BRADLAUGH

2pp., 12mo. Fifteen lines. On bifolium. Fair, on lightly-aged paper. The male recipient is not named. She apologies that 'the crowd of Christmas engagements' has meant that his letter has gone unanswered until now. 'With regard to the question you ask, my feeling is that where an artist and an author can contrive to work well together illustrations are a decided improvement to novels. But it is most trying to an author to see his characters presented to the public in a way utterly unlike his own conception of them.' In her view it is 'clear gain' if a book can be 'well illustrated'.

12mo, 1 p. Fifteen lines. Text clear and complete. Very good on lightly-aged paper. The valediction ('Yours sincerely | C. Bradlaugh') in Bradlaugh's hand, the rest in a secretary's. Addressed to 'F. Harris Esq'. Docketed by Harris: '18 or 20th of Feb. or March. Length unlimited: but more valuable short.' Bradlaugh is working on the article, but 'must not send it' before the report is presented to parliament, which Lord Derby assures him 'will be within fourteen days of the Reopening of the House'. He asks about length and deadline.

One one side of a piece of laid paper, roughly 21 x 13 cm. Clear and complete on aged and spotted paper. A couple of manuscript emendations, in a contemporary hand: 'I'm' in the text expanded to 'I am' for the sake of scansion, and 'like' in the text changed to 'likes' for the sake of grammar. Sixteen-line poem arranged in four stanzas.