ALDRICH

Both items in fair condition, on aged and worn paper. Letter One: 4pp., 12mo. Harvey begins: 'Of course I well remember the too short time when I had the pleasure of being your colleague at the British Museum.' He would like to see Aldrich's 'old Dutch masters' but may not be able to visit him at Bowes Park before 'returning to reconstruction work in France in which I am interested'. He suggests a meeting in the new year, before enquiring whether Aldrich has 'got Sir Sidney Colvin's opinion of your Old masters. He is very interested in these things.' Letter Two: 2pp., 4to.

3pp., 8vo. Bifolium. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Aldrich is writing from Barnes, and Colvin writes that his address 'takes me back sixty years & more, when my people rented (for the winter of 1855-6) what was then Barnes Manor, - the house & park in a bend of the New River belonging to Lord Truro, - and has since been broken up and converted into Barnes Park.' He declines to visit Aldrich and see the pictures he mentions. 'Your account of them, at least of two of them, is so full & exact as to make a visit scarcely necessary: and these Low-country masters of the 17th century.

2pp., 16mo. Twenty-two lines of text, written in small, neat style. From the papers of the subject of the letter, Stephen John Aldrich. In an era when the making of such an appeal as Aldrich's father's was commonplace, this is a remarkably well-written response: a model of tact and consideration. It reads: 'My dear Sir, | I most sincerely wish that I could be of any use to you in finding some opening for your son, but I fear that it is out of my power to help you.

1p., 12mo. In fair condition, on aged and creased paper, unobtrusively repaired with archival tape. Signed 'S. Gibson | (Secretary)'. He explains that as the 'beginning of the Michaelmas Term is an unusually busy time' he has 'only been able just recently to find time to study your very interesting contribution to the history of the R-printer'. He is going to insert Aldrich's article 'in our copy of the Speculum Doctrinale'.

4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Fair, on aged and chipped paper. As 'Mails for India leave at the end of the week', he considers the letter to be more convenient for her to forward. What attracted his attention to 'Mrs. Dighton's advertisement was the mention of African Stamps which she wished to obtain in exchange for those of Travancore'. He describes his own interests: 'I am especially strong in African Stamps having much correspondence from the West Coast'. He lists sets he would be willing to send to Mrs Dighton 'in exchange for 3 or 4 full sets of Navancore'.

4 pages, folio. Somewhat grubby and creased, but in good condition overall. A standard Blond printed contract with manuscript additions and deletions. Signed 'Nelson W Aldrich /' and Anthony Blond'. The work does not appear to have been published.