LITERATURE

Lamartine's letter, of 1p., 12mo, on a blank page on the reverse of the prospectus, which is 2pp., 8vo, on a bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. The letter is addressed to an unnamed individual ('Monsieur'), and consists of twenty lines of text. He has been encouraged by 'Les rapports de bienveillance intellectuelle', he is sending the prospectus for his selected works, which he has himself revised, augmented, annotated and edited.

2pp., 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Having just received Buckingham's letter, he writes that he 'cannot but feel much gratified that my letter to Mr Raikes Currie should have in any way attracted the notice of a Gentleman like yourself whose name is so well known in connexion with our literature and our social progress.' He concludes by expressing an interest in the 'undertakings which have engaged, and now engage' Buckingham's attention, and by wishing him every success.

2pp., on both sides of a strip of 35.5 x 11.5 cm laid paper with fleur-de-lys watermark. In a secretary hand employing the thorn and long s. In fair condition, on aged and worn paper. An untitled forty-line poem, divided into five numbered eight-line stanzas. The narrator is an older married woman, advising a younger woman not to marry, with observations on the frailties of the male sex. The first stanza reads: 'Ere ye. read ys. ye. may suppose. | That some new listed Lover. | By means of Poetry has chose. | His Passion to discover.

Letter: 2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Closely-written with 40 lines of text. In very good condition, lightly-aged, and attached to the book by a thin strip of gummed paper. Mathews writes that it gave him great pleasure to receive Hodson's letter 'a month or two ago', and that he has only delayed replying because it has 'taken some time to get into touch with Rd. Aldington'. He gives a quotation of 24 lines from a letter he has received from Aldington after passing on Hodson's 'kind appreciation'.

2pp., 12mo. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. He thanks her 'for the Daily News review. Such touching appreciation, and from you, repays us for the anxiety attending the publication of the Memoir [...] This part of Sussex seems very forsaken since you & your husband left it. If you are ever near, what a pleasure a call from you would be - or a visit, if your freedom allowed it.

The three items are in fair condition, lightly aged and creased. Totalling 7pp., 8vo. ONE: ALS. From Whiteleaf, Princes Risborough; 11 Nov. 1930. Begins 'I heard the other day of a poem of yours, that a young soldier carried about in the war, till he was killed. It was sent home with his papers, & some day I hope to have it - his own copy of it - from a friend, & to send it to you | Why tell you of this now? Because the news of your mother's death has been weighing on my mind, & I wanted to say a word, yet knew how unconsoling words can be.' TWO: ALS.

In poor condition, on aged and brittle paper, with significant chipping to edges involving loss of text, including the end of Philpott's signature. Undated, but written in 1916, the year of publication of Phillpotts' 'The Green Alleys'. Headed in blue pencil 'Mr Lynd' (i.e for the attention of Daily News columnist Robert Lynd).

1p., 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. Written in purple ink. The letter reads: 'My dear Sir, | Here it is, for what it is worth. To-morrow, Jan 16, a new novel of mine, "Some Fell Among Thorns", should be published. I shall send you a copy & ask your acceptance of it. | Yours Sincerely | Andrew Soutar'. Soutar received a brief obituary in The Times, 25 November 1941.

15 + [1]pp., 8vo. In grey printed card wraps. In fair condition, lightly aged, with rusted staples. The author describes his work in an introductory note as 'an elegant and ingenious poem in heroic verse; suggested by the third Satire of Juvenal; wherein the foolishness of the institutions of this University, and the dullness and dishonesty of its inhabitants are for the first time properly exposed'. The influence of Samuel Johnson (another adapter of Juvenal and also an Oxford man) is strong, as the opening indicates: 'Though on my brow there rose an angry frown | When B - ll - l's [i.e.

3 ALsS, on letterhead of The Athenaeum journal, 12 March 1919; 102 Edith Grove, Chelsea, 16 July [no year]; on letterhead of 5 Acacia Road, St John's Wood, 'Sunday' [no date], total 5pp., 8vo and 12mo.First, he begins: 'You know I've been put in charge of this. Probably you were responsible for the job being offered me - at least I don't know who was, if it wasn't you. | I hope you will be able to write for us.' Postscript reads: 'As for Bertrand Russell, I haven't read the book. But I warn you that it is difficult for me to be humourous at any time, and impossible in this case. B. R.

ALS, signed in her maiden name of Dorothy Brooke, on letterhead of 3 Arkwright Road, Hampstead; 8 April [1937], 2pp., 8vo. She expresses grief on the death of her first husband Sir John Reeve Brooke (1880-1937). '[...] of you in particular he often talked, when we had seen you, with admiration and joy - it was a particular pleasure to him when he had seen a person or heard them talk, to go over again what had been said, and your talk particularly charmed him. [...] | Don't forget me dear Robert, though I have no charming Reeve to bring you, love me a little for his sake'.

ALS, on letterhead of Lochnagar, Bycullah Park, Enfield; 17 December 1912, 3pp., 12mo. He thanks him for the 'letter & all its encouragement [...] The book represents rather under a year's work at verse & I only hope I shall not someday have to wish it had never been other than firelight.

ALS, on letterhead of the City Art Gallery, Leeds; 10 March 1916. He offers to review 'Rebecca West's forthcoming little book on "Henry James"', being 'particularly interested in both author & subject'. Asks for contact details of a relative of Walter Riddall's: 'I lent him before his death one of my "To-Day" volumes which I can't replace & don't want to lose.'

ALS, on letterhead of 4 Whitehall Court, London; 'Tuesday' [1924], in envelope, 2pp., 8vo. 'You know all sorts of useful things - can you tell me of any way of getting in touch with Mary Ansell - Mary Barrie - Mary Cannan - Mary? here my knowledge stops. [...] Are you "sitting under" Bernard Shaw evening after evening - as I believe is said of preachers? I am going to begin my course on Friday.'

On the reverse of the half-title leaf (only) of her book 'Records of Woman: with other Poems'. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. Reads: 'Miss Chorley. With | Felicia Heman's kindest regards.' A nice association: Henry Fothergill Chorley edited the 'Memorials of Mrs Hemans' (1836).

On one side of the lower part of a leaf, measuring 10 x 12.5 cm. In fair condition, on lightly aged paper. Reads: '[...] have much pleasure in seeing you on Thursday Evening | Yours Very Truly | Isa Craig'.

[2] + 187pp., 8vo. With errata slip. In fair condition internally, on aged and lightly-spotted paper, in a somewhat worn and aged decorative green leather binding, with subtle floral design in gilt on cover, dentelles, all edges gilt, and green decorative endpapers. Stamp of 'A. THOM & CO. LTD. | BINDERS' on rear free endpaper. The book is inscribed at the head of the title page: 'With kindest regards from | Cécile Steinberger'. Uncommon: no copy in the British Library, and only three copies on COPAC.

TLS: 2pp., 12mo. In good condition. The letter begins: 'Dear Al: | Last Thursday morning, while sitting in a barbar chair, I asked myself a question which a number of people have been asking me recently, namely, What are you doing at Harvard? I couldn't come up with a very satisfactory answer, so I went to a friend's house on Cape Cod for the weekend. Monday I saw the head of the English Department at Harvard, H. C. Baker. He said, "Follow your star," which seemed to me a little romantic, but all the same good advice.

4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. 72 lines of text. For more about Palmer, see his entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography. The start of the letter indicates its tone: 'Dear old man, | I was exceedingly glad to get your interesting newsy letter last week - more glad than I can say. The "New Age" did not turn up, for which I was sorry as I was looking forward to seeing the good old paper again, but this writing of Bernard Shaw for the "Pall Mall Gazette" delighted me. What a splendid dialectician he is!

2pp., 4to. In fair condition, on aged paper. An unpublished jeux d'esprit on the well-known poem by Isaac Watts (also parodied by Lewis Carroll), the poem consists of twenty-four lines arranged in six four-line stanzas, followed by: 'written in the shortest minute of the longest day by | Thomas Haynes Bayly | June 22nd. 1835.' The first two stanzas read: 'As "doth the little busy Bee | "Improve each shining hour, | "And gather honey all the day | "From every opening flower." | So doth the busy T. H. B.

4pp., 4to. On a bifolium. In fair condition, on lightly aged and worn paper, with stub from mount still adhering. The poem consists of 84 lines, arranged in seven twelve-line stanzas. It begins: 'Full many a gloomy month had past, | On flagging wing, regardless by - | Unremarked by aught - save grief since last | I gazed upon thy bright blue eye, | And bade my Lyre pour forth for thee | Its strains of wildest minstrelsy!' The fourth line in the fourth stanza, 'For blessings on thy future years', has been deleted and replaced with 'To save thee from affliction's tears'.

2pp., 12mo; 1p., 8vo. On bifolium, with the 8vo page written lengthwise across the central two pages. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. He discusses an article in the 'Mercury', which Latimer has sent him, which 'revived many incidents and persons and recalled a byegone age upon which neither you nor I can look back without mingled feelings of regret and thankfulness'.

2pp., 12mo. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper, with remains of stub adhering to margin on reverse of leaf. The letter begins: 'Dear Sir | I got as far as Charing Cross last night on my way to you - when horrified by the lateness of the Hour, I did not venture to put in an Appearance & turned Homeward. -' He concludes by inviting him to a dinner at the East India Club, 14 St James's Square.

2pp., 8vo. Bifolium. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. He asks him to accept a copy of the Tauchnitz edition of his 'Iron Mask', 'the only one I happen to have by me'. He continues: 'As you are kind enough to express an interest in work of mine, I may say that I expect to be in the West of Ireland next month in the interests of the Daily Chronicle - if you ever happen to see that paper - for which I am to write a special series of letters describing the present condition of that district.' For more on Hopkins see his obituary in The Times, 17 February 1919.

3pp., 12mo. Originally a bifolium, but with the two leaves now separated. In fair condition, on aged and worn paper watermarked 'S S | 1817'. The reverse of the second leaf is addressed to 'Mr. Falconer, | Newcastle on Tyne.' He begins by thanking Falconer for the 'nice little collection of Poems [...] The "Wreath" will often amuse my solitary hours'. After some pieties he states: 'I gladly subjoin a few verses for your amusement, and that of Miss Falconer [...] How glad I should be to see you and her again at Ednam!

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, on lightly aged and worn paper. He would have called on him 'had weather permitted', as he wished to show him the item he is enclosing now (not present) before 'leaving Town next Monday week'. 'I wish to be sure of my footing in the Souvenir, either as a Poet or a Proser. [...] Do you like the enclosed? Shall you print my prose tale do you wish it altered? or do you reject it altogether, if the latter pray let me have it again as soon as convenient'. He concludes with 'best compliments to Mrs. Watts in which Mrs. Bayly unites'.

14pp., 12mo. Stitched into grey paper wraps, with white label printed in black and red on front cover. In fair condition, lightly worn and aged. The titles are: 'The Sea Bird at Dawn | January, 1937', 'Wonder', 'On my Father's Collection of Seaweeds', 'The Water Gate, Bridgwater Castle', '"Barchester"', '"We trusted that it had been he." (dated 'Good Friday, 1938'), 'The Third Day | Narrative of Cleopas' (dated 'Easter, 1938'), 'The Victorians', 'Robert Blake', 'Keats', 'John Richard Green' and 'To my Nurse | June, 1938'.

10pp.,, 8vo. On five leaves torn from a notebook. In fair condition, on aged and lightly-worn paper. A creditable effort, showing the influence of Gray's 'Elegy' and Goldsmith's 'Deserted Village', describing the unnamed farm hand's funeral, and reflecting on the virtues and hardships of the poor. Begins: 'From yonder peaceful and secluded dell, | Snug in the bosom of th'encircling hills, | The perfumed Zephyr bears a passing knell, | And melancholy o'er the Soul distils.

Seven items, printed paper wraps, all 48mo or close, mainly anon., as follows: 1. [J.D.S.], "Why did God love Man", [24]pp., list of "Small books" on final page (back wrap); 2. "To-Day! To-Day! A True Story", [16]pp., list of "Small books" on final page (back wrap); 3. "Don't Wait", wraps grubby, 16pp.; 4. Rev. J. Denham Smith, "Good News in a Far Country", [24]pp., green paper, wraps grubby; 5. [J.D.S.], "A Present Salvation", [40]pp., covers grubby and sl.

In good condition, lightly-aged. Addressed to 'Miss Paget, | 28, Campden Hill Square | W.' Reads: 'I will look in this morning at the hour of coffee.'