CAXTON

Campbell was Librarian of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, and Chief Director of the Museum Meermanno-Westreenianum. 4pp, 12mo. Bifolium. Neatly and closely written. In good condition, lightly aged. The recipient ('Cher Monsieur') is not named, but the context of the letter identifies him the London publisher and bookseller Basil Montagu Pickering, who in 1874 published 'Calcoen, A Dutch narrative of the Second Voyage of Vasco da Gama to Calicut, Printed at Antwerp circa 1504', edited by Jean Philibert Berjeau (1809-1891).

Printed in black ink on one side of a piece of 18 x 11 cm piece of laid paper. Dimensions of image 15.5 x 10 cm. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. The image forms the upper part of the engraving, within a decorative border, with the caption, covering eleven lines, as the lower part, within its own lapidary border. The image is, as the caption explains, from 'a curious M.S. in the Archbishop's Library at Lambeth'.

12mo, 3 pp. Bifolium. 47 lines. Text clear and complete. On aged paper, wear and fraying to extremities. The cutting which Lawler leant him 'has helped me to trace one stage further in the wanderings of more than one vagabond Caxton'. Refers to John Winter Jones's discovery of a copy in the British Museum of the 'Quatre Derrenieres Choses', 'now more than 50 years ago [...] it has remained absolutely unique until our old friend at 15 Piccadilly [Bernard Quaritch] came upon a 2nd copy'.