VICTORIAN

One page, 12mo. Very good. Docketed in pencil at head. 'I have no knowledge of Mr Tupper [presumably the poetaster Martin Farquhar Tupper, 1810-89] or of his address. I was in hopes that the madness of collecting autographs had subsided - but I am sorry to perceive, from your letter, that this is not yet the Case.'

All items good, though on dusty and aged paper. Five items are addressed to sellers of manuscripts (probably the same individual). ONE (to H. Barker, 23 April 1885, on letterhead of 'The Antiquarian Magazine and Bibliographer', one page, octavo): Asks to be offered Wellesley autographs purchased at a recent Sotheby sale, of which he sent an account to 'The Times', which was 'crowded out'. TWO (to F. Barker, 25 April [1885], 'at T.

One page, octavo. Very good, on lightly aged paper, with embossed blue ink monogram at head. 'Dear Sir | My Sister Isabella, just arrived, tells me you desire my autograph, I have great pleasure in complying with your flattering request. [...]' The blank second leaf of the bifolium is carefully attached to a larger piece of neatly-docketed paper, and has the two newspaper cuttings partially laid down on it. The short Times obituary, dated 17 March 1908, states that 'She must surely have been the last person alive to whom Charles Lamb addressed a poem'.

One page, octavo. Good, though a little smoked at head and foot. 'Here, after a delay I am ashamed of, are the autographs: I shall indeed be glad if they give any pleasure to the recipient. | I trust that you and the Vicar were not overtired on the day of the Confirmation: and that you know what a happiness both the Service and the welcome were to me.' Sends 'Mr. Green's kindest remembrances'.

One page, 12mo. On aged and spotted paper, with traces of previous mount on reverse. Craigie's 'PMTC' monogram in top left-hand corner, and a red '45' in a red circle in top right-hand. Fourteen-line biographical cutting laid down along one edge. Reads 'Dear Sir | I have much pleasure in sending you my autograph. | Yours faithfully | Pearl Mary-Teresa Craigie.'

One page, 12mo. Very good. 'Although I am surprised at your wishing to include mine in your collection of autographs, here it is. | I agree with Sir Alfred Milner that Work, Brains & Opportunity are necessary to success; and that the last is most necessary. But I think that Self-control should be added to His Excellency's list.' A printed biographical cutting is appended.

12mo: 4 pp. On grey paper. Very good, with a small strip of discolouration over the Royal Artillery crest. Bearing the Society's stamp. He is glad that his 'article on the Red Cross' interested Wood: 'in other circumstances it would have given me much pleasure to follow up the article with an address to your Society on the subject', but 'the work of the Cadet school, which I entered a couple of months ago, takes up my entire time'.

All items very good. The typed letters are both 4to, 1 p, and the autograph letters both 12mo, 1 p. Three items bear the Society's stamp. Letter One (typed, 24 September 1915, 10 lines): He will have 'great pleasure in addressing the Society of Arts', but there is 'one point which must be settled carefully beforehand'.

12mo: 3 pp. 26 lines of text. Good, on lightly creased and aged paper. Chatty, apologetic letter. She thanks her for her invitation for the following day but she is already engaged. Unclear reference to 'Sir Boyle Roche's bird'. She would like to see her again, but 'I dare not make any engagements now, The weather is now my jailer'. She has to go to Malvern one day the following week. Suggests other possibilities. She may have to 'take my chance of finding you at home'. She was 'sorry to miss you when you were away & I called'.

Four pages, 8vo, creased and somewhat soiled, small closed tears, soiled, remnants of laying down, mainly good. An interesting but puzzling letter (partly because incomplete). "I thank you for your note. I should have called yesterday had I not known from experience that Todays & Saturdays are busy days [for periodical publishers?]. I will do so on Monday. / The 'Spottiswoode Gang" charge me with [exposing?] their Coryphaeus in your journal. When I do take him in hand it shall be to some purpose. So even as the V.C.

On a piece of paper roughly 3.5 x 9 cm, with embossed details of stationers. Good, with tiny crease to one corner. A clear signature, in pencil.

Dimensions of card roughly 8 x 12 cm. Very good though lightly aged. Asking her correspondent to dinner in the following week. Note, addressed to 'Cher tres Cher Coq', on one side of 8vo grey paper. Very good, though lightly creased. She will be 'enchante de vous voir chez moi' on Wednesday [6 July] at 1 o'clock. Both items written before the Asquiths 1919 move from Cavendish Square to 44 Bedford Square. Two items,

12mo: 2 pp. On first leaf of bifolium. Good, on lightly aged and creased paper, with dogeared corners. Nine lines of text. The 'man for your purpose' is 'Mr G. Gray, the Diocesan Registry Peterboro''. 'He is intelligent & will do the work well I doubt not on receiving your instructions.' Loosely inserted is a leaf carrying biographical information in a contemporary hand.

12mo: 1 p. Good, on lightly creased paper, and with traces of previous mount adhering to reverse, and small central spike hole. In a variant hand, but certainly by Quilter. Twelve lines of text, for insertion in a journal or newspaper. Announces the unsuccessful 1886 candidacy by 'Mr. Harry Quilter M.A. Trin. Coll. Camb.' for the Cambridge Slade Professorship, 'recently vacant by the resignation of Professor Colvin'. Quilter 'will be known to our readers as the recent art-critic of the "Times," and the gentleman who has for many years past written upon art subjects in the "Spectator".

12mo: 1 p. Very good. Reads 'January 1866 | [signed] Jules Benedict'.

On one side of a piece of laid paper, dimensions 11.5 x 17.5 cm. Good, lightly creased with one small spot at head and a light thumbprint (Warren's?) in top right-hand corner. Clearly responding to a request for an autograph. Reads 'The Heavens declare the glory of God, and the Firmament sheweth His handy work. Ps. XX, I. | [signed] Samuel Warren | 16 Manchester Square | W. | 23d January 1866.'

12mo: 2 pp. Thick mourning border. Good. The recipient has provided a partial interlinear transcription of what the New DNB describes as 'Stanley's execrable handwriting'. Stanley is 'much obliged for having [his] attention called to anything in the Abbey Services which requires rectification', and will 'make inquiry into the cause of [his correspondent's] complaint'. The 'inattention [...] will be remedied, so far as the nature of the case admits'.

8vo: 12 pp. Very good, in original blue cloth account book of twelve leaves, with title on label on front board. Label of Waterlow & Sons inside front cover. The entries spread across six sets of two facing pages, all ruled with red printed lines and in boxes and with the following seven categories printed at the head: 'No. on Plan'; 'DESCRIPTION.'; 'State of Cul[ivatio]n.'; 'Value per Acre'; 'Statute | A. R. P. [i.e. acreage]'; 'Value. | £ s.

On piece of laid paper, dimensions 6 x 11 cm. Good. Clearly complying with a request for an autograph. Reads 'With much pleasure | [signed] Napier of Magdala | March 1884'.

12mo bifolium, with the second leaf blank. Very good. Hall's request, on the recto of the first leaf, reads 'Mr. J. H. Hall presents his Compliments to Sir Bartle Frere G.C. Bart & would feel extremely obliged by the favour of his autograph to add to a collection.' Frere's reply, on the verso, reads 'Wimbledon Decr 17th. 1883. | Sir Bartle Frere presents his compliments to Mr. J. H. Hall; He has received Mr. Hall's letter of Decr. 4: desiring to have his Autograph -'.

On piece of paper, 11 x 17.5 cm. Lightly creased, and with a little spotting at head. Reads 'Autograph | of | Viscount Stratford de Redcliffe | given to Mr J. H. Hall | at his request.' It is curious that Canning should have thought it necessary to emphasize that the autograph was not unsolicited.

8vo: 1 p. Very good. He has 'pleasure in complying' with his correspondent's request. 'You may have seen a book I have recently published - "Retrospect of a Long Life" - and have learned that I am in the 84th year of my age - born on the 9th May 1800. | I am thankful to God for good health and for many other blessings.'

8vo: 1 p. Very good. Letterhead with crest. Reads 'Dear Sir | I understand from my son that you do me the honour to wish to have my autograph It gives me great pleasure to comply with yr request. | your's faithfully. | [signed] Roland L. Vaughan Williams | A Hall Esqre'.

English economist and novelist. The letterhead engraving of 'The Knoll Ambleside' by W. Banks of Edinburgh is circular, around two inches in diameter,with printed signature. The fragment of text - comprising ten lines - is on the reverse. Creased, grubby and stained.

On three pages of a foolscap bifolium, supplied by J. Warner & Co., Law Stationer of New Oxford Street, ruled and with red borders. Good, on lightly stained paper. On 25 July 1912 Mohr and Friedrich Hansen 'made an application for a Patent for an improvement in the process of the manufacture of a filament for an electric incandescent lamp (at present known as the "Boran Lamp") accompanied by a complete specification at the Patent Office', but the application has not yet been accepted.

Landscape sketchbook of twelve leaves. Dimensions of each leaf roughly 26.5 x 38 cm. Unbound and stitched. In original brown patterned wraps. Good, on lightly discoloured and spotted drawing paper, with some wear to extremities, heavy wear at head of spine, and in heavily-worn wraps. The first leaf, otherwise blank, has had a small square taken out of it, and there are stubs indicating the removal of a couple of leaves.

8vo: 3 pp. Bifolium. Very good. Written in French. After an 'etude attentive de rapport de M.M. de Lacretelle et Millas et des autres documents en ma possession' on the Exposition's foreign returns he finds 'certaines lacunes et certains points douteux' concerning which he hopes Berger can enlighten him. He gives a list of seventeen officially-participating countries, each with the subsidy it has received in francs, complaining that 'huit de ces chiffres sont douteux'. This is followed by a similar list of six countries which did not participate officially.

12mo: 1 p. Good, with four fold lines. Helps held the post of Clerk of the Privy Council from 1860 until his death. In large letters beneath the oval blue Privy Council crest reads 'Life of | Las Casas | 2 copies for | [signature] A Helps'. The handwriting is bold and the signature is underlined with a flourish.

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.