CENTURY

3pp., 12mo. Very good, on lightly-aged paper. In original envelope, with stamp and postmark, addressed by Bennett to 'John T Baron Esq. | 48 Griffin Street | Blackburn | [signed] W C Bennett'. He begins by informing Baron that four numbers of 'The Lark' have already been published.

Letter One: 4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. With decorative letterhead in red. Very good, on lightly-aged paper. Addressed to 'My dear Old DD' and 'E. D. Davis'. He realises that Davis is in 'a precious state of mind', and will only send 'a few lines to exchange domestic greetings of kindliness & good fellowship from the circle of Balham to the Square in N'Castle - the waters of the Thames mingle with those of the Tyne'.

2pp., 4to. Bifolium. Fair, on aged paper. De Grey begins: 'You have very much obliged me by accepting a small Present of Game, and many of my neighbours as well as myself will rejoyce in your Correspondent supplying me with a pipe of Port and a Hogshead of Calcavalla, [sic] if a Hogshead of Sherry could be procured without any additional trouble, it would add to the Obligation'.

The letterhead features an image of an hornet seated at a writing table. Letter One: 1p., 12mo. Bifolium. Fair, on aged paper. The letter reads: 'Friday | Dear Draper | Have you made up your mind to let me have a conceit or two for Ye Hornet. I can only offer 5/- a column but then Column is but a very brief affair. | Yours always | [signature in the form of a drawing of a hornet]'. Letter Two: 2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with slight traces of previous mount on reverse of second leaf. Addressed to 'My dear Draper'.

1p., 12mo. On thick deckled-edge paper. He apologises for the delay in sending a copy of his 'Iron Pirate', due to a delay in receiving it from the publishers.

1p., 12mo. With mourning border. In fair condition, on aged paper. The note reads: 'Temple | 19 March 1853 | My dear Captain Manby, | Many thanks for your letter. I did not find your book within it, but shall be very happy to receive and read it, as I am everything of the kind emanating from you | Believe me | very truly yours | Fitzroy Kelly | Captn Manby R.N.'

2pp., 12mo. The final leaf of the letter only. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. A poignant letter, given its author's early death. Regarding 'the Shelter' Mackirdy writes that 'Lady Brassey the Duchess of St Albans Lady Radnor & others have been giving big dinner parties etc for me & I only go in order to meet people who will help with the Shelter. I am not very strong and have such heavy work that now I find I simply cannot indulge my own tastes & enjoy my firends if I am going to do definite work.

The four items in good condition, on lightly-aged and dusty paper. Letter One (11 May1879): 2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Begins in typical high-spirited style: 'To morrow (Monday) I shall be at Radlett, and shall forward by train to you, at St Albans Station, Midland, the proof sheets of Dacorum, which I shall not expect you to return until you become the First Lord of the Admiralty. Then, I shall.' Letter Two (25 September 1879): 2pp., 12mo, and 1p., 8vo. Bifolium.

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, on aged paper with wear to corners. The context of the letter is apparent from the following advertisement in The Times, 29 June 1846: 'On the 30th of June, will be published, in 8vo., price 2s. 6d., the first number of | THE MONTHLY PRIZE ESSAYS. Each number will contain six Essays in Prose and six in Verse. The first prize for prose will be £20; the second, £15; the third, £10; and the other three, £5 each. There will be but three prizes for poetry - £5, £3, and £2. The Essays must be delivered by the 30th of the previous month.

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'.

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium, with mourning border. In envelope, with stamp and postmark, addressed by Yonge to 'J. J. Bacon [sic] Esq | 18 Griffin St. | Welton | Blackburn | Lancashire'. Good, on lightly-aged paper, in worn envelope. He informs him that his edition of Plutarch's 'Parallel Lives' was published by Chapman & Hall.

1p., 12mo. Fair, on lightly-aged paper. Reads: 'Dr. Draper/ | Do something for No 2. | No 1 was put of for a week | Yours | Aug: Mayhew'. Mayhew edited the Comic Almanac between 1848 and 1850.

Nicely printed within a border on one side of a piece of 19 x 12 cm laid paper. In good condition, lightly-aged. Headed: 'THOMAS FRÈRES, | NGTS. A VALENCE, DÉPT. DE LA DROME. | REPRÉSENTÉS VOYAGEUR.' 22 'VINS ROUGES' (from 'Hermitage' to 'Bordeaux') and 13 'VINS BLANCS' (from 'Hermitage' to 'Muscat de Beziers') are listed, followed by six items from 'Eau-de-vie vieille du Languedoc' to 'Truffes noires'. Prices are only given (in pencil) for three items.

The sheet is 38 x 27.5cm; and the dimensions of the plate are34 x 25cm. At foot of plate: 'London, Published by Thos. Mc.Lean, 26 Haymarket, 1824.' The engravings, each 11 x 8cm., are arranged in two rows of two. In good condition, lightly-aged and with a torn pin hole at head, presumably where the print was torn from its string. Moving clockwise from top left, the prints are as follows.

1p., 4to. Neatly written-out within a red ruled decorative border. In fair condition, on aged and lightly-creased paper. The poem is twelve lines long, and begins: 'Oh Sir! Words are, but inadequate to reveal, | Humble and penetent [sic] as I, admittedly, feel | To own my hapless grevious folly | In venturing to accost you unceremoniously; | And it grives me all the more to state | That in my guileless efforts to propitiate | I have only given you an offence so grave | That on my knees, your pardon, I humbly crave'.

An attractive item, with the poem neatly written out on one side of a piece of 19 x 14cm paper, and placed within a 17.5 x 11.5cm windowpane in a 32.5 x 24.5cm leaf. The poem, consisting of twenty lines arranged in five four-line stanzas, begins: 'We loved you Colonel Peacock | And will always cherish you; | It's a truth; no idle talk, | Though told in words so few.' The last stanza reads: 'Fare you well kind master!

The present item is a puzzle. Farington joined the Incorporated Society of Artists at the age of twenty-one, and played an active part in its affairs until his resignation in 1773.

[2] + 8 + [1] pp., small (18 x 14 cm.) 4to. Sewn with green ribbon into white wraps, with 'Pattie's Christmas Tree' in gilt on front. In good condition, with the wraps slightly sunned in panels. Inscribed at head of title-page 'With kind regards'. The pamphlet contains a single poem titled 'Pattie's Christmas Tree', printed on eight pages each with decorative border in gilt. Printer's slug on revers of title, and colophon on last page. The beginning and end of the poem indicate the theme.

12pp., 12mo. In original printed wraps bearing the title, dramatis personae, printer's slug, and contemporary pencil note: 'Performed at Literary Institute Wednesday June 8th 1898.' On aged and worn paper, with curling to fore-edge, and a cloth strip sewn on to strengthen spine. A comedy in heroic couplets. Excessively scarce: no copies on COPAC or WorldCat OCLC. Kirshaw was active between the 1870s and 1890s.

4pp., 4to. 75 lines of neatly-written text. On creased aged paper, with a few closed tears (one of them 11cm long). He begins by praising Bonham-Carters 'objective & informed comments on American opinion' ('I hope you will feel encouraged to publish more of your findings'). 'But gratitude & a thirst for information & about American politics are not my only reason [sic] for writing. I wish you were in England, for I would very much enjoy an exchange of views with you about the position of the Party.

The inventory (14pp.) is at the front of a 4to notebook, with ten pages of genelogical and other notes at the back. In good condition, on aged-paper, in worn original vellum quarter-binding, with blue patterned paper boards, and ties. Label on front board: 'Mobilier Picard A Faurel'. The inventory is dated 1839 on a title-page, but includes entries from the 1840s. It is divided into the following four sections, under calligraphic headings: 'Argenterie' (2pp.), 'Meubles Meublant' (5pp.), 'Linge' (4pp.) and 'Vins Fins' (3pp.).

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Ainsworth begins: 'My dear Mr. Fullom, I am happy to tell you that you are under a great mistake. Your manner, on the occasion you refer to, produced the most favourable impression upon me.' Fullom 'exhibited great delicacy and modesty', and Ainsworth 'stated as much to Mr. Hurst'. The omission was in fact on Ainsworth's own part, in neglecting to thank Fullom for his 'flattering proposal to dedicate your romance to me'.

The engraving, which is not in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, is on a piece of 19 x 14 cm paper, with tissue guard. The image measures around 8 cm square, and shows Landor's head in profile, looking to the left, with 'A. D'Orsay' beneath to the left, and 'H. W. Smith' beneath to the right. In good condition, lightly-aged, with small stain to one edge of border. Attached to a piece of paper, along with the piece of Landor's autograph, which is on a 1 x 18.5 cm strip of grey paper cut from a letter, and is in fair condition, lightly-creased.

2pp., 4to. An excellent letter, stylish and charming, and a lucky survival. In poor condition, apparently as a result of fire damage: with wear and chipping repaired with archival tape.

In 1868 Joseph Swan (inventor of the incandescent electric bulb) set up the company to commercialise his patented process for producing permanent photographic images. Throughout the nineteenth century it was known as the Autotype Fine Art Company, It changed its name to the Autotype Company Ltd in 1923, and is now MacDermid Autotype. All five items are in good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Item One dates from before the company's move from 74 to 59 New Oxford Street in 1926; and the other four items from after the move.

On one side of a 5.5 x 11 cm piece of laid paper. In good condition, lightly-aged and with slight rusting from paperclips on the reverse. Cut from a letter, and reading: '[...] Hospital at Ventnor | Yours very truly | [signed] Richard Quain'.

On 8.5 x 11 cm piece of paper, cut from the bottom of a letter. In good condition, lightly-aged. Entirely in German's hand. The side of the letter with the signature reads: '[...] write you, & I hope we may be able to arrange a meeting. | Yours sincerely | Edward German'. The other side reads: '[...] you at Sidcup with the Georges many years ago. | I should be very pleased to meet you again, but at present I seem to be fully occupied [...]'.

Letter: 6pp., 12mo, on bifolium and single leaf. An vivid and entertaining letter, shedding light on Victorian valuation and auctioneering practices. Barling wastes no time in passing on the bad news. 'I am very glad you have written to me about the B[awdeswe]ll. pictures & I can tell you [last world underlined] plainly what the 2 Christie's opinion was which I cd. not do to poor old C[larke]. S[toughto]n. The inspection in issue was a grievous disappointment. So far worse than I cd. have possibly believed, and then coming the question cd. two such Men as the Christies be wrong?

On one side of a piece of 11 x 11 cm paper, cut from the bottom of a letter. In good condition, lightly-aged. Reads, all in Kennedy's hand: 'Yours sincerely | Margaret Kennedy'.

ONE (memorandum): Headed: 'Memorandum of an Agreement between Messrs: Henry S. King & Co: of 65 Cornhill London of the one part and Mortimer Collins Esqre. of Knowl Hill, Twyford, Berks of the other part.' 19 March 1872. 1p., folio. In fair condition, on lightly-aged and worn paper. Pencil annotations. Five stamps at head (four embossed and one ink).