BIRMINGHAM

44pp., 4to. In original grey wraps, with coloured illustration by 'Scott' of a Restoration lady by a sundial and the word 'Watches' on front cover. In good condition, lightly-aged with slight rusting to staples. The catalogue is printed on art paper, without indication of date or publisher, but with a label printed in red from Adolph Scott Ltd, tipped in at the front, stating that 'Prices in this list are subject to 50 per cent.

2pp., 4to. Printed in small type, with manuscript additions on both sides of the first leaf; addressed on the recto of the second leaf, with broken red wax seal: 'P. P. 9d | Mr Baldwin | Copper plate printer & | Birmingham | Sheffield | Oct 8th.' Great St Helens was a centre for firms concerned with bankruptcy and liquidation, and this interesting document offers banking services for 'needy Manufacturers and Tradesmen', with a use of Masonic imagery which is designed to reassure.

36pp., 18mo. With frontispiece (preceding half-title) of 'I. CRANE / BROMSGROVE', showing a crane and a carriage lamp, within a circular border reading 'To make the Watch go faster turn the Regulator to the right & Slower the Contrary'. Side stitched in original pink printed wraps. In fair condition, in worn and lightly-stained wraps. Nicely printed on wove paper with 'LLOYD 1795' watermark. Poem titled 'Introduction' on p.5, followed by the title poem on pp.7-36. No copy of this attractive edtion on either COPAC or WorldCat, nor of any other printed by Grafton & Reddell.

1p., 12mo. Fair, on lightly-aged paper. In envelope addressed by De Tabley to 'Mrs. Kate. A. Wright. | Monona House | Small Heath | Birmingham.' In reply to her letter of 18 June, he states that he will have pleasure in permitting her to 'insert the five pieces' which she enumerates in her 'forthcoming Collection of Poems and Ballads of the Nineteenth Century'. Kate A. Wright's 'Dainty Poems of the Nineteenth Century' was published in Birmingham in 1895. The titles of the five poems are given in another contemporary hand [Mrs Wright's?] on the reverse of the second leaf.

4pp., 12mo. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with the second leaf neatly placed in a paper windowpane mount. He writes that he has been 'excessively busy', and this has delayed his 'coming to a decision re the lecture'. 'Since the 4th Oct. I have written two large books, besides any amount of magazine work &c.' As he has '4 books to write before May', he is afraid his 'lecture on Caravan Life will have to be deferred till another season'. He has been asked to 'lecture on Kindness to Dogs, &c with living specimens on the stage at Birmingham', and fears that 'even this will have to be put off'.

8vo, 43 pp. In original grey printed wraps. Text clear and complete. Fair, on aged paper, in discoloured wraps. Title taken from front wrap. Title-page reads, in abridged form: 'By order of Messrs. W. & T. Avery, Limited, who have recently acquired the Freehold. | Soho Foundry, Smethwick, Birmingham. To Engineers, Boiler Makers and Others.

2 pp, 12mo. He is only in Putney for a day, and does not expect to be able to see Schnadhorst. Sir Charles Dilke 'says that Oct. 13 is fixed for Halifax, and that he is not sure that he may not be able to go there after all'. If this is so, 'it would be best to change my day at Newport from the 13th. October'. He will tell '', and would be grateful to Schnadhorst for arranging another day.

3 & 4pp., 12mo, very good condition. With original addressed envelope for Letter 1 (Sir Robert Giffen KCB | etc etc etc. [Chamberlains' joke?], 40 Brunswick Road ...) , with franked signature of Chamberlain. Letter One (1902): Many thanks for your notes. I agree with you in thinking that preference is chiefly valuable as promoting the Imperial sentiment of unity. | It has, however, other advantages - (1) it is a movement as far as it goes, towards free trade within the Empire. Every reduction of duty helps towards the end.

Folio, 1 p. Text clear and complete. Lightly-aged and creased. Remains of red wafer in left margin. Folded into a packet, and docketed on reverse 'Case for Mr. Wheler | 1 G[uine]a. | Martin & Hay for Nevill'. The upper half of the document consists of eighteen lines in the hand of the enquirer (presumably one of a firm of solicitors named 'Martin & Hay", acting for one 'Nevill'), with the last two lines posing the question; the lower half consists of fifteen lines in Wheler's hand, signed by him 'Frans Wheler', and dated by him in the bottom left-hand corner.

The volume ('White & Pike's Diary 1880') is a folio, in green cloth gilt. Recently rebacked and renovated, with one leaf of advertisements under archival paper. A few leaves have had the slips laid down on them cut away or removed. Pages 1-20 and 77-93 carry advertisements, mostly for the Birmingham metal and jewellery trades. The 269 slips of rubbings, together with 37 slips with pencil drawings of designs and engravings, are mostly laid down on the rectos of twenty-five leaves of the diary proper. One loose leaf carries rubbings of designs around monogram initials.

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.

4to, 2 pp, with four-line postscript on the third page. Bifolium. Twenty-two lines. Text clear and complete. Fair, on aged and dusty paper. Addressed, with two postmarks, on the reverse of the second leaf. Regarding the payment of a bill. He has come to Birmingham to collect 'many accounts in this neighbourhood - and sometime overdue', but was 'impeded on my journey at Oxford'. As a result he is sending 'my acceptance at 1 days for £100 as it would be better that you should receive it on the 13th than the 14th - the day it is due'.

The collection, consisting of eighteen items, would appear to derive from J. L. Cocker, to whom one of the receipts is made out. Eight posters, all but the last in fair condition, aged and lightly worn; and all but Number printed in black and white. Items Three and Eight have the firm's address repeatedly printed on the reverse, so that the particular timepieces in which the customer is interested can be cut away from the sheet. ONE (56 x 43.5 cm).

12mo (leaf dimensions 22 x 14.5 cm), 4 pp. Bifolium. Text clear and complete. On lightly-worn and aged paper. Excessively scarce: no copy in the British Library, on COPAC, or on WorldCat. Five songs: 'The Union Jack. Air "Nancy Lee." ', 'The Shamrock, Thistle, & Rose. Air "The British Grenadiers." ', 'The Unionists' song. Air "The Mermaid." ', 'Here's To Our Cause. Air "Drink, Puppy, Drink." ' and 'Loud Roars The Gladstone Thunder. Air "Bay Of Biscay." '

4to: 6 pp + [ii]. Disbound. On aged spotted paper with slight chipping and loss to extremities. Text clear and complete. Report, in small type. Inscribed by Meredith at head of first page: 'Read by Hugh Meredith, M.A. before the British Association at York. 1906.' Scarce: no copy in the British Library and the only copy on COPAC at Oxford.

Two copies: one a revised proof, the other out-of-series, with manuscript additions to the list of subscribers. Both copies 8vo, 25 pp, in original grey printed wraps. Both copies internally tight and clean, in grubby wraps. Attractively printed on thick laid paper, with the wraps printed in red and black. Pp.7-9 of the proof have been deleted, with the manuscript instruction, p.7: 'Take out this & the passages marked on next two pages & insert MS. sent'.

On a piece of yellow paper, 18 x 23.5 cm, removed from an autograph album. Dimensions of image 12.5 x 17.5 cm, neatly enclosed within a border. Good, on aged paper discoloured at extremities of margin. An accurate and detailed drawing of the organ in its setting on the balcony, with ceiling above and the surrounding steps, columns and alcoves.

12mo (leaf dimensions 22.5 x 14 cm): 12 pp paginated [3] to 14. Lacking (presumed) title-leaf. Unstitched, and consisting of one sheet of paper, 45 x 28 cm, folded twice to make four leaves; and one half sheet, 22.5 x 28 cm, folded to make two leaves. Text clear and entire, on heavily aged and spotted paper chipped at extremities. In an attempt to defend a perceived attack on his honour, W. D. B. prints, with commentary, three letters written by him to the editor of the Naval and Military Gazette, only the first of which was published (6 August 1839).

12mo: iv + 164 pp. In original green cloth, with the title in gilt on the front cover. All edges gilt. Slightly foxed. Good and tight, in lightly worn cloth. A curious collection, with the index of first lines containing such entries as 'Sweet Edgbaston bells' [this poem dated 1844], 'Dear Varinka', ' 'Twas a boy in a cut-off jacket' and 'They call me little Trottie'. All three series are excessively scarce. The only copy of this third series on COPAC is in the British Library, and the only copy on WorldCat in California.

In 4to and 8vo as stated below. All items unbound. The collection as a whole in reasonable condition, although lightly aged and worn. Some items with detached plates or leaves. Most items annotated in pencil, probably by the 'Mr Merry' named in the receipt in item 10.1. [4to, 16 pp, in printed wraps, 221 lots] [Instructed by Mr. James W. Partridge to Sell by Auction, on the premises] The Old Grammar School, Alvechurch, Worcestershire. Catalogue of the Sale of Valuable Old English Furniture, Old China, Oil Paintings, Morland, Mezzotint and Stipple Prints, &c.

12mo, 4 pp. Good, on aged paper with a little light staining at head. A significant letter, in which Warren gives information of those of Warren's 'poor works' which have been engraved: 'they have been chiefly for book illustration and are spread through many publishers'. Begins by describing how 'Murray's Childe Harold has many vignettes, very well engraved from my drawings'. Ends by saying that 'There is also a print in the mixed style of considerable size engraved by Humphreys but not yet published. It is from my picture of a story teller reciting in a coffee house of Damascus'.

On a piece of paper roughly 8.5 x 19 cm. Heavily aged, creased and with wear to extremities. Signatures clear and entire. Some loss to bottom left-hand corner. Printed text (involving a transfer) with manuscript insertions. Two red wafers. Signed 'A Whitehall | Admiralty | Paymaster R.N.'; 'E. M. Primrose'; 'Henry Crane | 14 Broad St | Clerk'; 'Joseph Chamberlain'. Chamberlain left Southbourne in Edgbaston in 1880.

12mo, 3 pp. Very good, with a strip of cream paper from previous mounting adhering to the blank verso of the second leaf of the bifolium. He has 'received a Catalogue of the Friends Book Society's Annual Sale held by your and Mrs Barrow's kind invitation'. He and his wife 'should have enjoyed being present very much: if for no other reason, yet in remembrance of thirty years ago, when I used to enjoy the Sales exceedingly', but they will be 'in London on the day fixed'. Shorthouse was born into the Society of Friends, but joined the Church of England.

One page. Dimensions of card roughly three and a half inches by four and a half. Right-hand side and bottom edge of card cropped. 'Autograph of' printed at head, and beneath this 'To Albert Millwa | With very best wi | Murray Kash'. The right-hand edges of the letter 'K' in Kash's name extend rightwards over the rest of the word, and may be very slightly cropped. Upper four lines of biographical cutting laid down at foot. Fragment of printed letter from Millward (and signed by him) requesting the autograph, beneath remains of plastic film on reverse.

Two pages, quarto. Well preserved, on good lightly-aged paper, but with the original piece of paper (which was roughly nine inches by seven and a half wide) now neatly cut into three strips (the top and bottom of which are two and three-quarter inches high, and the middle three and a half inches high). The text is extremely neatly written and entirely legible, and the whole easily repairable with archival tape. The whole of this long, interesting letter (thirty-five lines and a two-line postscript) is given over to the current craze for autograph collecting (for which see A. N. L.

One leaf, 4to. On the recto (headed "Progress of the Movement") the motion Henry Richard has given notice of in Parliament is quoted and discussed as well as other initiatives taken round the world, concluding with the American Peace Society "working energetically . . . [holding] meetings . . . to celebrate the Victory of the Washington Treaty . . . addressed by . . . . Elihu Burritt . . . and other eminent men." On the verso (headed "International Arbitration.

One page, 12mo. Black border. Good, on aged and ruckled paper, with small glue stain at head (not affecting text). Asks to be released from 'coming to Oldham Road' on 4 July, as 'Saturday is an evening wich I usually make a rule of keeping to myself for the purposes of preparation for the Sunday'. Docketed at head in contemporary hand, 'Revd Arthur Mursell, Manchester'. Mursell's most interesting work would appear to be 'Bright Beads on a Dark Thread; or visits to the haunts of vice, etc.' (London, 1873).

The studio photograph, with printed label of 'Walter Baker, 159, Mosely Road, Birmingham. Highgate Studios.' on reverse, and the manuscript number '24704 | 98'. is a good clear head and shoulders portrait (dimensions roughly three and a half inches by two and a quarter wide), in very good condition. Although untitled, it seems to be Carl, as represented on the title-page of his book, without the moustache and a little younger. The book is twenty-eight pages, octavo, in original coloured printed boards. Numerous line drawings.

British economic historian (1860-1927), a disciple of Arnold Toynbee, and proponent of the historical method pioneered in Germany by such scholars as Roscher, Hildebrand and Knies. The manuscript items are all 12mo, the typed item quarto. All twelve docketed and bearing the Society's stamp, and signed 'W. T. Ashley'. The collection is in very good condition, though grubby in parts and with one or two creased corners. An interesting and characteristic correspondence. ITEM ONE (3 pages, 12mo, 5 August 1913): Declines proposal to act as examiner.

English artist (1809-42). One page, quarto, with the second leaf of the bifoliate bearing the address ('To | William Haines Esqr.. | Sol[icito]r. | Cannon Street | Birmingham'), with the remains of a red wax seal, and two postmarks. Discoloured, and with damp stains causing discoloration and damage to the paper, but not affecting the legibility of the text. Small spike hole through both leaves, not affecting text. Having been 'from home yestereday on a painting expidition' he could not acknowledge Haines' letter sooner.