting.

All four items clear and complete, on aged paper with wear to the extremities of item one. Item One: 'Leaflet No. 1. English League for the Taxation of Land Values. Statement of Principles.' 12mo, 4 pp, on unbound bifolium. Headings include 'Objects of the League', 'Meaning of Land Values', 'The Taxation of Land Values would be just', 'The Taxation of Land Values would promote general prosperity and remove social evils'. Item Two: '[...] No. 3. The Taxation of Land Values: What it would do. 12mo leaflet, 2 pp.

The calendar proper (clear and complete on aged paper) consists of 12 unpaginated 8vo pages, with photographs and some facsimiles of handwriting on the rectos and the calendar itself, with memorable radical dates, on the versos. Photographs of Edward Bellamy, 'Principal Writers of "The Clarion" ', Tom Mann, William Morris, and Alfred Russel [sic] Wallace, and Count Leo Tolstoy. The calendar is encased in a loose 8vo bifolium, with four unpaginated printed pages. It is titled 'The Labour Annual Calendar: 1896. Edited by Joseph Edwards'.

Bifolium (leaf dimensions 24.5 x 18 cm), 3 pp, on paper watermarked 1817. Text and image clear and complete on grubby and lightly-creased paper. The two leaves have been gummed to one another along a thin vertical strip, and it may be that they were originally separate. An unusual and scarce piece of ephemera. At the head of the first page is a characteristic neo-classical engraving (roughly 7.5 x 11.5 cm) showing a group of five cherub-artists, holding portolio, palette and bust, appealing to a winged goddess on a cloud, with a temple in the background.

Dimensions of print 12.5 x 19.5 cm. On paper 16 x 24.5 cm. Good clean impression, with six or seven spots of foxing in the margin and a little wear in the bottom left-hand copy. Striking detailed view of the city with sailboats and steamships in the harbour, and the major buildings and layout of the streets clearly portrayed, with the environs in the distance. Scarce: there is little information to be gleaned concerning this print.

Dimensions of print 12.5 x 19.5 cm. On paper 16 x 24.5 cm. Good clean impression, with six or seven spots of foxing in the margin and a little wear in the bottom left-hand copy. Striking detailed view of the city with sailboats and steamships in the harbour, and the major buildings and layout of the streets clearly portrayed, with the environs in the distance. Scarce: there is little information to be gleaned concerning this print.

Dimensions of print 12 x 18 cm. Dimensions of paper 19 x 24 cm. Good, clear image on aged and foxed paper. A pleasant rural view over the harbour, with a house nestling between trees and a couple walking among the hills. Tastefully coloured in light blue, green, red and pink.

Dimensions of print 6.5 x 11 cm. On a piece of paper 7.5 x 12 cm. Neatly laid down on a piece of cream paper 20 x 27.5 cm. Good clear impression on paper with foxing to margins at extremities. A series of three concentric red borders on the mount surround the print. Charming image, with a couple of fashionable couples looking out over a bay with a steamship and sail boats.

Dimensions of print 11.5 x 19.5 cm. At the head of the recto of the first leaf of a bifolium (leaf dimensions 28 x 22.5 cm). The print itself is clear and undamaged, on aged paper. With traces of cuttings mounted onto the internal pages, and closed tear to the blank second leaf. An impressively detailed engraving, showing the bustling port and layout of the city, with church spires and prominent buildings. A copy of the item survives used as a letter home from a German girl in 1855. The copy in the New York Public Library is ascribed to 'C. Magnus, Lith. 22 N. William St.'

Dimensions of print 6.5 x 11 cm. On a piece of paper 9.5 x 16 cm. Neatly laid down on a piece of cream card 15.5 x 21.5 cm. Good clear impression on lightly-aged paper. Charming image, with a couple of fashionable couples looking out over a bay with a steamship and sail boats.

The engraving illustrates the biblical passage describing an incident during the wreck off Crete of a ship carrying Saint Paul. Acts 27:35: 'And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.' Printed on one side of a piece of paper, 28 x 19 cm, with one rough edge. A striking image, irregularly shaped, with white lines against a black background, showing centurions and others on the deck of a ship on a stormy sea, with land in the distance.

12mo bifolium (leaf dimensions 21 x 13 cm): 4 pp. On lightly-aged and creased paper, with a little spotting. Strikingly simple stylised illustration (14 x 9 cm) by Ross on cover, depicting a girl with long blonde hair, large black bow an elongated neck. The 'special appeal' (whose patrons are the king and queen) aims to raise £100,000 for 'The Brompton Hospital for Consumption'. The second page lists the Appeal's officers, and the third gives the cast list for Byng's play, including Ernest Thesiger, Viola Tree, Florence Desmond and Cicely Courtneidge.

Item One: Handbill headed, beneath the City of London shield, 'Description of the Design for the Ticket of Admission to the Banquet at Guildhall, on Tuesday, 9th November, 1875.' Printed in purple on one side of a piece of lilac paper, roughly 20.5 x 13 cm. Text clear and complete, on creased and aged paper, with 1cm closed tear to one corner. At foot of page: 'BLADES, EAST & BLADES, | 11, ABCHURCH LANE, CITY. | Established 1832.' The description runs to thirteen lines.

Printed on one side of a piece of cream paper, roughly 33.5 x 25.5 cm. Laid down on card. Clear and complete, with a good impression of the plate (22.5 x 17.5 cm), on lightly-aged, grubby paper, with slight wear to extremities. Presumably produced for display in a shop window. The title ('THE LIFE AND WORK OF | W. HOLMAN HUNT. | BY ARCHDEACON FARRAR.') at head, and 'SPECIMEN PLATE.' at foot, in large orange letters; the rest printed in black. Beneath the plate: 'THE SHADOW OF DEATH. | BY PERMISSION OF MESSRS. T. AGNEW & SONS. | LONDON: J. S. VIRTUE & CO.

Paper dimensions 25.5 x 19 cm. Plate dimensions 22 x 16 cm. The head-and-shoulders portrait itself is oval, 7 cm high and 5.5 cm wide, contained in a square 11 x 9.5 cm, and with the caption beneath it. Printed on aged paper, with the image itself and the caption are clean and crisp, but the paper carries a crease to the margin, and there is light staining intruding into the surrounding square. Dibdin gives an account of Miller, whose son was the noted bookseller William Miller of Albemarle Street, in his 'Bibliomania' (1811 ed., pp.630-31).

On one side of a piece of wove paper 19 x 14.5 cm, and with the image extending almost to the edges. Lightly aged and creased, but good overall. An usual design, with the coat of arms within a fleece held up by two figures of Hercules, both on pedestals, the one of the left marked 'HUMUS' and that on the right 'SUMUS'. The fleece folds over the left-hand Hercules's right shoulder and reads 'LE CULTE EN' with 'DIFFICULTE' over the left-hand Hercules's left shoulder. Topping the whole design, above a coronet, is a harpy, and at the foot of the paper is 'Hereson de Brecksel'.

Printed in red, black, blue, gold, orange and green on one side of a piece of paper, dimensions 20 x 12.5 cm. Good, on lightly-aged and spotted paper. Minor traces of stub on blank reverse. Attractive item, with twenty-six lines of rubricated text, surrounded by an ornated decorative border of foliage and birds in imitation of an illuminated manuscript. Headed 26, Queen's Row, Pimlico opposite the Royal Mews.', beneath which: 'Valentine Elkins Bookseller &c. of Baker St. Portman Sqe. Begs most respectfully to inform the Nobility & Gentry inhabitants of Belgrave Sqre.

4to bifolium of three pages, together a seperate leaf (dimensions of leaf in all cases 26 x 20 cm) carrying on one side one set of the three illustrations. Printed in black, and each page enclosed within a red decorative border. Creased and foxed, but a scarce piece of ephemera in acceptable overall condition. The first page of the bifolium is headed, in a variety of decorative fonts and point sizes, 'John Wright & Co.

Both items very good, each printed on one side only of a piece of thin shiny card, dimensions 11 x 15 cm. The arrangement of the text is the same in both cases, but one is printed in blue and green, and the other in blue and gold. An attractive piece of Victorian typography, laid out in a variety of decorative fonts and point sizes, with a strong hint of Gothic revival about it. Reads 'HANNAH WALLIS, | Plain & Ornamental Printer, | IN LETTER-PRESS, LITHOGRAPHY, & COPPERPLATE, | ACCOUNT-BOOK MAKER, | Stationer and Bookseller. | ARTISTS' MATERIALS OF THE BEST QUALITY.

On one side of a piece of wove paper roughly 23.5 x 19 cm. A delicate and scarce piece of ephemera, in a remarkably good state of repair. Possibly a proof, as a thin blank strip along one of the vertical edges, intended to be detached and discarded, still adheres. The menu itself is crisply printed in the centre, covering a space roughly 17 x 13.5 cm.