TICKNOR

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.

2pp., 12mo. Closely and neatly written. 45 lines of text. Very good, on lightly-aged paper. An interesting item, pulling together several strands of nineteenth-century Anglo-American literature. Having received a letter from his daughter telling him that George Ticknor (1791-1871) of Boston was 'desirous of knowing who was the author of an article in the Edinburgh Review on a work of Mr Prescott', Horner has written to the publisher 'Mr Longman as the most likely person to give or get me the information'.

Three pages, 12mo. Very good: lightly aged and with the merest glue spot to blank verso of second leaf of bifolium. Mackay's 'signature' appears to be in the same hand as the rest of the letter. He has had a 'severe attack of inflammation of the eye', and this has prevented him from reading or writing during the previous week. For the same reason he is replying to Alford's letter of 1 March through an amanuensis. Three weeks previously Mackay 'received a packet from Mr.

12mo: 2 pp. Good, with thin strip of glue and grey paper from previous mounting adhering at foot of reverse (not affecting text). While it is possible that Howell may have given 'Mr. Gill' [tMichael Henry Gill, later of McLashan & Gill?] 'letters [of introduction]' when he 'went to New York ten or fifteen years ago', it is unlikely.