BOOKS

Reproduction of black and white drawing in Blake's inimitable style. 4to (34 x 29.5 cm). Good, with a little light creasing. Reproduction of black and white drawing in Blake's inimitable style. Depicts anthropomorphic bear, pig, chicken, squirrel and hedgehog in a line from largest to smallest, all with party hats, smiles on their faces and forepaws and other front limbs aloft. Blake's address, as part of printed piece, written upwards along left-hand margin.

The dimensions of the book are 4 x 5 cm. 48 pp. In brown card binding, yellow endpapers. Tight copy, in good condition on aged paper, in good binding with slight discoloration to endpapers. 'This Little Book, one of the least ever published, and certainly printed with the Smallest Type, is intended as a curious illustration of the extraordinary perfection to which the elegant art of Type Founding has been carried in modern days.' Filled with details concerning the Institution, including nine pages listing its officers and members.

One page, 8vo, sunned and grubby, two small chips, small closed tear, spike-hole (loss of two letters), text legible and complete bar two lost letters. A large cross in the white space means perhaps that the bookseller has dealt with the enquiry. "Lord Dynevor begs Mr Andrews will send him the first Voyage of Discovery by Captain Parry in Quarto, (he has got the second - but has lost the first) & whenever any account comes out of Captain Ross's present Expedition to send him a Copy directed to Dynevor Castle, Lan[?] S Wales, by the Paul Pry Gloucester Coach-| Half Bound in Linnen."

Reproduction of black and white drawing in Blake's inimitable style. 4to (34 x 29.5 cm). Good, with a little light creasing. Reproduction of black and white drawing in Blake's inimitable style. Depicts anthropomorphic bear, pig, chicken, squirrel and hedgehog in a line from largest to smallest, all with party hats, smiles on their faces and forepaws and other front limbs aloft. Blake's address, as part of printed piece, written upwards along left-hand margin. Genuine autograph inscription by Blake, in blue ink, at right of drawing, reading 'With best wishes for Christmas & love from Q'.

The subscription Liverpool Library within the Lyceum, founded in 1757, is believed to have been the first circulating or lending library in Europe, and the first two of these items provide a valuable insight into its status at the time when the advent of the public library system was undermining its position.

12mo, 40 pp. In original brown wraps, printed in green ink on the front with the British royal crest, and on the back with that of Napoleon. Yellow endpapers. Text clear and complete. A fair, tight copy, on aged paper, in worn wraps. Illustrated title-page in red and black. In manuscript on reverse Sainsbury has written: 'J. S. | 13 Upper Ranelagh St | Eaton Square | This Collection is offered at One Half it's Cos - | Viz 1200 Guins.' The text begins with a two-page description of 'Drawings and Proof Engravings. Important scenes in the French Revolution' by J.

4pp., 8vo, disbound, edges sl. frayed, mainly good. It has a selective list from the Catalogue, commences by offering Price 1s. 6d. allowed on First Purchase, giving selling and discounted price (R.B.'s Price) for c.150 titles. COPAC records the NLS copy.

32mo, 36 pp. Unpaginated. In original blue cloth, with gilt design on front. Marbled endpapers. Unopened. Good. Nicely printed, in small type. Two-page introduction, 'To the inquisitive and pertinent reader', by 'Henry Stevens of Vermont'. On the title page Stevens is described as 'GMB FSA ETC | Sometime Student in Yale College in America | now of London'. Leaf of addenda not present. Uncommon, copies on COPAC at the British Library, National Library of Scotland, Oxford, Cambridge, and the V & A and Society of Antiquaries libraries.

4to, 5 pp. Text clear and complete. Good, on aged and folded paper. An highly interesting and significant letter, responding thoughtfully and in detail to questions posed by Gilbert (author, according to Allan, of the 'special study, "Children and Reading"'). Begins by responding to the question 'Why do I write for children?' Considers that children's books 'are at least a minor form of art [...] I am a professional author. I have published more than eighty books, all but one for young people. But every book I have written has been written because I wanted to write it, for myself.

Both one page, c.21 x 17cm, small closed tear, some dusting, mainly good, texts clear and complete: [10 June] "Re. Infected Books | A few days ago one of your Clerks saw me in reference to the above, and said that it was Miss Strong's intention not to replace the books as they and numerous dresses were taken away by Sanitary Authorities.

12mo, [viii] + 210 pp, together with four unpaginated pages before p. 79 and two unpaginated pages before p. 165. With fold-out list of Knights of the Garter. On aged paper, in worn eighteenth-century binding, lacking spine, and with front board and title-leaf almost detached from rest. Ownership inscription, at head of p.1, 'Mary Standish of Standish - Her Book'; and a couple of ownership initials on title-page.

12mo, 4 pp. Bifolium. 51 lines. Text clear and complete. Good, on aged paper. Chatty and spirited letter. 'I propose myself the honour and pleasure (seldom indeed, save in common parlance!) of paying you a visit, - to present you with a copy of "Westminster Abbey"', which has 'emerged from the press in the orthodox three volumes'. Does not want to give him 'an excuse for not flashing your eye through it'.

8vo, 1 p. Image clear on aged paper, with the leaf loosely attached to the letterpress title of the work whence it comes (see below), that title being laid down in a folder with a window cut into the front for viewing the card through. The dimensions of the engraved illustration are roughly 12.5 x 8 cm, with the main feature of the elaborate design being contained in a circle 8 cm in diameter.

On rectangle cut from letter, 3.5 x 11 cm. In fair condition, on lightly-aged paper, with neat vertical crease at one edge (away from signature) and minor traces of previous mounting on reverse. Reads '<...> to his Admission. | Believe me very faithfully Yours, | Henry Ellis', with reverse reading '<...> now with my Successor, Antonio Panizzi Esq | James C. Webster Esq'. From Webster's autograph collection.

4to, 1 p. 19 lines. Text clear and complete. On aged and lightly creased paper, with strip of sunning to left-hand margin. Neat signature: 'Nicolas Bentley'. The film and television rights to the book were all 'bought some years ago by Herbert Wilcox, who, as I understand it, still owns them'. Bentley has reports the opinion of 'Messrs A. P. Watt, my late father's agent', on the question of the radio rights. 'I control the stage rights', Bentley states, giving the conditions on which he would agree to a stage adaptation.

This small archive casts invaluable light on British labour relations at a local level during a turbulent economic period in postwar British history, with specific day-to-day information about persons and events. The two minute books, 1943-1980, are both 4to, with the first of around 200 pp and the second of around 150 pp. Both texts clear and complete, and some matter loosely inserted (including a letter from an individual pursuing a complaint against the branch). In worn bindings, with the boards of the second volume detached.

12mo, 2 pp. Bifolium. Thirteen lines. Text clear and complete. Fair, on lightly-aged and stained paper. With envelope, addressed in autograph. Addressed to Bowerbank in his capacity as Honorary Secretary of the Palaeontographical Society, London. Enquiring as to the publication date of four of the Society's books, 'to those members who have paid the whole of their subscriptions'.

12mo, 1 p. Aged, grubby and creased, with slight loss to bottom left-hand corner, and closed tear to one margin. Requesting 'one or two choicest leather trout-fly books with plenty of pages, but not those with printed descriptions of flies'.

8vo, 8 pp. Unbound. Text clear and complete. On aged paper with wear to extremities. According to the title-page the sale contains 'The Encyclopaedia Britannica, Johnson's Poets, Scott's Works, Swift's ditto, Annual Register, British Theatre, and other Works, in various branches of Literature; Prints, Books of Prints, Paintings, Mahogany Cabinets, Antiquities, Gold Repeater, Grand Piano-Forte, by Zeitter'.

12mo, 3 pp. Bifolium. Forty-nine lines of text, clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. In a neat, childish hand. Begins by asking for ten pounds to be paid to the bearer, Thomas Fairfax Carlile, on Hey's account. A 'hand bill' has been 'published on the occasion - but without effect', and fifteen of his 'near neighbours' have - 'without consulting me' - subscribed ten pounds each. 'A man was apprehended - but for want of sufficient evidence he was liberated to appear before the magistrate when called for, upon penalty of 40£.

8vo, viii + 160 pp. Fold-out map at rear, and five maps (one of them fold-out) as five of the seven plates, with the other two plates photographic portraits of Doctor Ismael Montes and of Manuel V. Ballivián. In original printed wraps, with title on front. In poor condition, on brittle, aged high-acidity paper, with chipping and loss to margins, and the wraps discoloured and with loss at rear. Ownership inscription of Pedro Suarez of London.

12mo, 1 p. Text clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper with remains of stub from mounting adhering to one edge. Reads 'We shall be very glad to accord Miss Rosamund hospitality on Saturday'. From a small archive of Lane-Poole material.

8vo: [38] pp (unpaginated). In original quarter binding, with buff boards and vellum spine on which is stamped in black 'ECCE MUNDUS'. Good copy: internally tight and clean, in slightly-grubby and worn binding bumped at foot of spine and at one corner. Presentation copy, with autograph inscription by Cobden-Sanderson on the front free endpaper: 'To Mr. Wheatley [the bibliographer Henry Benjamin Wheatley] with the compliments of the writer'. With green leather and gilt bookplate of Alfred Sutro on front pastedown.

12mo, 1 p. Eight lines. On lightly-aged paper with creasing to head and part of stub from autograph album adhering to the reverse.

4to (leaf dimensions 20.5 x 16.5 cm): 63 pp. In original grey-green printed wraps. Tight and generally good, but with damp-staining to a few leaves, some wear to corners and creasing and grubbiness to the last three leaves. Wraps worn and grubby. Embossed bookseller's stamp to rear wrap: 'W. H. Smith & Son. 186 Strand, London.' Scarce: COPAC only lists copies at the Bodleian, the National Library of Scotland and the British Library (the last being attributed to 'MARSHALL, Charles, Traveller'). The beginning is reminiscent of Tolkien's 'Hobbit': 'POOR Glum-glum!

Number 174 of 'Two hundred numbered copies [...] printed by hand on mould-made paper.' 8vo: [ii] + 9 pp. Stitched pamphlet of twelve leaves, with four vignettes giving it a distinct chap-book feel. COPAC only lists copies at the British Library and Oxford. Prefatory note by 'E. G-H.' [Eddie Gathorne-Hardy].

On a piece of paper roughly 7 x 10 cm. Laid down on a piece of card. Fair, rucked and grubby, with traces of previous mount adhering to the reverse. Presmuably in response to a request for an autograph. Reads: 'I wish thee well | [signed] W Gordon-Stables | MD - RN'.

Both items in fair condition, on lightly-aged and foxed paper. Letter One: 12mo (15 x 10 cm), 1 p. He thanks him 'for the Tickets': 'we are looking forward to seeing you act. I shall be very pleased to come to smoke a cigarette after the first act off the Duel.' ('The Duel' was produced at the Garrick Theatre, London, in 1907.) Letter Two: 12mo, 2 pp. He thanks him 'for the excellent evening you gave me at The Coronet the other night. | The Incubus is an admirable play, and admirably acted.' He hopes France 'had a good week of it': 'I told innumerable people not to miss it.'

8vo, 2 pp. 40 lines of text. Stamped and docketed by Bumpus. Good, on lightly aged and creased paper. A splendid diatribe. She is enclosing a cheque for £5 and asks for 'books to the value of thirty shillings to be placed to her account. 'The books written for by me some time ago have arrived; but I was greatly displeased to receive "abridged" editions of the two childrens' [sic] books ordered - "The Wide Wide Word" and "Queechy".

On one side of piece of paper 23.5 x 16 cm. With perforated edge. Good, on aged paper, with traces with strip of glue from previous mount on reverse. Printed in copperplate. The deposited works are 'Notes on the Maces, Insignia of Office, and Town Plate of the Town of Guildford', 'Progress of Catholic Work', 'Token Pamphlet', 'Guildford Shakespeare' and 'County Town'. Ostensibly signed by the 'Keeper', but the signature is not decipherable (''). In his obituary in The Times, 6 July 1942, Williamson was praised as 'a highly industrious and versatile writer on art'.