Literature

"One of the top [literary] agents in London"The extensive correspondence, business and personal, between Elaine Greene and Elaine Greene Literary Agency, and R.P. Lister [Richard Percival Lister], travel-writer, novelist, poet, contributor to periodicals, and eventually friend. He published extensively in the USA. As well as the UK.Elaine Greene to Lister: Twenty-five (25) Typed Letters and Notes Signed ("Elaine Greene" becomes a cordial "Elaine"), total 27pp., 8vo and 4to, 14 Dec. 1962-10 April 1969.

ONE (12 January 1975): 1p., 4to. In good condition. First page of letter only, and lacking signature. A generally positive review ('When I write, I suffer from excess, a disease which you and your contemporaries, Aldis, Brunner, Bulmer, etc long since cured yourselves of. [...] The story was, as I am sure you know, good.'), but with some caveats ('I also don't think that a female covered with body hairs would also have hair reaching down to her waist.'). TWO: 1p., 8vo. Signed in green ink. In fair condition, on aged paper with wear at head.

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. On aged and worn paper, with vertical closed tear along crease line to second leaf. Poem of thirty-six lines, arranged in six six-line stanzas. Biblical quotation ('2 Sam iii. 38') as epigram. The first stanza reads: 'We see no more your kindly face, | We hear no more your cheery voice, | But in our hearts you keep your place | And in your joy we can rejoice | Oh happy soldier of the King, | Rich trophies to whose Feet you bring'.

The volume contains proofs of Walker's contributions to various periodicals, with other items by Walker. WITH letters/text/drawings (details below) by Thackeray relating to his The Adventures of Philip (Cornhill Magazine, 1861-2, serial), with relevant proofs.Marks states in his introductory comment to his "List of Illustrations" that "Those [illustrations] against which no owner's name appears have been supplied by the author." On that basis, several illustrations in this album belong to Marks's own collection (eg.

One page, 21 x 8cm, one dge frayed and sunned, text clear and complete. Lizars acknowledges paymentof £49.14 from "John Gibson Junr, Esqre for the Trustees of Sir Walter Scott, Bart [...] payment of [annexed?] account [not present] for Titles to Tales & Romances."

The letters total 10pp., 12mo and 8vo. The three items in good condition, lightly-aged. ONE: ALS. The Taby Cat, West Grinstead; 17 Jan. [1918]. First 2pp only. In envelope postmarked 18 Jan. 1918. TWO: ALS. 23 Hertford Street, London, on cancelled letterhead of the Forum Club, 6 Grosvenor Place, Hyde Park Corner; 23 Aug. [1921 or 1922]. A sensitive letter of condolence on one of SL's miscarriages, signed 'Your devoted Stella'. Docketed by Lynd's daughter Maire Gaister: 'Probably in 1921 or 1922 after a still-born baby. S. L.

On slip of 2 x 11 cm paper. Laid down on 8 x 14.5 cm piece of brown paper. The note reads: 'Jan: 26 1744-5 Had this Duplicate valued by ye. Bookseller, fr ye. Royal Library, according to an Order of ye. University | Wm. Cole'.

These volumes bear tragic testimony to a diseased mind. A native of Argentina, Hume saw service in the First World War with the 1st County of London Yeomanry at Gallipoli, before transferring to the Royal Flying Corps (66 Squadron, RFC and RAF). In May 1917, while on his second patrol, he was shot down over France. It was while incarcerated in several POW camps (he escaped from one) that Hume's mental illness appears to have begun to manifest itself, and he was exchanged for German prisoners in August 1918.

LETTER: 3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, on aged and worn paper. Kitton writes that he has received two copies of the Book Buyer for March, and is 'much interested' in it for two reasons: 'Mrs. Garlands flattering comments upon myself and my work', and 'a very generous notice of my latest Dickens production'. He finds illustrations 'excellently reproduced', and praises 'the careful attention that has obviously been bestowed upon the preparation of both blocks and letterpress'. Turning to another matter, he notes 'a query (no.

256pp., 12mo. With frontispiece engraving and vignette on title. In original brown cloth binding, with blind-stamped decorative pattern on the boards, and title and design on the spine. Ownership inscription of 'Arthur Baxter | Runcorn | 1861' on piece of paper laid down on front pastedown. A tight copy, on stained paper (particularly the last few leaves) and aged paper, in worn binding with gilt almost dulled. An interesting production, reminiscent of previous Minerva Press publications, and looking ahead to the yellow-back.

Four pages, 4to. Bifolium. Good, on lightly-aged ruled paper, with watermark 'D. K & Co. | LONDON'. Sixty-four lines, arranged in eight eight-line stanzas. Apparently unpublished. Evocative of the sensibilities of a more naive age: sincerely meant, but coming across somewhat in the style of a Stanley Holloway monologue.

First edition, 8vo. Laurence A216a. Original red cloth, speckled, lettered in gilt on spine, hinges cracked, in damaged dustwrapper. below). Inscribed on the half-title: "to Yvette Pienne, player and writer, | G. Bernard Shaw | Malvern | 23/8/36." WITH: unpublished photograph, 19 x 14.5, of Bernard Shaw with a bevy of youngish ladies including Yvette Pienne according to a note (NOT in Shaw's hand, prob. Pienne's) on the reverse, "Malvern Festival 1938 || G. Bernard Shaw | [?] Lewis | Yvette Pienne|".

Both letters in good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Each in its envelope, addressed to Mrs Strutt at 12 Somers Place, Hyde Park. Letter One: 1p., 12mo. He apologies in florid style about a clash in dinner engagements. 'I made a desperate attempt to avoid a dinner-party tonight with the Wimbornes and was told that I should

1p., 4to. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. The letter carries a few autograph emendations and postscript. With envelope addressed to Mrs Strutt at 12 Somers Place, London. Belloc was an accomplished travel writer, and had published his classic book 'The Pyrenees' in 1903. He writes that he is giving her 'two addresses', 'only in each case you must write to the people before going there and the sooner the better, because the Season in these high places is very short'.

16pp., 8vo (publisher says "foolscap Quarto"), coloured illustrations, missing paper wraps (scans of Oxford copy covers enclosed). Listed on the wraps, back a list of sister works, front full title "Darton's Instructive Stories. Old Times" (titlepage just has "Old Times". Titlepage grubby, marked, wear and tear at edges, contents complete and attractive. Only one copy recorded on COPAC/WorldCat, at Oxford.

The black and white photograph is 24 x 19 cm, and is laid down on a 36.5 x 28 cm mount. The photograph is in good condition, on lightly-aged matte paper; the mount is brittle, chipped and discoloured, with closed tears and a detached corner reattached on reverse with archival tape. Facsimile signature in bottom right-hand corner of mount: 'Yours sincerely | R. M. Ballantyne'. On reverse, in contemporary hand: 'R. M. B. about 1893' (although the photograph does not look as if it dates from the year before Ballantyne's death), and at head of reverse, in the same hand: 'R. M.

8vo, in worn and damaged black cloth. Three sample spines in green cloth are laid down on the front free endpaper, and three sample brown leather spines gilt on the rear pastedown.

115pp., 8vo. In red cloth binding. No dustwrapper. Aged, with back hinge sprung and one bumped corner at the back. Excellent inscription by Spender on the front free endpaper, in which he describes the history of the composition of the play: 'To And | with love from | Stephen. | March 16 1938. | This play begun January 1933, at Barcelona, partly written in January 1937 in Madrid & Albacete, and finished January 1938 in London, is almost a record of our friendships through five years.'

1p., 4to. 22 lines of text. In very good condition, on lightly-aged paper, with traces of mount on reverse.

[4] + 43pp., 12mo. Stabbed as issued. An attractive and elegantly-printed little book. Internally very good, on lightly-aged paper, loose in worn light-brown calf binding, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, back hinge sprung. Stamped in gilt on the front cover: 'ACIS & GALATAEA | A PIECE OF OXFORD EXTRAVAGANCE | BY | T. F. PLOWMAN'. Inscribed on fly-leaf: 'H. W. Chapman, Esq. | with the author's sincerest regards. | 1869.' A scarce item: only three copies on COPAC, at Oxford, Cambridge and the British Library, all three of which attribute this anonymous work to Plowman.

85pp., foolscap 8vo, on the rectos of 85 leaves. On laid paper with Stowford Mills watermark dated 1874. In a notebook with contemporary brown calf half-binding, with marbled boards and endpapers. Pencil notes regarding provenance precede the text: 'Evelyn MSS. Unpublished (?) | Copy by W. J. Evelyn (?) | Ex Joanna Booth | Ex Christies Evelyn Sale. | pencil MS Note verso p.32 in W. J. E.'s ordinary hand | See note | Transcript of unpublished Evelyn mss. c 1880.' Internally in good condition, on lightly-aged paper, in worn binding.

Two volumes, hf-lea, marbled boards and endpapers, wear to extremities of binding, small chip from top of spine, foxing, hinge strain, mainly good condition. Pp.[iv]614 AND [iv] 654. Quarterly issues for March and July 1859 AND October 1859 and January 1860. See Wellesley Index, vol. II for details of contents and sorry history (as well as Gettmann). Main British Libraries have copies (electronic or not). WorldCat on viaLibri is not playing ball at the moment for US holdings.

The letter is 12mo, 2 pp, 30 lines. In good condition, with the text clear and entire, and with wear to 0.5 cm strips at head and tail (not affecting the text) where the letter overlaps the top and bottom of the book. The blank second leaf of the bifolium is laid down on the verso of the book's half-title. Nicoll begins by apologising for sending 'a copy of the cheap edition' ('the cloth copies of the second edition are not yet ready, and I do not know when they will be out').

All three items in very good condition, in superior bindings. ONE (Voltaire catalogue): Written out by Flower in his neat, calligraphic hand, on the rectos only of 102 leaves, 8vo, with some blanks. In very good condition, in a lightly-wrn red morocco quarter binding, with grey boards and gilt title on spine. Entries are short and businesslike, as the following two examples indicate: 'Commentaire sur le livre des Délits et des Peines, s.l., 1766. Bengesco 1724. pp. viii + 120. A pretty copy in contemporary scarlet morocco. Ex libris Mortimer L. Schiff. | Ditto, s.l., 1766. pp. 104 + iii.

114pp., 12mo. In wraps printed in green and red, with striking illustration of jester bursting through the front cover, and advertisements on the rear. In fair condition, on aged paper, in worn wraps. Frontispiece, engraved title, and numerous illustrations in text. A collection of nineteen pieces in prose and verse, with such titles as 'A Chat concerning a Couple of Chairs' and 'Mephistophiles at Malvern'. Scarce: the only copies on COPAC at the British Library and Durham.

Greswell's letter is 1p., landscape 12mo; with Ford's note on one side of reverse. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper, with small central spike hole made by recipient. Greswell's letter is written in a neat, attractive hand, and begins: 'Mr. W. P. Greswell requested J. G. to compare the Glasgow Copy of Euripides with Musgrave's Edition after which it is printed & to let Mr.

Harper's note is on the recto of the first leaf of a 4to bifolium, addressed by him to 'George Chalmers Esqr' on the reverse of the second leaf, which is docketted by Chalmers 'Notes of Documents from - 1760/67'.. Chalmer's memorandum is written lengthwise and upwards on the reverse of the first leaf. In good condition, on aged paper. Harper's note reads: 'Mr. Harper presents his Respects to Mr. Chalmers with many Thanks for the kind Notice with which he is pleased to honour him. | The Reading Room will be open to Mr. Chalmers whenever he finds it agreeable to avail himself of it'.

[9] + 142 pp., 8vo. In original green cloth, gilt. A good copy, on aged paper, in lightly-worn binding. Inscribed on the front free endpaper: 'E. Mozley | from her father J. R. Mozley | Feb 19. 1898'.

x + [2] + 103 + [1]pp., 8vo. In original burgundy cloth decorative binding, gilt, with top edge gilt. In very good condition, in worn and chipped unclipped dustwrapper, with brown paper repair to closed tears on reverse. Pencil ownership inscription to front free endpaper, and bookseller's ticket on front pastedown.

2pp., 4to. On a single leaf, both sides of which are headed 'Répertoire Lecombe'. Printer's slug at foot of 'Verdun on ne passe pas!' Both lyrics printed in two columns (no score to either). In good condition, on aged and worn high-acidity paper. 'Ce sont les Yeux' begins: 'Chacun dans la vie cherche son idéal.' The 'Dernier Refrain' reads: 'Et bien des yeux de mère, | Sont tournés vers la frontière | Où là-bas leurs chers petits enfants | Pour sauver la France donnent leur sang.