ANGUS

Charles Harry Lawrence (hereafter CHL) was perhaps the finest gunmaker of the twentieth century. At the age of 14 he joined James Purdey & Sons as an actioner's apprentice, and he remained with the firm for the rest of his life. For fifteen years, ending in 1970, he was the firm's managing director. He was twice (1954 and 1962) Master of the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers, and was Chairman of the Proof House Committee for 27 years from 1954. Having previously received an MBE for his war work, he was awarded an OBE in 1978.

2pp., 12mo. In fair condition, on aged and lightly-worn paper. Written in a difficult hand. The letter begins: 'My dear Campbell. | You will find all I know about Axiologus, and Miss Maria Williams, in a prefatory note Vol I of my Edition of W[illiam]. W[ordsworth].s Poems (not Life).' He confirms that the poem is by Wordsworth, and expresses regret at 'letting it be known: for it led Tutin [John Ramsden Tutin (1855-1913)] of Hull to go & print the sonnet for private circulation some years ago.

2pp., 12mo. On bifolium. In fair condition, on lightly-aged paper. In addition to the message he left for the recipient's guest 'as to Carnegie', he asks him to tell his father-in-law (the London parliamentary bookseller P. S. King?) 'that it will be a very great favour if he sends me, to glance over, those letters he spoke of'. He undertakes to 'return them at once', and gives his address in Aberdeenshire for August and September. He has 'called twice on the chance of seeing Mrs. Roberts to say Goodbye', and asks the recipient to 'say it for me, in kindly fashion'.

1p., 4to. He thanks Stanford for sending 'the carbon' of his 'warm review' of Litvinoff's novel ('A Death out of Season'). He missed the article and the note Stanford wrote 'about my autobiographical sequence' in the Scotsman, but is now iinterested to see from the review that Stanford is 'nursing the idea of a 'Forties memoir. Amazingly, few of us have written about the decade. I shall be getting around to it one day also, I hope.

Each of the two typescripts is on one side of a piece of A4 paper. One is signed in type at end 'T. B.S.' and the other (which appears to be mimeographed) carries what is presumably Simpson's signature at head in the manuscript note: 'From T. B. SIMPSON | 11/6/49.' Text of each clear and complete, on creased and aged paper. Apart from the typed signature to the one copy, and the fact that one copy has square brackets and the other curved, the two texts are identical.

Founder and first editor of The British Advertiser (1873-1957). The collection in very good condition, with rust marks from a paperclip to one item. All items quarto. All items signed 'Alfred H. Angus'. The first letter invites 'The Managing Editor' of the Society's Journal to become a member of the A.B. of C. 'It is felt that your co-operation would be of the utmost value to the Bureau in the achievent of its objectives.' Letter three states that the I.S.B.A. executive have 'unanimously elected' W. D. H. McCullough as their representative to the R.S.A. committee.