TRANSLATION

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.

Peisse had already published his translation of ‘Fragments de Philosophie de M. William Hamilton’ (Paris, 1840), and had followed this with one from Dugald Stewart (1842-5). 2pp, 12mo. Forty-one lines of closely-written text. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with chipping and closed tears to edges. Folded once. Signed ‘L. Peisse / Louis Peisse, conservateur de l’ecole impériale des Beaux-arts. 2. Rue Boursault.’ The British recipient (one of Hamilton’s executors?) is not named (in a postscript Peisse apologises for being unable to decipher his details, or those of his co-editors).

Grafe’s putative intelligence work during the war is referenced in Helen Fry’s ‘The Walls Have Ears | The Greatest Intelligence Operation of World War II’ (2019). He worked as translator and editor from as early as 1950 (for Phaidon) and 1986 (for Thames and Hudson). Nigel Spivey, in his ‘Phaidon 1923-98’ (1999), describes how, during the ‘Harvey Miller period’ at the firm, ‘Steady editorial continuity within the workforce at Cromwell Place was provided by an ex-Viennese scholar called Innocenz Grafe (who for a perhaps obvious reason preferred to be known as simply ‘Dr G.’ ’.

The recipient is clearly not the American politician Joseph Lanier Williams (1810-1865), but rather an editor of Beveridge’s history of India at Blackie’s. 1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged, but with diagonal crease at bottom right going through Beveridge’s signature. Folded for postage. Addressed to ‘Joseph L. Williams Esqr’ and signed ‘Henry Beveridge’. He begins by undertaking to ‘attend to the matters’ mentioned in Williams’s note.

[3] + 210pp, 8vo. Disbound, and wrapped in brown paper. A tight copy, on aged and spotted paper, with small closed tear to title-leaf, which also has manuscript misidentification of the author as 'J Kotz[...]' in one margin. There is no copy of this first edition at Cambridge University Library, and the only two copies found on COPAC at Leeds and the British Library. The same year saw a 'Second edition, with an elegant frontispiece', published in London and 'printed for W. J. and J. Richardson; J. Harding; Shepperson and Reynolds; H. D.

86pp., 4to. With each of the three acts bound into separate grey wraps, with typed labels on covers. Internally in good condition, on aged paper, in worn and aged wraps. This unpublished anonymous translation predates the one by Sara Tracy Barrows, with an introduction by Ludwig Lewisohn, published in New York by Doubleday in 1916. There is no record of an English production.

Watson's translation of 'La Cantatrice Chauve' (1950) was first published in London by Calder in 1958, and his version of 'Le Salon de l'Automobile' (1951) by the same publisher in the fifth volume of Ionesco's plays in 1963. The two scripts typed in uniform style, on rectos of leaves, and stapled together. ONE: 'The Bald Prima Donna'. 19pp., 8vo. In good condition, on aged paper, with somewhat-appropriate child's markings in black ink on blank parts of first page.

viii + [1] + 77pp., 8vo. In purple cloth binding, gilt. Internally good, on aged paper, in worn binding, with dulled gilt title on spine. Inscribed on flyleaf 'To | G. A. R. FitzGerald Esq | With the kind regards of | Theodore Martin | 3d April 1886.' Above this the ownership signature of 'R G E Sandbach', whose bookplate is on the front pastedown.

Toynbee was, as his entry in the Oxford DNB notes, 'recognized by his contemporaries as one of the great English Dantists, and a "giant of scholarship" (Oxford Magazine, 723)'. All five items in very good condition, lightly-aged. The three letters on bifoliums, and all five items in Toynbee's neat, close hand. Items One to Four with mourning borders (for his wife, who had died in 1910). ONE: ACS. 30 January 1911. He thanks him for sending 'the Gibbon reference', which he had overlooked, and discusses his 'Chronological List of English Translations from Dante'. TWO: ACS. 13 February 1911.

[13] + 264pp., 8vo. In original purple wraps lacking spine label. A landmark work in the history of printing. In fair condition, on aged and dogeared paper, with damp staining to the first few leaves, and front cover of the wraps detached. Pp.246-264 carry Didot's 'Note Bibliographique et Typographique', with the engraving on p.263 of the Estienne device, to indicate that it is possible to print both text and 'taille douce' on the same page.

Four pages, 12mo, closely written, good condition. "Your approval of my criticism on the '[?] of Hector' has greatly gratified me. Gladstone is twenty fold a better Grecian than S.C.M., but he is crochetty, and a crochetty man sees what no one else sees, and refuses to see the palpable. I have not seen his colour blindness paper: but ifd he says there is no 'blue' in the Iliad he is distinctly wrong.

Six addressed to 'Edward'; five to 'Teddy'; one to 'Eddy; one to 'Edouard'; one to 'Cher amis' and one to 'Dear Roger'. Totalling 22pp., 4to; 11pp., 8vo; 2pp., 12mo. Ten of the fifteen letters are dated, the other six having only month and year. With copies of two typed letters to Ceccaldi from Edward, one from 1973 in English (1p., 4to), and the other from 1980 in French (2pp., 8vo), the latter accompanied by a synopsis of Ceccaldi's 'The Flight of Icarus', with a foreword by him, and a biography (the three items totalling 4pp., 8vo); also manuscript notes (1p, 8vo; 3pp., 12mo).

1p., 4to. Addressed on reverse, with red wax seal, to 'C. W. Dilke Esq:'. Hayward writes that he is enclosing a note (not present), which was sent to him 'in one to me received only today though apparently written on Wednesday last. A d - d foreigner kept it in his pocket in the interim.' Clearly referring to a fee for an article, he continues: 'The lady will be quite satisfied with what you name, but I suppose it may stand over till she does something else'.

The two leaves were evidently disbound from a copy of an edition of Dryden's Plutarch, in which the grey 4to leaf of writing paper following the 12mo printed leaf was one of those that interleaved the volume. In fair conditon, on lightly-aged paper. The two leaves are tipped in onto a larger leaf removed from an album. The printed leaf is 12mo, from volume 5 of Dryden's translation, with the pages numbered 511 and 612 [sic]. The two sides of the leaf carry a total of approximately 25 emendations and deletions.

4to, 1 p. 18 lines of text. Clear and complete. Fair, on aged and lightly-stained paper. Neatly laid down on a leaf removed from an album. Lightly marked-up in red pencil by the recipient. After professing respect for Nichols's 'literary character' and his 'valuable miscellany', Glasse offers his services 'as corrector of your press for any quantity of Greek you may incidentally have occasion to publish'.

The story on nine numbered 4to pages, with a covering page carrying the title: 'THE BATTLE OF THE WAVES FOR FREEDOM. | By Maxim Gorki.' On the rectos of ten 4to leaves, attached by a brass pin. Text clear and complete at 26 lines to the page. On worn, discoloured paper (watermarked 'CONQUEROR | LONDON'), with loss to extremities. Mrs Gill's purple oblong stamp in bottom left-hand corner of reverse of last leaf: 'Mrs.

Letter: 12mo, 1 p. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Begins 'Your hands must be full just now, judging from the Daily Papers.' He presents the 'booklet' as 'a small memento of friendship for you', and describes as 'just published by me on a hymn considered (by Bernard, Bury etc.) to be a contemporary of St. Patrick. An 11th. cent MS. containing it is in T. C. D. Library. And it is also given in a 7th. cent. MS. at Milan.' Postscript referring to an article he has sent Harmsworth, 'for which I received thanks (quite unsolicited) of the Prof. of English Literature, T.C.D.!

4to, 2 pp. Thirty-two lines. Text clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged and creased paper. A tactful letter in response to an enquiry concerning the possibility of employment as a translator of Dutch publications. Unwins 'very seldom have occasion to translate from Dutch, but we should always be glad to give consideration to any important Dutch book which you were able to bring to our attention'. He suggests times when Thompson might be able to meet Stanley Unwin, who is travelling on the continent.

8vo: 224 pp. Errata on last page. Frontispiece and portrait of the author on p.65 by Lodge. In original brown calf binding, with red label with 'Kisses of Secundus' in gilt, on spine. A tight copy, with the flyleaves becoming detached, the frontispiece foxed and with a closed tear at the head of the hinge, and a 4mm ink stain spreading upwards along the leaves along the bottom edge. Elegantly printed, with a four-page preface by the unnamed translator, followed by a 32-page 'Essay on the Life and Writings of Secundus'.The poems are on the versos, with the translations on the facing rectos.

Item One: 'Dein Sternbild' (1960). 8vo: 7 pp. In original cream printed wraps. Stitched. Printed on the rectos of seven leaves. Good, in slightly grubby and worn wraps. German inscription to Nelly Weiss. German poem. Nicely printed on watermarked laid paper. Item Two: 'Pablo Neruda' (undated). 12mo: 3 pp. German translation by Mohr from the Spanish. Six-line note explains the context in which the poem was translated. With manuscript correction and signature of Mohr. No other copy traced.

12mo (dimensions of leaf 12.5 x 9.5 cm): 10 pp. Stitched. In original brown printed card wraps (dimensions of wrap 13.5 x 10 cm). Edition limited to 120 copies, of which this is No. 23. Good.

12mo (dimensions of leaf 12.5 x 9.5 cm): 20 pp. Stitched. In original brown printed card wraps (dimensions of wrap 13.5 x 10.5 cm). Edition limited to 120 copies, of which this is No. 103. Good, in slightly bumped wraps.

12mo (dimensions of leaf 17.5 x 10.5 cm): Stitched. In original brown printed card wraps (dimensions of wrap 19 x 11.5 cm). Edition limited to 136 copies, of which this is No. 100. Good, in lightly worn and bumped wraps.

12mo (dimensions of leaf 12.5 x 9.5 cm): 22 pp. Stitched. In original brown printed card wraps (dimensions of wrap 14 x 11 cm). Edition limited to 120 copies, of which this is No. 14. Good, with light crease to front wrap.

12mo (dimensions of leaf 12.5 x 9.5 cm): 19 pp. Stitched. In original brown printed card wraps (dimensions of wrap 13 x 10 cm). Edition limited to 136 copies, of which this is No. 97. Good.

Horton Smith is described on the title as 'K.C., M.A., late Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge'. Attractively printed 12mo bifoliate on good quality paper, but with the blank verso of the second leaf still adhering to piece of the paper on which it was mounted. Newman's poem of 1833 and Smith's translation of 1902 facing.

Pseudonym of the French writer Émile Salomon Wilhelm Herzog (1885-1967), author of the first Penguin, 'Ariel'. One page, 4to. Folded three times. In good condition although creased. Signed in pencil. Written in French. He does not intend to translate 'Rouen' into English. It is not interesting enough for 'un public anglo-saxon'. He thanks her for the thought.