BRITISH

One page, 12mo, bifolium, fold mark, mainly good condition. "I am quite ashamed of my blunder in having sent you the letter of Mrs May's so curiously addressed [to me?] & thank you for this trouble of forwarding it. The [?] misled me - pray excuse me, & let me welcome you [?] Sunday in my New House - a house that is the dream of three generations of craftsmen (practically) now realized."

4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Printed in brown on cream paper. In fair condition, on lightly-aged and spotted paper, with a couple of short closed tears along fold lines. The front page reads: '"The Largest & Best Circulating Library." | Mudie's | Terms and Particulars of Subscription. | Including Arrangements for: | Town and Country Residents. | Carriage Free Subscriptions. | Delivery by Horse Vans in London and the Suburbs, and by New Motor Service within a radius of 20 miles from London. | Mudie's Select Library, Ltd., | 30-34, New Oxford Street, W.C.

16pp., 12mo. Pamphlet of four bifoliums, with remains of the thread with which they were bound. Very good, on lightly-aged paper. Listing works in alphabetical order, from 'ANNUAL REGISTER, or a View of the History, politics, and Literature, from 1758 to 1800 inclusive, by Dr. Campbell, Mr. Burke, and others, 42 vols. boards, 18l. 1s. | Any Volume sold separately to complete sets.' to 'Zimmerman's Aphorisms and Reflections on men, Morals, and Things, with Notes, Critical and Explanatory, 12mo, boards, 3s. 6d.' According to the BBTI the firm traded as Cuthell and Martin between 1802 and 1810.

4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. 77 lines of text. In good condition, on aged paper, with a little wear and a few closed tears along folds. He begins by describing his 'prospects': 'My first year in Canada I stayed with Mr. Bridges, during which time I got a pretty fair knowledge of the country. I then decided to speculate on a woodland Lot of Fifty Acres, price Five Hundred Dollars.

16pp., 12mo. Printed in green, with 15 illustrations (one on each page except p.2). Stitched. In fair condition, on aged paper. Separate 'NOTICE' (1p., 12mo) on blue paper loosely inserted, informing the public that the firm 'do no retail business whatever', and hoping 'that all orders will be given direct to the local booksellers'. Scarce: no copy on OCLC WorldCat or on COPAC.

16pp., in illustrated wraps with the outer covers printed in green and brown, and three more pages of advertisements on insides and back cover. Bifoliate order form (4pp., 12mo) loosely inserted. The old stalwarts John Ruskin, Kate Greenaway, Walter Crane, Edward Lear, jumbled together with newer titles such as 'Gobbo-Bobo, The Two-Eyed Griffin', 'Prince Cheery-Heart' and 'The Bunkum Book. A Tale of Topsy Turvy Land'. Sadly no mention of Beatrix Potter ("Peter Rabbit" published 1902.). Scarce: no copy on OCLC WorldCat or COPAC.

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Very good, on lightly-aged paper. In Prision Commission envelope, with two postmarks (one of them 'HOME OFFICE PRISONS | OFFICIAL'), addressed by Ruggles-Brise to 'Capt. Vansittart | 24 Cadogan Square | SW'. He writes to inform Vansittart that he has 'arranged for Capt Conor, Governor - Parkhust, to be at Borstal on Tuesday next 17th. inst. to confer with yourself & the Govr. as to the best way of developing the Farm.' He asks Vansittart to 'communicate with Major Elliott as to the time when it will be convenient to you to be there'.

2pp., 4to. 31 lines of text. Good, on lightly-aged paper, but the first leaf of the letter only. He writes that he is pleased to receive a letter from Erskine ('your Lordship') after 'so long an interruption'. 'I forebore till I had heard from you to take the liberty of congratulating you upon your Marriage' (Erskine had married the previous October). The second page ends: 'I have never been able to learn whether your Good Mother Lady Buchan was in England or not.

Item One: Autograph Letter Signed from Richter to Swan. 1p., 12mo. In good condition, on lightly spotted paper. From the letter it would appear that in 1946 Richter was acting as one of the selectors for the 59th Exhibition of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, at the Royal Academy of Arts, Piccadilly, London. He writes that he is enclosing 'the mighty deed [a book, as the letter explains], also the invitation for the exhibition at the Royal Academy valid from Feb. 13 to March 17.

1p., 12mo. Fair, on lightly-aged paper, with unobtrusive closed tear and evidence of previous mounting on reverse. The letter reads: 'The Speaker presents his Compts to Mr Sherwood, and begs to return his best thanks for the work he has just received - The Speaker feels assured that Mr Sherwoods experience in and attention to the Private business of the House will have enabled him to collect much useful information on this subject so important to the Public at large | Palace Yard | Feby. 6 | 1828'.

1p., 8vo. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with traces of previous mounting along two edges. Headed, in a contemporary hand: 'Given to Mrs. Richards by Miss Calhoun Fanshawe'. 22 lines of verse, in couplets. Signed in the bottom right-hand corner, apparently at a later date than the rest of the text: 'William Sothbey | Sepr 26 - 1804'. The extract - possibly written out by Sotheby for an acquaintance - begins: 'Sweet Isle!

On both sides of a piece of 11.5 x 7.5 cm card, with rounded edges, and with the reverse paginated '(2)'. A nice piece of provincial printing, in very good condition, lightly-aged. The first page headed: 'INSPECTION EXERCISE | FOR THE BRIGADE OF | BUCKS YEOMEN CAVALRY.' , and with the slug '(Seeley, Printer, Buckingham.)' at the foot. The first page carries 23 lines of commands, from 'MARCH past by half Squadrons.' to 'Wheel on Centre of Squadron, by the Right.' The reverse carries 25 lines of commands, from 'ADVANCE, File from right of threes. Front form.' to 'General Salute.

Letter One: 4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. With decorative letterhead in red. Very good, on lightly-aged paper. Addressed to 'My dear Old DD' and 'E. D. Davis'. He realises that Davis is in 'a precious state of mind', and will only send 'a few lines to exchange domestic greetings of kindliness & good fellowship from the circle of Balham to the Square in N'Castle - the waters of the Thames mingle with those of the Tyne'.

Both items in poor condition, with burn marks and damp damage [fire damaged much of the Society's archive]. Some of the text of the autograph letter has faded, and it may be that the signature to the typed note has washed away. Autograph Letter Signed: 2pp., 4to. He begins by offering to 'oppose anybody' in a debate that Mrs Roscoe is organising (at the Society of Women Journalists).

2pp., 12mo. The final leaf of the letter only. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. A poignant letter, given its author's early death. Regarding 'the Shelter' Mackirdy writes that 'Lady Brassey the Duchess of St Albans Lady Radnor & others have been giving big dinner parties etc for me & I only go in order to meet people who will help with the Shelter. I am not very strong and have such heavy work that now I find I simply cannot indulge my own tastes & enjoy my firends if I am going to do definite work.

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, on aged paper with wear to corners. The context of the letter is apparent from the following advertisement in The Times, 29 June 1846: 'On the 30th of June, will be published, in 8vo., price 2s. 6d., the first number of | THE MONTHLY PRIZE ESSAYS. Each number will contain six Essays in Prose and six in Verse. The first prize for prose will be £20; the second, £15; the third, £10; and the other three, £5 each. There will be but three prizes for poetry - £5, £3, and £2. The Essays must be delivered by the 30th of the previous month.

65pp., in narrow ruled 32 x 13 cm notebook, with maroon embossed boards and cloth spine. Rankin has etched his initials into the front board. All in pencil, with the first page headed 'NO I LECTURES JAN-FEB. 44 | T M RANKIN. 7394616. 13 F.D.S.', and carrying a numbered list of 38 topics, from 'Observation of Patient' and 'Diet of Disease' to 'Fracture of Spine' and 'Burns'. Four pages of medical notes follow. Upside-down at the other end of the volume are 59 paginated pages of further notes, preceded by a list of a further 15 topics (numbered 39-53), from 'Eye Drops' to 'Rheumatic Fever'.

Initialled "[?]P 10/12" (10 December"2pp., 4to. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. A number of minor autograph corrections suggest that the author of the letter may not be a native English speaker.

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Ainsworth begins: 'My dear Mr. Fullom, I am happy to tell you that you are under a great mistake. Your manner, on the occasion you refer to, produced the most favourable impression upon me.' Fullom 'exhibited great delicacy and modesty', and Ainsworth 'stated as much to Mr. Hurst'. The omission was in fact on Ainsworth's own part, in neglecting to thank Fullom for his 'flattering proposal to dedicate your romance to me'.

None of the three items appears to have been published. They are in fair condition, on lightly-aged and worn paper. First poem: Headed 'By Dr. MacOubrey' and signed 'Wm MacOubrey' at foot. 1p., 12mo. Five four-line stanzas, and a four-line chorus, with a couple of minor corrections. The first stanza reads: 'Away! Away nor strive | To tempt me from the bowl | Away! and let me live | This night without control'. This followed by the chorus: 'Then quaff the Wine, | Spirits of Joy | Oh! Sense Divine! | Without Alloy!' Second Poem: Untitled. 2pp., 12mo.

1p., 4to (31 x 32 cm). 26 lines, signed at end 'Montague Smith | Temple | 9 Dec 1862'. In fair condition, on lighly-aged paper, with minor damp damage to one edge. Docketed on reverse '1862 | Case for the Opinion of Mr. Montague Smith', with 'Took 3 Gu[ine]as' (Smith's fee) and initials in another hand. At foot, in a third hand: 'Thomas B. Knight | 34 Lime Street | City. E.6.', and beneath this, in a fourth 'Cox | Honiton'.

On 8.5 x 11 cm piece of paper, cut from the bottom of a letter. In good condition, lightly-aged. Entirely in German's hand. The side of the letter with the signature reads: '[...] write you, & I hope we may be able to arrange a meeting. | Yours sincerely | Edward German'. The other side reads: '[...] you at Sidcup with the Georges many years ago. | I should be very pleased to meet you again, but at present I seem to be fully occupied [...]'.

Printed on one side of a 9 x 10.5 cm card. In good condition, lightly-aged and with a couple of corners slightly worn. The notice reads: 'Change of Address | Please note that | Sir Eugene Goossens | is now residing at | 76 Hamilton Terrace, London, N.W.8. | Telephone: CUNningham 9383'. Docketed in pencil at head (by Rostal?) 'Received 17th Sept.' Addressed on reverse, with stamp and postmark, to 'Max Rostal Esq., Highflower, 45, Brondesbury Park, London, NW6.

2pp., 12mo. In fair condition, on aged paper, with slight discoloration and wear to extremities. In English on one side and Burmese on the other. Both sides headed by the royal crest, with a banner beneath, reading in English 'BRITISH MILITARY ADMINISTRATION'. The English version of the document is signed in type: 'Sd: C. F. B. PEARCE | Maj. General | Chief Civil Affairs Officer (Burma)'. It is headed 'TO ALL BURMA GOVERNMENT SERVANTS', and begins: 'The Allies are now about to drive the Japanese from Burma.

On one side of a 5.5 x 20 cm strip of laid paper, cut away from the bottom of a letter. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper, with traces of mount adhering to the reverse. Reads, in a firm attractive hand: 'Yours very sincerely | John Hassall.'

Crisply printed on one side of a piece of 9 x 14 cm card, with Boyd's signature in blue ink, and Vassall's name typed. In very good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Headed in gothic letters 'Central Criminal Court', with the rest reading: 'PRESS PASS | The holder is authorised, as a Press Representative, to obtain admission to the Court during the trial of [typed: 'WILLIAM JOHN CHRISTOPHER VASSALL'] | This pass does NOT entitle the holder to a seat.

Most of de Lairesse's plates were, as the British Museum Department of Prints and Drawings notes, 'originally published by Nicolaes Visscher, who published a collected edition under the title "Opus Elegantissimum" in c.1675. The BM holds an album bound in vellum containing the Gerard Valck edition of 'Opus Elegantissimum', a selection of numbered etchings by Lairesse and 13 unnumbered etchings and mezzotints by other printmakers (Valck, van den Berghe and Blooteling) after Lairesse'.

The three items are in good condition, on lightly-aged paper. ONE. Autograph Letter Signed from Haldane to Potter. Head Quarters, VI Corp; 11 August 1916. 1p., 4to. In a difficult hand. He apologises for having to 'depart so hurriedly'. 'I want to thank you for the very loyal way you helped me when I was in command of the 3 Division and express my thanks through you to Buchanan and Prideaux and of your staff.

The four items in good condition, on lightly-aged paper. In envelope addressed to Mrs P. E. Batt, Beckenham, Kent. ONE: 'The Last Month' by Wilmott. 13pp., foolscap 8vo. A photocopied typescript on thirteen leaves of paper, stapled together, with five original autograph annotations by Batt. The first reads '"Big funf" was one of the German Guards - had no roof to his mouth - spoke funnily' and the fourth 'We had a "Union Jack" which was used for burials when P.O.W.'s died.' Wilmott's account commences: 'There had been gun fire from the west and the south for the last three days.

On one side of an 11 x 17.5 piece of light-blue paper. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper, with two fold lines (not affecting signature). The signature is written in pencil, and reads 'Rambahadur Limbu V.C.' Beneath the signature, in blue ink, is the signature of 'Ranjit Rai', and beneath this, in a different blue ink, an indecipherable signature. With newspaper cutting, dated 28 September 1966, of article titled 'After the glory - it's back to the jungle'. The article carries two photographs of Limbu.