HOAXER

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, on an 11 x 14 cm piece of paper cut down from 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged and worn, with minor traces of glue from mount adhering to the blank reverse. The letter reads: ‘My dear Barker / I shall be most happy to join your agreeable party - Croker to whom I was engaged for Monday goes on from Apethorpe to Belvoir instead of coming home[,] so I am at liberty - Milne is I believe on a visit to the Marquess of Bute at Luton. / Yrs most truly / Theodore S Hook’.

Hook’s entry in the Oxford DNB descibes his novel ‘Gilbert Gurney’ (1836) and its sequel ‘Gurney Married’ (1838) as made up of ‘thinly disguised portraits and a string of anecdotes from real life’. 1p, 12mo. On bifolium. In good condition, folded twice. On wove paper with C. Ansell watermark of 1834. The signature ‘Theo E Hook’ does indeed have a strange ‘hook’ on the end of it, which has led to a pencil note on the blank second leaf: ‘try Thos. E. Boot / Booth / author of “Gilbert Gurney”’.

1p., 12mo. In good condition. He thanks him for his 'very kind note', but regrets that 'owing to my being engaged on a lecturing tour for some time to come I am at present unable to fix a date to avail myself of your invitation'. He hopes to be able to do so when 'free from my appointments'. For information on de Rougemont', see B. G. Andrews's entry on him in the Dictionary of Australian Biography. Born in Switzerland, at around the age of sixteen 'he became a footman to the actress Fanny Kemble, touring extensively and learning fluent English.