PUBLISHING

R. J. L. Kingsford, in his history of the Publishers Association, describes Young as 'a bookseller of outstanding character and ability, a friend of Arnold Bennett, and the discoverer of the literary distinction of George Sturt'. 1p., 12mo. Neatly and closely written. Headed 'private', and addressed to 'Dear John'. Young is apparently following a dinner (of the Publishers Association) at which George Bernard Shaw was present, and the subject of the letter would appear to be an exhibition Wilson's firm has mounted of books by the London publisher John Murray.

Three 12mo letters in good condition, lightly aged and worn. An interesting batch of letters, in which one minor Victorian poet critiques the work of another, both to the author himself and to his publisher. The three books by Smith which are the subjects of Tupper's letters are 'Olrig Grange' (1872), 'Borland Hall' (1874) and 'Hilda Among the Broken Gods' (1878), all of which were published by the Glasgow publishers James MacLehose and Sons. ONE: Addressed 'To the unnamed Author of Olrig Grange'. 4 December 1874. On letterhead of Albury House, near Guildford. 4pp., 12mo.

2pp., 12mo. The item comprises a note in Sumner's hand on the first page, beneath which, and continuing onto the second page, is an order in another hand for 34 books in eight categories, under the headings 'Bibles', 'Testaments' and 'C[ommon] Prayers'. Sumner writes: 'Revd. Sir. | I request you will send me the following books on the terms of the Society, by Lamport's Farnham Waggon.' The order, in another hand, begins: 'Bibles | 5 8o Medium Small Pica without Marg[inal] Ref[erences]. And Apocr[ypha]'.

2pp., 8vo. In good condition. Clausen is writing to Lucas in the latter's capacity as chairman of the London publishers Methuen & Co., and the letter is a 'note of introduction' for Clausen's 'friend Mr Curnow Vosper, who has written and illustrated a children's book, which he wishes to submit to you. | Mr. Vosper is a painter, a member of the old Water-colour Society, and I have no doubt his work is known to you. I hope that you may find this his latest work, of interest.' Vosper does not appear to have published any book during this period, either with Methuen or anybody else.

29pp., small 4to. Stitched into card covers. Internally in fair condition, in aged and worn covers repaired along the spine with brown tape. There are eleven hand-coloured engravings: one on the cover, a frontispiece, two vignettes (at the beginning and end of the poem) and seven full-page illustrations in the body of the poem (six of them with blank reverses). The cover illustration, frontispiece, and all but two of the full-page engravings are attributed to Chandler and Duran.

1p., 12mo. Aged and grubby. A convincing facsimile, sent with 'a copy of the title page, the authors preface, a few explanatory remarks and a list of chief subscribers', in the hope that the recipient 'may be induced to become a subscriber' and mention the work 'to any one likely to take an interest in the subject'. No other copy traced.

8pp., 8vo. Disbound and without wraps. In fair condition, lightly aged. Manuscript emendation on p.6. A law bookseller's careful and businesslike priced catalogue of unnumbered entries, several of which are accompanied by long descriptions by the author in small type. No copy in the Bibliotheque Nationale, nor on OCLC WorldCat or COPAC.

Half-penny postcard printed in purple. In fair condition, lightly aged, with thin strip along one edge from former mounting obscuring parts of a few words. Addressed to 'F. Davis Esq. | 4 Upper Phillamore [sic] Place | W.' The communication reads: 'Sir, | I beg to inform you that we have bought out Maltons Gt. Treatise on Perpective in the columns of the Forge & Lathe a fortnightly Journal devoted to Practical Mechanics &c. The Preface appeared in our No. Published yesterday price 6d by post 7d Terms for Subscribers 16/- Yearly 8/- ½ Yearly 4/- Quarterly. | A. Absolon | Publisher'.

2pp., 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. The 'Gentlemen' are clearly the publishers of a book which they wish Bell to review. She writes that she is greatly obliged to them for offering her 'a copy of your beautiful book on Japan', and has written 'to 4 editors to ask for space for early notices of it'. The book is 'indeed a marvel of technical skill in reproduction & it would be a pleasure to me to speak as highly of it as it deserves'.

Written (perhaps appropriately) in a somewhat childish hand.

12pp., 8vo. Stapled into light-brown printed wraps, with title in dark-brown on white label on front wrap. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. Blackwell's address is on pp.3-10; p.11 carries a 'List of Members 30th June 1937', in two columns, including R. Cobden-Sanderson, Geoffrey Faber, Rupert Hart-Davis, Harold Macmillan, Stanley Unwin and Sir Hugh Walpole. The final page carries details of the Society's officers, committee, secretary and offices. Blackwell begins his address: 'I have nothing new or strange to propose to-night.

The work was hugely popular, going through numerous editions between 1894 and 1907. The title is (deliberately) misleading. The work is an exploration of theological rather than biological questions, with the author stating that 'The How, Why, and Wherefore have not received the full amount of profound and reverent study that the ineffably intrinsic importance of the subject to ourselves warrants.' Lewis Carroll had a copy in his library.

v + [2] + 240pp., 8vo. In original dark-blue cloth binding, gilt. Grey on brown printed endpapers with Bentley's 'Fide et Fiducia' motif. In good condition, in like binding, with bookplate neatly removed from front pastedown. Binder's ticket of Burns & Co. at rear. At the head of the reverse of the front free endpaper Bentley has written: 'H. E. G. Evans from R. B. | 19 Octr.

12 pp., 8vo. Modern marbled bds. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. This interesting item is of significance to Ruskin scholars, containing a whole page describing 24 drawings and engravings by him, as well as a number of interesting books from the library of a close associate. The item was previously bound by Rossetti in a volume with two, unrelated, others. It then passed into the collection of the art historian Rose Sketchley, whose sister C. J. Sketchley presented it to Fulham Public Libraries in 1949. It is scarce: no copy has been traced on either OCLC WorldCat or COPAC.

1p., 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged, Laid down on part of a leaf removed from an album. Reads: 'My Dear Sir | My absence from home must plead my excuse in not sooner replying to your obliging note of the 22nd Ulto - | I have desired 30 more Copies to be forwarded to you as you request, & I am sure you will be glad to hear that thro' your kindness, & that of many others who have interested themselves, we are likely to realize a sum commensurate to the Scholars moderate establishment'.

1p., 4to. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with traces of stub adhering to blank reverse. The letter begins: 'Mr Moir presents compts to Mr Marshall and returns best thanks for the two copies of the Pledge of Friendship, one of which he delivered as directed to H. M. who requests me in his name to return his acknowledgements. | Mr M.

1p., 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. He is obliged for Brown's letter, 'pointing out misprints in my father's works. | Such communications are always valuable.' He is happy to say that 'young Bliss is working very well, & we shall make a good business man of him'.

1p., 8vo. In fair condition, on aged paper with small spike hole at head. He thanks the unnamed recipient for his 'obliging letter' and 'ingenious Catalogue', and 'would have acknowledged the receipt sooner' had he not been waiting for 'an opportunity of conveying the same free of expence'. The recipient is 'welcome' to the copy of 'Stewarts Athens' at his 'own price' of two guineas. Burnham has 'adjusted Mr. Hayes's Account with the balance of onepound [sic] ffifteenshillings [sic]', and begs 'to thank that Gentleman for the same'.

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium with mourning border. In good condition, lightly aged and worn, with the blank second leaf tipped-in onto a leaf from an album. His only excuse for 'the long delay' is 'that all my time has been occupied in taking stock, which necessarily has been a most irksome job'. It will be the following month before he can 'put forth an appendix to my Catalogue, as it will be necessary for me to wait the coming event of something, that I may, or may not be engaged in.' He will have time 'to consider & reconsider' Huggins's 'advertisement'.

1p., 12mo. On grey paper. In fair condition, lightly aged. He writes to enquire whether the recipient 'can undertake the publication of the novel I submitted to you – In the World of Mimes – as I am leaving town at the end of the week', and he hopes to 'settle the matter one way or the other (preferably one way & not the other)' before he leaves. 'In the World of Mimes' was published in London by Greening & Co. in 1902.

[4] + 36 + [2] + 200 pp., 8vo. In good internal condition, lightly aged and worn, in worn quarter binding of dark green leather spine and brown cloth boards. Armorial bookplate of J. C. Newman. A tastefully printed collection, with Browne stating in his twenty-two page introduction that 'this supplementary volume of the works of Fielding' includes among its contents of forty pieces of writing the first printing of 'A true State of the Case of Bosavern Penlez' (wrongly spelt 'Boscavern Penlez' in the contents), which is 39pp. in length (pp.44-82).

Four items, aged and somewhat creased. Scott-Elliot's book was privately printed by Douglas in 1897. Aaron Marshall Elliott was founder of the Modern Language Association and founding professor of Romance Languages at Johns Hopkins University. ONE: ALS from Aaron Marshall Hall to David Douglas, 2pp., 8vo, asking him if he could supply a copy of G.F.S. Elliott's "The Border Elliotts", giving publishing history and mentioning his work on American Elliotts which he hopes to publish.

4pp., 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged, with closed tears along the fold between the two leaves of the bifolium. Trench's publishers were 'John W. Parker & Son, West Strand'. The letter begins: 'I heartily wish that I could go to the press at once with the 3rd. Edition of the Parables. [ 'Notes on the Parables of Our Lord', first published in 1841 ] I have been however working hard at them & they are nearly ready.

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. He begins by informing him that the accounts 'for sale of your works for the past year are being made out'., and that he hopes to send them in a few days: 'they have been delayed only until I could receive from the various newspapers the acc[oun]ts of advertising'. He continues, regarding a portrait of Hallam by Thomas Phillips: 'I have this day seen Phillips Copy of your Portrait - very nearly finished - &, as it seems to me, executed with care & accuracy'.

The subject of this letter is Huntingford's 'Pindari Carmina', 'excudit R. Watts sumptibus T. Cadell et W. Davies', published in London in 1814. Watts had been made Printer to the University of Cambridge in 1802, resigning in 1809 because, as Stokes notes in his 'Cambridge Stationers, Printers, Bookbiinders, &c' (1919), 'the Press did not prosper under his rule, although, when he left Cambridge, he did good work as a printer of Oriental volumes'. Between around 1812 and 1815 he was working in Broxbourne. In 1816 he moved to London, where he established the Oriental Type-Foundry, Temple Bar.

2pp., 12mo. In fair condition, aged and rather dusty, with small closed tear at head. He begins by explaining that he has been 'prevented by ill health from finishing the plate confided to my care, & of waiting upon you to make you acquainted with the cause of the delay. The engraving is 'in a state of forwardness', and he is willing to let 'Mr Satchwell' give his opinion of it before he sends it to them. 'I shall prove the plate again next week, after which I shall be enabled to state the time of its completion'.

1p., 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged, with small closed tear unobtrusively repaired. Reads: 'Take the enclosed note to Mr. Tinsley, 18 Catherine Sreet, Strand, a very rough but thoroughly clever and enterprising publisher, and tell him what you require. If possible, I trust he will meet your views'. According to Yates's entry in the Oxford DNB: 'In 1867, after leaving Temple Bar, he edited a new monthly, Tinsley's Magazine, but fell out with the proprietor who believed Yates was overpaying contributors, including himself. His official salary was by now £520 p.a.

1p., 12mo. In fair condition, aged and with creasing at foot. Reads: 'Thos Jeffery | 7 Conway Row | Half way Houses | Portsea | takes an active part in visiting the Convicts in the hulks & wd be most thankful for some tracts | Jos: Butterworth | 28 Jany 1826 | Bedford Square'. At the head of the page, in another hand: 'Rec'd £1. 1. 0'.

1p., 4to. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly-agedl, with slip of paper from a Victorian book catalogue laid down beneath the signature. Addressed by Harwood on reverse of second leaf, with two postmarks, one of them from Lichfield, 2 August 1806, to 'Mess: Cadell & Davies | Strand | London'. The text reads: 'Gentlemen | I have just been informed, but have not my self seen it, that the History of Lichfield is advertised to be sold at thirty Shillings; lest there should be any mistake, it might be right to remind you, that the price of it is thirty five Shillings.

A total of 50 items, all but the three earliest of Strong's letters held together with a brass stud. The collection in good overall condition, on lightly aged and worn paper. Strong's 24 letters total 37pp., with the early letters signed 'L A G Strong' and the later ones 'Leonard', and occasional variant signatures in between ('Leonard Strong', 'LAGS'). The copies of Greenwood's 26 letters (two in autograph, the rest typed) total 32pp. An interesting correspondence, in which Strong responds with tact and patience to his inexperienced correspondent's proposals and actions.