ENGLISH

Autograph Note Signed from the novelist John Galsworthy to Charles Seddon Evans of the London publishers Heinemann & Co. Ltd., enclosing a manuscript and stating its price.

Author: 
John Galsworthy (1867-1933), English novelist and playwright, best-known for his 'Forsyte Saga' [Charles Seddon Evans (1883-1944) of the London publishers Heinemann & Co. Ltd.]
Publication details: 
On letterhead of Grove Lodge, The Grove, Hampstead, London, NW3. 20 April 1929.
£80.00

In good condition, on lightly aged and creased paper. Galsworthy writes: 'Dear Evans | Here is the MS. Price £300 [amended from 315] less half your Commission £30. = £285. nett. | Sincerely yours | John Galsworthy'. For such a short message, the manuscript shows signs of indecision: the latter part, from the word 'less', has clearly an addition, and the word 'half' has been inserted with a caret. While the manuscript referred to may well be the second collection of Forsyte Novels, 'A Modern Romance', published by Heinemann's in 1929, Galsworthy's price does seem rather cheap.

Autograph Letter Signed ('Gerald Massey') from the poet and writer Thomas Gerald Massey to the autograph hunter John Bacon of Blackburn, discussing his English publications, and stating that he is 'busy with the real Work of my life'.

Author: 
Gerald Massey [Thomas Gerald Massey] (1828-1907), English poet and writer [John Bacon of Blackburn, autograph hunter]
Publication details: 
New Southgate, London N. 11 August 1882.
£150.00

2pp., 4to. Very good, on lightly-aged paper. In envelope, with postmark and stamp, addressed to 'John Bacon Esqr.

Autograph Letter Signed ('Robt Buchanan') from the poet and novelist Robert Buchanan to the autograph hunter John T. Baron of Blackburn, discussing the publication of his work.

Author: 
Robert Buchanan [Robert Williams Buchanan] (1841-1901), poet and novelist, born in Stoke-on-Trent
Publication details: 
16 Langham Street, W., London. Undated; postmarked 13 March 1882.
£56.00

1p., 12mo. Good, on lightly-aged paper. In worn envelope, with stamp and postmark, addressed by Buchanan to 'J. T. Baron Esq | 18 Griffin Street | Witton | Blackburn | Lancashire'. Both letter and envelope have thick mourning borders, Buchanan's wife having died the previous November. The letter reads: 'Dear Sir, | The works you mention, with the exception of "Idyls of Invention," are just now out of print. The plays have never been pubd. | Thanking you for your kind expressions I am | Yrs truly | Robt Buchanan'.

Autograph Letter Signed from the antiquary Albert Way to an unnamed correspondent [the publisher John Russell Smith?] regarding the preparation of a volume on Sussex antiquities [part of the series of 'Sussex Archaeological Collections'?].

Author: 
Albert Way (1805-1874), English antiquary, principal founder of the Royal Archaeological Institute [John Russell Smith (1810-1894), bookseller and bibliographer]
Publication details: 
12 Grand Parade, St Leonards on Sea. 3 March 1856.
£80.00

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Fair, on lightly-aged and ruckled paper. The letter begins: 'Sir. | I am glad to find you can oblige my friend Mr Curzon, although I am too late, which I regret, as I should have been able to oblige certain persons who have assisted me.' He asks for 'a few separate sets of the Plates of Seals of the Sussex Cinqueports & Lewes Priory', for which he would pay 'with pleasure'. 'I had written a Title page - & a short prefatory introduction ought to be given - a leaf will be ample'. He assumes that the recipient has given 'the Pevensey Plan'.

Printed label of book from the 'Lutterworth New Book Society, 1839-40', with list of members' names. With additional information in manuscript.

Author: 
Lutterworth New Book Society, Leicestershire [lending library; circulating libraries]
Publication details: 
Lutterworth New Book Society [Leicestershire]. 1839-1840.
£80.00

1p., 12mo. In fair condition, on aged paper. The heading reads (with manuscript additions in square brackets): 'No. [358] | LUTTERWORTH | New Book Society, | 1839-40. | To be kept [7] Days. | Ordered by [Mr G. Bottrill] | Price [6/-].' Three columns follow, headed 'When sent', 'To whom sent' and 'When returned'. The middle column contains the printed names of 31 male individuals, from 'Mr. C. Burdett' to 'Mr. Stiles', with the addition of one manuscript name. Dates are written in manuscript in the first and third column. At foot of leaf: 'N.B.

Printed illustrated booklet by London publishers Macmillan and Co., Limited, advertising 'The Highways and Byways Series'.

Author: 
[The Highways and Byways Series; Macmillan and Co., Limited, St. Martin's Street, London publishers; Joseph Pennell; Hugh Thomson; F. L. Griggs]
Publication details: 
London: Macmillan & Co., Limited, St. Martin's Street. 1909. [R. Clay and Sons, Ltd., Bread St. Hill, E.C., and Bungay, Suffolk.]
£100.00

16pp., 12mo. Printed in green, with 15 illustrations (one on each page except p.2). Stitched. In fair condition, on aged paper. Separate 'NOTICE' (1p., 12mo) on blue paper loosely inserted, informing the public that the firm 'do no retail business whatever', and hoping 'that all orders will be given direct to the local booksellers'. Scarce: no copy on OCLC WorldCat or on COPAC.

[Printed bookseller's catalogue.] Frederick Warne & Co's List of New & Recent Publications. Season 1900-1901.

Author: 
[Frederick Warne & Co, 15 Bedford St., Strand, London; catalogue of children's books, 1900-1901]
Publication details: 
London: 15 Bedford St. Strand. [1900.]
£90.00

16pp., in illustrated wraps with the outer covers printed in green and brown, and three more pages of advertisements on insides and back cover. Bifoliate order form (4pp., 12mo) loosely inserted. The old stalwarts John Ruskin, Kate Greenaway, Walter Crane, Edward Lear, jumbled together with newer titles such as 'Gobbo-Bobo, The Two-Eyed Griffin', 'Prince Cheery-Heart' and 'The Bunkum Book. A Tale of Topsy Turvy Land'. Sadly no mention of Beatrix Potter ("Peter Rabbit" published 1902.). Scarce: no copy on OCLC WorldCat or COPAC.

Autograph Letter Signed ('E. Ruggles-Brise') from prison reformer Sir Evelyn John Ruggles-Brise, to Captain Robert Arnold Vansittart , arranging a meeting with him and Captain Conor, Governor of Parkhurst, regarding development of the farm at Borstal

Author: 
Sir Evelyn John Ruggles-Brise (1857-1935), prison administrator and founder of Borstal system [Captain Robert Arnold Vansittart (1851-1938); Captain H. L. Conor, Governor of Parkhurst Gaol]
Publication details: 
On letterhead of the Prison Commission, Home Office, Whitehall, SW. 13 December 1907.
£65.00

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Very good, on lightly-aged paper. In Prision Commission envelope, with two postmarks (one of them 'HOME OFFICE PRISONS | OFFICIAL'), addressed by Ruggles-Brise to 'Capt. Vansittart | 24 Cadogan Square | SW'. He writes to inform Vansittart that he has 'arranged for Capt Conor, Governor - Parkhust, to be at Borstal on Tuesday next 17th. inst. to confer with yourself & the Govr. as to the best way of developing the Farm.' He asks Vansittart to 'communicate with Major Elliott as to the time when it will be convenient to you to be there'.

Autograph Letter Signed ('Harriette Waylett') from the actress and singer Harriet Waylett to J. M. Donnell of the Theatre Royal, Cork.

Author: 
Harriet Waylett [née Cooke; other married name Harriet Lee] (1800-1851), English actress and singer [J. M'Donnell, proprietor, Theatre Royal, Cork]
Publication details: 
'Dublin Saturday [18 April 1829]'. Postmarked 20 April 1829.
£90.00

2pp., 4to. Bifolium. Very good, on lightly-aged paper. Addressed by Waylett on reverse of second leaf 'To/ | J. M. Donnell Esq | Theatre Royal | Cork', with oval postmark in red, in two parts: 'MIDDAY MAIL | 20 AP | 1829'. According to Waylett's entry in the Oxford DNB, 'On 12 May 1825 she made, as Zephyrina in The Lady and the Devil, her first appearance at the Haymarket, under D. E. Morris. It was a successful début, but she was not encouraged by the managers, and after playing many different parts, some original, she went to Dublin.

Autograph Letter Signed ('H. Davis Richter') from the English painter H. Davis Richter to Dorothy Swan

Author: 
H. Davis Richter [Herbert Davis Richter] (1874-1955), English artist [Dorothy Swan]
Publication details: 
Letter on letterhead of 5 Redcliffe Square, South Kensington, SW10. 28 January 1946.
£100.00

Item One: Autograph Letter Signed from Richter to Swan. 1p., 12mo. In good condition, on lightly spotted paper. From the letter it would appear that in 1946 Richter was acting as one of the selectors for the 59th Exhibition of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, at the Royal Academy of Arts, Piccadilly, London. He writes that he is enclosing 'the mighty deed [a book, as the letter explains], also the invitation for the exhibition at the Royal Academy valid from Feb. 13 to March 17.

[Printed pamphlet.] Eight Poems from Clifford Bax to [Robert Lynd].

Author: 
Clifford Bax (1886-1962), English author; Robert Lynd [Robert Wilson Lynd] (1879-1949), Irish essayist
Publication details: 
72 Addison Road, London, W14. Christmas 1928.
£90.00

12pp., in original buff wraps, with 'EIGHT POEMS' in red on front cover. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper, with rusty staples. A nice production, With the name 'Robert Lynd' added in manuscript, probably by Bax himself, in a space provided on the title for such personalisation. Uncommon: the only copies on COPAC at the British Library, National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh and Cambridge.

Five Autograph Letters Signed (one 'Alex Comfort' and four 'Alex C') from the poet and sexologist Alex Comfort to John Rogers, regarding poetry, including a discussion of whether poetry is 'finding a language in England, rather than losing one!'

Author: 
Alex Comfort [Alexander Comfort] (1920-2000), poet, novelist, doctor and sexologist
Publication details: 
Three from Havengrove, Tudor Road, Barnet; one on letterhead of Chase Farm Hospital, Enfield, and another on letterhead of the Royal Waterloo Hospital, London. All undated [c.1942]
£220.00

Item One: From Havengrove. On reverse of printed 12mo prospectus for the first issue of 'Poetry Folios' magazine (which appeared in 1942), edited by Comfort and Peter Wells. 1p., 12mo. Fair, on aged and creased paper. He thanks him for his letter. 'It is appreciation of this kind that makes one want to go on writing. [...] I wish I could meet you.' Item Two: From Havengrove, on letterhead of 'Poetry Folios'. Undated. 2pp., 12mo. Fair, on lightly-creased and aged paper.

Holograph extract of a translation from the German of Wieland's 'Oberon' by the English poet William Sotheby, beginning 'Sweet Isle! methinks once more I hear'.

Author: 
William Sotheby (1757-1833), English poet and translator [Christoph Martin Wieland, German author of 'Oberon']
Publication details: 
No place. 26 September 1804.
£120.00

1p., 8vo. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with traces of previous mounting along two edges. Headed, in a contemporary hand: 'Given to Mrs. Richards by Miss Calhoun Fanshawe'. 22 lines of verse, in couplets. Signed in the bottom right-hand corner, apparently at a later date than the rest of the text: 'William Sothbey | Sepr 26 - 1804'. The extract - possibly written out by Sotheby for an acquaintance - begins: 'Sweet Isle!

Autograph Letter Signed ('W C Bennett') from William Cox Bennett to J. T. Baron, boasting that his magazine 'The Lark' is a 'powerful influence'; naming Gladstone, Tennyson and other contributors; and urging the 'Newsvendors' of Blackburn to buy it.

Author: 
William Cox Bennett (1820-1895), English journalist and poet, editor of 'The Lark' [John T. Baron of Blackburn, Lancashire, autograph hunter]
Publication details: 
On letterhead of Hyde Cottage, 68 Royal Hill, Greenwich, SE. 27 November 1883.
£120.00

3pp., 12mo. Very good, on lightly-aged paper. In original envelope, with stamp and postmark, addressed by Bennett to 'John T Baron Esq. | 48 Griffin Street | Blackburn | [signed] W C Bennett'. He begins by informing Baron that four numbers of 'The Lark' have already been published.

Autograph Letter Signed ('J. Madden') from James Madden, of London publishers Madden & Malcolm, informing the unnamed recipient that his paper on 'Cycles of Civilization' will be published in firm's periodical 'The Monthly Prize Essays'.

Author: 
James Madden of Madden & Malcolm, 8 Leadenhall Street, London, publishers of the Monthly Prize Essays
Publication details: 
Addressed from Madden's home address of 23 Artillery Place, City Road, London, with the business address of Madden and Malcolm (8 Leadenhall Street) scored through. 4 June 1846.
£56.00

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, on aged paper with wear to corners. The context of the letter is apparent from the following advertisement in The Times, 29 June 1846: 'On the 30th of June, will be published, in 8vo., price 2s. 6d., the first number of | THE MONTHLY PRIZE ESSAYS. Each number will contain six Essays in Prose and six in Verse. The first prize for prose will be £20; the second, £15; the third, £10; and the other three, £5 each. There will be but three prizes for poetry - £5, £3, and £2. The Essays must be delivered by the 30th of the previous month.

Autograph Letter Signed ('C D Yonge') from Rev. Charles Duke Yonge to autograph hunter J. T. Baron of Blackburn, discussing his publishers, Chapman & Hall.

Author: 
Charles Duke Yonge (1812-1891), classical scholar and historian, born at Eton College, the eldest son of Revd Charles Yonge (1781-1830), Eton schoolmaster [J. T. Baron of Blackburn; Chapman & Hall]
Publication details: 
Notting Hill, Belfast [Ireland], on letterhead of the Ulster Club. 28 January [1882].
£60.00

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium, with mourning border. In envelope, with stamp and postmark, addressed by Yonge to 'J. J. Bacon [sic] Esq | 18 Griffin St. | Welton | Blackburn | Lancashire'. Good, on lightly-aged paper, in worn envelope. He informs him that his edition of Plutarch's 'Parallel Lives' was published by Chapman & Hall.

Autograph Letter Signed ('W. Harrison Ainsworth') from the English historical novelist William Harrison Ainsworth to the writer Stephen Watson Fullom, regarding a meeting at the London publishers Hurst & Blackett, and Fullom's 'future career'.

Author: 
W. Harrison Ainsworth [William Harrison Ainsworth] (1805-1882), English historical novelist [Stephen Watson Fullom (1818-1872), English author; Hurst & Blackett, London publishers]
Publication details: 
Kensal Manor Hourse, Harrow Road; 11 March 1846.
£80.00

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Ainsworth begins: 'My dear Mr. Fullom, I am happy to tell you that you are under a great mistake. Your manner, on the occasion you refer to, produced the most favourable impression upon me.' Fullom 'exhibited great delicacy and modesty', and Ainsworth 'stated as much to Mr. Hurst'. The omission was in fact on Ainsworth's own part, in neglecting to thank Fullom for his 'flattering proposal to dedicate your romance to me'.

Engraving of the poet Walter Savage Landor by H. W. Smith after a drawing by Alfred d'Orsay, with original sample of his handwriting.

Author: 
Walter Savage Landor (1775-1864), poet and author of the 'Imaginary Conversations' [Alfred d'Orsay [Count d'Orsay] (1801-1852), French dandy and artist]
Publication details: 
Neither item with date or place.
£56.00

The engraving, which is not in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, is on a piece of 19 x 14 cm paper, with tissue guard. The image measures around 8 cm square, and shows Landor's head in profile, looking to the left, with 'A. D'Orsay' beneath to the left, and 'H. W. Smith' beneath to the right. In good condition, lightly-aged, with small stain to one edge of border. Attached to a piece of paper, along with the piece of Landor's autograph, which is on a 1 x 18.5 cm strip of grey paper cut from a letter, and is in fair condition, lightly-creased.

Autograph Manuscript Signed ('Montague Smith') by Edward Montague Smith [later Sir Edward Montague Smith], Member of Parliament for Truro, giving his legal opinion on a property dispute for Thomas B. Knight of Lime Street, London, and Cox of Honiton.

Author: 
Sir Montague Smith [Sir Montague Edward Smith, PC, QC] (1806-1891), British barrister and judge, one of the last Justices of the Court of Common Pleas, and Conservative MP for Truro, 1859-1865
Publication details: 
Temple [Inns of Court, London]. 9 December 1862.
£150.00

1p., 4to (31 x 32 cm). 26 lines, signed at end 'Montague Smith | Temple | 9 Dec 1862'. In fair condition, on lighly-aged paper, with minor damp damage to one edge. Docketed on reverse '1862 | Case for the Opinion of Mr. Montague Smith', with 'Took 3 Gu[ine]as' (Smith's fee) and initials in another hand. At foot, in a third hand: 'Thomas B. Knight | 34 Lime Street | City. E.6.', and beneath this, in a fourth 'Cox | Honiton'.

Autograph Signature ('Edward German') of the English composer Sir Edward German, on part of letter.

Author: 
Sir Edward German [formerly German Edward Jones] (1862-1936), English composer
Publication details: 
Place and date not stated.
£25.00

On 8.5 x 11 cm piece of paper, cut from the bottom of a letter. In good condition, lightly-aged. Entirely in German's hand. The side of the letter with the signature reads: '[...] write you, & I hope we may be able to arrange a meeting. | Yours sincerely | Edward German'. The other side reads: '[...] you at Sidcup with the Georges many years ago. | I should be very pleased to meet you again, but at present I seem to be fully occupied [...]'.

'Change of Address' card of the composer and conductor Sir Eugene Goossens, addressed to the violinist Max Rostal.

Author: 
Sir Eugene Goossens [Sir Eugene Aynsley Goossens] (1893-1962), English composer and conductor [Max Rostal (1905-1991), violinist and music teacher]
Publication details: 
Postmarked from Maida Hill on 16 September 1957.
£30.00

Printed on one side of a 9 x 10.5 cm card. In good condition, lightly-aged and with a couple of corners slightly worn. The notice reads: 'Change of Address | Please note that | Sir Eugene Goossens | is now residing at | 76 Hamilton Terrace, London, N.W.8. | Telephone: CUNningham 9383'. Docketed in pencil at head (by Rostal?) 'Received 17th Sept.' Addressed on reverse, with stamp and postmark, to 'Max Rostal Esq., Highflower, 45, Brondesbury Park, London, NW6.

Manuscript Letter, written by an amanuensis for the blind poet 'P. B. Marston' [Philip Bourke Marston], to John T. Baron of Blackburn, referring to two of his books, and to a photograph taken six years before, which 'does not please' his friends.

Author: 
Philip Bourke Marston (1850-1887), blind English poet, protégé of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and friend of James Thomson ('B. V.') [John T. Baron of Blackburn autograph hunter]
Publication details: 
191 Euston Road, London. 11 October 1882.
£56.00

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In stamped and postmarked envelope, addressed in the same hand to 'J. Y. [sic] Baron Esq. | 48, Griffin Street, | Tritton | Blackburn'. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper, in slightly discoloured envelope. It is not known who acted as Marston's amanuensis after the death of his sister Cicely in 1878: the present letter is written in a neat and somewhat childish hand. It dates from what had been an extremely trying year for Marston, with Rossetti dying the previous April, and the dying James Thomson being carried from Marston's rooms two months later.

Autograph Signature of the British novelist Margaret Kennedy [Margaret Davies, Lady Davies].

Author: 
Margaret Kennedy [Margaret Davies, Lady Davies] (1896-1967), English novelist and playwright
Publication details: 
Place and date not stated.
£20.00

On one side of a piece of 11 x 11 cm paper, cut from the bottom of a letter. In good condition, lightly-aged. Reads, all in Kennedy's hand: 'Yours sincerely | Margaret Kennedy'.

Autograph Signature of the artist, children's book illustrator and poster designer John Hassall.

Author: 
John Hassall (1868-1948), English painter, children's book illustrator and poster designer
Publication details: 
Without place or date.
£25.00

On one side of a 5.5 x 20 cm strip of laid paper, cut away from the bottom of a letter. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper, with traces of mount adhering to the reverse. Reads, in a firm attractive hand: 'Yours very sincerely | John Hassall.'

Four Mimeographed Typed Chapters of 'C. D. N.'s American Diary', an account by Charles D. Notley of Notley Advertising Limited, of a trip to Canada and the United States, with accounts of meetings with Moholy Nagy, John Russell Powers and others.

Author: 
Cecil Douglas Notley [Cecil D. Notley; C. D. Notley] (c.1900-1962), chairman and founder of Notley Advertising Limited [László Moholy-Nagy (1895-1946), painter; John Robert Powers (1892-1977)]
Publication details: 
Canada (Edmonton, Calgary, Banff, Vancouver, Victoria) and the United States of America (Chicago, Troy, Seattle, New York). Covering the period 26 October to 27 November 1946.
£450.00

The four items total 21pp., foolscap 8vo, on 21 leaves. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Comprising the four final chapters of Notley's account, each separately stapled and paginated: Chapter IV (26 October to 4 November), 6pp.; Chapter V (4 to 9 November), 4pp.; Chapter VI (9 to 17 November), 4pp.; Chapter VII (18 to 27 November), 7pp. For more information on Notley, see the appreciative obituary in The Times, 3 September 1962, and the letter by 'C. F. T.' in the same newspaper two days later.

Manuscript Inventory, docketed 'Account of Linen in 1732 of Bn. & Eliz Adams.' [of Northumberland, England.]

Author: 
Benjamin and Elizabeth Adams of Northumberland [Eighteenth-century inventory; Georgian fashion; Hanoverian clothes]
Publication details: 
[Northumberland, England.] 25 September 1732.
£90.00

1p., 12mo. On laid paper with 'Pro Patria' watermark. In good condition, lightly-aged and dusty. Headed 'September 25th 1732' and docketed on reverse 'Account of Linen in 1732 of Bn. & Eliz. Adams.' Thirteen items, beginning with 'There is eleven pair of Linneng [sic] sheets' and ending with 'There is 1/2 a dozen of Dypers naptkin for night Caps'. The Northumberland origins of the Adamses is not referred to in the document, but is clear from one which accompanied it. The document derives from the papers of Benjamin Adams's descendant, the Alnwick solicitor Thomas Adams.

Autograph Signature ('Bernard Partridge') of the 'Punch' cartoonist Sir John Bernard Partridge.

Author: 
Bernard Partridge [Sir John Bernard Partridge] (1861-1945), cartoonist and illustrator, best-known for his work with 'Punch'
Publication details: 
Without place or date.
£20.00

On one side of a 4.5 x 13 cm strip of paper, cut from the bottom of a letter. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. All in Partridge's hand. Reads: '[...]ment of time occupied. | With many regrets, | I am truly yours, | Bernard Partridge.'

[Printed parliamentary paper.] An Act for Inclosing Land in the Parish of South Moreton, in the County of Berks. [Royal Assent, 8 May 1818.] 58 Geo. III. Sess. 1818.

Author: 
[The South Moreton Inclosure Act 1818; John Sadgrove; Rev. William James; George Barnes of Andover; Joseph Lousley of Blewbury; Henry Dixon; the University of Oxford; English enclosure of common land]
Publication details: 
'Ley & Jones, House of Commons.' 1818.
£120.00

35 + [1] pp., 8vo. Stitched and unbound. Well printed, on good laid paper, watermarked 'IPING | 1813'. In fair condition, on aged paper and lightly-discoloured paper, and folded into a packet, showing the title on the reverse of the last leaf as quoted above. The drophead title reads: Sess. 1818 - 58 Geo. III. | An Act for Inclosing Lands in the Parish of South Moreton, in the County of Berks.

Autograph Letter Signed "Frank Rutter", art critic, to Robert Lynd, essayist.

Author: 
Frank Rutter (187-1937), art critic of the Sunday Times.
Publication details: 
Leeds, 1916.
£45.00

ALS, on letterhead of the City Art Gallery, Leeds; 10 March 1916. He offers to review 'Rebecca West's forthcoming little book on "Henry James"', being 'particularly interested in both author & subject'. Asks for contact details of a relative of Walter Riddall's: 'I lent him before his death one of my "To-Day" volumes which I can't replace & don't want to lose.'

Two Autograph Letters Signed (both 'Jn Summerson') from architectural historian Sir John Summerson, Curator of Sir John Soane's Museum, to Peter Rhodes and his wife Felicity, regarding Soane's Piercefield Hall, Shotesham Hall and Hay Castle.

Author: 
Sir John Summerson [Sir John Newenham Summerson] (1904-1992), architectural historian, Curator of Sir John Soane's Museum, 1945-1984
Publication details: 
Both on letterheads of Sir John Soane's Museum, 13 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London. 2 May 1972 and 1 August 1974.
£120.00

Both letters in very good condition, and each in a stamped, postmarked envelope, and each addressed by Summerson to Cuddesdon Manor, Oxon. Letter One (2 May 1972): To Peter Rhodes. 2pp., 12mo. He is 'rather surprised' to find that the ruins of Soane's Piercefield House are 'still there!' The best he can do is 'to warn the National Monuments Record of the approaching dissolution'. They are 'seriously overworked but they might have a photographer in the area who would improve on Miss Stroud's snap-shots'.

Syndicate content