PARIS

Stiff paper covers clipped together, blue, stained, 95pp., 4to, text, good condition. From the lack of information about this play, it obviously bombed. The script by Ned Sherrin and Caryl Brahms was called Oom - Pah - Pah. It was a translation of a long - running Parisian hit Les Pupitres, which means the music stands. The idea was simple. A second - rate orchestra runs out of money and disbands. The musicians wander around Paris using their instruments in weird and witty ways to earn a sou or two. Based on Devos's Les Pupitres (see Braham Murray, The Worst it can be is a Disaster, p.36.

On one side of an irregular piece of thin paper, roughly 12.5 x 13.5 cm. From the celebrated autograph collection of Richard Monckton Milnes (Lord Houghton), and neatly mounted on a leaf extracted from an album. He writes that a few days previously he wrote to ask 'Monsieur le ministre de la marine' for 'une audience de q[uel]ques instants'. He fears that the letter did not reach him, and so renews his request. Signed 'salut et paternité | Alphonse Karr'.

1p, 8vo. In good condition, on lightly aged and worn paper. Folded once. The female recipient is not named. The letter begins: 'Chère Mademoiselle, | J'ai recu votre aimable lettre, et, demain Lundi, j'aurai le plaisir de rendre visite à vos amis Mr. & Mme. Palmer, au "Grand Hotel" à 6 heures du soir.' If the recipient could also be present at that time Raffaëlli would be 'fort heureux de vous y rencontrer et de vous remercier de vive voix de l'amabilité que vous voulez bien mettre à defendre mes oeuvres aupres des gens raffinés de votre belle Patrie'.

2pp, 16mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. 'Alice' will be 'charmante' if she can let him know when he can see her 'chez vous'. 'Je voudrais vous parler de l'affaire de Deauville pour laquelle Plumkett [sic] a écrit à mon frère.' He asks again to be sent 'un mot' telling him when he can see her, any time other than 4 pm will do. He ends by remarking how long it has been since he last had 'le plaisir de vous serrer la main!'

1p, 16mo. In good condition. He begins by telling her that he will not be travelling anywhere that summer for work, but that he may go and rest at Aix, 'et voilà tout'. He continues: 'On m'a dit que vous etiez charmante dans Andrea, mon premier soir de liberté sera pour vous aller voir . . . . | J'irai vous dire bonsoir et vous raconter l'histoire de mon depart de la Comédie'.

2pp, 8vo. On a gilt-edged leaf of umwatermarked wove paper. In good condition, lightly aged. A fair copy in Milnes's autograph. A curious poem, in which Milnes's Napoleon-worship wins through over considerations of the futility of war. Retitled 'The Funeral of Napoleon', the poem was first published in 1841 in the Spectator, and in slightly different form in Milnes's 1844 collection 'Poems, Legendary and Historical'. There are a number of differences between the present version and that published in the Spectator. The final stanza is entirely recast.

1p, 4to. On leaf of aged, worn and creased cartridge paper. Addressed to 'A. T. Q. C., | Care of The Editor of | The Speaker, 115, Fleet Street, E.C., London.' An interesting letter, touching on English and American journalistic practice, 'sensational' copy, plagiarism and fin-de-siècle Paris. The context is not entirely clear: one reading is that the recipient reported on or reproduced in the Fleet Street newspaper the Speaker one of Heilig's 'sensational letters to the American Sunday papers', only to have it 'cribbed' by Pearson's Weekly.

A scarce item, and considering its perforation, fortunately found in its complete state. No copy on OCLC WorldCat, which does however have entries for copies of similar Liberty's 1910 ('SERIES XXXIII') and 1913 catalogues, the latter at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 64pp, 8vo. Stitched into oat-coloured cloth soft covers, with decorative border and title printed on front cover. In fair internal condition: on lightly aged and spotted paper. In worn and stained wraps. The five pages of text and fifty-nine full-page illustrations are printed in brown on cream paper.

1p, 4to. In good condition, lightly aged, with stub from mount adhering to one edge. Folded twice. From the celebrated Monckton Milnes collection of autographs. The letter concerns the arrangements regarding 'nos mois de vacances à la Chambre Criminelle'. Requesting a month's extra vacation, he explains that he has passed one of his two allotted months in great discomfort: 'mais d'une part, j'ai passé le mois de juin au lit dans les douleurs d'une longue et cruelle maladie: et, d'un autre côté, il m'est resté de mes souffrances un tel agonisement'.

3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. On aged paper, with punch hole through both leaves at head, small closed cut along bottom edge of first leaf, and with paper and part of another letter (from an album) glued onto the reverse of the second leaf. Folded once. The signature 'M. Massenet' is explained in Massenet's obituary in the Musical Times, 1 September 1912, which speaks of 'the composer's known antipathy to the name Jules […] He preferred to be called “M. Massenet” simply'. The recipient of this enthusiastic letter is not named.

The only copy of this item on OCLC WorldCat is in the Canadian National Archives. An attractive and characteristic piece of late nineteenth-century French printing. The present copy is 14 + [1] pp, 16mo. With frontispiece and eight illustrations and vignettes. Stitched booklet (13 x 7.5 cm). In wraps printed in black and red. In fair condition, lightly aged, in grubby wraps.

After a twelve-year 'amitié amoureuse' with Phillips, Violet Trefusis died in 1972, appointing him her literary executor and leaving him her last home, La Tour de Saint Loup. The present item – no other copy of which has been traced – is from a collection of Phillips's papers amassed by his friend Barbara Reed, containing pamphlets privately printed by him between 2009 and 2014.

16mo, twelve leaves (last leaf blank). Unpaginated: a total of twenty printed pages, comprising four prelims, fifteen pages of poems, colophon. Stitched into light brown boards, with 'POMES PENYEACH | by | JAMES JOYCE' printed in green on front board, and 'PRICE ONE SHILLING | Herbert Clarke, Paris' likewise on rear board. Errata slip at rear. First trade edition, following a limited edition of, according to the colophon, 'thirteen copies [...] been printed on Dutch hand-made paper and numbered 1 to 13'.

1p, 4to. On recto of first leaf of bifolium, the verso of the last leaf of which is addressed by Daru 'à monsieur | F. Didot père & fils | rue jacob No 24 | Paris'. In good condition, lightly aged, with stub from mount adhering. Sixteen lines of text. The text is in French, and concerns 'la Copie des vers que j'ai lus à l'institut pour imprimés avec les autres pièces lues a cette place', which he discussed with 'M Raynouard' (François Just Marie Raynouard) the night before.

On one side of a 38 x 24 cm piece of wove paper with watermarked date 1828. In fair condition, lightly worn and creased. The engraving is roughly 21 cm square, and shows three figures gathered around a table, their arms tangled as they reach forward to sign a document.

2pp., 4to. Aged and worn, but legible. A splendid effervescent letter, highly characteristic, written in demotic English in a close unruly hand. Tchelitchew was a close friend (lover?) of Edith Sitwell, and in addition to her brother Osbert, the letter contains references to Lincoln Kirstein (1907-1996), influential figure in New York culture, founder with George Balanchine of the New York City Ballet and the School of American Ballet, and the book he was writing on Tchelitchew, as well as to Tchelitchew's partner the writer Charles Henry Ford (1908-2002).

On a piece of paper, folded three times into a packet. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. The plan covers the whole of one side, with the names of around 150 invitees (including George Augustus Sala, Henry Trueman Wood, A. M. Broadley, Prince Iskandar Ali of Moorshedabad and the Mayor of Colchester) printed in black ink on a seating diagram in brownish-red. Dead centre at the top table is the Lord Mayor of London, flanked by the French ambassador and 'M. Georges Berger (Director-General of the Paris Exhibition). To the right of the ambassador are Sir Lyon Playfair and Sir Lothian Bell.

The author of the text of the present volume, J. B. Payne, was manager of the book's publisher Moxon, and ruined the firm with his sumptuous editions, including one of Tennyson's 'Idylls of the King' with illustrations by Gustav Doré, which determined Tennyson to forbid future illustrated editions of his work. The market for the present volume would have been limited, and the cost of producing it so high, that it is hard to see how it can have covered its costs. [3] + 53pp., 4to. Each of the 56 pages is lithographed in black against a light-brown background, on thick art paper.

60pp., 12mo. Disbound and without wraps. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. Businesslike alphabetical catalogue of unnumbered priced general items, in double column. Short notes at the beginning and end, the former boasting that books will be sold 'aux prix de Paris', the latter offering for sale a 'nouvelle et très-belle édition' of Plato by Firmin Didot. The author was presumably Jacques-Christophe Frère, father of Édouard Frère (1797-1874), archivist, biographer, and historian specialized in the Normandy area. No copy in the Bibliotheque Nationale, nor on OCLC WorldCat or COPAC.

8pp., 8vo. Disbound and without wraps. In fair condition, lightly aged. Manuscript emendation on p.6. A law bookseller's careful and businesslike priced catalogue of unnumbered entries, several of which are accompanied by long descriptions by the author in small type. No copy in the Bibliotheque Nationale, nor on OCLC WorldCat or COPAC.

3pp., 12mo. In poor condition, aged and worn, with the two leaves of the bifolium separated. The letter begins: 'My dear J. McG. | Pardon me, but M. Delormel did not write “The Boulanger” March (“En Revenat de la revue”) nor did he write “Père la Victoire” but I dont say he didn't publish them.' Finck attributes the first to 'M.

2pp., 8vo. Bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged. The recipient is addressed as 'Chère Madame' and is not otherwise identified, although the conclusion connects her with 'Monsieur Hollard', i.e. he maried Marie Hollard. He writes that he will be in London in six days, and that he will only have 'douze ou quinze jours à passer en Angleterre', and that he wishes to spend his time 'de la manière le plus profitable au succès de mon oeuvre. Il s'agit de collecter pour ma nouvelle église'.

1p., 4to. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. The letter reads: 'Dear Sir/ | I am very pleased to hear you like my pictures and seem so well acquainted with them - | I hope you will go on taking an interest in Art. | I am | Yours Sincerely | Arthur Hacker'.

The two forms are identical in layout, but the first has the printed date April 1911 and the second July of the same year. Each is 4pp., folio, on a bifolium. The form is divided into: 'Paris', 'Banlieue', 'Départements' and 'Etranger', and lists venues ('Etablissements') - those in Paris in larger print and the rest in smaller print - under the headings 'Concerts', 'Bals', 'Théâtres', 'Cirques', 'Casinos', 'Concours et Festivals', 'Forains'. The famous Paris venues of the period are there, including the Folies Bergère and the Moulin Rouge.

1p., 16mo. In fair condition, lightly aged. Reads: 'Lord Whitworth & the Duchess of Dorset [now his wife] request the honor of Lord Glenbervie's Company at dinner to morrow [sic] at ½ past five. | Hôtel de l'Empire | Sunday morn.' Whitworth was British Ambassador to Paris. 1802-1803. Note: "After the restoration of the Bourbons in France, which as a political expedient he [Whitworth] highly approved, he visited Paris in April 1819 with the Duchess of Dorset and a numerous train."

36 items, in fair overall condition, with some evidence of age and wear. ONE: Manuscript tables of trials, presumably in Torrens's autograph, apparently of Vacheron Constantin chronographs. 8pp. in landscape 8vo, with a final page folding out to large 4to. With additions in red ink and pencil. On nine leaves, wrapped in grey paper and stitched together. In fair condition, aged and worn. On front cover in pencil: ''Dr. Torrens | Dr. Torrens'. Dated at head of first page 25 April 1912, with heading: 'Best Vacheron trial movt.

The three items are in good condition, lightly aged and worn. ONE: 19 October 1916. 2pp., 8vo. In envelope with postmark and stamp, addressed by him to his daughter at 48 Hogarth Road, South Kensington. Referring to his wife the Polish artist Janina Flamm, he regrets that he cannot 'come home for dear Janias birthday' as he cannot get leave. He is enclosing 2s 6d each for her and her brother 'Phip' [Philippe Forbes-Robertson] and sister 'Cecilia' to get presents for their mother. He sends best wishes to his brothers Leonard and Johnston.

105 items of correspondence, in French, in various formats (mainly 8vo). In good condition on lightly-aged paper. Each text clear and complete. The whole contained in a grey paper folder with 'Juillet 1818' on the front wrap. Each item unobtrusively numbered in neat red pencil. Featuring a wide range of the correspondents, as few write more than once. Occasional letters docketed. Accompanied by a modern abstract by a French-speaker, reflecting the difficulty of the various hands contained in the collection.

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, on aged paper with some wear at bottom edge. Addressed 'Monsieur'. After a reference to a newspaper article by the recipient and 'les journalistes Français', he communicates, on the subject of cremation, 'un fait que j'ai appris hier du rédacteur en chef d'un grand journal Suisse et qui n'a pas été rendu public par les gazettes', concerning an attack on those attempting a cremation in Berne.

2pp., 12mo. The last two pages of a letter, numbered 3 and 4. In fair condition, on aged and worn paper, with short closed tears at edges of central fold. The item begins with part of a sentence regarding 'dramatization in Paris', before turning to Spielmann's desire to have her novel 'The Sterndales of Sterndale House' (1919) filmed. She praises the recipient's 'critical faculty', adding 'The points taken are seldom just the points.' She will let the recipient's 'good opinion' of her be known 'in one or two quarters'.