BENJAMIN

The two signatures are on a reproduction of a drawing of Robeson, on a 15 x 11 cm piece of shiny art paper, cut from a programme from Robeson's 1934 tour of Britain. In good condition, lightly-aged. The head and shoulders portrait shows a moody Robeson in collar and tie. The two signature are at the foot of the image, with Robeson's, in blue ink, slanting downwards, and Brown's, in green ink, slanting upwards, around the line of Robeson's lapels.

1p., 4to. Bifolium. Addressed on reverse of second leaf, with postmarks, to 'Thomas Hill Esq | New Inn'. In good condition, lightly-aged. Headed by Oakley 'Circular' and entirely written out in his own hand. The letter begins: 'In consequence of the embarrassing finances of the Old Drury Club, and its being uncertain whether, or no, it can any longer hold its deliberative meetings at its accustomed place of redevous [sic] - it has been determined by a majority of its members - to resolve themselves into a committee of ways and means'.

68pp., 4to. In fair condition on lightly aged and worn watermarked laid paper. Sewn into brown paper wraps with 'The Unfortunate Youth. | T. R. H.' on cover. The title on the title-page is retitled in pencil 'The Unfortunate Boy! or Always in for it.' Possibly in Webster's hand, but with what may be the initials of the transcriber following the 'FINIS' on the final page. The text of the play is on the rectos, with occasional writing on versos. Emendations in ink and pencil, including additional dialogue.

4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condiion, on aged and worn paper. Marked 'Private', and written with an urgency suggesting the involvement of royalty behind the request. The letter begins: 'Sir William Martins presents his Compliments to Mr Webster and at theh rather earnest wish of a former Lord Chamberlain entreats Mr Webster, if it be practicable to allow the Farce of "Powder & Ball" to be played at the Adelphi one evening this Week either Wednesday Thursday or Friday'. He will 'explain further' and writes 'in case he should not be fortunate enough to meet Mr Webster at the Theatre'.

Two pages, 8vo, good condition. "Thanks you for your letter. I have the happiest memories of Stonehaven on a brief holiday years ago, and I would like to come & give a recital with Osian Ellis [counter-tenor] for your Society. | My diary tells me that the best (and only, perhaps) time next season would be the very end of January or the first day or two February. | I will pass your letter on to my agent Mr Phipps, 8 Halliford St, London N 1 Tel. 01-359 0443 & perhaps you can correspondend with him about it. I do hope it comes off."

Both items in good condition, on aged paper. Lovell begins the first letter (3pp., 12mo) by expressing disappointment at not having heard from Webster yet 'with the M.S.', and offers to 'save [him] any trouble in explanations' by calling on him. If that is not acceptable he asks him to 'let me have the copy with your notes upon it & I will work at once. And if you have any thing more agreeable in the way of criticism to communicate it will put me in better spirits'.

1p., folio. In good condition, on lightly aged and creased paper with slight loss to top left-hand corner. Laid out in the typical fashion of the period, with embossed tax stamp in top left-hand corner, and Bayly's stamp as notary public on square of paper over wafer.

On one side of a 12 x 13 cm piece of paper. On aged paper with four folds. The crown is drawn in pencil, and is 2.5 x 2.75 cm. The caption, in ink, is below, and reads: 'Scottish crown. | Drawing to be returned.' Between the two lines of text is the firm's stamp, made up of perforated lettering. Presumably a design for a letterhead, or other engraving.

2pp., 12mo. In fair condition, on aged and worn paper. Addressed to 'Rev. C. J. Wilding | Hartley Vicarage, | Bewdley.' Setting out his view that 'any property belonging to the Church in Edward the Fourth's timee became public property on the transfer to the nation by Henry the Eighth at the Reformation', with reference to the 'Gift or Settlement of 1675'. He concludes: 'I should reply to your question "Would you disendow a living thus endowed"? - No.'

1p., 4to. In good condition, on lightly aged and worn paper, with a short closed tear along a crease and slight loss to one corner. He regrets that 'it is not in my power to afford any Official Assistance, in promoting the use of your very Ingenious, & Valuable Invention; as the Business of this Department is exclusively confined to the Building, & <?>, belonging either to His Majesty, or the Public, such as Palaces, Public Offices &c.' He suggests a number of organisations to which Lawrence should apply., 'as the Departments most likely to encourage your useful Undertaking'.

vi + 229 + [1]pp., 8vo. Frontispiece facsimile letter from Benjamin Franklin. In original printed wraps. In blue cloth binding with title in gilt on front cover and spine. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper, in worn binding. Full title: 'Stevens' Historical Collections.

18 + [1]pp., 8vo. In red cloth half-binding, with brown marbled boards. Stamp of the Royal Historical Society on endpaper, and pencil shelfmarks. In fair condition, aged and worn. A curious production. The intent of the author (certainly Stevens) is to facilitate 'definite and permanent organisation', by his 'preparation of an Index of all the documents of American concern in private or public Archives of Great Britain, Holland, France and Spain that accumulated between the years 1763 and 1783'.

Full title: 'Report of the Committee of the Society of Dilettanti, appointed by the Society to superintend the expedition lately sent by them to Greece and Ionia; containing an Abstract of the Voyage of the Mission, a List of the Materials collected by them, and a Plan to facilitate the Publication of those Materials.' At end of last page: 'Signed, by order of the Committee, | H. C. ENGLEFIELD, | Secretary.' [2] + 18pp., 4to. Stabbed, but with stitching gone.

Each of the sets of two engravings on a separate strip of paper, each roughly 7 x 15.5 cm. Printed in black. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. The three strips laid down on the same side of a 35.5 x 26 cm leaf removed from an album. In pencil in a contemporary hand at head of page: 'Anaglyptographic Engravings', and beneath the second strip, 'William Hogarth 1697-1764', and beneath the third, 'Christopher Wren Born 1632. Died 1723'.

2pp., 8vo. In good condition, lightly aged and creased. On ruled wove paper with Monckton watermark. Sixty-line poem in ten six-line stanzas. An early parody of Lewis Carroll's 'The Walrus and the Carpenter'; the original was published in 'Alice Through the Looking-Glass' in 1871. The first stanza reads: 'The Prelate & the Protestants | Were walking to and fro. | They wept to see the Altar Screen | Their tears began to flow. | Tis very sad the Prelate said.

128pp., 16mo. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper, in shiny yellow printed wraps with slight staining at head of front cover. The twelve-page 'Biographical Sketch' covers pp.3-16. It quotes the Rev. Baptist W. Noel as saying that Weaver 'has been preaching at Sheffield, and other towns, to multitudes of working men [...] he was, at one time, addicted to prize-fighting, and that he was never beaten in his life.

118pp., 8vo. Two engravings, both with tissue guards: frontispiece of the 'First Church erected in Suffield. About 1680.'; and 'The Ruggles Monument'. In cream printed wraps. Errata slip at rear. The item begins: 'A Hundred and fifty years had nearly expired since the decease of the first Pastor of the First Congregational Church, and no monument or stone had been set to indicate to the passer-by his last resting-place. The idea was conceived of erecting a suitable monument to his memory; and on the 24th of May, 1858, the Church appointed Dea. Henry A. Sykes, Daniel W.

Unattributed, but in Wheatley's hand. The 'List of Plays seen by Pepys from 1660 to 1669' is 5pp., foolscap 8vo, on loose leaves of unwatermarked ruled paper. In fair condition, aged and worn. It is neatly written out in ink, with occasional pencil emendations, giving dates, theatres and titles. A few comments on the theatres are included, for example on 'Davenant's New Theatre in Lincolns Inn Fields'.

4pp., 8vo. 102 lines of neatly and closely written text. With original envelope addressed by Leeper to 'E. Martin Browne Esq | 99 Claremont Avenue | New York 27 | U.S.A.' Leeper begins by expressing her pleasure that Browne is 'going to do the first American performance of Noye's Fludde', which she describes as 'a great work - big & simple & satisfying, & very moving'.

Not paginated. [107]pp., 16mo. Internally good and tight, elegantly printed in red and black. In original heavily-worn green leather binding. Small leaf, printed on both sides, advertising the book, loosely inserted. In the twenty-two lines on the reverse Stevens states that 'The price of all these books in substantial andn ornamental bindings of great variety, with leather, calf, morocco or russia backs and corners, and muslin on paper sides, is Four Hundred Guineas (420l.) If with full leather backs and sides, very handsome, the price is Four Hundred and Fifty Guineas (472l. 10s.)'.

1p., 12mo. Good, on lightly-aged paper. He reports that he shared the 'bounty' of the recipient's 'delicious present' with his brother, who has been 'confined to the house for a month'. He reports that 'Mr Watts and family are well', and hopes that 'Mr Stack is so'.

Both items are in very good condition, with minor signs of age. The first sewn with green ribbon, and both with the customary stamps, seals and other appurtenances. Two interesting and unusual indentures, showing the spread of the nineteenth-century British Empire. ONE: On six sides of two 46 x 30.5 cm. skins, each folded once, and bound one in the other with ribbon. 'Between Eugenia Susannah FitzRoy of Roehampton Widow of George Henry Fitzroy Esquire of the first part Edward St.

2pp., 12mo. In good condition, on aged paper, tipped in onto a card mount. He explains that he is 'obliged to return to London immediately after the delivery of my Lecture in Glasgow', and so will not be able 'to address the audience you bring together'. If he is 'asked to take part in the Glasgow Science Lectures' the following year, he will bear Hopps's wish in mind. Hopps was both an evolutionist and spiritualist, while Carpenter considered the claims of spiritualism 'epidemic delusions'.

Printed on one side of a piece of 38.5 x 23.5 cm wove paper. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. An attractive political artefact and example of provincial printing, with the title on four lines as follows: 'EXTRACT | FROM THE | SUN, London Paper, | FRIDAY, 24th April, 1835.' The thirty-three lines of text, enclosed in quotation marks and with the first line in bold, begins: 'WE understand that Mr. D'ISRAELI, junior, has just set off post-haste for TAUNTON, in order to oppose Mr. LABOUCHERE'S RE-ELECTION for that Borough. A richer joke than this we have not heard for many a day.

From the papers of the Honorary Secretary of Finsbury Habitation 596, Mrs L. Vernon Sparrow, 20 Wharton Street, WC1, who has annotated the mimeographed circular relating to her branch, and jotted a few notes on the back of the third booklet. The four booklets are all scarce, with no copies of any of them on COPAC. They are printed on aged high-acidity paper, with light creasing and wear; the mimeographed circular is on aged and lightly-worn paper. First booklet: 'Are you a Patriot?' 4pp., 16mo. Bifolium.

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with small hole through both leaves. He will be too busy over the following days to visit Clark in person, 'and so I send you the first act of the MSS I talked to you about - I may say I read the 1st. act one afternoon to Miss Terry who wanted to take it to Webster - but I was disinclined'. If Clark 'had anything to do with it - the Blacksmith would be the [last word underlined] part'. He asks Clark to return it as soon as he can: 'as this is the American copy - and they expect it (but of course won't get it) by next mail'.

1p., 12mo. On fly-leaf of book. Written in green ink on aged and spotted paper. Reads: 'For | Madame Charles with best wishes from | [signed] Edward Sackville West. | Oct. 1934'.

1p., 12mo. On laid paper with 'Pro Patria' watermark. In good condition, lightly-aged and dusty. Headed 'September 25th 1732' and docketed on reverse 'Account of Linen in 1732 of Bn. & Eliz. Adams.' Thirteen items, beginning with 'There is eleven pair of Linneng [sic] sheets' and ending with 'There is 1/2 a dozen of Dypers naptkin for night Caps'. The Northumberland origins of the Adamses is not referred to in the document, but is clear from one which accompanied it. The document derives from the papers of Benjamin Adams's descendant, the Alnwick solicitor Thomas Adams.

On both sides of a piece of 8vo paper, folded vertically to make a bifolium with 31 x 9.5 cm leaves. In fair condition, aged, worn and with a short central closed tear unobtrusively repaired with archival tape. Docketed 'Acct. of the Funeral of [blank'], and elsewhere in another hand 'Benja Adams | Benja Adams'. A total of 78 individuals are named (including six deleted) over three narrow pages, with 32 (including three deleted) on the first page, 6 on the second, and 40 (including three deleted) on the third.

Both cards 7 x 11 cm, printed in copperplate on one side only. Both in fair condition, on aged paper with a slight bloom. The Ambassador's card reads: 'Mr. Washburne, | Envoyé Extraordinaire et Ministre Plénipotentiaire | des Etats-Unis d'Amérique | [in bottom right-hand corner] 75, Avenue de l'Impératice, (Entrée 2, rue Spontini)'. The Ambassador's wife's card reads: 'Mrs. Washburne. | [in bottom left-hand corner] Mondays | from 3 to 6 P.M.' Washburne had served as Secretary of State for eleven days before being made Ambassador. His Illinois house is now a museum.