THE

[ Stephen Austin, Hertford printer, proprietor of the Hertfordshire Mercury. ] Autograph Letter Signed to Alexander Ramsay, offering to help promote 'The Scientific Roll', although Hertford is 'not a Literary or Scientific locality!'

Author: 
Stephen Austin (1804-1892), Hertford stationer and printer, proprietor of the Hertfordshire Mercury [ Alexander Ramsay, editor of 'The Scientific Roll' ]
Publication details: 
On his Hertford letterhead. 10 November 1881.
£35.00

1p., 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. The letter begins: 'It would afford me very great pleasure to help you in the matter of "The Scientific Roll" This is not a Literary or Scientific locality! and we have given up our Booksellers' Shop'. If Ramsay will send 'a copy of the numbers printed', he will 'give a notice in the "Hertfordshire Mercury" and perhaps that will make it known and induce people to take it.' The Austin family continued to run the Hertfordshire Mercury until the 1980s.

[ Thomas Hood, English poet. ] Autograph Note Signed ('T. Hood.'): a joke on the name 'Furlong' and 'A mile of daughters'.

Author: 
Thomas Hood (1799-1845), English poet, author of 'The Song of the Shirt' and 'The Bridge of Sighs', member of John Scott's 'London Magazine' circle
Publication details: 
Place and date not stated.
£35.00

On one side of a 6 x 11.5 cm slip of grey paper. In good condition, lightly aged, with small strip of glue staining along right-hand edge. Reads: 'A mile of daughters - | Family of Furlongs having 8 girls | 8 furlongs = 1 mile. - | T. Hood.' A joke on the surname of the person who requested Hood's autograph, as explained in Walter Jerrold's 'Thomas Hood, his Life and Times' (1907), which states that in 1838 Hood wrote to his friend Wright: '[…] only think of a mile of daughters! There is a family of Furlongs coming to live here, whereof eight are daughters – 8 furlongs = 1 mile.'

[ William Henry Black, antiquary. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('W. H Black') to John Bowyer Nichols, editor of the Gentleman's Magazine

Author: 
William Henry Black [ W. H. Black ] (1808-1872), antiquary [ John Bowyer Nichols (1779-1863), printer and editor of the Gentleman's Magazine ]
Publication details: 
6 Pratt Street [ Camden Town, London ]. 7 November 1834.
£75.00

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium on grey paper. Aged and worn. Addressed on reverse of second leaf by Black, with his initials, to 'J B Nichols, esq | 25 Park Street.' An interesting glimpse of the editorial workings of the Gentleman's Magazine and Georgian periodical publication in general. Black complains that he has been 'waiting some days for the concluding sheet (as I suppose) of that part of which contains the Ferrar, - the end of the quarto MS. copy'.

[ Sir Walter Besant, novellist and historian. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('W. Besant.'), headed 'Mem. for Mr Henry Gray' (genealogical bookseller), ordering five books from his catalogue.

Author: 
Sir Walter Besant (1836-1901), novellist and historian largely responsible for the creation of the People's Palace in East London [ Henry Gray of Acton, genealogical bookseller ]
Publication details: 
12 Gayton Crescent, Hampstead. No date.
£45.00

1p., 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged. Begins: 'Mem. for Mr Henry Gray | I have received your Catalogue dated April 25th. | Will you send me, if still in hand, […]'. A list of five works follows, the last four French, including Sarah Scott's Utopian "Millenium Hall", following which Besant writes: 'for wh. I will remit by return post – on receipt.'

[ Sir Henry Torrens, Adjutant-General to the Forces. ] Autograph Note Signed ('Henry Torrens | Mil Secty.'), regarding the payment of 'the Extraordinaries of the Army'

Author: 
Major-General Sir Henry Torrens KCB (1779-1828), Irish soldier, Adjutant-General to the Forces
Publication details: 
Place indecipherable. 15 August <1809?>.
£180.00

1p., 16mo. In fair condition, on aged and worn paper. Reads: Dear Sir - | I am directerd by the Commander of ther Forces to request that you will pay the enclosed on account of the Extraordinaries of th Army.' Torrens was Military Secretary between 1809 and 1820.

[ Shirley Brooks, the 'Epicurus Rotundus' of Punch. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('S. Brooks'), regarding the address of a club and 'Sir Rowland's myrmidons'.

Author: 
Shirley Brooks [ Charles William Shirley Brooks ] (1816-1874), journalist and novelist, the 'Epicurus Rotundus' of Punch
Publication details: 
9 Havelock Road, Hastings, on cancelled letterhead of 6 West Terrace, Regent's Park, N.W. [ London ] No date.
£45.00

1p., 12mo. In fair condition, aged and worn, with traces of mount on blank reverse. He is sending, 'as promised, the address', but has forgotten 'the exact member of the club'. 'I conclude, however, that it is well known to Sir Rowland's myrmidons' (Sir Rowland Hill and his postmen). He asks for 'a line of assurance', and for a proof if the recipient prints the address. A pencil postscript at the foot of the leaf has been neatly torn away, except for the following, up the right-hand margin: '<...> I have pencilled might be omitted. She can judge'.

[ Joseph Butterworth ] Secretarial Letter, signed 'Jos: Butterworth', to Knight Spencer, Secretary of the Surrey Institution, urging him to engage 'Mr. Park, the Artist, of Dublin', who is moving to London, as a lecturer.

Author: 
Joseph Butterworth (1770-1826), law bookseller and Member of Parliament [ Knight Spencer, Secretary of the Surrey Institution ]
Publication details: 
Bedford Square [ London ]. 19 October 1830.
£45.00

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. The letter begins: 'Mr. [ Park? ], the Artist, of Dublin, has this day written me word that he has some intention of coming to settle in London in the ensuing winter.' He urges Spencer to 'get him to deliver a course of Lectures on Painting at the Surrey Institution. From speeches which I have heard him deliver, I should think his language & delivery well calculated for the purpose & likely to render him popular.' He explains that he is prevented from writing himself by a 'complaint in my eyes'.

[ Charles Schreiber, connoisseur and Conservative Party politician. ] Autograph Letter Signed

Author: 
Charles Schreiber (1826-1884), academic, connoisseur and Conservative Party politician, husband of Lady Charlotte Guest
Publication details: 
On his monogrammed letterhead. From the Queen's Hotel, Ventnor, Isle of Wight. 12 October 1883.
£35.00

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium with mourning border. In good condition, lightly aged. He wishes to explain the '2. things' he forgot in closing his letter of the day before: '1st. to mention that I enclosed a Cheque for £10 . 10s . 0d. in aid of yr. Fund for sending Poole Fishermen to see the Fisheries' Exhibition in London - & next that at the above Address I shd. be glad to receive the acknowledgment of my Cheque.' Pencil note in a contemporary hand at foot of last page: '2nd. Husband of Sir John Guests widow. (Sir J. G.

[ George Pryme, economist, and Edward Raleigh Moran, editor of the Globe newspaper. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('G Pryme') from Pryme to Moran in reference to William Freeling Jerdan, whom he employs, with Autograph Letter Signed from Moran in reply.

Author: 
George Pryme (1781-1868), economist and Whig MP; E. R. Moran [ Edward Raleigh Moran ] (d.1852), editor of The Globe newspaper, London [ William Freeling Jerdan, son of William Jerdan (1782-1869) ]
Publication details: 
Pryme's letter dated from 34 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, 28 May 1842. Moran's letter from the Globe office (London), 30 May 1842.
£120.00

The letter and reply are on the same 12mo bifolium. In fair condition, on lightly-aged paper. ONE: Pryme to Moran. 3pp., 12mo. He writes that Jerdan has referred him to Moran 'for inquiry respecting him'. He is satisfied with Jerdan's account, but as he is 'a stranger to me & I am acting for others as well as myself I wish to ask whether in your opinion we may place reliance upon him in every respect as to his making out from the Books & adjusting some complicated accounts of a Provincial Newspaper & some disputed balances thereon'. TWO: Moran's reply to Pryme.

[ Rev. Dr Bulkeley Bandinel, Bodley's Librarian. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('B Bandinel | Bodleys Librarian') [ to Major R. G. Macgregor ], regarding a presentation to the Bodleian of two copies of 'Translations from the Greek Anthology'. ]

Author: 
Bulkeley Bandinel (1781-1861), Bodley's Librarian [ The Bodleian Library, Oxford; Major Robert Guthrie Macgregor (1805-1869) ]
Publication details: 
Bodleian Library, Oxford. 30 July 1857.
£120.00

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, on lightly-aged paper, with faint stain to first page. The letter is of interest for Bandinel's reference to his education, with the recipient, under Richard Valpy (1754-1836) at Reading School.) The recipient is not named, but the letter is addressed to Major Robert Guthrie Macgregor (1805-1869), and concerns his 'Translations from the Greek Anthology', which was published without date in London by Nissen and Parker.

[ Richard Royston, 'bookseller to three kings'. ] Autograph Signature, with that of 'Jo Smyther', to a Latin bond (by Giles Horsington for Hercules Comander, both signing), with English memorandum, regarding an obligation to pay Anne Blofeild.

Author: 
[ Richard Royston (1601-1686), 'bookseller to three kings'; Joseph Smyther; Hercules Comander, scrivener; Giles Horsington; Henry Lacock; the Court of Chancery ]
Publication details: 
[ The Court of Chancery, London. ] 1664, 1665 and 1669.
£950.00

1p., folio. On the recto of the first leaf of a bifolium, with the neat, controlled signature of 'Richard Royston' at the foot, with that of 'Jo Smyther' above it. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with two seals cut from the first leaf. The document was produced in the Chancery suit 'Kensey ads Smythyer': there is a note by 'Heydon' of the Court on the reverse of the first leaf, and the following docketing – written at different points in different hands – on the reverse of the second: 'Mr.

[ St John Adcock, journalist, novelist and poet. ] Typed Letter Signed ('St. John Adcock') to J. Cuming Walters, on his health (a year before his death), work as editor of 'The Bookman', 'Collected Poems', and Cuming Walters's 'Charm of Lancashire'.

Author: 
St John Adcock [ Arthur St. John Adcock ] (1864-1930), poet, novelist and editor of 'The Bookman' [ J. Cuming Walters [ John Cuming Walters ] (1863-1933), editor of the Manchester City News ]
Publication details: 
On letterhead of 55 Queens Road, Richmond, Surrey. 3 November 1929.
£35.00

1p., 4to. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. The first paragraph reads: 'Dear Cuming Walters, | Forgive me for not writing sooner. The fact is I have been down with influenza and pneumonia for the last three weeks. The worst time of the year for me! After the first week I contrived with difficulty to carry on with things, lying on my back dictating letters to my daughter, who has helped me enormously. But I am up again, and though not allowed out of doors have for the last four days been working in my room here, so shall manage all right and get my Christmas No.

[ Signed by Braithwaite and Keel. ] The Royal Hospital Chelsea | A paper read before The Sette of Odd Volumes At the [511]th meeting of the Sette held at the Savoy Hotel, London on February 23rd, 1937.

Author: 
Gen. Sir Walter Pipon Braithwaite, G.C.B. Governor of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea 'and Peltast to the Sette' [ The Sette of Odd Volumes, London; Shenval Press ] Frederick Keel (1871-1954), composer
Publication details: 
[ Copy 24 of 133. ] London | Imprynted by THE SHENVAL PRESS and sold to NO Bokesellers'. 1937.
£80.00

38pp., 16mo. Internally in very good condition, in red paper boards printed in gilt, with bubbling at front and back, and in chipped and aged glassine wrapper. The number of the meeting has been added to the title in manuscript ('511'), and the signatures of 'Frederick Keel | Singer' and 'Walter Braithwaite' are written in pencil beneath the limitation (no 24 of 133 copies). Scarce.

[ Sir Henry George Ward and the Church of Ireland. ] Speech of H. G. Ward, Esq., M.P., on moving certain Resolutions respecting the Irish Church, in the House of Commons, on Tuesday, May 27, 1834. Extracted from the Mirror of Pariament.

Author: 
H. G. Ward, Esq., M.P. [ Sir Henry George Ward (1797-1860) ] [ Sir Thomas Gladstone (1804-1889), Tory politician; The Church of Ireland ]
Publication details: 
London: Printed for the Proprietors of "The Mirror of Parliament," 3, Abingdon-street, Westminster. 1834.
£80.00

37pp., 8vo. Stitched and unbound. In fair condition, on aged and worn paper with spotting to front cover. In manuscript (Ward's hand?) at head of title-page: 'Thomas Gladstone Esq | MP | 6/A/Albany'.

[ Hugh Cairns, 1st Earl Cairns, and the Church of Ireland, 1868. ] The Speech of the Lord Chancellor delivered in the House of Lords, June 29th, 1868, on the Motion for the Second Reading of a Bill, [...]

Author: 
[ Hugh McCalmont Cairns, 1st Earl Cairns (1819-1885), Irish politician, twice Lord Chancellor of the United Kingdom; the Church of Ireland; National Protestant Union ]
Publication details: 
Published for the National Protestant Union. London: Seeley & Halliday, Fleet Street. 1868.
£80.00

The full title reads: 'The Speech of the Lord Chancellor delivered in the House of Lords, June 29th, 1868, on the Motion for the Second Reading of a Bill, intituled An Act to prevent, for a limited Time, new Appointments in the Church of Ireland, and to restrain, for the same Period, in certain respects, the Proceedings of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners for Ireland.' 47 + [1]pp., 8vo. Stitched and unbound. In good condition, lightly aged and worn, with central vertical fold. The final page carries a list of 'Publications issued by the National Protestant Union'.

[ Sir John Hall, Secretary to the St. Katherine Dock Company. ] Autograph Signature ('J Hall') to official secretarial letter addressed to Hon. Charles Greville, Clerk of the Council, on the question of householders in the 'St. Katharine Precinct'.

Author: 
Sir John Hall (1779-1861), consul, Secretary to the St. Katherine Dock Company, London [ Charles Greville [ Charles Cavendish Fulke Greville ] (1794-1865), Clerk of the Council and diarist ]
Publication details: 
St. Katharine [sic] Precinct [ London ]. 11 November 1831.
£120.00

1p., folio. In poor condition, on aged and worn paper, with chips and loss along edges repaired with archival tape, and repairs to Hall's signature. Some biographical information in a light contemporary hand at head. The document reads: 'Sir, | I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your Circular of the 9th. instant, and to state that in consequence of the construction of the St.

[ Sir Nicholas Conyngham Tindal, Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas. ] Autograph Letter in the third person to J. L. Adolphus, regarding 'the proof Sheet of the judgment of the Court of Exchequer Chamber in Wilson v. Fuller'.

Author: 
Sir Nicholas Conyngham Tindal (1776-1846), Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas [ John Leycester Adolphus (c.1794-1862), English lawyer, jurist and author ]
Publication details: 
Croydon. 19 August 1843.
£75.00

1p., 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged. Laid down on a piece of card cut from an album. Reads 'The Lord Chief Justice Tindal returns to Mr J. L. Adolphus, the proof Sheet of the judgment of the Court of Exchequer Chamber in Wilson v. Fuller. He has made no other alteration therein than the addition of a word, thinking the Judgment expresses very clearly and faithfully what was delivered by the Court'. See both men's entries in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

[ Nathaniel Pigot [ Nathaniel Pigott ], Roman Catholic lawyer. ] Opinion of 'Nath: Pigot', signed and in his autograph, regarding 'The Case of Mr. Thomas Hunsdon' over a Holborn property, with reference to Thomas Green and the Duke of Montagu.

Author: 
Nathaniel Pigot [ Nathanie Pigott ] (bap. 1661, d.1737), Roman Catholic lawyer. friend of the poet Alexander Pope [ Thomas Hunsdon ]
Publication details: 
'Middle Temple 9: Novr. 1731'.
£180.00

For information on Nathaniel Pigott (so spelt), see his entry in the Oxford DNB. Pigott was a friend and adviser of Alexander Pope, who composed the inscription on his memorial tablet. 3pp., folio. Bifolium, on watermarked laid paper, folded into the customary packet, with 'Mr. Hunsdon's Case' written lengthwise on the blank reverse of the second leaf. Sixty-lines of neatly and closely written text. The first page is headed 'The Case of Mr.

[ Panapakkam Anandacharlu, founder-member of the Indian National Congress. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('P. Anunda Charlu') to 'Mr Rees' [ later Sir J. D. Rees ]. congratulating him on his elevation to the Viceregal Legislative Council.

Author: 
Panapakkam Anandacharlu [ P. Anunda Charlu; P. Ananda Charlu ] (1843-1908), advocate, founder-member of the Indian National Congress [ Sir John David Rees (1854-1922), colonial administrator ]
Publication details: 
On his letterhead, Lakeside, Egmore [ Madras, India ]. 16 October 1895.
£180.00

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with slight glue staining on blank reverse of first leaf. The letter begins: 'My dear Mr Rees. | I beg to congratulate you & myself on your elevation to a membership of the Viceregal Legislative Council – you on your well-earned elevation – myself on the pleasure of your companionship while at Calcuttah. [sic]' He is pleased to note that Rees's 'youth & the fact of your being comparatively a junior have not been regarded insuperable obstacles or unpardonable crimes'.

[ David Macbeth Moir, the 'Delta' of Blackwood's Magazine. ] Autograph Letter in the third person to 'Mr Marshall', i.e. the London publisher William Marshall, praising the keepsake 'The Pledge of Friendship', to which he is a contributor.

Author: 
D. M. Moir [ David Macbeth Moir ] (1798-1851) of Musselburgh, Scottish physician and writer, the 'Delta' of Blackwood's Magazine [ William Marshall, London publisher ]
Publication details: 
Musselburgh [ Scotland ]. 15 December 1827.
£150.00

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.

[ Privately printed for internal distribution, with fifteen colour illustrations of regimental colours and company badges, in dustwrapper. ] First or Grenadier Regiment of Foot Guards. Review of the Regiment by His Majesty The King.

Author: 
[ First or Grenadier Regiment of Foot Guards ] [ Buckingham Palace, London; the British Army ]
Publication details: 
[ Privately printed, London. ] 'Buckingham Palace, 29th June, 1910.'
£100.00

39pp., 12mo, with an additional fifteen plates. In boards of white shiny paper, with the royal crest of King George V stamped in blue and gilt on the front cover, and with all edges (including the boards) gilt. White dustwrapper with the following printed on the front: 'Extra Copies of this Book may be had on application to the Regimental Orderly Room.' Inscribed three times (reverse of title and last leaf, and on back of a plate) by 'Col. Sergt C. Riches | 3d: Battn. Grenr Gds'.

[ Hugh Foss, Bletchley Park codebreaker ] Draft Autograph Letter UNSIGNED with substantial corrections, all in Foss's hand, to a "Miss Kaye" thanking her fopr a "pleasant evening's dancing".

Author: 
Hugh Foss [ Hugh Rose Foss ] (1902-1971), British cryptanalyst, a Bletchley Park codebreaker [Japanese; Chelsea Reel Club (for Scottish country dancing); German Enigma Code; Japanese Naval Codes ]
Publication details: 
No place or date. Written on notepaper with printed heading "Hon. Secretary, London Fencing Club."
£90.00

Foss was a distinguished cryptanalyst, and his career is described in his entry in the Oxford DNB. At Bletchley Park during the Second World War he was the first person to decode a day's worth of the German Enigma Code (in 1940); and heading the Japanese Naval Section in Hut 7 (between 1942 and 1943). His wife Alison (née Graham, 1908-1979) inspired his interest in Scottish country dancing in the early 1930s. He was Vice-President of the Chelsea Reel Club on its formation in 1935; and became Chairman in 1938.

[ Hugh Foss, Bletchley Park codebreaker. ] Draft of Autograph Letter Signed ('Hugh Foss') as Vice Chairman, Chelsea Reel Club: a circular regarding 'the first meeting of the new season', including the meeting's 'Agenda' in six numbered parts.

Author: 
Hugh Foss [ Hugh Rose Foss ] (1902-1971), British cryptanalyst, a Bletchley Park codebreaker [Japanese; Chelsea Reel Club (for Scottish country dancing); German Enigma Code; Japanese Naval Codes ]
Publication details: 
On letterhead of 37 Robyns Way, Sevenoaks, Kent. Undated. [ Shortly before 'the Ball at Chelsea Town Hall on Friday, 29th October, 1937'. ]
£220.00

Foss was a distinguished cryptanalyst, and his career is described in his entry in the Oxford DNB. At Bletchley Park during the Second World War he was the first person to decode a day's worth of the German Enigma Code (in 1940); and heading the Japanese Naval Section in Hut 7 (between 1942 and 1943). His wife Alison (née Graham, 1908-1979) inspired his interest in Scottish country dancing in the early 1930s. He was Vice-President of the Chelsea Reel Club on its formation in 1935; and became Chairman in 1938. While at Bletchley he taught a regular class on the subject.

[ William Sowerby, artist and botanist. ] Autograph Signature ('Wm. Sowerby | Secty') as Secretary, Royal Botanic Society of London, on communication to 'The Proprietors of "Scientific Roll"'.

Author: 
William Sowerby (1827-1906), Secretary, Royal Botanic Society of London, artist and botanist [ [ Alexander Ramsay, editor of the 'Scientific Roll' ]
Publication details: 
On letterhead of the Royal Botanic Society of London, Gardens, Regent's Park, London. 24 January 1883.
£120.00

1p., 4to. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. A somewhat grand and expansive printed form, completed in manuscript by Sowerby. He thanks the 'Gentlemen' who are 'The Proprietors of "Scientific Roll"' for 'the continuation, as published, of The "Scientific Roll"'. From the papers of Alexander Ramsay, editor of the 'Scientific Roll'.

[ The Wesleyan Conference, Sheffield, 1875. ] Autograph Letter Signed from Stephen P. Harvard to 'Mr. Walker', reporting on doings at the Conference.

Author: 
Stephen P. Harvard (d.1905), Wesleyan Methodist minister and author [ The Wesleyan Conference, Sheffield, 1875; Rev. Walker of Liverpool ]
Publication details: 
Carver Street, Sheffield. 12 August 1875.
£180.00

Regarding the Sheffield Wesleyan Conference of 1875 see the article in the Spectator, 14 August 1875, 'The Wesleyan Ultramontanes', and the long review of the conference minutes in the London Quarterly, no.45, vol.89. The present item is 2pp., 12mo. In fair condition, on aged and worn paper. An interesting gossipy letter from a committee member at the conference, satirising two of the others present as 'Mr. Pepys in Conference' and 'Those who approve'. 2pp., 12mo.

[ The Oxford Architectural Society. ] Bookplate of the Society, by the wood-engraver Orlando Jewitt, on mount signed by secretaries John Portal and Robert Wilmot.

Author: 
Orlando Jewitt [ Thomas Orlando Sheldon Jewitt ] (1799-1869), architectural wood-engraver [ The Oxford Architectural Society; The Society for promoting the Study of Gothic Architecture
Publication details: 
[ Executed for the Oxford Architectural Society. ] Inscription on mount dated 'A: A: May 1850.'
£180.00

A scarce piece of Oxford ephemera. The Society for promoting the Study of Gothic Architecture was founded in 1839; renamed the Oxford Architectural Society in 1848; renamed the Oxford Architectural and Historical Society in 1860; merged with The Oxfordshire Archaeological Society in 1972 to become The Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society. In good condition, printed in black ink on a 15 x 11 cm piece of white India paper, laid down on a 22 x 18.5 cm grey card mount. At the foot of the design, in tiny letters, is engraved 'O. JEWITT. | DEL.

[ The Lancashire Cotton Famine, 1861-1865. ] Autograph Letter from 'John Whittaker | "A Lancashire Lad."' to J. B. Langley

Author: 
John Whittaker of Wigan, journalist [ pseudonym 'A Lancashire Lad' ] [ The Lancashire Cotton Famine, 1861-1865; Wigan Standard newspaper ]
Publication details: 
'"Standard" Office | Wigan | May 27th. 1862.'
£150.00

For the background to this letter see William Otto Henderson, 'The Lancashire Cotton Famine 1861-65' (1934) and Angela V. John, 'By the Sweat of their Brow' (2013). Between 14 April and 16 October 1862 Whittaker published a dozen letters on the 'Lancashire Distress' in the London Times, under the pseudonym of 'A Lancashire Lad'. Edwin Waugh, in his 'Home Life of the Lancashire Factory Folk During the Cotton Famine' (1867), describes Whittaker as 'one of the first writers whose appeals through the press drew serious attention to the great distress in Lancashire during the Cotton Famine.

[ The New Society of Painters in Water Colours, London. ] Engraved invitation to the 'Evening View of their 14th. Annual Exhibition', made out and signed by the Society's secretary, the watercolour painter James Fahey.

Author: 
James Fahey (1804-1885), watercolour painter, Secretary (1838-1874) of the New Society of Painters in Water Colours, London
Publication details: 
[ The New Society of Painters in Water Colours, 53 Pall Mall [ London ]. For an 'Evening View' on 17 May 1848.
£80.00

Printed in black on one side of a 10 x 13 cm piece of grey-blue paper. In good condition, lightly aged, laid down on part of a leaf from an album. A tastefully-presented piece of London artistic ephemera, reading (with manuscript text in square brackets): 'THE NEW SOCIETY OF PAINTERS IN WATER COLOURS. | The Committee solicit the honor of | [The Editor of the Gentleman's Magazine and friend] Company at their Gallery 53, Pall Mall, on Wednesday the 17th. of May, to an Evening View of their 14th. Annual Exhibition. | from 8 o'Clock to 11. | 1848 | [James Fahey] Secy. | NOT TRANSERABLE'.

[ James William Lowther, 1st Viscount Ullswater. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('James W Lowther'), on his retirement as Speaker of the House of Commons, stating that he is not going to publish his reminiscences, considering it 'very improper'..

Author: 
James William Lowther, 1st Viscount Ullswater (1855-1949), Speaker of the House of Commons, 1905-1921
Publication details: 
On House of Commons letterhead. 9 May 1921.
£56.00

2pp., 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged and folded twice. He states that he has 'no intention at present of writing or publishing any reminsicences', having always 'held a very strong view against the modern system of gentlemen who have been employed in official & confidential positions rushing into print the moment they have left their situations.' For Lowther's career see his entry in the Oxford DNB. In 1921 he retired as speaker, on being created Viscount Ullswater and appointed GCB.

[ 'Lewis Melville' [ pen name of Lewis Saul Benjamin ], author and actor. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('Lewis Melville'), enquiring whether his book 'In the World of Mimes' has been accepted for publication.

Author: 
'Lewis Melville' [ pen name of Lewis Saul Benjamin (1874-1932) ], literary biographer, novelist and actor
Publication details: 
On letterhead of The Playgoer's Club, Strand, W.C. [ London ]. 28 July 1900.
£35.00

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.

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