KENNETH

Dodd’s entry in the Oxford DNB by Michael Billington concludes with the assessment that he was ‘the greatest theatrical comic of his age and the last link with the hallowed days of music hall’. The two items are in good condition, lightly aged. ONE: TLS, 9 October 1957. 1p, 4to. Good large signature ‘Ken Dodd’. The male recipient is not named. He apologises for the late reply to the recipient’s letter. ‘May I also thank you for the compliments paid to my performance on Television. / I am a Liverpudlian, residing in Knotty Ash Liverpool.

From the papers of Philip Dosse, proprietor of Hansom Books, publisher of a stable of seven arts magazines including Books and Bookmen and Plays and Players. See 'Death of a Bookman' by the novelist Sally Emerson (editor of 'Books and Bookmen' at the time of Dosse's suicide), in Standpoint magazine, October 2018; and Michael Barber, 'What was Books and Bookmen?', Literary Review blog, 18 August 2023. Both items in good condition, lightly aged. Both folded once for postage. Both 1p, 12mo. ONE (1 October 1974): It was 'nice' of Dosse to write, but he 'needn't have given it a second thought'.

See her entry in the Oxford DNB. The inscription, firmly-written in pencil, reads, ‘With best wishes / Deborah Kerr.’, and is written beneath a pencil portrait of a smiling Kerr’s face and shoulders, competently-executed in typical fifties style. On recto of 10 x 12.5 cm leaf of a tracing paper bifolium, the verso of the second leaf carrying, upside-down, an outline sketch of Kerr. The paper is somewhat creased and worn.

See Horne and Muir's entries in the Oxford DNB. On one side of 8.5 x 20.5 piece of paper cut from the conclusion of a letter. In fair condition, lightly aged and creased. With fold from postage. Good firm signature. Reads: 'Re above from Frank Muir, I pronounced the name to my taxi-driver and had no difficulty. After he had taken me to the Savoy I came back here and had a marvellous meal / Kenneth Horne'. See image.

2pp., 8vo. Single-spaced. In fair condition, on two leaves of lightly-aged air mail paper, with punch holes to left-hand margins and at head. Made out to be signed by 'Keitel | Generalfeldmarschall | (Field Marshal)'. The five questions are: 'What was your estimate in 1939 of the speed and capabilities of the U.S. to build up a war machine? Did the U.S. exceed your expectations in producing war material and training an army?' (26 line response), 'On what basis did you estimate that Germany could complete its campaign in Europe before the U.S.

See Hopkins’s entry in the Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Poetry in English. His papers are in the Harry Ransom Center of the University of Texas. The obituary of the recipient Andrew Block (1892-1987) in ‘The Private Library’ was subtitled ‘the doyen of booksellers’; his business was established in 1911. Printed on one side of a foolscap 8vo leaf. A tasteful piece of provincial printing. Worn, creased and dog-eared, with closed tears at head. Inscribed at bottom-right: ‘for Andrew Block / Kenneth Hopkins’. Titled ‘THREE SONNETS’ and signed in type ‘KENNETH HOPKINS’.

In blue ink on a 9 x 6 cm rectangle of laid paper. In good condition. Hard signs first ('Darlene | Hard') with Rosewall's signature ('Ken Rosewall') curving upwards beneath hers. Between the two, in another hand is the date 1956, and beneath Rosewall's signature, in the same hand, is '(Rosewall)'. In 1956 Rosewall was on the verge of turning professional. In that year he won the US Open, beating fellow-Australian Lew Hoad. It was one of eight Grand Slam finals he played in as an amateur, winning three. In 1956 Hard was nearing her peak.

Dempsey's obituary in The Times, explains how 'In April, 1945, he was appointed Brigadier I/C Administration, East Africa Command', holding the position into the following year, and retiring in December 1947 on account of ill health. For a full account of Dempsey's military career, see his entry in Catholic Who's Who, vol.35 (1952). In an eight-line Autograph Note Signed at the end of Anderson's letter, Dempsey states that Anderson 'had been my personal & immediate superior as G.O.C. in C., East Africa Command, when I was his Brigadier I/C Administration.

The five items in good condition, lightly aged and worn. ONE: Muir Mackenzie to Harington, 7 January 1897. 3pp., 12mo. Begins: 'Dear Sir Richard | The Lord Chancellor and his predecessors for many years have declined to sanction the appointment of joint registrars except in places where the amount of business requires two registrars; that is to say, if the business at Stourbridge is such as to require two Colles, it would still require a colleague for Colles Junr.

2pp., 8vo. In fair condition, lightly aged. He writes that he will be 'most delighted to read the play under the auspices of the Dramatic Club'. He suggests a date, 'as being the farthest off & giving time generally', but if another is preferable, he 'can attend'. If Macgowan 'will fix the day and let know [sic] - (in case Monday is a bad day)', he will 'follow your decision'.

4pp., 4to. Bifolium. In fair condition, on aged and folded paper. Headed: 'Saturday, 24th July. The Tea to-day is kindly provided by Mrs. Searle.' Giving the scorecard, with names of all participants and results from first round to final, for nine events from the 'Gentlemen's Singles (Level). New Challenge Cup presented by SIR J. COLMAN, Bart.' (F. W. Rahe versus K. Powell) to 'Ladies Doubles (Handicap)' (Miss Harper and Miss Russell versus the Misses Bowyer). Scarce: no copy on COPAC.

The three letters in very good condition; the first two attached to one another in one corner by a stud. Also included is Dorothea Stephen's copy of Annan's biography ('Leslie Stephen: His Thought and Character in Relation to his Time', 1951), worn and without dustwrapper, with her ownership signature ('D J. Stephen'), and a page of autograph notes critical of the book at the rear.

1p., foolscap 8vo. In fair condition, on aged and worn paper. Headed: 'Subject: Blood Transfusion Arrangements. Ref: 1BTU/S/108/45. | To: ALL GENERAL HOSPITALS. | CCSs. | Transfusion Officers. | Pathologists. | Officers i/c Blood Banks.' Facsimile at foot of the signature of 'KGA Barlow Major, RAMC., | A/CC., No. 1 Base Transfusion Unit.' The document is arranged under four headings: 'Blood Taking Sets'; 'Blood Storage'; 'Grouping of Donors' and 'Cross Matching'. From a small archive of material belonging to Daphne Kayton of the Royal Army Medical Corps.

Each letter 1p., 8vo. In very good condition, lightly aged and worn. The first two letters in autograph, the other three typed. ONE (26 May 1973): He condoles with her on her husband's death. 'I always greatly admired his poetry & then his work as a critic. I've just been writing down hisname in the index of my second book of Oxford lectures, where I refer briefly to both these activities of his. It is a sad loss, particularly to those of us who admire creative & sensitive scholarship, so rare & so much needed now.

Thirteen of the fourteen photographs are in black and white, with the largest 21.5 x 15.5 cm (with slight paint staining at edge), another 17.5 x 12.5 cm, and the other nine roughly 12.5 x 9 cm. The other print is a colour polaroid, with paint smudges from Sonnabend's portrait on the white mount. Other than the paint marks to three of the prints, in good condition, although six of the smaller ones have aged due to acid in the paper stock.

1p., 4to. Fair, on aged paper, with one small burn-hole to margin. Addressed to 'Mrs. T. Driberg, | Bradwell Lodge, | Bradwell juxta Mare, | nr. Southminster, | Essex.' He thanks her for receiving 'an African boy from Northern Rhodesia and some members of my family', and 'showing us the details of your charming house so unhesitatingly'. He discusses the 'astonishing contrast the house is to the landscape around it.

4to, [iii] + 76 pp. In original orange titled wraps. Text clear and complete. Fair, on aged paper, in worn and frayed wraps. A three-act adaptation of Collodi's children's classic, with cast of characters, 'Synopsis of Scenes', and 'Musical Contents' listing the plays twenty-six songs.

4to, 1 p. 19 lines. Text clear and complete. On aged and lightly creased paper, with strip of sunning to left-hand margin. Neat signature: 'Nicolas Bentley'. The film and television rights to the book were all 'bought some years ago by Herbert Wilcox, who, as I understand it, still owns them'. Bentley has reports the opinion of 'Messrs A. P. Watt, my late father's agent', on the question of the radio rights. 'I control the stage rights', Bentley states, giving the conditions on which he would agree to a stage adaptation.

General and courtier (1767-1845). Three pages, 12mo. Folded twice. Good, but on discoloured, lightly creased paper. Difficult hand. Regarding the 'Talents & Acquirements' of a certain 'Captain Spiller'. 'I am much obliged to you for your kind Enquiries after Lady Howard, she is now on her Road to Yorkshire from Bath, where she has recently been.' Signed 'Howard'. Postscript: 'I only came to Town on Tuesday Evening. I will mention Captain Spiller to Lord Morpeth in the hopes that it may be of some avail.'

One page, very good. Postcard illustration of Marie Taglioni. In Bentley's distinctive neat hand. 'If & when Angus & Robertson's traveller shows you a book called Dead Funny, illus. by Bill Tidy, pubs. Ask & Grant, I hope you'll feel compelled to place a huge order: The Grant is Arabella's husband, just breaking into publishing (mad!) How are you & Billie? We should love to see you both, but I doubt that you ever come this way. If you do, you can count on a warm bed & reception. Try & make it sometimes.' Signed 'Nick'.

First edition. 12mo. Pages: 2 ('BIBLIOGRAPHY OF LAPSUS CALAMI.') + x + 84 + 4 pages of publishers' advertisements. Very good in original worn light-blue cloth with heavily-worn label on spine. Ownership inscription of Richard E. Benson (1892) on front free endpaper. Stephen was first put forward as Jack the Ripper in Michael Harrison's biography of Prince Albert Victor, 'Clarence' (1972).