JOHN

The recipient Simon Nicholson was a colonial civil servant and a neighbour of Lugard at Tallboys in Abinger Hammer. He and his wife Molly were a cultured couple, and were friends of Edith Wharton and Bernard Berenson. The four letters are in good condition, lightly aged and worn, and each is 2pp, 12mo. Each folded once. The first three are signed 'Lugard' and the last, to Molly Nicholson, 'Fred Lugard'. In the first letter (23 September 1940), after expressing pleasure at seeing Nicholson again and having 'a talk', he begs him 'not to postpone your week-end here.

3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. Folded once. Endorsed on reverse of second leaf. At the time of writing Molesworth was serving as First Commissioner of Works in Lord Aberdeen's coalition government. (In the year of his death Aberdeen would appoint him Colonial Secretary.) The letter begins: 'My dear Merivale | Last November I moved for the enclosed return and since then I have spoken to ]Pal?] [i.e. Viscount Palmerston?] about it who promised that it should be made.

2pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with traces of mount adhering to blank reverse of second leaf. A white label has been stuck over the letter's salutation, but MacWhirter writes the name of the recipient at the end of the letter: 'W. Agnew Esq'. He cannot express the pleasure he felt on receiving Agnew's letter.

Two pages, 8vo, bifolium, closed tear on fold, sl. darkeing at edge, mainly good condition, third page with brief biography of Say in French in another hand, adding presumably about his correspondent (?) that "[Say] se consacra a l'economie politique. Comme Smith, il combattit les prohibitions, les imports de consummation [...]". Fourth page has the correspondent's address in Say's hand, and is docketed with name and date. Text of letter: He initially thanks Smith for his letter to him "qui eleve une question interessante sur le produit qui varie le moins envaleur.

1p, 4to. In fair condition, lightly aged, with slight wear at head repaired on reverse with archival tape. The context of the letter is explained in Fawcett's entry in the Oxford DNB: 'In September 1829 Fawcett was superseded in the management of Covent Garden […] the theatre in which he had been a main prop for thirty-nine years. With a salary of £100 a year allowed him as treasurer and trustee of the Covent Garden Theatrical Fund he retired to a cottage at Botley, near Southampton.' The letter begins: 'Some weeks back I enclos'd you a draft for £10 intended for the Widow Paulo.

2pp, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. The letter casts an interesting sidelight on the practicalities of the late-Victorian theatre. He begins by explaining that he is sending back a wig he made for him, which was 'an admirable one in every way', and asking that he make him 'one like it for America & to bestow your best skill on it as it is of great importance to me'. He instructs him to 'make the wig a shade darker, something of the color it is dyed behind, & put a little natural white hair on the temples each side'.

3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with traces of mount, and red wax seal, adhering to the reverse of the second leaf, which is franked (the franker's name and signature illegible) to 'Sir John Phippart [sic] | &c &c | No 8 New Burlington St'. Slight loss to one corner of second leaf, from breaking open of seal, with damage to one word of text.

The item would appear to relate to William Gaskill's 1984 Chichester Festival production of Congreve's 'Way of the World', in which Joan Plowright played Lady Wishford, and John Moffatt played Witwoud, although it is not clear why Fry should have been making directorial suggestions in this case. 2pp, 8vo. Written in pencil. In fair condition, aged and worn. Folded twice. From the Fry papers, and so possibly either a draft or not sent. The identity of the recipient is not clear.

Photostat pages of the first part of Christopher Fry's screenplay of the lavish 1966 American-Italian 20th Century Fox religious epic film 'The Bible: In the Beginning...', produced by Dino De Laurentiis and directed by John Huston. [2] + 7pp, 4to. Photostats of a typescript, on seven leaves.

Five items in good condition, all lightly aged. ONE: ACS. Signed 'Kathy'. 1 March 1990. Clearly a covering note on sending the other material. Simply reads: 'Good to speak – | love | Kathy'. TWO: Duplicated copy of typescript of speech by 'Fr. John Gilling'. Headed: 'REQUIEM MASS: St. Mary the Virgin, Bourne Street. 7th February 1990. | JONATHAN GRIFFIN'. 2pp, 8vo.

Three items (letter, photographic card, and pamphlet), all in good condition. ONE: ALS. 31 December 1954. 1p, 8vo. Signed '(Mrs.) Rita Spurr.' and addressed to 'Dear Mr. Christopher Fry'. She begins by thanking him 'for the very great pleasure & stimulus' which she derived 'during the year that is passed' from his play 'The Dark is Light Enough'.

1p, 8vo. In good condition. Folded twice. With secretarial note in blue pencil, recording response by 'C.F.' The letter concerns Fry's screenplay for the 1966 film 'The Bible: In the Beginning...', produced by Dino De Laurentiis and directed by John Huston, which recounts the first 22 chapters of the Book of Genesis. Stallworthy wonders whether Fry remembers 'that, “in the dark backward and abyss of time”, the OUP wanted to publish your screen-play for the film of Genesis, but the film company's lawyers wouldn't allow it.

All three items in good condition, with both letters lightly-creased at the foot. ONE: TLS. Signed 'John Mortimer'. 11 November 1995. 1p, 8vo. He was delighted to receive Fry's letter and would 'like to visit a writing group with which you're connected. If I'm free on May 10th I'll come. I'm just waiting to hear about a trip to Florida – so do let the committee write to me. I'll know by then more clearly what I'm doing.' TWO: TLS. Signed 'John', with Mortimer deleting the typed word 'sincerely'. 1 March 1997. 1p, 8vo. He found it 'a delight' to hear Fry's 'lecture at the RSL'.

An interesting document relative to London social history, and a nice piece of Dickensiana. George Johnson is said to have established his celebrated restaurant Johnson's Alamode Beef House at 21 Clare Court, Drury Lane, in the 1780s, although the present letter states that it was licensed around 1805 . In 1824 a twelve-year-old Charles Dickens – employed in a nearby blacking warehouse as a result of his father's imprisionment for debt – himself experienced an incident which he later made use of in 'David Copperfield'.

Unpaginated stapled pamphlet of 24pp, small 4to. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with slight damage at head of spine. On the second page: 'The arrangement of this Programme has been the work of the Rev. Hugh Ross Williamson.' Programme for the day on front cover, including a talk by 'Mr Robert Speight: “Touring in Canada with Murder in the Cathedral”'. The final event, at 7pm in the Chapter House, is a performance entitled 'The Drama of our Festival years', and the text of this piece makes up 21pp of the pamphlet.

1p, 8vo. In good condition, lightly aged and creased. Folded once. 'I was hoping you would make a suggestion about price. I had at first thought of asking £5 for each copy, but if you would throw in that copy of my father's book (my own is in pieces) I suggest £12 for the three. Of course I want you to make your profit.' He ends by asking if Hancox would like the books signed.

Pepys's house at Brampton is the subject of an article by Chris Partridge in the Observer, 30 May 2004, which states that 'The first earl, Edward Montagu, was Pepys's cousin and patron, giving him the political clout to further his career in the Navy Office. In 1927 the then earl gave the Pepys House Trust a 100-year lease at a peppercorn rent, and it has been open to the public ever since. All three items in good condition, lightly aged. Drinkwater's second letter and Chappell's draft reply pinned to one another. ONE: Drinkwater to Chappell, 31 May 1933. TLS. 2pp, 4to.

For information on the recipient the physician William Frederick Cleveland (1823-1898), see his obituary, BMJ, 3 December 1898. ONE: 1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded twice. He begins by stating that he 'constantly' sees 'patients in London for the ordinary Consultation Fee of 2 Gs.' Because of the 'lamented death of a relative at a distance', Conolly is 'unable to name an earlier time for having the pleasure to meet you than Monday next, the 21st., at 3 o'Clock'. TWO: 2pp, 12mo. Bifolium on grey paper, with mourning border.

2pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with thin strip of paper from mount adhering to reverse of second leaf. The recipient is not identified. Begins: 'My Dear Sir, | I would have had much pleasure in accepting your invitation, & meeting Professor Liebig [Justus von Liebig (1803-1873), German chemist], but while you are enjoying yourselves, I expect to be a hundred miles at least on my way to Scotland in the Royal yacht.' He hopes to be able to make Liebig's acquaintance on his return.

1p, 4to. In good condition, lightly aged and worn, with thin strip of paper from mount adhering to the blank reverse. Folded twice.Unsigned. Eighteen line typescript with a number of autograph emendations.He begins by thanking 'Dr Osler' for the letter he has sent containing a request made not only in his own name, but also in those of the American neurologists Silas Weir Mitchell (1829-1914) and James Jacksom Putnam (1846-1918), and which Jackson has 'carefully considered'. He continues: 'Many of my papers, all the old ones, are very old fashioned and are not worthy of reprint.

See the entries on Harrison and Marcet in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 4to. In good condition, lightly aged and worn, and folded twice, with thin strip of paper from mount adhering to the reverse. Marcet is not identified as the recipient, but the item comes from his papers. It relates to an election to a post at Guy's Hospital, with reference to Peter Mark Roget (1779-1869), author of 'Roget's Thesaurus', whose father came from Geneva. The letter is written in a difficult hand, and the following transcriptions are tentative.

2pp, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged, with thin strip of paper from mount adhering to one edge. Begins: 'Samuel Tuke having been disappointed of an opportunity of sending by a private hand a parcel to his friend Dr Max. Jacobi will be much obliged to J. Churchill to send to him four copies of the translation of his work'.

See the entries on Harrison and Marcet in the Oxford DNB. Both items in good condition, lightly aged and worn, and each folded twice. Harrison's letter with thin strip of paper from mount adhering to the reverse. Marcet is only identified in pencil annotations to the letters, but the details given by the writer of his education accord with Marcet's.

The recipient of the present letter is not named, but it is the scientific bookseller and publisher John Nourse (1705-1780), who the following year would published the 'Lectures' referred to in the letter: 'An Introduction to Physiology, being A Course of Lectures upon The most important Parts of the Animal Oeconomy', 'Printed for J. Nourse at the Lamb opposite Katherine-Street in the Strand.

For Davis see Munk's Roll, the Gentleman's Magazine for January 1825, and I. S. L. Loudon's paper 'John Bunnell Davis and the Universal Dispensary for Children' (BMJ, 5 May 1979). The Universal Dispensary for Children, founded by Davis in 1816 and open to the under-twelves, was as Loudon points out 'the first major institution in England devoted solely to the care of sick children, 35 years before the first children's hospital in Liverpool, and 36 before Great Ormond Street'.

For information on the recipient William Frederick Cleveland (1823-1898), see his obituary, BMJ, 3 December 1898. 2pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with thin strip of paper from mount adhering to blank reverse of second leaf. He thanks him for his 'kind note' concerning 'Mr. Kempshalls death', and continues: 'I trust that we may now hope to escape Cholera as an Epidemic, although it has been shew[ing] a marked tendency to advance in some districts hitherto exempt – during the last few days'.

For information on the recipient William Frederick Cleveland, see his obituary, BMJ, 3 December 1898. 3pp, 12mo. Bifolium on grey paper. In fair condition, lightly aged, with thin strip of paper from mount adhering to blank reverse of second leaf. He explains that he is enclosing a letter to which he replied late as he was out of town, giving a time that day which 'would suit me, if it would be convenient to you'. He 'begged' the writers of the letter to let Cleveland know.

For information on the recipient William Frederick Cleveland (1823-1898), see his obituary, BMJ, 3 December 1898. 2pp, 1p, 16mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with thin strip of paper from mount adhering to reverse of second leaf. The note reads: 'My dear Cleveland | I will be at your house tomorrow Friday at about ½ past 4 – I am | Yours faithfully | John Hilton'. From the distinguished autograph collection of the psychiatrist Richard Alfred Hunter (1923-1981), whose collection of 7000 works relating to psychiatry is now in Cambridge University Library.

See Manning's entry in Munk's Roll. The recipient was father of 'Broke of the Shannon', the naval hero Admiral Sir Philip Bowes Vere Broke (1776-1841). 1p, foolscap 8vo. On aged and worn paper, with tide staining at one edge, which is repaired with archival tape, and thin strip of paper from mount on the blank reverse. Addressed at foot to 'Ph: B: Broke Esqr: | Broke's Hall | Near Ipswich'.

Frost's eventful career (patronised by royalty and blackballed by the Royal Society) is described in his entry in the Oxford DNB, in which he is described as a 'medical entrepreneur'. The letter is written from the premises in which Frost lived from 1824 to 1830, as Secretary to the Royal Humane Society. The recipient Thomas Gibbs (1771-1849), seedsman and nurseryman, of Ampthill and Brompton Lodge, Old Brompton, was the father of the agriculturalist and horticulturalist Sir Benjamin Thomas Brandreth-Gibbs (1821-1885). See his obituary in the Farmer's Magazine, March 1849. 3pp, 4to. Bifolium.