AUTOGRAPH

[Sir John Easthope (1784-1865), proprietor of Morning Chronicle, employer of Charles Dickens.] Autograph Note Signed 'J E', with full signature in frank, to Thomas Joseph 'Mummy' Pettigrew.

Author: 
Sir John Easthope (1784-1865), proprietor of Morning Chronicle, Whig politician, employer of Charles Dickens as a reporter [Thomas Joseph Pettigrew (1791-1865), doctor, antiquary and Egyptologist]
Publication details: 
'Barnet June five / 1831', with frank of 6 June 1831.
£45.00

See his entry, and that of Pettigrew, in the Oxford DNB. Easthope was a difficult employer, nicknamed ‘Blast-hope’. Dickens worked for him as a parliamentary reporter between 1834 and 1836. 1p, 12mo, on recto of first leaf of a bifolium. In fair condition, aged and discoloured. Reads: 'My dear Pettigrew / Will you please to leave out Lancaster letter which I'll send for tomorrow / haste / Yrs. / J E / Sunday'. The letter is addressed on the reverse of the second leaf, with slight loss to one corner from the breaking of the red wax seal. Black 'BARNET' postmark and customary frank in red.

[Spenser Wilkinson, military historian, the first Chichele Professor of Military History at Oxford University.] Autograph Letter Signed to 'Bryan' regarding a meeting with 'Col. [A. G. A.] Durand'.

Author: 
Spenser Wilkinson [Henry Spenser Wilkinson] (1853-1937), military historian, the first Chichele Professor of Military History at Oxford University [Colonel A. G. A. Durand of the Hunza-Nagar Campaign]
Publication details: 
2 January 1901; 99 Oakley St. S.W. [London] On letterhead of the Morning Post, 246 Strand, W.C. [London].
£50.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with traces of brown paper mount adhering to the blank reverse of the second leaf. Folded twice for postage. Signed ‘Spenser Wilkinson.’ Begins: ‘Dear Mr. Bryan, / I am glad to hear from you again, for you seemed lost. My wife went to Beauchamp Place long ago to call on Mr. Bryan but found that you had left & could not learn your address.’ He accepts with pleasure the invitation to lunch with him and Colonel Durand, ‘whose book I read with much interest’.

[Thomas Binney, Congregational minister known as the ‘Archbishop of Nonconformity’.] The first part only of an Autograph Letter, discussing his writing a preface for a work by ‘the blind eloquent American’ [William Henry Milburn].

Author: 
Thomas Binney [Thomas Benney] (1798-1874), Congregational minister known as the ‘Archbishop of Nonconformity’ [William Henry Milburn (1823-1903), ‘the blind preacher’]
Publication details: 
‘Walworth [London] / Octr 31. 1856’.
£40.00

See Binney’s entry in the Oxford DNB. 4pp, 12mo. Bifolium. The present item is only the first part of the letter, and hence unsigned, but the author is undoubtedly Binney (the text ends with a reference to ‘my preface to Dr Cheever’s “Incidents & Memories of the Christian Life,” published by Collins of Glasgow’). In good condition, lightly aged. Folded for postage. The recipient is not named, but the subject of the letter is a proposal for Binney to prepare for English publication a work by ‘the blind eloquent American’ (i.e. William Henry Milburn).

[Julius Harrison, conductor and composer.] Autograph Letter Signed to ‘Boosey’ [of the music publishers Boosey & Hawkes], giving his opinion of a batch of music manuscripts sent to him.

Author: 
Julius Harrison [Julius Allan Greenway Harrison] (1885-1963), conductor and composer, Professor of Composition and Director of Opera, Royal Academy of Music [Boosey & Hawkes, London music publishers]
Publication details: 
11 December 1934; on letterhead of 5D Holmesdale Gardens, Hastings.
£50.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 4to. In good condition, lightly aged, with pinholes to one corner. Signed ‘Julius Harrison’. Begins ‘Dear Boosey, / From the recent batch sent, I return the enclosed which I fancy may all be useful in the English market. / I am struck with the “Flowers in the Valley” as a possible Alto lead number. Please see my remarks thereon.’ He explains that he is ‘trying to find an Alto lead piece for Cleethorpes Festival next July’, and could include the ‘Flowers’ if it were ‘published in C as soon as possible’.

[Samuel Childs Clarke, Vicar of Thorverton, Devon, hymnologist and poet.] Autograph Letter Signed on copy of prospectus for his 'Festival Hymns', discussing the work.

Author: 
S. Childs Clarke [Rev. Samuel Childs Clarke] (1821-1903), Vicar of Thorverton, Devon, hymnologist and poet
Publication details: 
7 July 1896. On embossed letterhead of Thorverton Vicarage, Devon.
£80.00

1p, 8vo. On recto of first leaf of a bifolium. The reverse of the that leaf and recto of the second leaf carry the printed prospectus and order form for Clarke’s 1896 volume, ‘Festival Hymns, Including Three Offertory Hymns for Festival Use, Sung in S. Paul’s Cathedral, also in Exeter, Truro, and other Cathedrals, at Choral Festivals’, in which Clarke is described as ‘Vicar of Thorverton, Devon, Hon. Sec. Exeter Diocesan Board of Education’. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. Folded twice for postage. Signed ‘S Childs Clarke’. The recipient is not named.

[Sir Courtenay Ilbert, Clerk of the House of Commons and Viceroy of India’s Council.] Autograph Letter Signed to his daughter Joyce, written from SS Cedric, White Star Line, describing the holiday.

Author: 
Sir Courtenay Ilbert [Sir Courtenay Peregrine Ilbert] (1841-1924), Clerk of the House of Commons, 1902-1921; drafter of the ‘Ilbert Bill’ as Viceroy of India's Council
Publication details: 
25 November 1913. On letterhead of SS Cedric, White Star Line.
£35.00

Written while Clerk of the Commons. See his entry in the Oxford DNB. Joyce Violet Ilbert (1890-1957) was the youngest of his five daughters. 8pp, 12mo. Two bifoliums. In good condition, lightly aged. Addressed to ‘My Dear Joyce’ and signed ‘Yr. loving father | C. P. I.’ Begins: ‘I wish for my sake that you were on board the Cedric - for I miss my [?]-valet-secretary very much. If you were here, you would be hoping that the voyage would never come to an end’. They have had ‘almost perpetual sunshine since we left New York’. ‘The ship is extremely comfortable.

[Geoffrey Langdale Bickersteth, Italianist and Professor of English at Aberdeen University.] Three Autograph Letters Signed to his old headmaster at Charterhouse 'Dr. Rendall’, with reference to Dante, Marlborough College, Josef Schick, E. A. Wilson.

Author: 
Geoffrey Langdale Bickersteth (1884-1974), translator of Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy’, Professor of English, Aberdeen University [Gerald Henry Rendall (1851-1945), Shakespearian scholar]
Publication details: 
ONE: 11 July 1913; on letterhead of The College, Marlborough. TWO: 27 January 1914; Amalienstrasse 44A/II, Munich. THREE: 7 February 1933; on letterhead of 4 St John’s Terrace, Glasgow, W2.
£180.00

Three excellent letters, written to his old headmaster at Charterhouse. Bickersteth’s papers are at Aberdeen, and with those of his family at the Bodleian. See the Oxford DNB entry for his brother Julian Bickersteth (1885-1962). Three long letters, every page fully filled with text neatly written in a close hand. The three items in fair condition, lightly aged and worn. ONE (11 July 1913): 4pp, 12mo, with additional cross writing on the first three. Bifolium. Begins by thanking him for his book, clearly Rendall’s ‘A Hero of the Antarctic’, about the ornithologist and explorer E. A.

[Julius Harrison, conductor and composer.] Two Autograph Letters Signed to 'Francis' regarding examinations he is supervising at Worcester.

Author: 
Julius Harrison [Julius Allan Greenway Harrison] (1885-1963), conductor and composer, Professor of Composition and Director of Opera, Royal Academy of Music
Publication details: 
ONE: 27 May 1935; 5D Holmesdale Gardens, Hastings, on his cancelled letterhead as Musical Director to the Corporation, County Borough of Hastings. TWO: 23 April 1941; Glencairn, Pickersleigh Road, Malvern, on cancelled Hastings letterhead.
£50.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. Both items in good condition, lightly aged. The first on thinner paper and lightly creased. Both folded for postage. Each addressed to 'My dear Francis' and signed 'Julius Harrision' ONE (27 May 1935): 2pp, 4to. He is supervising examinations at Worcester, and discusses arrangements. 'My people left Stourport for Worcester many years ago, but I rather fancy that Worcester will be too far from Birmingham to stay there. I shall, I think, stay in Birmingham itself.' He will be 'away down the Mediterranean until the 14th.

[Nicolai Malko, Russian (Ukrainian?) composer who settled in America, mentor of Shostakovich.] Autograph Card Signed in Russian and English, to M. Calvocoressi (see Wikipedia).

Author: 
Nicolai Malko [Nicolai Andreyevich Malko] (1883-1961), Russian composer who settled in America, mentor of Shostakovich
Malko
Publication details: 
‘Mills College, California. July 30th 1939 / Permanent Addresse: Bernstoffsvej, 242. / Charlottenlund, Denmark’. With postage stamp and postmark of Oakland, California, 31 July 1939.
£50.00
Malko

On a postcard with a bromide print of a modernist architectural image of a flight of outdoor steps and its stone surroundings. Creased and worn. Addressed to ‘M. Calvocoressi, Esq. / 5 Bramerton Str / London S. W. 3 / England / Europe’. Reads: ‘Dear Mr Calvocoressi, [19 words in Cyrillic script] Helas the score is lost. I am so sorry I could not send it to you. / [3 words in Cyrilic script]! / With kindest regards, / Yours sincerely / Nicolai Malko’

[Richard Wellesley, Marquis Wellesley, Governor-General of Bengal and elder brother of the Duke of Wellington; Ireland.] Autograph Copy of Signed Letter to the Home Secretary Henry Goulburn, recommending 'Mr. Duffy' to the Court of the King's Bench.

Author: 
Richard Wellesley (1760-1842), Marquis Wellesley, Governor-General of Bengal and elder brother of Duke of Wellington [Henry Goulburn (1784-1856), Tory Chancellor of the Exchequer and Home Secretary]
Publication details: 
No date or place.
£150.00

See the two men’s entries in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 4to. On gilt-edged wove paper. Aged and discoloured, with some nicking and creasing along edges and traces of previous mount on blank reverse. A copy by Wellesley himself. Addressed at bottom left to ‘Right Honble / Henry Goulburn / &c’. Reads: ‘My Dear Sir / Some time before I left Ireland I transmitted to Lord Duncannon, then holding the Seals of the Home Department, an official recommendation of the appointment of Mr. Duffy to the Office of F[?] of the Court of Kings Bench.

[Robert Torrens; South Australia; Torrens River; economist] Autograph Letter Signed Robt Torrens to Edwd Wakefield (foundation of S.Australia - see note below) about presenting his An Essay on the External Corn Trade (Hatchard. 1815.)'

Author: 
Robert Torrens FRS (1780 – 1864), Royal Marines officer, political economist, part-owner of the influential Globe newspaper, and a prolific writer [also see notes involving South Australia below]
Torrens
Publication details: 
61 Wells Street, Oxford Street, 30 June 1815
£600.00
Torrens

Note: a. He also chaired the board of the London-based South Australian Colonisation Commission created by the South Australia Act 1834 to oversee the new colony of South Australia. He also chaired the board of the London-based South Australian Colonisation Commission created by the South Australia Act 1834 to oversee the new colony of South Australia, before the colony went bankrupt and he was sacked in 1841.

[Sharon Turner, historian and Anglo-Saxon scholar.] Autograph Letter Signed

Author: 
Sharon Turner (1768-1847), historian, author of an influential four-volume ‘History of the Anglo-Saxons’
Publication details: 
'32 Red Lion Sq. / 18 [Fy.?]' [No year; London.]
£45.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged; laid down on part of a leaf removed from an album. The male recipient is unnamed, and he signs 'Sho. Turner'. Begins: 'Dear Sir / I shall have great pleasure in accompanying you to Mrs [?]. But I would much rather go with you than meet you - and will therefore call upon you to morrow at No 24 Chapel Street Grosvenor Square at 1/2 past 5 precisely - unless you wish me to make it any other hour'. He thanks him for apologising for the short notice, 'But it happens to be a day on which I have no opposing engagement'.

[Lord Halifax, as Lord Irwin [Edward Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax], Conservative politician, Viceroy of India.] Typed Letter Signed, thanking ‘Mr. Wilson’ for the offer of the help of the Indian Church Aid Association.

Author: 
Lord Halifax, as Lord Irwin [Edward Frederick Lindley Wood (1881-1959), 1st Earl of Halifax, Conservative politician, Viceroy of India, appeaser of Nazi Germany
Publication details: 
1 November 1933; on letterhead of 88 Eaton Square, S.W.1 [London].
£50.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 4to. On aged paper, creased at the edges. Signed ‘Irwin’. He thanks him for his letter and states that it is good of him ‘to offer the help of the Indian Church Aid Association for the receipt of the money. I should think we might be very glad indeed to take advantage of your suggestion.’ He is sending Wilson’s letter ‘to Sir John Thompson, who is really the active partner in the business!’ Halifax was Viceroy of India between 1926 and 1931.

[Heinz Berggruen, German and American art dealer, with a renowned private collection of twentieth century masters.] Typed Letter Signed to London printseller Robert Erskine, regarding prints he has ‘set aside’ for him.

Author: 
Heinz Berggruen (1914-2007), German and American art dealer, with a renowned private collection of twentieth-century masters [Robert Erskine, London printseller]
Publication details: 
10 May 1954; Paris. On letterhead of Berggruen & Cie, ‘gravures originales modernes’.
£56.00

Berggruen was awarded the French Legion of Honour and the German Order of Merit. Among those attending his funeral were German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Horst Köhler. One of his sons is the US billionaire investor and philanthropist Nicholas Berggruen. In the year this letter was sent Erskine opened his influential St Georges Gallery Prints off Cork Street. 1p, 12mo. In fair condition, but with slight damage and creasing at the centre of the right-hand margin. Highly stylized signature, ‘Heinz Berggruen’. Folded once for postage. Reads: ‘Dear Mr.

[J. F. Finlay [James Fairbairn Finlay], Financial Secretary to the Government of India, and rugby player for Scotland in first-ever international.] Autograph Letter Signed to ‘Enthorne’, with regard to instructions from Sir James Westland.

Author: 
J. F. Finlay [James Fairbairn Finlay (1852-1930)], Financial Secretary to the Government of India, and Rugby player for Scotland in first international, and Edinburgh Academicals [Sir James Westland]
Publication details: 
4 January 1896; on Calcutta letterhead of the Financial Secretary [to the Government of India].
£60.00

See Westland's entry in the Oxford DNB. Finlay was, as the Marquis of Crewe told the House of Lords in 1912, ‘a distinguished Indian official’, responsible for, as the Statist stated in 1914, ‘the details of the financial administration of the Empire of India. The magnitude and complexity of the financial transactions of the Government of India need not be enlarged on.’ He entered the Indian Civil Service in 1875, was made a Companion of the Order of the Star of India in 1896, and a Member the Governor-General’s Council in 1902.

[Eric Blom [Eric Walter Blom], music critic, editor of the fifth edition of ‘Grove’s Dictionary’.] Typed Letter Signed to ‘Mr. Hyman’ [Leonard Hyman], regarding 'the Burney volumes' and 'Miss Kingdon-Ward'.

Author: 
Eric Blom [Eric Walter Blom] (1888-1959), Swiss-born music critic who settled in England, editor of the fifth edition of ‘Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians’ (1954) [Leonard Hyman, bookseller]
Publication details: 
26 January 1946; on letterhead of ‘Music & Letters’ (‘Founded January 1920, by A. H. Fox Strangways / Edited by Eric Blom’), Birmingham.
£45.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. From the papers of music bookseller Leonard Hyman. 1p, 12mo. On creased and discoloured paper. Folded for postage. Signed ‘Eric Blom’. He thanks Hyman for letting him know about ‘the Burney volumes’. He is ‘almost ashamed at having decided not to have them for the moment. They are really only “stock”, as far as I am concerned, and as I don’t particularly want to spend all that at moment, [sic] I think I will let them go.’ Changing the subject, he reports that he ‘got into touch with Miss Kingdon-Ward and found her a very interesting girl.

[General J. M. Wainwright [Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV], US Army general, Commander of Allied forces in the Philippines.] Typed Note Signed, complying with a request for an autograph.

Author: 
General J. M. Wainwright [Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV (1883-1953), US Army general, Commander of Allied forces in the Philippines who surrendered Corregidor to the Japanese in 1942
Wainwright
Publication details: 
30 September 1945, on letterhead of the War Department, Washington.
£45.00
Wainwright

The note was written in a momentous month for Wainwright. On 5 September 1945, on his release after three years in captivity following his surrender at Corregidor, Wainwright was promoted to four-star General. On 10 September he was presented with the Medal of Honor by President Truman at the White House. On 13 September a ticker-tape parade in New York City was held in his honor. And on 28 September he was named commander of the Second Service Command and the Eastern Defense Command at Fort Jay, Governors Island, New York.

[General Sir Robert Gardiner of the Royal Artillery, Master Gunner, St James’s Park.] Autograph Letter in the third person to ‘Mr Pettigrew’, i.e. Thomas Joseph Pettigrew, doctor and Egyptologist, regarding ‘General Anderson'.

Author: 
General Sir Robert Gardiner (1781-1864) of the Royal Artillery, Master Gunner, St James’s Park [Thomas Joseph Pettigrew (1791-1865), doctor, antiquary and Egyptologist]
Publication details: 
No date. ‘The Gun House / Parade / St James’s Park’.
£45.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB, with Pettigrew’s. 2pp, 12mo. On first leaf of a bifolium. Reads: ‘Sir Robert Gardiner presents his compliments to Mr Pettigrew - / He begs Mr Pettigrew will forgive his taking the liberty of asking whether he is acquainted with General Anderson, and if so, he begs Mr. Pettigrew will do him the favor of calling here as soon as convenient in his round of Professional calls this morning’.

Harry de Windt [Captain Harry Willes Darell de Windt], explorer and travel writer.] Autograph Note Signed: a quotation with signature provided for an autograph hunter.

Author: 
Harry de Windt [Captain Harry Willes Darell de Windt (1856-1933)], explorer and travel writer, aide-de-camp to his brother-in-law Charles Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak
de windt
Publication details: 
No date or place.
£50.00
de windt

See the entry for Sir Charles Brooke in the Oxford DNB. On one side of an 18 x 9 cm piece of paper, the upper part torn from a larger sheet, with neatly-torn bottom edge resulting in a little loss to the flourish beneath the signature and the tip of the downstroke of the ‘y’ in ‘Harry’. In fair condition, lightly aged, with a central vertical fold. The text, in a bold hand, reads: ‘ “Though obstacles beset you - struggle still!” / Even a worm may climb this highest hill! / Yrs Sly / Harry de Windt’ See Image.

[Ebenezer Prout, English musicologist and music theorist.] Signed conclusion of Autograph Letter to Dr William Hayman Cumming appealing for assistance on behalf of a 'most deserving young man'.

Author: 
Ebenezer Prout (1835-1909), English musicologist, music theorist and critic [William Hayman Cummings (1831-1915), singer and musicologist]
Publication details: 
No date or place.
£20.00

See the entries for Prout and Cummings in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once. The second leaf of a bifolum, the first presumably carrying the commencement of the letter. The present fragment, in a good firm hand, reads: 'in the way he desires but if you can do so, you will not only be assisting a most deserving young man, but I shall regard it as a personal kindness. / I am, my dear Cummings, / Yours very cordially, / Ebenezer Prout. / Dr. W. H. Cummings.'

[Elizabeth, Lady Eastlake, journalist and writer on art, wife of painter Sir Charles Lock Eastlake, President of the Royal Academy and first Director of the National Gallery.] Autograph Letter Signed to Lady Alderson, reporting a death in the family,

Author: 
Elizabeth, Lady Eastlake [née Rigby] (1809-1893), writer on art, wife of painter Sir Charles Lock Eastlake, President of Royal Academy and first Director of National Gallery [Georgina, Lady Alderson]
Publication details: 
‘7. FitzRoy Sqre. [London] / 27. Novr. 1867’.
£45.00

See her entry in the Oxford DNB, and that of the recipient’s husband, the judge Sir Edward Hall Alderson (1787-1857). 4pp, 16mo. Bifolium with thick mourning border. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. Folded for postage. Begins: ‘Dear Lady Alderson / Fresh, & very heavy sorrow has befallen us, or I wd. sooner have answered yr ot of last Saturday. The death of Captn.

[Ellen Terry, distinguished Shakespearian actress of the Victorian and Edwardian period, famed for her partnership with Henry Irving.] Autograph Card Signed, agreeing to sign a protest against a 'wicked deed'.

Author: 
Ellen Terry [Dame Alice Ellen Terry] (1847-1928), distinguished Shakespearian actress of the late-Victorian and Edwardian periods, acted opposite Henry Irving
Ellen Terry
Publication details: 
10 January [no year, but between 1904 and 1920 when she lived at this address]. On two plain cards, both with letterheads of '215, King's Road, / Chelsea.' [London]
£60.00
Ellen Terry

See her entry in the Oxford DNB. On two 11 x 9 cm cards, plain but for the letterhead. Both in good condition, lightly aged. The recipient is not named. The card is signed 'E. T:' and is written in her forceful hand. Begins: 'I have no time - nor words - to tell you what I think - The boys health indeed! - if there's any use in talking, if signing petitions will do any good one would talk & sign all day! but in spite' - here the reverse of the first card begins, and the side is entirely deleted, except for the last line'.

[Ebenezer Prout, English musicologist and music theorist.] Autograph Letter Signed regarding activities [of the Hackney Choral Association].

Author: 
Ebenezer Prout (1835-1909), English musicologist, music theorist and critic [The Hackney Choral Association; Shoreditch Town Hall]
Publication details: 
10 January 1878. 12 Greenwood Road, Dalston. E. [London]
£50.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. Folded three times for postage. The letter concerns the Hackney Choral Association. Begins: ‘My dear Sir, / I am much obliged by the kind note just received, though I am sorry we shall not have the pleasure of your company on Monday.

[Charlie Chaplin [Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin], English comedian, star of the silent screen.] Autograph Signature to matt bromide print of portrait by Witzel of Los Angeles of Chaplin playing his violin.

Author: 
Charlie Chaplin [Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin] (1899-1977), English comedian, star of the silent screen; Albert Witzel (1879-1929), Los Angeles photographer
Chaplin
Publication details: 
Photograph by [Albert] Witzel of L[os] A[ngeles]. [Said to have been taken on 1 May 1928.]
£1,500.00
Chaplin

The present image is not in the National Portrait Gallery, but the licencing rights are held by Getty Images, by whom it is dated to 1 May 1928. 24 x 18.5 cm bromide print, on 25 x 18.5 cm matt.In fair condition, discoloured and with light creasing at extremities. Chaplin's genuine signature is at bottom right: 'Yours Truly / Charlie Chaplin'. Wittzel's monogram (featuring 'WITZEL' and 'L A') is printed at bottom left. An excellent and unusual artistic image of a figure of world renown.

[Clarence Raybould, English conductor, pianist and composer.] Typed Letter Signed to the music bookseller Leonard Hyman, discussing his own reitrement in the light of Hyman's.

Author: 
Clarence Raybould [Robert Clarence Raybould] (1886-1972), English conductor, pianist and composer [Leonard Hyman, music bookseller]
Publication details: 
14 January 1961. On his letterhead, R1p, 4to. On lightly aged and somewhat creased paper. Folded twice for postage. Addressed to ‘Leonard Hyman, Esq.’ and signed ‘Clarence Ranworth, 2 The Glen, Farnborough, Kent. [with 'Orpington' typed to the right]
£45.00

1p, 4to. On lightly aged and somewhat creased paper. Folded twice for postage. Addressed to ‘Leonard Hyman, Esq.’ and signed ‘Clarence Raybould’. He has received his Catalogue No. 87 and is sorry to learn of his ‘impending retirement from your business’. ‘The world is always the poor when someone of your integrity decides he has had enough of the intrigues of present-day life!’ He wishes him ‘a happy period of quieter days’: ‘I myself cease to bulk of my work in June of this present year, when I terminate a long association with the Senior Orchestra of the Royal Academy of Music.

[Alaric Watts [Alaric Alexander Watts], poet and journalist, editor of the ‘Literary Souvenir’.] Autograph Signature on envelope elegantly addressed by him to ‘the Honble. Spencer Ponsonby’.

Author: 
Alaric Watts [Alaric Alexander Watts] (1797-1864), poet and journalist, editor of the ‘Literary Souvenir’ [Sir Spencer Cecil Brabazon Ponsonby-Fane (1824-1915), cricketer and civil servant]
Alaric
Publication details: 
No date or place.
£35.00
Alaric

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. On the front cover of a 12 x 7 cm envelope, from which the seal has been torn away on the reverse. Otherwise in very good condition. A pleasing piece of calligraphy, with the word ‘Private’ centred and underlined at the head, and the address to ‘The Honble. Spencer Ponsonby. / Foreign Office’ across the central band, with the signature at bottom left: ‘Alaric Watts.’ See Image.

[Alberto Randegger, Italian musician who promoted opera in England.] Autograph Letter Signed, in Italian, to a friend.

Author: 
Alberto Randegger (1832-1911), Italian musician and music theorist who promoted opera in England, musical director of the Carl Rosa Opera Company
Publication details: 
‘Martedi sera’ [without date]. On letterhead of 17 Duke Street, Manchester Square [London].
£50.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 16mo. Addressed to ‘Carissimo Amico’ and signed ‘Alberto Randegger’.With fourteen lines of text, all in Italian. In fair condition, lightly aged and discoloured paper. Folded for postage.

[American War of Independence: Tarleton’s Raiders (in fact Tarleton’s Legion).] Autograph text of newspaper advertisement by Sir Banastre Tarleton, for his ‘Southern Campaigns in America [...] by Major General Tarleton.'

Author: 
American War of Independence: Tarleton’s Raiders [in fact Tarleton’s Legion]. Sir Banastre Tarleton (1754-1833), British soldier and Whig politician
Barnabas
Publication details: 
Undated, but circa 1787, when the work was published.
£1,200.00
Barnabas

Tarleton has become a quasi-mythical figure in the early history of the United States, his actions misrepresented and his character traduced. See his entry in the Oxford DNB, and the magnificent portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds, in the National Portrait Gallery, London. The present item is 1p, landscape 12mo, on one side of an 18 x 10.5 cm piece of gilt-edged watermarked laid paper. In fair condition, aged, worn and lightly creased, with central horizontal and vertical folds, and evidence of mount on the blank reverse.

[István Tisva [Count István Imre Lajos Pál Tisza de Borosjeno et Szeged], twice Prime Minister of Hungary.] Autograph Note Signed in the third person, in English, acknowledging receipt of a letter.

Author: 
István Tisva [Count István Imre Lajos Pál Tisza de Borosjeno et Szeged] (1861-1918), twice Prime Minister of Hungary, economist, lawyer and champion duellist, assassinated while in office
István
Publication details: 
‘[?] March 20 1910’.
£450.00
István

An acquaintance of Sigmund Freud (who acknowledged his intelligence), Tisva is said to have fought more duels than any other man in Europe. 1p, 8vo. On recto of first leaf of bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. Stylized signature ‘Tizva’ at end of note. Reads: ‘The president of the Hungarian House of Commons presents his compliments to Mr. H[?] and [thankfully?] acknowledge the receipt of Mr H[?]’s letter of the 17th inst. / [?] march, 20 1910 / Tisva’. See Image.

[Sheila Shannon, poet, and wife of Patric Dickinson; personalised] Copy of her poetry collection 'The Lightning-Struck Tower, inscribed to her husband's mistress Sarah Hamilton, with two ALSs from her to Hamilton, and two printed keepsakes.

Author: 
Sheila Shannon [Sheila Dunbar Shannon] (1913-2002), poet, wife of Patric Dickinson [Patric Thomas Dickinson] (1914-1994), poet, translator, BBC radio broadcaster
Publication details: 
BOOK: London: Frederick Muller Ltd., 1947. AUTOGRAPH LETTERS SIGNED: 19 February 1965 and 16 June 1994.
£100.00

Sarah Shannon (married name Sarah Dickinson) was a fine poet in her own right (see the blurb quoted in Item One below), and it is unfortunate that she allowed herself to be eclipsed by her husband the self-styled ‘poet and impresario of poetry’, Patric Dickinson. He occupied a central position in the cultural landscape of post-war Britain. As an editor and broadcaster he worked with poets such as Dylan Thomas, Cecil Day Lewis and Roy Campbell, actresses Flora Robson, Peggy Ashcroft and Jill Balcon, and actors Robert Donat, Ralph Richardson, John Gielgud.

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