ALGERIA

[Gaston Palewski; de Gaulle] Typed Letter Signed Gaston Palewski to Monsieur le Professeur Andre Gros, legal advisor to De Gaulle at the time, who counter-signs, referring to an article by Sir John Pollock, and his work in London.

Author: 
Gaston Palewski [(1901 – 1984), French politician, close associate of Charles de Gaulle]
Palewski
Publication details: 
[Printed heading includes] Cabinet du Général de Gaulle, No. 505/Cab.Dir., [date typed] Alger, le 8 février 1944
£120.00
Palewski

One page, 4to, fold marks, one edge dusted, fold marks, ow good. Je vous remercie vivement de m'avoir envoyé l;article de Sir John Pollock. Que cette fidélité amicale et intelligence est raffraichissante [one f crossed out]. | Je vous félicite du travail que vous faites à Londres, et vous prie de croire a mon tres fidèle souvenir. Underneath Palewski's scrawled signature, Gros has added le ci est de Palewski I I think!) adding his own nearly illegible signature. See image.

[ Élisabeth de Mac Mahon, wife of the French president Patrice de MacMahon, Duke of Magenta. ] Two Autograph Letters Signed (both 'Male. de Mac Mahon'), in English, to the artist and women's activist Barbara Bodichon, regarding meetings in Algeria.

Author: 
Élisabeth de Mac Mahon [ née Castries ] (1834-1900), La Maréchale de Mac Mahon [ MacMahon ], Duchesse de Magenta, wife of French President Patrice de Mac Mahon (1808-1879) [ Barbara Bodichon ]
Publication details: 
One dated 'Alger the 16th March' and the other 'Alger Sunday' [ Algiers. Between 1864 and 1870? ]
£180.00

Both items in good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Accompanied by an envelope, with broken red wax seal, addressed by the Maréchale to 'Madame Bodichon | Mustapha Supérieur | Chemin de la Colonne Voirol | à El Biar'. (In 1857 Bodichon had married the French physician, ethnographer, and scholar Eugène Bodichon (1810-1885), and thereafter divided her time between Algeria and England.) General MacMahon was Governor General of Algeria between 1864 and 1870. ONE: 2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. 'Alger Sunday'.

[ British North Africa Force, Tunisia Campaign, 1943. ] Corrected draft of typescript: 'A Summary of Events and Movements of our own Tps during the Kournine Battle, 22-30 April 43', with seven original manuscript tracings of battlefield positions

Author: 
[ British North Africa Force [ BNAF ], Tunisia Campaign; Battle of Kournine, 1943; Second World War ]
Publication details: 
Without place or date. [ British North Africa Force, Tunisia and Algeria, 1943. ]
£650.00

ONE: Corrected draft of typescript: 'A Summary of Events and Movements of our own Tps during the Kournine Battle, 22-30 April 43'. 9pp., 8vo. On nine leaves attached in one corner to remains of buff card folder, with 'KOURNINE BATTLE' in orange pencil on front cover. Original top copy typescript, with a few pencil emendations. The summary is divided into 24 sections, beginning with 'Regrouping of 9 Corps' and 'Special Preliminary Tasks'. The first page is a table of contents, listing the seven maps in item two as Traces A to G.

[ Royal Armoured Corps, British Army, North African Campaign, Second World War. ] Duplicated document: 'R.A.C. North Africa | Information Bulletin | No. 6'.

Author: 
[ Royal Armoured Corps, British Army, North African Campaign, Second World War ]
Publication details: 
'MOST SECRET'. Without date or place. [ British Army, North Africa, circa 1942. ]
£500.00

15pp., folio. Stapled into pink printed wraps. Title on front cover, with 'MOST SECRET'. Copy number 53 in blue pencil. In fair condition, on browned high-acidity paper. Front cover coming away from rusted staples. At head of first page: 'NOTE: SECURITY | Attention is drawn to the fact that this document is graded "MOST SECRET". It will not be distributed below Lieutenant Colonels' commands.' Contents page divides the document into two parts: 'Equipment' and 'Organisation'.

[ British Army in Algeria, 1943. ] Duplicated document, describing forthcoming 'Div Lo's Exercise "Juggins" | 10 Nov 43'.

Author: 
Captain Vincent Duncan Jones, 6th Armoured Division, British Army [ Tunisia Campaign [ Battle of Tunisia; Run for Tunis ] 1942-1943, in the Second World War North Africa Campaign ] [ Barrie Pitt ]
Publication details: 
Dated 10 November 1943.
£300.00

2pp., 8vo. In fair condition, on aged and worn paper. Under the headings: 'Object'; 'D.S.'; 'Narrative'; 'Episode I'; 'Episode II'; 'Episode III'; 'Maps'; 'Organisation' and 'Transport'. The exercise is to be undertaken by Captains 'V. S. Duncan-Jones, D. V. Bendall and D. Laidlaw. The object is 'To exercise Div LOs in route finding and locating HQs by night, and in message carrying.' The three episodes are described (the last beginning: 'You will take up posn on high ground G.5222.

[Printed] Déclaration de l'empereur, concernant l'Emploi des Biens des Couvens supprimés des Trinitaires, & les Confréries établies aux Pays-Bas pour la redemption des Captifs

Author: 
[Trinitarian Order]
Déclaration de l'empereur, concernant l'Emploi des Biens des Couvens supprimés
Publication details: 
[2 Juillet 1783] Namur, chez G.J. Lafontaine, Imprimeur patenté de Sa Majesté l'Empereur & Roi, 1783.
£95.00
Déclaration de l'empereur, concernant l'Emploi des Biens des Couvens supprimés

Disbound, four pages, folio, aged but good, paginated [1]-4, but also numbered in MS. 95-98. The Trinitarian Order was created in France in the C12th to raise funds to ransom crusader and other Christians held by barbarians. This edict from Emperor Joseph II of Austria orders the suppression of this order and the confiscation of its property since the Order's original purpose was no longer valid.

Grammatical Sketch and Specimens of the Berber Language: preceded by four Letters on Berber Etymologies . . .Read October 2nd, 1829.

Author: 
William B. Hodgson (1801-1871), scholar-diplomat
Grammatical Sketch and Specimens of the Berber Language
Publication details: 
[1829]
£185.00
Grammatical Sketch and Specimens of the Berber Language

Offprint, "Transactions of the American Philosophical Society", vol.iv, New Series, brown paper wraps, 48pp., 4to, two one-word corrections in Hodgson's hand, some foxing, marginal chipping of page edges, fair. INSCRIBED "To President Adams | With the hommage | of W B Hodgson". Note: Hodgson served in the State Department through the influence of Henry Clay who, when secretary of state in Adams's administration, "assigned Hodgson to the Barbary States . . ."

Autograph Letter Signed ('h. f.') to 'Madame [Eliza] Thomas'.

Author: 
Henri-Jérôme-Marie Fournel (1799-1876), French civil engineer, geologist and disciple of Saint-Simon [Algeria]
Publication details: 
1 September 1842 ('4h du matin'); place not stated.
£200.00

8vo bifolium, 3 pp. 57 lines of text. Addressed on verso of second leaf of bifolium, with circular postmark in black ink, to 'Madame Thomas, chateau de marville, près et par St. Denis (Banlieue de Paris).' Good, on lightly creased and aged paper, with slight damage to second leaf from breaking of wafer. Text clear and entire, in a difficult, indiosyncratic hand. An interesting and significant letter, announcing Fournel's appointment to the post which would result in his greatest achievement.

Autograph Letter Signed ('henri Fournel') to the Parisian publisher and bookseller Duprat.

Author: 
Henri-Jérôme-Marie Fournel (1799-1876), French civil engineer, geologist and disciple of Saint-Simon [Algeria]
Publication details: 
4 August 1861; 'rue de la Chaussée d’Antin 58 bis', Paris.
£56.00

16mo (13 x 10.5 cm), 1 p, 8 lines of text. Good. Ordering a geographical work and referring (obscurely) to words with an arab flavour (hard to read).

Small archive of official documents, newspaper cuttings, photographs and manuscript material relating to his war experiences.

Author: 
Gerard Guttman [ Algeria; Les Prestataires; Foreign Labour Company; British Expeditionary Force; Pioneer Corps; the Holocaust ]
Publication details: 
1940-83.
£300.00

An extremely interesting and moving if frail survival: items of various sizes, many discoloured, creased, frayed and stained. The first item, 'THE HISTORY OF THE PRESTATAIRES IN ALGERIA. | Dedicated by one of them to the Major, recruiter of Pioneers for the 337 Alien Coy. in Hussein Dey.' (two typewritten A4 leaves, both backed with grey card), dated 'Kenadza, 28 February 1943', explains how 'Before June 1940 there were more than 3,000 of us who did our duty in the fight against the onslaught of the Axis.

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