CLIVE

Despite the fair amount of attention bestowed on the 'Anglo-Japanese Conversation' - the secret negotiations between the British government and the Japanese ambassador at the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War - it is only with the discovery of these two documents that it can be established that the two countries continued with informal negotiations until the fall of Nanking.

46pp., 4to. In attractive honey-coloured velvet cloth binding with 20 x 14 cm panel of old embroidery set into cover, decorative endpapers, and all edges gilt. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper, in worn binding. An illuminated title-page carries the following poem: 'To Hospitality, this book we dedicate, | To Ivy House - and all whose happy fate | Leads them to bide awhile beneath its roof.

12mo, 3 pp. Bifolium with mourning border. Good: lightly aged and with a slight bloom at the foot. Text clear and complete. Written to a business partner, and providing an insight into the everyday workings of the Edwardian book trade. The beginning of the letter appears to be a response to suggestions by Service of authors to write a book on Holland. Begins 'Dear Mr. Service, | We cannot employ Clive Holland again until he has at least put his "Egypt" into a shape in which we can venture to reprint it.

4to: 2 pp. 26 lines. On lightly discoloured and spotted paper. She will be happy 'to send you word occasionally of any work or other matter concerning myself which might interest your readers'. Her 'new book', 'Enticement', 'has just been published by Leonard Parsons. At present I have not commenced another.' She has just returned from North Africa, 'where I motored over 3,000 miles in Algeria & Tunisia. On the strength of this I do not contemplate writing a "Sheik" story! We met no sheiks.