Autograph Letter Signed ('G : A Galignani'), in Italian, to Twining. With signed receipt by Galignani, in Italian, for '18 Lezioni'.

Author: 
Giovanni Antonio Galignani (1757-1821), Paris bookseller and publisher of English works [Richard Twining (1772-1857), tea merchant]
Publication details: 
Letter: 'Venerdi mattina' (docketed with date 8 November 1796). Receipt dated 21 January 1797.
£800.00
SKU: 8917

Letter: 12mo, 1 p. On bifolium. Text clear and complete. On aged and ruckled paper. Slight damage to second leaf caused by breaking open of wafer. Addressed to 'Illustrissimo Signore'. Having 'un affare di qualche importanza alle nove', he would like to give Twining his lesson (presumably in Italian) the following morning at 8 o'clock. He hopes that coming half an hour early does not cause any inconvence. Receipt: on one side of a slip of paper, 7 x 19.5 cm. Headed 'Memorandum del Signor Twining'. For '18 Lezioni la prima delle quali fa data li 15 Novembee', and signed 'Galignani'. Significant items, filling in a gap in our knowledge of this period in Gallignani's life. Galignani had fled to England from France at the beginning of the decade. On 3 April 1794 'Mr. J. [anglicising 'Giovanni' as 'James'] Galignani, No. 40, New Bond-street' advertised a course of lessons in the Italian and French languages. From a small archive of material relating to the Twining famiily. Few letters by Galignani appear to have survived - the Pforzheimer, CUL and Birmingham all have one, BnF might have one or more but their catalogue is still impenetrable or inadequate..