bookselling

Two scraps of paper which combine to form a printed circular signed "Charles Frederic Cock" announcing his commencement in business as a bookseller and stationer. He has had eight years "practical Acquaintance with the Business". He is soliciting business. On the versos of this circular, there are notes which reveal Cock's role in the distribution of prayer books on behalf of the SPCK. With: invoice and receipt, the latter signed "Charles Frederick Cock", 4 Sept.

"John W. Parker, Publisher to The Committee of General Literature and Education appointed by the [SPCK]", invoices and receipt, Dec 1833 & 1834, April 1833 and 22 April 1834 respectively, total £8.17, for advertising "Publications of Society in Saturday Mag Pt 2 / Bible in Times, Courier, Herald, Albion, Standard, Times [sic] & Saturday Mag / 52 Exercises Geography for East India Mission". With a further invoice (1833, paid in 1835); and a cheque drawn by the Society on Gosling and Sharpe for £397.12.0 signed on the reverses by Parker.

Four items, invoices and receipts, relating to the acquisition of newspapers by the SPCK, suppliers including: F. Appleyard (Daily Newspaper and Standard) [not in BBTI, same address as Sarah]; Sarah Appleyard (Herald, Record, Times, Standard, Post); R[ichard] Barker (Cambridge Chronicle); Richard Barker (advertisements for the Anniversary Dinner, and two Special General Meetings, supplying Times, Post, Chronicle, Herald, Morning News, Standard, Courier, Globe, Albion, St James's Chronicle); Thomas Woodham (Times)

Six items, invoices and receipts, 1835-1836, some revealing the spreading of the binding among different firms of "Military Prayers" [prob. John Parker Lawson, "The Military Pastor", a series of Practical Discourses addressed to soldiers, with prayers for the use of the sick published by J.W. Parker [pp. SPCK]]. Binders include: Camp [& Curtis][not in BBTI - William to 1831]; Eliza Camp [BBTI same address as William Camp for a time; BBTI]; Russell & Spencer; Joseph Smith [& Son] [not in BBTI]; F. Remnant.

12pp., 4to, April 1829-March 1830, giving a total (for example, April [1829] £4700.8.7- indicating the value to the bookseller of SPCK business), and giving details of discounts. WITH: "Miscellaneous Acc[oun]ts 1829-1830", 2pp., 4to; four cheques mostly for large sums, made out to "Selves", drawn on SPCK bankers, Gosling & Sharpe, signed by John Rivington (x 3) and [G. & F.?] Rivington; and a MS.

12 items, receipts and invoices, some substantial, 1827-1836, listing items, quantities and prices. Stationers include: Christopher Magnay & Sons [BBTI to 1830, this 1831]; William Magnay [Add College Hill, Thames Street, and 1836 - BBTI has 1839 only]; George Prichard [SPCK symbol, add to BBTI that They were "Depository of the [SPCK]"; Roake & Varty [Add to BBTI bookbinders, engravers]; Venables & Wilson [partnership not in BBTI]; Venables, Wilson & Tyler; William Winbolt. The highest receipt was for £322.17.6 for paper for the SPCK Annual Report.

The archive comprises c. 150 items, the vast majority letters but also postcards, and manuscript and typewritten lists, some substantial, usually of Kiplingiana. [One in Pettigrew's hand, returned by Rota, has individual suggestions of prices attached and the final price offered by Pettigrew.] The letters are either manuscript or typewritten, in various formats, and mainly 1 or 2 pages. The archive breaks down into three sections: letters from booksellers (two from auctioneers); letters from collectors/bookbuyers; and personal/business papers.

4to, 20 pp. The last page carries advertisements for the publisher Almon. Unbound; stitched. Good, with first and last leaves somewhat aged and chipped. Central vertical fold. A relatively uncommon item, with most of the entries on COPAC turning out to be for a microfilm reproduction.

Two pages, 4to,, creasing, minor damage and staining not affecting text. He sympathises with Pitcairn over a "loss" (his wife?) sympathising as "a husband and a father". The last time he was in Edinburgh he had little time at his disposal and didn't call on him. And "The moment my business is done I have no desire to stay." But he is visiting Edinburgh soon and will call, preferring that to writing. "In the meantime allow me to say that your charge for packing etc is a thing unheard of.

12mo bifolium: 1 p, on recto of first leaf, with address on verso of second leaf. Grubby, and with spike hole and tear to outer edge through both leaves, that on the first neatly repaired on the reverse with archival tape. Text complete and entirely legible. 'Mr. Howell will be obliged to Mr. Lee if in addition to the Douglass case Lot 708, He will purchase Lot 213 'Discovery Witches' [...]'. A further seven bids follow. The note ends 'Mr Howell will thank Mr Lee will [sic] bear in mind, that these purchases will be upon condition of the books being in good order and perfect'.

4to, 1 p. On aged, creased apper, but with text clear and entire. A small piece of paper from a bottom corner has been torn away in opening the letter, and is still present on the reverse, under a red wax seal bearing a clear impression of a lyre and the words 'Addolcire ed Maturare'. Brief communication apologising for the fact that the Literary Souvenir has not reached him sooner. 'The omission is the sin of my booksellers and not mine'. He is sending a copy with the letter, and asks him to accept his thanks, 'for your courtesy'.

12mo, 3 pp. Good, on browned and lightly creased paper with some wear to extremities. In French. Long thorough order with instructions for delivery, casting light on the logistical problems encountered in international trade in nineteenth-century Europe. Pražak is sending 'six pièces d'or à vingt francs, ou une somme de 120 francs en or', and gives a list of four books he would like sent to him. There follows a discussion of the problems of delivering the books to Prague.

12mo, 1 p, 12 lines of text. Good, on lightly aged paper. The second leaf of the bifolium is docketed in a contemporary hand. Le Blanc has received Weigel's twenty-second catalogue, and it has given him pleasure. Like the others it is full of curious details, and is extremely useful to Le Blanc, being full of curious details. He orders several items (crossed through by the firm), the last of which he desires 'vivement' to own.

Letter One (12mo, 2 pp; good, with glue from previous mounting to reverse of blank second leaf of bifolium): Jesse hears 'that there has been a violent attack made on my lectures to the Brighton Fishermen in "the Field" of last Saturday'. He 'published these lectures in the hopes that they might be useful to many people'. He 'gave the Copyright to Mr. Booth the publisher & never recovered one farthing profit for them'. 'They were written for an ignorant club of men without any pretension'.

12mo: 2 pp. 28 lines. Good, on lightly aged paper, with unobtrusive small spike hole and traces of mounts adhering to four corners. Interesting animated letter between a Victorian author and his printer. Relates to Tupper's 'A hymn for All Nations; translated into thirty languages; nearly fifty versions; the music composed expressly by S. Sebastian Wesley.' (1851). Asks his printer to 'Attend to Hymn as within' (not present). 'We cannot help all this trouble'. Tupper has written to Dr Gavassi, but has had no answer: 'get Rossetti's as soon as you can.

One page. Dimensions of paper roughly six and a half inches by eight wide. Spotted, aged and creased, and with some closed tears. Addressed to Wreden at 'Box 56, Palo Alto, Cal., U.S.A.' For '3 reg'd bookpost parcels', and headed 'Hodgson's Sale 25th Nov. 1954'. Lots 204 and 205 purchased for a total of £27 9s 9d, including an apparent commission of 15% on an item under ten pounds, and 10% on one over that sum. Items ('French Documents & Autograph Letters' and 'Autograph Letters from Lord Brougham and contemporaries') described in nine lines.

Quarto: 40 pp. In original printed wraps, decorated with various facsimiles. Facsimiles in text, and portrait of Beethoven on rear inner wrap. Good, on browned paper. Sections on painters, writers, poets, architects, sculptors, musicians. Nods towards the American market, with some entries in English and Dollar conversions. Together with Nebehay's attractive bifoliate trade card, carrying a photograph of his premises.

Quarto: 50 + [2] pp. Fold-out frontispiece giving eighteen examples of handwriting from items in the catalogue. In original orange printed wraps. Good, though a tad dusty, and in worn and faded wraps with some glue staining to back and wear to spine. Well printed, with lengthy extracts from most items. A scrap of paper which acts as a bookmark has the words "Listed Walpole entries to W.S. Lewis || Nov 1953" in Winifeed Myers [?] hand (from her reference library). The first item is 'A Series of Pencil Sketches by George Cattermole, illustrating Dickens' Works' (£60).

Two pages, quarto. Very good. With traces of blue paper mount adhering to addressed verso of second leaf of bifolium. Dawson Turner having declined to buy a collection on the grounds that it is 'wholly out of his line of collecting', Russell now offers it to Thompson. They are 'not so interesting' as he anticipated when he 'bought them at an auction without looking at them till they were on the table'. Gives details of the purchase and describes the volumes, estimating their cost in binding.

12mo, 3 pp, 35 lines. Good, on lightly aged paper, and with a thin strip from mount adhering at head of blank verso of second leaf of bifolium. Discusses 'the restriction on the importation of paper and paper making materials', imposed 'with the object of securing more tonnage space in incoming vessels'.

One page, on piece of lightly aged paper, roughly six and a half inches by seven. Strip neatly torn away at head (not affecting text, but perhaps bearing recipient's address). Good, with a little damage from breaking of wafer and slight evidence of previous mounting on revese. Thirteen lines. He is sending the selected autographs, and will 'be happy to receive, at your leisure, those of Currie, Daubeny, Mc.Culloch, Flowers, Woodville & Phillips & Jones - or such 5 of them as you can best spare'.

On piece of paper roughly seven inches by eight wide. On aged paper with closed tears and fraying to extremities. Top part of document torn away, leaving ten complete lines of text. Lays out the conditions under which an archive of letters is offered for sale.

8vo: 1 p. Good, with creasing towards right-hand margin. 'Very many thanks, my dear Williams, for your most kind congratulations. I feel that my honour is some recognition of the publishing trade & I take it as such'. Murray was created KCVO in 1932, following his publication of the ninth and final volume of the letters of Queen Victoria.

12mo: 2 pp. Very good. Relates to the photographic series 'English Artists of the present day', published by Seeley with accompanying essays 'by J. B. Atkinson, S. Colvin, F. G. Stephens, T. Taylor, and J. L. Tupper'. He is sending 'a copy of No. 3. The other we count as a presentation copy.' 'The Woolner photo. will I hope not be thought so bad by those who have not seen Elliott & Fry's. I was glad to find this morning that it had not struck Mr.

12mo: 1 p. On discoloured paper with wear at head and traces of previous mount adhering to blank reverse. He sent the publishers Chatto & Windus her novel the previous Monday, 'begging them to write to you on the matter, and giving your work my best recommendation'. He has not heard anything from them himself, but expects it will 'take a week or two, before they can give an opinion'. The recipient may be Edith Nesbit, although this is unlikely as Nesbit was her maiden name. She became Edith Bland in 1880. None of her works appear to have been published by Chatto & Windus.

8.5 x 11 cms. Grubby and lightly spotted. Reads 'My dear Mr Sonnenschein | Kindly send draft as I can collect here - | Merrily Yours | Marshall P. Wilder'. Presumably refers to the English printing of his 'The people I've smiled with: recollections of a merry little life' (1889).

Octavo: 16 pp. Stitched and unbound. Grubby and a tad creased. Items, in alphabetical order from H (beginning with the Earl of Hardwick) to J (ending with Dorothy Jordan), with a few miscellaneous items on the last page, numbered 3002 to 3837. Interesting for the information it provides about minor English celebrities ('3651 JACKSON, Joseph, letter founder, nat. Old-street, 1733, res. Cock-lane and Dorset-street, London, ob.

Octavo: 32 pp. Stapled and unbound. Rather worn, particularly at first and last leaves. A few pencil marks and notes, and slight ink staining at head of first leaf. Twenty illustrations. 168 items; three-part index on final page. Influential catalogue, the collection sold in its entirety to Duke University. One of Birrell & Garnett's managers was Graham Pollard, co-author of the book which unmasked T. J. Wise as a forger.

Draughtsman and printmaker. One page each, 8vo, in his normal calligraphic hand, some peripheral damage but mainly good condition. (1927) He acknowledges receipt of a cheque and the return of a parcel of prints - thanks. (1942) He informs Fletcher that "The lithograph Enrico Cecchetti was published by C.W. Beaumont . . . He may have a copy left. I have only one, and that is stored away in Bushey, Herts. It might be unearthed, but not immediately." Two items.

Dimensions roughly three and a half inches by three. One page, blank reverse. On aged paper, with some staining along one edge and crude ink marking, including 'Bookes bound', in a contemporary hand. Twenty-seven lines, beginning 'ROBERT AKENHEAD [...] sells the Goods followsng, [sic] viz. | BIBLES, Common-Prayers, and all other Sorts of Books of Divinity, History, Physick, Mathematicks.