NATURAL

Thirty plates Illustrative of Natural Phenomena, with a short description annexed to each hand-coloured plate, 4to, 35 x 28cm, hf.bound, green cloth, black cf corners and sp., worn, gt bands on spine, 30 engraved plates with fine original hand colour (some spotted, one with small closed tear not affecting text), MS. list of images on verso of front free endpaper, with attractive MS. title "Phenomena of Nature"on recto of second free endpaper, images mostly by Whymper if not all.

On an irregular slip of paper, laid down on a landscape 12mo leaf. In very good condition, with light signs of age and wear. Beneath Schouw's signature, in an early nineteenth-century hand: 'Joachim Frédéric Schouw, célèbre botaniste, président de la chambre des députés, né 1789.' To the right of the signature and inscription is a simple line portrait of Schouw's head and shoulders, in the same hand as the French inscription.

2pp., 12mo. In fair condition, on aged and worn paper, with slight damage to second leaf caused by removal from mount. The letter is in a secretarial hand, with Tegetmeier writing the valediction: 'Very sincerely Yours | W B Tegetmeier | C Collette Esq'. He thanks him for his 'exceedingly kind and friendly reception of me at the Club last night', and encloses 'a slip of what I wrote in the Queen, as it may interest you'. He asks to be sent a post card to confirm receipt, 'as I am not quite certain whether you have any letters sent to the Club'.

1p., 12mo. In stamped envelope addressed by Wood to 'J. T. Baron Esq | 18 Griffin St | Witton | Blackburn'. Writing in 'greatest haste' he explains that he does not know the address of the writer George Macdonald (1824-1905). 'If you address to him at Messrs Isbister & Co 56 Ludgate Hill, the letter will probably reach him'.

2pp., 4to. In fair condition, on aged paper, with minor staining from paper clip at head of first leaf. Anthony's letter to Dr L. O. Howard, Secretary of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 'has been referred to the Smithsonian Institution for reply concerning the sending of packages to you through the International Exchange Service'. He sets out the state of affairs regarding the sending of 'three packages, contents unknown' to Anthony at the Town Hall, East London, Cape Colony. The final paragraph concerns publications sent to Anthony in Argentina.

"Reprinted from the 'Natural History Journal', February, March [...] 1887", 30 leaves paginated on recto, folding map of Ackworth (frontis.), light grey-green printed wraps, foxed, sunned and sl. grubby, wear and tear, contents good. ENCLOSED: Autograph Letter Signed from Hugh Richardson, The Gables, Elswick Road, Newcastle-on-Tyne, to "Mr J.H. Nodal" Stockport [co-writer of 'A glossary of the Lancashire dialect', etc., 11 Sept.1888.

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, on aged and worn paper, with closed tear along gutter and traces of mount on black reverse of second leaf. He fears she will think him 'but faithless' when he asks that she does not wait for him that day, 'as if Lord B. comes in to Edinbh. as I expect him to I cannot depend on getting away from home as early as 2'. He suggests that they go to Arthur's Seat the following day, and in a postscript explains that his sons have delivered the present letter 'en passant to school', and that they will wait 'for a verbal answer' on their way home.

3pp., 8vo. A long letter in a close hand. Bifolium, with each of the two leaves folded in half vertically to make two columns, with Pourret writing in the right-hand column, and the archbishop giving his responses in the other. In fair condition, lightly aged and ruckled. Docketed on reverse of second leaf 'Mgr. L'arcev. 14. 18. juin. 1785.' The letter begins: 'M. L'abbé jaubert vient de m'addresser une lettre pour votre grandeur que je m'empresse de vous faire parvenir.

Both letters 2pp., 8vo, and both bifoliums. The pair in fair condition, aged and worn, with slight damage to second leaf of one letter from breaking of seal, and offsetting to a blank page on the other. The first letter, thanking him for a gift and expressing eagerness to meet him when he visits Montpellier, is addressed on reverse of second leaf to 'Monsieur L'Abbé Pourret chez Mr. Bosquet negotiant | a Nismes'.

2pp., 4to. 36 closely-written lines of text. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. Addressed, with 'NISMES' postmark, on reverse of second leaf, to 'Monsieur L'abbé Pourret | membre de plusieurs academies | à Narbonne'. The letter begins: 'il est bien tems me direz vous mon cher collegue que je vous donne de mes nouvelles, et surtout des plantes que que j'ai reçues de votre part'. He proceeds to give a detailed report, naming several specimens.

2pp., 12mo. In fair condition, on lightly aged and creased paper. He writes that he has received the collection of specimens safely, and that there are several that are new to him. He would like to make a selection, but pressure of work makes that impossible, so he is taking the lot at £8 18s 0d. He concludes by expressing pleasure at the news that 'Monsieur Dale' still enjoys good health.

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged and worn, with thin strip from stub adhering to edge of second leaf. The page is headed 'Private & Confidential', and the poem is preceded by the following note: 'I must send you the verses on the Battle of the Sunflower on "The Batsford Nondescript". A twenty-four line poem, in six four-line stanzas, on the theme of a disagreement over the naming of a specimen, between the botanist Anthony Hurt Wolley-Dod (1861-1948) and the director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Sir William Turner Thiselton-Dyer (1843-1928).

The three letters total 5pp., 8vo. On aged and damp-stained paper. In the first letter (21 May 1902) Ducie writes that he has that morning received Mellersh's book ('A Treatise on the Birds of Gloucestershire', 1902), and that he is 'delighted with it. Whether it would find a "public" if offered in a cheaper form, I cannot say. It is too scientific for the crowd. | I note only one error. You make out that I shot a Squacco Heron. I bought it or had it given to me from Berkeley'.

Two Vols bound in one, hf. lea, faded and worn, marbled boards, worn, contents v.g.. Vol. I, pp.iv.174; Vol. II, iv.148 (inc. indexes and list of members). Honorary Vice-Presidents include Haeckel, Babington, Huxley, Lankester. Scarce.

Nevins was a passionate opponent of Darwinism, and the present item, composed any time after 1854 (the latest date of the various works referred to in the text), reflects the crisis of faith in the period leading up to the publication of the 'Origin of Species'. Nevins would set out his position on 'Natural Selection, Sexual Selection, Evolution' in his 1872 inaugural address as President of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Liverpool (Proceedings, No. 26, 1872, pp.1-26), attacking the 'imperfect and one-sided view' put forward by 'the advocates of man's lowly origins'.

The thirteen cards are all 13 x 7.5cm. All with 'POSTAL CARD' printed on front, and all with Cincinnati postmarks, nine also carrying Newport postmarks. All thirteen addressed to Siewers at Newport. For information on Charles Dury (1847-1901) see his obituary by Annette F. Braun in the Ohio Journal of Science, November 1931, pp.512-514. Braun stresses Dury's wide correspondence, and association with individuals including Alfred Russell Wallace, E. D. Cope, Spencer F. Baird, George Horn, John L. LeConte, Robert Ridgway, Elliott Coues, and his 'companion of many field trips' Professor J. S.

7 pp., sm., fol., with plate, in blue wraps, sewn as issued. INSCRIBED by the author: A Mons. A. Brongniart [eminent French chemist, geologist and mineralogist] de la part de l'Auteur".

4pp., 4to. On four loose leaves. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with the slightest ruckling to the first leaf. Neatly and closely written out. A scholar's working copy, with deletions, emendations, and notes in the margin. As an example, the first page carries 39 entries in ink, with an additional entry in pencil. The third entry reads: 'Acanthus G. IV. 123 [with '3E 45.' added in pencil] Acanthus mollis, Smooth Brank-Ursine'.

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Very good, on lightly-aged paper. The name of the addressee is indistinct, and appears to be 'S. Algernon'. The letter reads: 'Dear Sir | I regret that I am unable to give the Lecture you ask for. I really have no business to undertake any kind of public speaking & except in very special circumstances, I keep out of it'.

4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. With mourning border. Good, on lightly-aged paper. The letter begins: 'My dear Yonge, | I dare say you remember my telling you of the proposed series of educational books to be issued from the Clarendon Press, Oxford, and asking whether your sister would be willing to undertake any English books, if the Delegates of the Press should make an offer to her.

Subscription of letter, "With every] good wish of the season / Most [truly?] / Jos D Hooker",c. 11.5 x 5cm. On reverse there are the vestiges of the laying down process and, in another hand, the ascription to "Dr Hooker the Superintendent of the Gardens at Kew".

1p., 4to. In fair condition, aged and lightly-creased. The letterhead includes fourteen endorsements from newspapers in the left-hand margin, with Pike described as 'Author of the Birdland Books. | 100,000 copies sold.' Although bearing a genuine signature, the letter may be a circular. Pike is enclosing 'a copy of my Lecture Prospectus for next season' (not present). He goes on to discuss his 'new Lecture entitled: - "BIRDLAND CAMEOS"', before concluding: 'If your Society should decide to engage me, I can promise them a thoroughly interesting evening.'

142pp., 4to. In a ruled notebook, bound in black cloth, with marbled endpapers. In fair condition, on aged paper, in worn binding with loss to a corner of a board. Starting at one end of the notebook is the diary of autograph entries, each dated and initialled by Mrs Driberg. In 1932 Mrs Driberg, a formidable Scottish widow in the last years of her life, has five hives (numbered 1 to 4, with a fifth observation hive), with a sixth hive (No. 5) added by 1934.

2pp., 12mo. 29 lines. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with minor traces of previous mounting, and the annotation '13/19' in a contemporary hand. A significant letter relating to an important collection. Fielding bequeathed his herbarium and botanical library to the University of Oxford where, as the Oxford DNB explains, they formed for many years 'one of the key resources for the study of botany'.

4pp., 12mo. Very good, on lightly-aged paper, with minor traces of stub adhering to margin. He has received Flower's 'catalogue'. 'I was sure you wd. be delighted with Egypt. It has so much to tell us about man & nature. The early stages of mans progress, & the variety of nature.' Zincke would like 'time to look into things & to think about them': he was in Egypt 'only as many weeks as you were months'.

1p., 4to. Eight lines. Fair, on lightly-aged paper, with slight discoloration to the blank reverse, caused by tape repair to a short closed tear. In envelope addressed by Gibbings to 'Mrs. de Navarro | P.O. Box 88 | Mont-Rolland | P.Q. | Canada'. He thanks her for her 'nice letter'. He is 'now hard at work on the engravings for my new book "Coming Down The Seine" to be published in the autumn; then I may be going back to Ireland again.' He ends in sending 'every good wish for 1953'.

1p., 4to. Ten lines. Fair, on aged paper, with one unobtrusive closed tear. Greenhow describes the surviving correspondence concerning 'natural improvements' between Madison and Monroe, and speculates regarding a discrepancy.

2pp., 8vo. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with two unobtrusive pinholes to second leaf (not affecting text). He is sending the 'matter' to Bramief 'as an earnest of my good nature, for I think I am somewhat justified under the circumstances in the impression that you have been a trifle <?> and exacting.' He still considers the form of is second letter 'was all that you could reasonably have asked for and that the request for so called "copy" was especially needless in the facce of the fact that it was in any event to be trusted turned, cut and otherwise subdued to suit your requirements'.

2 pp, 4to. Text clear and complete. Fair, on lightly-aged paper, with slight wear to extremities. On one leaf, with both sides ruled with red borders. In Payne's neat and distinctive hand, and attributed to him in pencil at head.

8vo, 1 p. Good, on lightly-aged paper. A covering letter for 'the supplementary article on Buffalo' (in the 'Encyclopaedia Americana' supplements to 'Encyclopaedia Britannica', 1883-1885, the first two volumes of which Thompson was editor).