LONG

iii + 71pp., 8vo. Stapled. In pink printed wraps. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. Numerous sections under three main headings: Discussion of Skill; Vocational Psychology; Psychological Tests of Skill and Manual Dexterity. Five copies on COPAC, but uncommon nevertheless.

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. A well-written and oddly-entertaining letter, and an evocative piece of Victorian social history. From the context it is clear that the recipient and his wife have been accused of overstepping the terms of a will, and on this matter Almack begins: 'Furniture is very comprehensive, and would I think include Work boxes, Chests, & plated Goods. It has even been decided that plate would so pass! - Also plated would. | Under "bed linen," Blankets & Quilts pass. Under "Household Linen", Coloured Table Cloths & Doyleys would pass.

Silk & Sons of Long Acre were one of the leading Victorian coach builders, Robert Silk (born c.1797, fl.1871) already being established in Long Acre by 1851. In due course Robert was succeeded by his son William (born 1824), who in his turn took his sons William junior (1853-1911) and Robert John (1858-1934) into the business. The firm continued to trade at least until 1907, when the Long Acre premises were sold. The present collection of eleven items derives from the firm's archive.

2pp., 12mo. Printed on facing pages on one side of a landscape 8vo leaf, with blank reverse. In fair condition, on aged paper, laid down on part of a leaf removed from an album. The left-hand page carries three items: 'The Confidence Trick. A scene in Oxford Street.' (a series of puns with a purpose now lost, beginning 'A stout "Nave," | Met a green "Felloe"'), 'Anecdotes of the old Coaching Days' (beginning 'Talleyrand bought a new coach, but did not pay for it.') and 'Lord Lyndhurst'. The last reads in full: 'Ordered Robert Peake to build him a Chariot. It was finished and approved of.

Silk & Sons were one of the leading coach builders of Victorian London, Robert Silk (born c.1797, fl.1871) already being established in Long Acre by 1851. Robert Silk was succeeded by his son William (born 1824), who in his turn took his sons William junior (1853-1911) and Robert John (1858-1934) into the business. The firm continued to trade at least until 1907, when the Long Acre premises were sold.The present collection, mainly compiled by the elder William Silk, contains around 350 items relating to carriages, coaches, coaching and coach building, dating from between 1750 and 1893.

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium, on grey paper embossed with crest. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper, with slight damage to second leaf and with part of the paper to which it was attached still adhering to the blank reverse. He begins by declaring that he is 'much vexed' over a mix-up about a parcel of books 'I wrote expressly to London to desire that they might be sent here. As there is no help for it now I must beg you to believe it was not through carelessness of mine'. He asks her to send them on to Dartington, and to let him know the cost, which he will remit in postage stamps.

Letter: 1p., 4to. Good, on blue paper. Addressed to 'Dear Gerry', it reads: 'Please accept the enclosed book. I hope you & your family are well & flourishing. We have to soldier on - with some hope in our hearts - despite the molestations of a dark age. | The best there is | [signed] Hugo'. Book: 34 + [i] pp., 8vo. Very good copy; in fair dustwrapper, with slight spotting at head. Limited to 550 copies. Inscribed on half-title 'To Gerald & Anne Long | wishing them peace & all good things | [signed] Hugo Manning | 1976'.

18pp., in a 16mo notebook. In good condition, in lightly-worn decorative paper boards. The entire volume is in Manning's autograph, with a title-page reading: 'BEYOND THE TERMINUS of STARS | A Sequence | HUGO MANNING | PHOENIX PRESS | LONDON | W.8 | First published in 1949'. Sections I ('What new life stirs in the worst of pain') to VIII ('Many wear masks in this pathological drama:') are copied out complete, and IX ('When the bird of sundown sheds its blood of darkness,') ending with the line 'Graduated in Lisbon at a cabaret for tourists,'. A fair copy, without any apparent revisions.

Letter One: 4to, 3 pp. 66 lines of text. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with a small hole in the second leaf caused by the cutting away of the seal, resulting in minor loss to a few words of text. Addressed, on verso of second leaf of bifolium, to 'Professor Ticknor | Boston | Mass.' Undated, but with red postmark dating the letter to December, and docketed by Ticknor 'S. [sic] Long. | Dec. 1825.' Long responds to a request from Ticknor for information regarding 'the nature & tenure of our Fellowship' at Cambridge.

12mo, 2 pp. Bifolium. 12 lines. Text clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. He would 'much like' to show him a song he has written for 'Exeter Hall', and proposes dinner the following day. In a postscript asks if he has 'learnt anything about R. J. S. Stevens'.

12mo, 1 p. Bifolium. Good, on lightly-aged paper. He is sending 'a few lines to Mr. Otto Goldschmidt, about the Bach Choir'.

12mo, 2 pp. Bifolium. 17 lines. Text clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Begins 'I cannot help thinking your request a very unreasonable one. You have, in the first instance, monopolized, for the best part of the season, my Room, on the night when it is most in request; & now that every body has fully laid out his plans for this side off the autumn you call upon me to release you from an engagement [...]'. He will not force the recipient to occupy the room 'longer than the six nights', but will not keep 'the engagement' open for him at Christmas.

12mo, 2 pp. 15 lines. Text clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Having failed to 'catch' lister after 'our practice', Hullah asks if he would be willing to 'take part in a private performance here of Haydn's Stabat Mater'. Gives details of dates of proposed performance, and rehearsal.

12mo, 1 p. 10 lines. Text clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. The recipient 'had better be in Town for the Choral Meeting on the 4th. June'. Gives details of when the recipient will 'generally find' Hullah there.

Letter: 4to, 1 p. Twenty-six lines. Text clear and complete. On aged and worn paper, with a couple of holes, light staining and indentations. Addressed to 'Jon', whose book, with a 'chapter pertaining to the Taylor case' Long 'would like very much to see'. Long encloses the copy of 'Taylorology', of which he writes, 'Despite my intentions, there was only one issue due to very poor response -- only a dozen subscribers.' He boasts that his 'collected material on this case', 'primarily newspaper clippings', 'weighs over 30 lbs., with more information coming in every week'.

4to, 2 pp. Bifolium. Addressed ('H. Davidson Esqr | | No 3 North Charlotte St | Edinb') and docketed ('Offer | The Clyde Salmon Fishing Company. | For Menzies Fishings in Holy Lock'), with two postmarks, on the reverse of the second leaf. Twenty three lines of text (including four-line initialled postscript), clear and complete. Good, on aged paper, with hole in second leaf from breaking of wafer. Discussing proposed terms, ending 'Or in place of a sent will give the net proceeds of every tenth fish after marketing -'.

8vo, 8 pp. Unbound. Text clear and complete. On aged paper with wear to extremities. According to the title-page the sale contains 'The Encyclopaedia Britannica, Johnson's Poets, Scott's Works, Swift's ditto, Annual Register, British Theatre, and other Works, in various branches of Literature; Prints, Books of Prints, Paintings, Mahogany Cabinets, Antiquities, Gold Repeater, Grand Piano-Forte, by Zeitter'.

Good, in original brown-paper sleeve with white printed 7 x 27 cm label. On thick black vinyl with white printed labels on both sides. The disc is numbered TLO.54460-2. The record is in a transparent polythene sleeve stamped in red 'B.B.C. RETURN RECORD TO SLEEVE'. It would appear that this recording of Murrow's interview was produced for distribution to the British (European?) press. No other copy of this item traced.

One page, 12mo. On creased, brittle, aged paper. Repaired with archival tape on reverse, which carries traces of previous mounting. He is sending some lines of introduction 'to my cameo friend who lives in Grafton St Bond St. - No. [i.e. number] unknown, but it is the second or third house on the right going from Bond St.' Hullah's 'Music Hall' - St Martin's Hall in Long Acre - opened in 1850. It burnt to the ground ten years later.