VICTORIAN

1p., 12mo. With mourning border. In fair condition, on aged paper. The note reads: 'Temple | 19 March 1853 | My dear Captain Manby, | Many thanks for your letter. I did not find your book within it, but shall be very happy to receive and read it, as I am everything of the kind emanating from you | Believe me | very truly yours | Fitzroy Kelly | Captn Manby R.N.'

2pp., 12mo. The final leaf of the letter only. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. A poignant letter, given its author's early death. Regarding 'the Shelter' Mackirdy writes that 'Lady Brassey the Duchess of St Albans Lady Radnor & others have been giving big dinner parties etc for me & I only go in order to meet people who will help with the Shelter. I am not very strong and have such heavy work that now I find I simply cannot indulge my own tastes & enjoy my firends if I am going to do definite work.

The four items in good condition, on lightly-aged and dusty paper. Letter One (11 May1879): 2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Begins in typical high-spirited style: 'To morrow (Monday) I shall be at Radlett, and shall forward by train to you, at St Albans Station, Midland, the proof sheets of Dacorum, which I shall not expect you to return until you become the First Lord of the Admiralty. Then, I shall.' Letter Two (25 September 1879): 2pp., 12mo, and 1p., 8vo. Bifolium.

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, on aged paper with wear to corners. The context of the letter is apparent from the following advertisement in The Times, 29 June 1846: 'On the 30th of June, will be published, in 8vo., price 2s. 6d., the first number of | THE MONTHLY PRIZE ESSAYS. Each number will contain six Essays in Prose and six in Verse. The first prize for prose will be £20; the second, £15; the third, £10; and the other three, £5 each. There will be but three prizes for poetry - £5, £3, and £2. The Essays must be delivered by the 30th of the previous month.

4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. He begins: 'The above is my permanent address now, this house being given my by the office to live in'. He continues by discussing his forthcoming marriage (according to Who's Who, Capper's wife was 'Emily Sophia, widow of his cousin, Harold Henbest Capper, and 4th d of late Henry Benjamin Spalding'). The marriage is to take place on 26 September, 'at Tighnabruaich on the Isles of Bute', and this 'negatives your kind proposal to be present'. Capper's 'future Wife & my Father & Mother & family' are all there at present.

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with small hole through both leaves. He will be too busy over the following days to visit Clark in person, 'and so I send you the first act of the MSS I talked to you about - I may say I read the 1st. act one afternoon to Miss Terry who wanted to take it to Webster - but I was disinclined'. If Clark 'had anything to do with it - the Blacksmith would be the [last word underlined] part'. He asks Clark to return it as soon as he can: 'as this is the American copy - and they expect it (but of course won't get it) by next mail'.

1p., 12mo. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. He begins by informing Alvarez that the periodical 'somehow made a sad hash of the printing of ye last No. which I have sent to the works | As you are now definitely engaged to read, I will tell you our system. | No high pointing, the other plan being both more scholarlike & less expensive. | All proofs read after my signature is attached (in page) to be only altered for literals.' He ends by informing Alvarez that he has 'sent on something of yrs'.

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium, with mourning border. In envelope, with stamp and postmark, addressed by Yonge to 'J. J. Bacon [sic] Esq | 18 Griffin St. | Welton | Blackburn | Lancashire'. Good, on lightly-aged paper, in worn envelope. He informs him that his edition of Plutarch's 'Parallel Lives' was published by Chapman & Hall.

1p., 12mo. Fair, on lightly-aged paper. Reads: 'Dr. Draper/ | Do something for No 2. | No 1 was put of for a week | Yours | Aug: Mayhew'. Mayhew edited the Comic Almanac between 1848 and 1850.

Nicely printed within a border on one side of a piece of 19 x 12 cm laid paper. In good condition, lightly-aged. Headed: 'THOMAS FRÈRES, | NGTS. A VALENCE, DÉPT. DE LA DROME. | REPRÉSENTÉS VOYAGEUR.' 22 'VINS ROUGES' (from 'Hermitage' to 'Bordeaux') and 13 'VINS BLANCS' (from 'Hermitage' to 'Muscat de Beziers') are listed, followed by six items from 'Eau-de-vie vieille du Languedoc' to 'Truffes noires'. Prices are only given (in pencil) for three items.

1p., 4to. Neatly written-out within a red ruled decorative border. In fair condition, on aged and lightly-creased paper. The poem is twelve lines long, and begins: 'Oh Sir! Words are, but inadequate to reveal, | Humble and penetent [sic] as I, admittedly, feel | To own my hapless grevious folly | In venturing to accost you unceremoniously; | And it grives me all the more to state | That in my guileless efforts to propitiate | I have only given you an offence so grave | That on my knees, your pardon, I humbly crave'.

An attractive item, with the poem neatly written out on one side of a piece of 19 x 14cm paper, and placed within a 17.5 x 11.5cm windowpane in a 32.5 x 24.5cm leaf. The poem, consisting of twenty lines arranged in five four-line stanzas, begins: 'We loved you Colonel Peacock | And will always cherish you; | It's a truth; no idle talk, | Though told in words so few.' The last stanza reads: 'Fare you well kind master!

[2] + 8 + [1] pp., small (18 x 14 cm.) 4to. Sewn with green ribbon into white wraps, with 'Pattie's Christmas Tree' in gilt on front. In good condition, with the wraps slightly sunned in panels. Inscribed at head of title-page 'With kind regards'. The pamphlet contains a single poem titled 'Pattie's Christmas Tree', printed on eight pages each with decorative border in gilt. Printer's slug on revers of title, and colophon on last page. The beginning and end of the poem indicate the theme.

12pp., 12mo. In original printed wraps bearing the title, dramatis personae, printer's slug, and contemporary pencil note: 'Performed at Literary Institute Wednesday June 8th 1898.' On aged and worn paper, with curling to fore-edge, and a cloth strip sewn on to strengthen spine. A comedy in heroic couplets. Excessively scarce: no copies on COPAC or WorldCat OCLC. Kirshaw was active between the 1870s and 1890s.

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Ainsworth begins: 'My dear Mr. Fullom, I am happy to tell you that you are under a great mistake. Your manner, on the occasion you refer to, produced the most favourable impression upon me.' Fullom 'exhibited great delicacy and modesty', and Ainsworth 'stated as much to Mr. Hurst'. The omission was in fact on Ainsworth's own part, in neglecting to thank Fullom for his 'flattering proposal to dedicate your romance to me'.

None of the three items appears to have been published. They are in fair condition, on lightly-aged and worn paper. First poem: Headed 'By Dr. MacOubrey' and signed 'Wm MacOubrey' at foot. 1p., 12mo. Five four-line stanzas, and a four-line chorus, with a couple of minor corrections. The first stanza reads: 'Away! Away nor strive | To tempt me from the bowl | Away! and let me live | This night without control'. This followed by the chorus: 'Then quaff the Wine, | Spirits of Joy | Oh! Sense Divine! | Without Alloy!' Second Poem: Untitled. 2pp., 12mo.

In 1868 Joseph Swan (inventor of the incandescent electric bulb) set up the company to commercialise his patented process for producing permanent photographic images. Throughout the nineteenth century it was known as the Autotype Fine Art Company, It changed its name to the Autotype Company Ltd in 1923, and is now MacDermid Autotype. All five items are in good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Item One dates from before the company's move from 74 to 59 New Oxford Street in 1926; and the other four items from after the move.

The contract is a form (1p., 12mo) printed in English in Paris by Imprimerie Hervey, and completed in autograph by De Keyser, with his stamp. It is in good condition, on aged paper, laid down on a larger sheet on which the words 'Royal Hotel, | 26, New Bridge Street, Blackfriars' are written in red ink in a large hand. In the same hand, on the form itself, is written: 'Published separately in English, French, German and Spanish'.

On one side of a 5.5 x 11 cm piece of laid paper. In good condition, lightly-aged and with slight rusting from paperclips on the reverse. Cut from a letter, and reading: '[...] Hospital at Ventnor | Yours very truly | [signed] Richard Quain'.

On 8.5 x 11 cm piece of paper, cut from the bottom of a letter. In good condition, lightly-aged. Entirely in German's hand. The side of the letter with the signature reads: '[...] write you, & I hope we may be able to arrange a meeting. | Yours sincerely | Edward German'. The other side reads: '[...] you at Sidcup with the Georges many years ago. | I should be very pleased to meet you again, but at present I seem to be fully occupied [...]'.

Both items printed on pink paper, with similar cover designs by Arnold Riches. Both in fair condition, aged and worn. The song sheet is a bifolium, 4pp, 4to, It dates from before 1939, when, following Ridgeway's death, the Player's Theatre moved to the Arts Theatre from King Street. The front page advertises performances 'Every Night (Except Sundays)', with 'THE ARTISTES' listed over twelve lines, and including 'Alec (Laneworthy-Figg) Clunes', Peter Ustinov, Bernard Miles and 'Leonard Sachs (Chairman)'.

Letter: 6pp., 12mo, on bifolium and single leaf. An vivid and entertaining letter, shedding light on Victorian valuation and auctioneering practices. Barling wastes no time in passing on the bad news. 'I am very glad you have written to me about the B[awdeswe]ll. pictures & I can tell you [last world underlined] plainly what the 2 Christie's opinion was which I cd. not do to poor old C[larke]. S[toughto]n. The inspection in issue was a grievous disappointment. So far worse than I cd. have possibly believed, and then coming the question cd. two such Men as the Christies be wrong?

1p., 8vo (25 x 18.5 cm). In fair condition, on lightly-aged and worn paper. 19 lines, printed in a variety of fonts and point sizes, in a style characteristic of the period. Headed: 'HUNTS. COUNTY COUNCIL. | TECHNICAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE. | DISTRICT OF ST. IVES.' Signed in type by Hazlitt at the end. 'The Lectures are FREE to all; and it is hoped that many people will attend them, as they will be of a Homely, Useful and Practical Character.'

ONE (memorandum): Headed: 'Memorandum of an Agreement between Messrs: Henry S. King & Co: of 65 Cornhill London of the one part and Mortimer Collins Esqre. of Knowl Hill, Twyford, Berks of the other part.' 19 March 1872. 1p., folio. In fair condition, on lightly-aged and worn paper. Pencil annotations. Five stamps at head (four embossed and one ink).

On one side of a 5.5 x 20 cm strip of laid paper, cut away from the bottom of a letter. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper, with traces of mount adhering to the reverse. Reads, in a firm attractive hand: 'Yours very sincerely | John Hassall.'

34pp., 12mo. Side-stitched in original printed wraps. In good condition, unopened, on aged and dusty paper. Scarce: the only copies on COPAC in the British Library and National Library of Scotland.

xl + 112pp., 12mo. In original buff printed wraps. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper, in worn wraps, with front wrap becoming detached and chipping to the spine. Fulton's memoir, on pp.v-xl, has the drophead title: 'In Memory of the late James A. Begg, Bookseller, Argyle Street, Glasgow. A Discourse by William Fulton. Sunday, 3d January, 1869. Scarce: no copy in the British Library, and the only copy on COPAC at the Bodleian. Of Bain's careet Fulton writes on p.xxxlii: 'James A. Begg was born in Paisley, at the beginning of this century.

90pp., 12mo, paginated 39-128. Side-stitched in original printed wraps. Long prefatory note by Begg on inside of front wrap, dated 'GLASGOW, December 12th, 1843.'; both sides of back wrap advertising books by Begg. In fair condition, on aged paper, in worn and grubby wraps, with back wrap detached. Scarce: no copy of this separate lecture on COPAC, and the only copy of the two lectures bound together (under the name of the first, 'The Value of Prophecy') at the British Library.

1p., 12mo. In fair condition, on lightly-aged and creased paper. The document reads as follows, with the autograph additions by Harrison in square brackets: 'WHITECHAPEL ESTATE, | THE PROPERTY OF | WILLIAM HEATHER MEDOWS, ESQ. | SIR, | I beg to acquaint you that I shall attend at the "Magpie," 12, New Street, Bishopsgate Street, to receive Rents on [Thursday] next, the [8th.] Instant, from Ten till One o'clock, when I have to request you will pay the Rent due by you at [Christmas] last amounting to £ [-. s17./7] | I am, SIR | Your obedient Servant, [G. C. Harrison] | Receiver.

On one side of a 5 x 8 cm piece of paper, cut from a letter, and backed with card. In good condition, lightly-aged, with the top two corners rounded. Reads: 'I am | Gentlemen | Your very obed Sert | [signed] Geo Combe'.