SCANDAL

One page, 4to, pasted to card frame, grubby and stained but text readable and complete. "I confess your offer to be liberal in the extreme - and if [excision] I possibly can,will be with you about the second week in January - I am now interestingly engaged being on the point of marriage with a young lady of this place (Manchester) therefore the excuse of 'being married and can't come' (at least these 2 months) must in this case be valid - Have the goodness to send the agreeement [...] to me at T. Wilson Esq.

Circa 14 x 22cm, faintly stained, laid down on larger card, good condition. A bold signature. Note: Mrs Clarke, as she was known, had been the mistress of Frederick, duke of York, and had used her influence with him to obtain preferment and promotion for those in her large circle for a consideration. After her estrangement from the duke and his resignation as commander-in-chief she became involved in a number of libel actions and was for a time imprisoned.

The scandal resulted in the dissolution of the company in 1932, and its merging with others to form Air France. In their 'France and Fascism: February 1934 and the Dynamics of Political Crisis' (Routledge, 2015), Jenkins and Millington explain the background as follows: 'In 1931, it was revealed that the owners of the prestigious airline Aéropostale, the Bouilloux-Lafont family, had diverted Aéropostale's government subsidies into other struggling companies they controlled. When these collapsed, Aéropostale fell with them.

Piers was a thorough blackguard, who seduced Lady Cloncurry for a bet. The resulting Crim. Con. action was a notable London scandal, with Lord Cloncurry awarded the considerable sum of £20,000 in damages, which Piers payed with great reluctance. After a dishonorable sojourn on the Isle of Man, he returned to Ireland, where he built a high wall around his home to deter creditors. The present document dates from this latter period, and it is a matter of some doubt whether Koechy was paid the considerable sum owed to him for the upkeep of Piers's two sons. 3pp., 4to. Bifolium.

42pp., foolscap 8vo. In fair condition, on aged and lightly-worn paper, in worn binding. 'NOTES' and 'D. M. [Diplomatic Mission?]' in manuscript on the front cover. Written in a number of different hands, over a nine-year period, with occasional additions in red ink.

2pp., 4to. In good condition, on aged paper, with traces of mount at head. The Earl and his brother loathed one another. FitzHardinge was a notorious philanderer, and Berkeley - whose violent behaviour included assaulting the bookseller Fraser and duelling with Maginn - held his position as a Member of Parliament to spite him. The letter begins: 'Sir. | You have published a letter from Mr.

40pp., 4to. Not paginated. In very good condition. Covers and centre-spread printed in colour on glossy art paper, otherwise in black and white. Profusely illustrated. The third page carries an introdcution by 'Mandy', reading: 'Two questions . . . . . remain unanswered despite the many thousands of words written about the Ward Trial. How do girls like myself move into High Society circles? And just how loose are the morals of certain Top People? | These are the questions I have set out to answer - not in any way to whitewash myself.

12mo, 1p. Text clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. She is happy that her correspondent is enjoying himself, and looks forward to seeing him the following day, 'to take a friendly dinner'. An initialed pencil note in a contemporary hand at the head of the page reads 'The celebrated Lady who prosecuted Lord Wm Paget - Cassidy - others for getting into her Bed room at night in Paris to endeavour to carry her off & marry her for her large fortune to Cassidy | [signed] ' The incident - a great scandal of the age - was alluded to in 1844 in the Annual Register and other papers.

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'.

12mo, 3 pp. Bifolium. Very good on lightly-aged paper. Giving his 'testimony in contradiction of the Statement made in the document which you read to me in reference to the late Miss Marshall of Axminster being kept by you as her professional adviser with little money at her disposal'. States that 'The general impression in the Town was directly opposed to this statement and that impression was sufficiently sustained by the success attendant upon applications to Miss Marshall for and to benevolent purposes'. Gives examples showing 'she was never in want of money'.

The nature of this somewhat Pooterish 'scandal' is explained in one of the cuttings in the scrapbook: '[...] the Unionists of North Lambeth are making secret but strenuous efforts to insure the return of Mr. H. M. Stanley at the next election.

8vo: 32 pp. In original printed wraps, with photograph on front cover captioned 'Lord Murray, Sir Rufus Isaacs, and Mr. Lloyd George at Cap Martin.' Text clear and complete. On aged paper, in worn wraps. Inscription 'C. B. Harmsworth by JNP[?]k' on back. Scarce: no copy in the British Library, and the only copy on COPAC in the London School of Economics.

8vo, 4 pp. Bifolium. Sixty-eight lines of text. Complete and legible, but damaged: grubby and creased, with short closed tears and small hole at gutter. Interesting and informative letter. Stuart's message of condolence on Benjamin Whitworth's death is one of many which 'have been very acceptable more especially to his widow who has been laid aside so long with bad health, his daughters have been quite worn out'. Describes how his brother's health 'began to break down after a slight attack of paralysis some two or three years ago when at John Brown & Co Ld.

8vo: 334 pp. Portrait of Northcliffe as frontispiece. Three facsimiles of letters in text and fold-out with facsimiles of three of Northcliffe's letters. Inscribed by Owen on front pastedown 'To Elaine from Louise and Northcliffe. | Nov. 1938'. (The reference to 'Northcliffe' is explained by the fact that Owen considered herself a spirit medium, in contact with the deceased Viscount.) Internally good: sound and tight, on lightly aged paper. In original worn red cloth, with slight bloom on front.

4to: 2 pp. 35 lines of text. Good, on aged paper. Text clear and entire. Minor damage to one corner (not affecting text) through breaking open of wafer. He has received the letter with the 'observations de milord', whose 'propositions' are not 'acceptables'. Mentions a 'Mr. Tournal'. How could he offer 'Mr. Gerrard' 'les quatre cent quarante francs proposé par milord et meme les six cent francs fixé par vous?' Mentions Madame la Marquise de Sainte-Aulaire. Suggests a sum which would be acceptable to Gerrard and would thus avoid a trial the success of which would be uncertain.

8vo: iv + 48 + [ii] pp. Last leaf carries advertisements for works by Fairburn. In marbled wraps. Text clear and entire. On aged paper with slight wear and fraying, small holes and light stains to first four leaves. Title continues '[...] to which are added, The Q-'s last letter to the K-, Written a few Days before Her M-'s Death, and other Authentic Documents, never before published. | [quotation] I am the Viper that has been secretly wounding you both.

Actress, singer and dancer (1797?-1867), a great beauty whose amours were the subject of a number of pamphlets. "Thursday 2 o'clock", 3 pp, 12mo. She sent him a dinner invitation that morning but he had gone. "Thank Ferdinand for his Book which I return - and for the apple - which I shall cut up with some curiosity". In a postscript she thanks him for "I cannot sing". Signed "M H", so dating from after her marriage to Harrington in 1831. In good overall condition, despite negligible water staining, tears and traces of mount.

Upper middle-class English writer (1916-74), editor of the 'Spectator' magazine 1947-9, biographer of Queen Mary, beaten to death by gay lover. The recipient (1912-82) was a writer under the pseudonym Alice Acland. Born Anne Acland-Troyte. Her first husband was Robert Egerton Grosvenor, 5th Baron Ebury, and her fourth Anthony Freire Marreco, the last survivor of the seven-strong British prosecuting team at Nuremberg, with whom she lived in Ireland. A series of camp, gossippy and revealing letters to a close friend.