SPOONER
(William A., 1844-1930, Theologian & Educationalist, Originator of the ‘Spoonerism’)
Autograph Letter Signed to ‘My dear Thomson’
thanking him for bearing him “in mind in my old age and to send me some Woodcocks. The fact that I have grown old makes me value the gift the more. My successor is now in my house & made some improvements in, but now we are established in our new house we are well content with it & find it both appropriate and pretty. I hope some day you and Mrs Thomson may like to look in upon it. We shall be very glad to see you if you do...”, 2 sides 8vo., 1 Canterbury Road, Oxford headed paper, 16th November
Item Date:
1925
Stock No:
43546
£175
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STERN
(G.B., 1890-1973, Author)
Autograph Letter Signed ‘G. B. Stern, to Catherine Dupré,
(1927-2014, Writer and Artist) saying that she has “heard from Jill that you are to be Received tomorrow. I suppose at St Augustine’s? I’m so glad... I’ve been thinking a lot about you & your husband and always put in a special prayer to St Antony asking that it should ‘work out’ all right in the end for all of you (one of the small nice things about being a Catholic is that we’re not embarrassed at talking or writing on religious topics to one another & don’t feel any need to clear our throats & stammer & look the other way! I chose St Antony because of that lovely Murillo picture behind the altar at St Augustine’s which I always stare at hard, and so, I expect do you when we’re at Mass, especially during the Offertory when I’m not attending as much as I should... I think I’ll be coming down to my sister at Langton for this coming week-end... we might be able to fix up something for Sunday... I’m thrilled (I always am) to hear that we’re now belonging to the same Church, the same faith, the same Body. Talk about good news!....” 6 sides 8vo., D1 Albany, W1, 17th March no year but circa
Item Date:
1954
Stock No:
43548
£125
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AN ENGLISHMAN IMPRISONED IN PARIS DURING THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
STEVENS
(Henry, Man of Letters)
Autograph Letter Signed to an unnamed correspondent
saying that his “situation prevented me from explaining myself so fully as I could have wished. I have to beg of you to advance me the value of sixteen pounds sterling which will be paid to your Order by my Father according to the permission which he has given me. I am more desirous to have the money at present as I wish to pay my traiteur, & am apprehensive that it may hereafter be more difficult to get money than at present. I see no hopes of being liberated - indeed I wd rather stay in the prison I am in - provided I can get the Seals taken off my Chamber Door, where I have a Garden to keep there at at 40 Sols a day which with my lodgings is an unnecessary expense - Besides if I am so lucky as to be sent out quite free, I shall immediately retire into the Country at a small Distance from Paris, my Health is very much impaired within these six Weeks & i have absolute need of a little Country air. Excuse my explaining myself so fully, it is merely to prove to you how absolutely necessary Money is to me at the Moment, for I really have none. If I could write a few lines to my family, it wd make me very easy. I am exceedingly obliged to you for the interest you take for me...” with a postscript that he is “at the Refectoire at the Abbey Prison where I can see the persons you will have the goodness to send me...”, 3 sides 8vo., together with an instruction in French to Citoyen Perregaux asking him to send a bill of exchange for him to sign, 1 side 8vo., “Au Refectoire à l’Abbayè”, 19th October
Item Date:
1793
Stock No:
43545
£275
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STOKER
(Bram, 1847-1912, Writer of Dracula)
Fine Autograph Letter Signed to an illegible correspondent
telling him that “Sir Henry Irving asks me to express his regret that he will not be able to be present on 17th at Benefit of his old friend John Hollingshead... as he will then be at sea on his way to America but will be very happy to have his name on the Committee of the John Hollingshead Benefit & encloses cheque...”, 2 sides 8vo. Provincial and American Tour headed paper with a list of the towns, theatres and dates at the head, 11th October
Item Date:
1899
Stock No:
43428
£975
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CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNT AFTER THE BATTLE OF THE NILE 1798
THOMPSON
(Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Boulden, 1st Baronet, 1766-1828, Naval Officer who served in the American Revolutionary War, French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars)
Neatly written letter, not signed, to an unnamed correspondent
saying that “the narrative of the proceedings by this time is before you and it no doubt has warm’d your friendly soul to see that I had my full share in the well earn’d Glories of the 1st of August. On the 3rd following the battle I was dispatch’d with Capt Berry of the Vanguard with the first Intelligence for Gibraltar & England. On the 18th... I fell in with the Genereux a damn’d great 78 Gun Ship that was the rearmost in the French Line on the 1st and had escaped from us without any share of the action and after fighting me within pistol shot for 6 hours & 35 minutes, I was obliged to give it in. Indeed it is not a little wonderful to me how we held it out for so long for I had in the Prizes upwards of 100 Men, two Lieuts & Officers in proportion. The Frenchman had 900 men on board by his own confession... we killed a hundred and I saw the surgeons report of wounded after I was moved to the Genereux and it amounted to 188 - I had 57 killed and 55 wounded - every mast yard, shroud & stay cutaway, both the Fore and Main mast cut to atoms and how they stood is not to be credited, but ungovernable as the old Back was, I should not have let them have taken a grain of power in her if I could have got her side to my antagonist to have blown away the last 12 Barrels I had left, it was however impracticable & the vagabond had at this time lain himself athwart my stern - He had nothing shot away but his Mizen top mast & main top gallant mast indeed we had no stroke of luck from beginning to end excepting repulsing him from carrying us when he run us on board & lay touching us for near fifteen minutes and afterwards getting under his stern to rake him, the rest was all hammer & tonge work. After my capture I was taken to the Island of Corfu under promise of being sent immediately on my parole to Naples - I was however confined there near three weeks & then put on board a cursed boat of about forty tons deeply laden with Coin and ordered to Trieste to pass into England on Parole. I was 17 days in my passage... eleven of us in number, no shelter by night and but sadly off for food. I have received two wounds from shot & two from splinters & I am at this moment barely able to stand and yet I trust I shall weather it out, tho’ I fear a long lameness from a shot just above my right knee - and a cursed blow on the small of my back, which I am not able to straiten - the others were not of much consequence, a piece of my left ear shot off, and a cut on my eye - my surgeon is with me, or I could not have undertaken the voyage, tho’ I think death would have been to be prefer’d far before the alternative of remaining in a state of bondage. I shall get on as fast as possible to Hamburgh. Taylor my Lieut, whose Brother you knew is with me & I shall not part with him, he is as Gallant a lad as need be. He was wounded slightly, but is quite recovered. I long to see the accounts of our exploits in Egypt in print tho’ I suppose the conduct of Individuals will not be touch’d on. I should like however that it should not be joyed that the Leander was placed & anchored head and stern athwart the hawser of the Franklin and L’Orient, as yet untouch’d when she continued till one stuck & the other burnt, I afterwards took possession of the Tonnant who had her colors still flying & hove off the.... which had been on shore before I quitted the scene of action. I have suffered & am suffering dreadfully but am supported by the pleasing hope of soon seeing my Country & friends for whom I am ever and at all times ready to suffer all...”, 4 sides 4to., on paper watermarked 1796, not date but
Item Date:
1798
Stock No:
43582
£775
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