BRITISH

On a piece of paper cut from a letter, roughly 3.5 x 9.5 cm. On lightly aged and slightly grubby paper. Good firm signature, beneath which, in a contemporary hand, 'I knew his daughter Stepny'. Gulston's wife Bridgetta (1749/50–1780) was the second daughter of Sir Thomas Stepney.

On both sides of a piece of wove paper, dimensions 21.5 x 14 cm. On browned high-acidity paper, lightly creased and with closed tears to the margins. Text clear and complete. Begins 'One of the best and most effective statements of the farmer's case against Protection was that made by Mr. Legh, of Adlington Hall, one of the oldest Conservative landowners in Cheshire, at a Free Trade meeting at Adlington.' The headings are 'About Butter', 'About Cheese', 'About Corn', 'About Pigs' and 'About the Farmer's Bill'.

Both issues 8vo (roughly 30.5 x 19.5 cm), 6 pp (each a loose leaf in a bifolium). Both printed on brittle watermarked laid paper. Both unbound, and stabbed as issued, and both on aged and chipped paper, but with the text clear and entire. Each issue with the title in an expansive calligraphic design. The full slug, at the bottom of the last page of both issues, reads: 'Printed and Published by ETHERINGTON, at No 25, opposite the South Door of St. Paul's (where Letters, post-paid, to the LITERARY FLY will be received).

The main text is printed on one side of a piece of paper roughly 28 x 13.5 cm, headed 'Upwards of Thirty Thousand Copies Of the "Manchester Weekly Times," with Eight-page Literary Supplement, are Issued Every Saturday.' The main block of text, in a variety of types and point sizes, consists of 27 lines ending 'The Proprietors respectfully solicit instructionsn to insert your Advertisement.' Describes the newspaper's merits and boasts that it is 'one of the Largest and most complete Weekly Papers published'.

One page, 12mo, asking her friend to dinner "to meet a friend from the country", fearing that "there is small chance of finding you disengaged" with such late notice.

All four items well printed on one side of a piece of watermarked laid paper. All four lightly-aged but good. None of them filled in. The third item more dusty than the rest. Item One (15.5 x 20.5 cm): Headed 'No. VII. A PROTECTION.' To be signed by one of the 'Deputy Lieutenant, | Captain, | Commanding Officer.' Exempting the bearer, as a militia man, 'from doing any Highway Duty, commonly called Statute Work'.

Dimensions: 17.5 x 13.5 cm. 64 pp. In original coloured paper covers. Priced at 10d, and thus the British edition and not one produced for the foreign market. Good and tight, on browned paper. Attractive image on front cover showing a bemused Holmes puffing on his pipe as he wanders down a country-house corridor whose walls are covered in paintings, while the spectral figure of the hound's head looms above him.Covers lightly worn and slightly damaged by the rusting of the staples. Both stories are told in comic strip form.

Printed in three columns of small type on one side of a piece of wove paper roughly 22.5 x 18 cm. Text clear and complete on grubby, worn, creased and foxed paper.

Two pages, printed on the recto of the first leaf and verso of the second of a yellow wove-paper bifolium. Leaf dimensions 22.5 x 14.5 cm. Grubby and creased, but with text clear and complete. The first poem, 'A New W[h]ig Song', begins 'In our town there's a street, with a chapel and shop, | Where a gay pole once hoisted of late is let drop, | There a fam'd Barber deals with his w(h)ig as he wills, | From full bottom'd P----r to little scratch M--ls.' References to 'shot-yellow A---r [Adair]' and 'M----y, the close button'd Barber'.

8vo: 334 pp. Portrait of Northcliffe as frontispiece. Three facsimiles of letters in text and fold-out with facsimiles of three of Northcliffe's letters. Inscribed by Owen on front pastedown 'To Elaine from Louise and Northcliffe. | Nov. 1938'. (The reference to 'Northcliffe' is explained by the fact that Owen considered herself a spirit medium, in contact with the deceased Viscount.) Internally good: sound and tight, on lightly aged paper. In original worn red cloth, with slight bloom on front.

On piece of laid paper (roughly 13 x 11 cm). Aged and chipped. Reads 'Yours truly | Frank Barrington Foote'. Chipping to the outer edge, very close to the last couple of letters of the signature. Foote, who frequently sang with Adelina Patti at Covent Garden, ended his days destitute in New York City.

On one side of a leaf (roughly 11 x 16 mm), removed from an autograph album. Good, on lightly aged paper, with some show-through from amusing drawing on reverse by L. E. H. Phipson. Bold signature reads 'Yours Sincerely | Marie Novello'. Drawing on reverse depicts a monocled old fogey protesting his love to a pretty young thing regarding herself in a handmirror. Captioned 'I'd rather be a young man's slave!' Signed by the illustrator 'L. E. H. Phipson | 6/12/1917'. Docketed in pencil.

On light-yellow page (roughly 11 x 14 cm) removed from autograph album. Four glue stains showing through from the reverse (not affecting the signatures), otherwise good. Reads 'Dora Stevens | Ethel Hobday | Marjorie Hayward | Cedric Sharpe'. Lightly docketed in pencil.

On leaf (roughly 10 x 15 cm) torn from autograph album. Good, on lightly aged paper. Signed 'Hugo Rignold' with another signature ('John <?> | <?>') in pencil above it. Docketed in pencil.

On a light-green leaf (11 x 14 cm) removed from an autograph album. Lightly aged and creased. Reads 'Hugh P. Allen | Nov 8. 1928'. Lightly docketed in pencil. Two other autographs on reverse.

On piece of laid paper paper (roughly 11 x 16 cm) cut from diary. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Under the heading 'June 25'.

On piece (15 x 16 cm) of laid-paper cut from a page of a diary. Creased and worn at head. Signature under heading 'March 18'. Lightly docketed in pencil.

Four plates, each roughly 39.5 x 22 cm. Good, clear impressions. The first two plates have a little light staining in the margins, and the first has some light foxing. The other two in very good condition, and the set good overall. An attractive series, each plate containing twelve main engravings, mainly of an infantryman with his musket in various positions, but also of an officer with sword. Begins with 'Dress to the Right' and ends with 'Sword Salute'. Mains numbered series begins '1st. Poise Firelock' and ends '35th. Shoulder Firelock'. Occasional smaller engravings in the background.

Dimensions of print roughly 13 x 17.5 cm. On original grey paper windowpane mount (22 x 28.5 cm). Engraved label (3 x 12.5 cm) beneath the print, with small remarque-style illustrations of the ship and the queen. The print itself is good, although aged and a little worn and spotted; the spotting and aging to the margins and mount is a little heavier. Attractive and unusual item, the image changing when held up to the light. The ship is depicted sailing on choppy seas, and the young queen seated with drapery around her on a verandah with stone balustrades and a landscape behind. Scarce.

On one side of a piece of wove paper roughly 28.5 x 24 cm. On aged, somewhat grubby paper, with 6 cm closed tear repaired with tape on reverse. Full-length diagrammatic depiction of a British army officer in uniform of the Napoleonic period (black boots with spurs, tight white breeches, green jacket with yellow trim and black hat with red plume), holding his sword horizontally in front of his face. A set of thirteen numbered angles are projected from the tip of the blade, some bracketed 'all these are strait in Front'. Others are described as 'flat'.

Octavo: 29 + [2] pp. Unbound, stabbed and stitched. Slightly dogeared, on grubby, lightly-spotted paper. Loss to top right-hand corner of title-leaf (not affecting text). Two pages of advertisements at rear, headed 'Important pamphlets, etc. Recently published by James Ridgway, Piccadilly.'

Octavo: 28 pp. Unbound, stabbed and stitched. Slightly dogeared, on grubby, lightly-spotted paper. Loss to top right-hand corner of title-leaf (not affecting text). Marked up in ink in a contemporary hand. COPAC lists copies at the British Library, Manchester and National Library of Scotland. The 'Alabama Question' related to what indemnity should be paid by Great Britain for damage done to United States commerce by the Alabama and other confederate cruisers built in British ports.

12mo bifolium: 3 pp, with reverse of second leaf blank. Unbound. Good, on lightly aged and spotted paper. Names the officers on p.1, and gives the nine articles of consitution on pp.2 and 3. Small circular red stamp of the Webster Collection (no. 4156) in bottom right-hand corner of reverse of second leaf. No copy listed on COPAC.

305 mm high and 225 mm wide. The print has been trimmed, with the top corners cut away to give the print the appearance of an arched window. A strip, 35 mm high, at the foot contains the caption, with the bottom right-hand corner damaged (not affecting print) by removal from backing. A good crisp impression, on lightly-aged paper, the only faults being loss to the sky above the Emperor as a result of the trimming of the top corners, and a couple of spots of glue to the sky.

On one side of a piece of wove paper roughly 275 x 230 mm. Printed and manuscript text clear and entirely legible on worn, creased and grubby paper with one small strip of paper repairing reverse. Crest of City of London at head. Two sets of four columns, side by side. The four columns are: 'Ships at Market', 'QUALITY', 'Ships sold' and 'PRICE'. The whole of the 'QUALITY' column in the first set is headed 'NEWCASTLE', containing 45 entries from 'Adair's' to 'Walls End Walker'.

Printed on one side of a piece of stiff art paper (shiny on printed side, matt on reverse), dimensions roughly 245 x 160 mm). Very good. The name of the firm is not stated, and dabs of colour in 3 mm margins as printing guide. Attractive and characteristic illustration, in eight (?) colours: dark brown, beige, green, red, pink, yellow, dark and light blue, showing a carriage clock surrounded by plate, jewellery (including a goblet, a fan, a pearl necklace, a fob watch, decanters) and a profusion of flowers. The calendar in twelve tiny squares, six at the head at six at the foot.

On both sides of a piece of wove paper, dimensions roughly 8.5 x 20 cm. Cruikshank's signature is approximately 9 cm long, with the final letter of his Christian name in superscript. Paper aged and creased, with central vertical fold, and wear to one edge (not affecting text). Recto reads '<...> in the interim - | That 2 door Mats be ordered for the use of the Society | Adjourned till Thursday 7th June - | [signed] Geoe Cruikshank | Monday June 4. | General Meeting of the Society | Mr Parsonage in the Chair.

12mo: 2 pp. Sixteen lines of text. Good, on aged paper, with a strip from the previous mount adhering at the head of the reverse. Docketed in a contemporary hand 'Jacob Bell' and 'M. P. for St. Albans 1851.' He thanks him for taking the trouble to search 'the last document which fortunately is found much to my surprise in a store room in my own house'. He 'cannot account for the accident' and apologises once again.

On a piece of paper roughly 5.5 x 13 cm. Good firm signature (8 cm long) on lightly aged and creased paper. Reads 'Faithfully yours | [signed] Marie Corelli'. Fragment on reverse reads '<...> education nowadays <...> hope you <...> induced to <...> estimable'.

Two pages. Dimensions of paper fourteen and a half inches by nine inches. Aged and stained, with fraying to extremities and some loss to one corner (not affecting text). Order to 'deliver and pay of such his Majesty's Treasure as remains in your Charge unto John Earl of Dunmore or his Assigns the Sum of Two hundred and Fifty Pounds', on Dunmore's 'Annuity or yearly Pension of One Thousand Pounds as one of the Gentlemen of his Majesty's Bedchamber'. With signatures of 'Winnington', 'G Earle' and <?>. Docketed 'Mr. Yorke I pray pay this Order out of Addl.