CHRISTMAS

On a gilt-edged piece of card, 13 x 11.5 cm., with rounded edges. In good condition, lightly aged. The illustration by 'E M W' on one side is printed in silver, yellow, light blue, grey and brown, and shows a snowy country scene with two tiny figures beneath a shining sun on a stone bridge over a stream. Captioned 'The Joy of Christmas be in your heart.' Cowan's eight-line poem, on the other side, is printed in grey, in variety of gothic fonts. It begins: 'Only its best and brightest history | May Memory relate you!

On a thick piece of shiny card, with rounded edges, 12.5 x 18cm. Aged, and with two dog eared corners and a 3cm closed tear (not affecting illustration). On one side is the chromolithographic illustration, with 'J. N. Drummond' in the bottom right-hand corner, showing an English rural landscape - more autumnal than winter - with river in the foreground and trees and viillage with church in the background.

1p., 4to. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. He thanks him for his 'note about Buddha rupas': 'We had all this nearly 20 years ago when Woolworths in London produced an ink stand of a Buddha rupa, or something like it, with a hole in the head for the pen. We wrote and protested, and they promptly withdrew it. But of course, no protest would have any effect in the U.S.A.' He and his colleagues are making the principles of Buddhism better known, as 'the only way to produce respect for a Buddhist symbol', but are restricted by their 'terribly limited funds'.

Printed in black on one side of a 12.5 x 16.5 cm piece of card. A charming image, framed within the drawn curtains of a theatre stage, showing four snowmen, dressed as toff in top hat, flat-capped figure with spade, lady with shawl and umbrella, and bowler-hatted figure with muffler and broom. At head of image 'A Merry Christmas', and at foot, 'from E. V. & Mary Knox'. In blue ink in border at foot of page: '110 Frognal. N.W.3.' and 'Hampstead 7330.' Mary Knox's father E. H. Shepard was the illustrator of the Winnie the Pooh books.

One page, 4to, c.35 x 24cm, folded (with marks), creased slightly at edges and on folds, some foxing and pinholes, blank reverse grubby, with two small woodcuts at top. A sheet containing a number of Christmas songs: The Black Decree (Herod); O see man's Saviour in Bethlehem born; While Shepherds watch'd their Flocks by Night; On Christmas Night all Christians sing. No other copy traced.

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, on aged and unevenly-sunned paper. He begins by giving six numbered points which 'will do for the Introduction' to a prospectus for a magazine. The first reads: 'The biographical & archaeological portion of the Magazine will be placed under the superintendance of the Revd Professor Christmas, M.A.

Printed in gold on one side of a piece of thin card. In very good condition. The message reads: 'May Christmas and the New Year bring | Your Excellency Happiness and Prosperity | and | your Country Honour and Victory. | GENERAL SIR BABER SHUM SHERE JUNG, | Bahadoor Rana, | Nepalese Army. | Delhi, 1916.'

Printed in brown on one side of a 20.5 x 25.5 cm piece of grey paper. In very good condition, lightly aged. An attractive production, with the text in a variety of fonts and point sizes. Beneath the heading 'Christmas Season, 1890.', the left-hand side of the page carries an engraving of eighteenth-century party-goers descending a staircase into a room in which is the sign 'Ludwig's Showroom for Xmas & New Year Presents.' On the right of the page the text reads: '84, High Street, Banbury. | J. H. Ludwig | Calls attention to his Season's Novelties in every Department | Showroom is now ready.

Macaulay's Autograph Letter Signed: '20 H. H. | 29 April'. 2pp., landscape 12mo. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Written, in a shaky and difficult hand, in blue ink and signed 'Rose', with 'Macaulay' added in black ink. Addressed to 'Dear Jacqueline'. Apparently written during or immediately after the Second World War, and concerning petrol coupons 'issued so lavishly to the generous & amiable young nobleman

The three items in good condition, on lightly-aged paper; the essay and first letter having punch-holes in the margin. The essay is 3pp., foolscap 8vo. The title, corrections and emendations are all in van der Post's hand. 'To someone like myself who believes that coincidence is the manifestation of a great law of which we are not yet properly aware, this timing of the birth of Christ is not accidental.

2pp., foolscap 8vo. On two leaves stapled together. In good condition, on lightly aged and creased paper. This item is discussed in M. F. Snape's 'God and the British Soldier: Religion and the British Soldier in the First and Second World Wars' (London: Routledge, 2005). Montgomery described Hughes as 'the ideal of what an Army padre should be', and according to Snape: 'A major theme which seemed to emerge from the collaboration of Montgomery and Hughes in 1942 was the notion of the consecration of British arms to a higher purpose.

Both items in very good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Item One (galley proofs): On piece of 13 x 49 cm. paper. In manuscript at head: '7 Harley Gardens SW | Monday | Dear Mrs Butterworth | The Printer will send you a proper proof tomorrow | Yours in haste | E Lowe'. The first part only, in small type, with one minor correction. The article is attributed to Augusta de Grasse Stevens in Helen O. Black's 'Notable Women Authors of the Day' (1893). Item Two (manuscript biography): 4pp., 4to. With a few minor emendations.

2pp., 12mo. A single leaf, attractively printed on both sides in vibrant colour halftone. In very good condition, on lightly-aged paper. One side advertises 'MR LANG'S XMAS BOOK FOR 1895 | THE RED | TRUE STORY BOOK | Edited by Andrew Lang | ILLUSTRATIONS by HJ. FORD', with a design with in a pink border depicting the book with its bright red cover illustrated in gilt.

A stylish and amusing 12mo card, with the cartoon printed in dark red and black on the front and the slug on the back. All printed. Tipped in inside the card is a bifolium, with 'BOOMPS-A-DAISY!' on the verso of the first leaf, and 'What is a BOOMP between friends?' and a short musical phrase at the head of the recto of the second leaf', with 'Peaceful New Year, | 1940 | from Gerald Hamilton | 91, Kinnerton Street | Belgrave Square, S.W 1.' beneath it.

8vo, 1 p. Image clear on aged paper, with the leaf loosely attached to the letterpress title of the work whence it comes (see below), that title being laid down in a folder with a window cut into the front for viewing the card through. The dimensions of the engraved illustration are roughly 12.5 x 8 cm, with the main feature of the elaborate design being contained in a circle 8 cm in diameter.

On a ruled leaf of laid paper detached from an account book. Dimensions 28.5 x 18.5 cm. Text clear and complete. On aged paper with chipping to extremities. One page, headed 'Xmas Toys 1879.' is filled with twenty-seven entries, beginning with '1 Gross 1/2 Flags 2 Gros 1/4 Candles [last word deleted] Flags' and ending with '1/2 Glass Toys. | 48 doz 1/2 Bird on Stand'. Other entries include 'Duck in Boats', 'Bird on Ball', 'Stag in Angle' and 'Glass Bird on Large Stand'. The reverse carries nine entries under the heading 'Moocrofts', the first being '504 6 Gross Shoe Plain 24/- 7..4..0'.

Three pages, 12mo. On aged paper, with some foxing, a few closed tears and wear to extremities. Glue and strip of mount adhering to blank verso of second leaf of bifolium. Text clear and entire. He is in 'a maelstrom of work and worry' and asks Ross 'a question which you are almost certain not to be able to answer!' Asks if he has 'seen Tom Smith's crackers', and if so, whether he observed 'anything specially and eminently notable'.

Company founded in 1908 by Philip Lee Warner and Eustace Gurney, 'to bring artists' work to the appreciation of a wider public'. One page, quarto. Folded twice. Good, but slightly foxed and lightly creased. The typed message reads ' "The best of Prophets of the future is the Past" | With the best of wishes for future success.' The signatures are arranged in four columns. The inclusion of 'Cobden-Sanderson' is unexplained.