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* First Anglo-Dutch War. Manuscript précis in Spanish and Italian of the Treaty of Westminster (agreed between Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the English Commonwealth, and the States General of the United Netherlands, signed in April 1654), titled 'Capitolazioni della Pace fra L'Inghilterra, e L'Olanda', & 'Le Propositni.di Pace, che fa La Republica d'Orlanda alla Repca. d'Inghilterra', circa 1654, two folded sheets of folio contemporary laid paper, each bearing the same continental watermark, the first written in brown ink in Spanish and headed 'Nuevas', written to one side only, docketed to verso, the second sheet written in Italian in brown ink to two sides of the folded sheet, and docketed to reverse of the second sheet, each additionally numbered to upper right corner 81 and 83 in brown ink in a contemporary hand, sheet size 305 x 205 mm (12 x 8 ins), together with: Strode (Sir John, 1624-1679, Commissioner during both the Civil War and Restoration, who became Commissioner for pressing seamen in 1665). Autograph letter signed, dated 25 September 1669, a ddressed to 'the Right Honorable his Majies Commissioners of His Name', offering a ship to carry victuals to Lisbon: 'Gent, Mr. Wrem tells me that you have asked for a shipp for Lisbone, which makes me recommend unto you Mr Jacobs & his Ship the Marie a new Shipp of a good force and a shipp I am concerned in, he shall serve you as cheepe as any and you will buy it extremely oblidge him who is, yr most humble servant, John Strode', handwritten in brown ink to a single folded sheet of laid paper with similar watermark to the documents described above, creased where previously folded, and with red seal to verso, the upper leaf with later restrengthening to verso of fore edge, sheet size 300 x 207 mm (11.8 x 8.2 ins) (Qty: 3)NOTESThese two summaries in Spanish and Italian of the main points of the peace treaty which ended the First Anglo-Dutch War were likely to have been distributed to a member of the delegations involved in the negotiations. These two documents are likely to have been drawn up by an Italian diplomat or translator, possibly attached to one of the delegations involved in the negotiations. The Spanish version includes the stipulation that Dutch ships are required to lower their flags to the English when in English waters, in recognition of the Navigation Act of 1651. The Italian text refers to the payment of one million scudi by the Dutch to cover the cost of the war, and to trade routes with both the West and East Indies, the text ending 'Questo e quello che mi raccordo di piu d'Importanza.'.

* France under Napoleon. Manuscript report in French on the current state of France, entitled 'Considerations sur l'Etat present de la France, ce 1er Juin 1803', contemporary manuscript in French on 12 large folio pages, handwritten in brown ink on a total of three folded sheets of laid paper, each watermarked with Strasburg lily and posthorn D & C BLAUW, and countermark BA, sheet size when folded 38 x 24 cm (15 x 9.5 ins) (Qty: 1)NOTESA major document written at the height of the threat of the invasion of Great Britain by Napoleon's Armée d'Angleterre, or Armée des cotes de l'Ocean, which numbered as many as 200,000 men gathered along the French coast at Boulogne. Napoleon's invasion armay was financed by the sale of France's North American lands to the United States in 1803, called the Louisiana Purchase. So sure were the French of victory that a triumphal column was erected at Boulogne in anticipation of the successful invasion. Britain had resumed war with France in May of 1803, thereby breaking with the Treaty of Amiens signed on 25th March 1802, following repeated infringements of the peace treaty by Napoleon. England, and London in particular, had been a haven ever since the French Revolution of 1789 for emigré French royalists and noblemen, who assisted the British with several attempts to overthrow Napoleon during the mid to late 1790s and early 1800s. During this period, a complex spy network was organised on the continent by Sir Francis Drake, British Ambassador to Bavaria, and the British Government received much useful information in this way. Although the present manuscript document is unsigned, it is written in an elegant educated French italic hand. At this time (June 1803), the British were providing assistance to French royalists in England in the organisation of an assassination plot on Napoleon masterminded by General Jean-Charles Pichegru (1761-1804) and General Georges Cadoudal (1771-1804), known as the Pichegru Conspiracy. The plot was uncovered by French secret police in early 1804, and they were both arrested on February 28th and March 9th 1804 respectively. Pichegru was found strangled in his cell on April 5th 1804, and Cadoudal was executed on June 28th. This extensive report provides detailed information on the state of the current government under Napoleon as Premier Consul, the structure of French society, the army, and French public opinion on the current war with England. The text is divided into chapters (Gouvernement, Peuple, L'Armée, Religion, Moeurs, L'Education, Agriculture, Finances, plus a final section entitled Opinion publique sur la guerre actuelle avec l'Angleterre). The first and third chapters (Gouvernement and L'Armée) are the longest in length. Chapter 1 provides character assessments of various ministers: Cambaceres ('peu d'aptitude aux affaires'), Le Brun ('grand travailleur, est sans credit. Le 1er Consul a eu soin de l'isoler'), Talleyrand ('le 1er Consul a besoin de lui, mais foncierement il ne l'aime ni l'estime a cause de sa grande immoralté'), Regnier ('une honnette homme... il jouit de l'estime de la majeure partie de la nation'), and Francois de Barbé-Marbois, the Finance Minister, ('jouit de peu de constance et de peu de credit, attendu que jusqu'a present ces travaux n'ont presenté aucune resultat avantageux'). The text then goes into great detail describing the despotic character of Napoleon: 'Le Gouvernement, reduit residant exclusivement dans la Personne de Bonaparte; il devient necessaire de s'etendre un peu sur le caractere et sur les moyens de ce chef de la Republique. Il y auroit une partialité puerile a lui refuser des talens. L'experience et l'usage des affaires lui ont donné de la penetration et un coup d'oeil juste. The writer states 'Il est d'un caractere decidé et absolu, dans toutes les choses qu'il juge pouvoir forcei par son autorité, ou par la peur, mais ce caractere l'abandonne des qu'il croit la sureté de sa personne, ou celle de ses interets, compromises', and provides examples of apparent conflict in Napoleon's interactions with other revolutionary leaders ('les chefs des Jacobins'), such as Jourdan and Angerau, and goes on to say that it could be argued that Bonaparte is detested by all parties. 'La France desire en générale un autre ordre de choses, mais l'impression du regime sanguinaire des premieres années de la Revolution est encore trop recente a sa memorie pour que le peuple ose faire la moindre tentative: Il est dans cet etat de la peur et d'apathie qui produit toujours une revolution aussi longue et aussi sanglante que l'a été celle de la France. Le 1er Consul n'ignore point cette indisposition generale des esprits contre lui, et ce sentiment lui fait prendre des mesures, des precautions pour la sureté de sa personne, qui tiennent a la pusillanimité, et dont le motif n'echappe a personne'. The final section of this report on the state of public opinion regarding the war with England, points out that the French newspapers had been forced by order of the Government to announce that the people supported the current war, and that Napoleon had found it necessary, in order to calm and reassure the people, to post a broadside in every commune in the land, in which he declared that the other continental powers would not take any part in this new war that he was going to have with England, whereas common opinion believed that Russia was working to form a coalition against France. The text ends 'Il est de l'interet le plus puissant pour le 1er Consul qu'il n'eprouve point de revers. S'il en avoit, ce peuple que ne l'aime point et qui ne tolere patiemment l'ordre actuel de choses, que pour l'amour de la tranquilité individuelles, perdrait patience et on verrait la France livrée a des nouvelles secousses'. The author of this important secret report must have been a royalist opponent of Napoleon, and if not written by Pichegru or Cadoudal themselves, could be by a prominent fellow emigré such as the Comte d'Antraigues, then residing in Saxony, a diplomat, spy, and political agitator against Napoleon.

* Naval Protocol Report. A manuscript report translated into English from the Sardinian titled 'The Sardinian Officer's Account of what pass’d between them & Don Andre's Reggio whom they were obliged to Salute in the Bay of Espeuie the 5th Octo: 1732’, in a very neat hand, 4 pages, together with the autograph letter signed from Charles Delafaye on behalf of the Duke of Newcastle forwarding this Report to Admiral Sir Charles Wager at the Admiralty, Kensington, 20 October 1732, 1 page with integral blank, both 4to (Qty: 2)NOTESAn interesting case of naval protocol in the Mediterranean. The detailed report gives a full account of how two Sardinian galleys failed to salute two Spanish Men of War. The accompanying letter indicates that this incident was of particular interest to the Admiralty.

[Price-Davies, Llewelyn Alberic Emilius, 1878-1965]. Second Boer War journal, 8 October 1900 - 24 February 1902, contemporary manuscript fair copy, [274] pp., stationer's ink-stamp 'Creswick & Co.' to rear pastedown, contemporary roan-backed pebble-grain cloth, spine worn, front joint cracking, 4to (22.8 x 18 cm), 2 pen-and-ink sketch maps laid in (12.5 x 20 cm and 25 x 20 cm) (Qty: 1)NOTESProvenance: Private Collection, Herefordshire. The unpublished Second Boer War journal of VC and DSO recipient Llewelyn Price-Davies, transcribed from his letters probably by a family member or other associate working under his instruction. (The two accompanying sketch-maps, presumably made on the spot by Price-Davies himself, are in a slightly different hand from the journal, and one contains an annotation seeming to address the putative copyist: 'Sorry it is rather messy but I think you will understand it. Also contours don’t end off properly at the Vaal which was put in afterwards when I found my mistake.') Although the manuscript is unsigned it is attributable with certainty to Price-Davies, then a junior officer in the King’s Royal Rifle Corps, on internal evidence including the author’s vivid account of his actions at Blood River Poort on 17 September 1901 and his receipt of the Victoria Cross on the recommendation of Hubert Gough: charging a group of 400 flanking Boers, Price-Davies was shot off his horse having ‘ridden to what seemed to be almost certain death without a moment’s hesitation’ ( London Gazette , 29 November 1901). The letters relate in minute detail Price-Davies’s activity during the war’s guerrilla phase, including service in the flying columns of Dartnell and Spens, skirmishes with Boer commandos, camp life and recreation, relationships with brother officers, interactions with burghers and 'kaffirs', and the British army’s scorched earth policy and technological experimentation; there are also candid discussions of the British command including Kitchener, Gough, Buller and Allenby, and a favourable portrait of Louis Botha. Price-Davies’s family papers are now in the Imperial War Museum. The National Army Museum holds a collection of papers including 'diaries [which] relate to Price-Davies's career in the Boer War, in World War I ... and with the Home Guard (1940-44)' (Cook et al., Sources in British Political History, 1900-1951 , II p. 63). A selection of his World War I letters was published in 2013 (at The History Press, Stroud).

* Railways. London & North Western Railway. Diagrams of Private Sidings. Rugby to London and Branches, 1909, title and 2 index leaves (soiled and frayed, manuscript annotations), approximately 130 lithographic plans, mostly with some additional colour, some folding, occasional pencil annotations, some plans detached, together with London and North Western and Great Western Joint Railways. Diagrams of Private Sidings. Birkenhead, Wrexham and Minera, and Vale of Towy Lines, January 1917, title and index leaf (heavily annotated), plus approximately 40 partly coloured plans, many frayed and detached, both contemporary half roan with gilt-titled upper covers, worn, second volume lacks spine, all covers near detached, oblong folio, plus a similar volume with 9 junction diagrams for the London and North Western and Great Western Junction Railways, c.1903, plus a volume containing 17 linen-backed gradient sheets for the Midland Railway, c.1902, an Official Railway Map of Lancashire & District (Railway Clearing House), a Locomotives Act, 1861, and other mostly post-1945 railway ephemera (Qty: a carton)

Quinn (David B. & Alison M. [editor]) . A Particular discourse concerninge the greate necessitie and manifolde commodyties...known as Discourse of Western Planting, Hakluyt Society, 1993, inscribed by the author to the front endpaper, black & white frontispiece & numerous facsimile pages, original blue cloth in dust jacket, covers lightly marked, minor rubbing to head & foot of spine, large 8vo, together with: Parkes (M. B. & Andrew G. Watson) , Medieval Scribes, Manuscripts & Libraries, Essays presented to N. R. Kerr, 1st edition, Scolar Press, 1978, black & white illustrations, original cloth in dust jacket, covers lightly rubbed to head & foot, 8vo, and Morrogn (Andrew et al [editors]) , Renaissance Studies in Honor of Craig Hugh Smyth, 2 volumes, Giunti Barbèra, Florence, 1985, publishers uniform original red cloth, 8vo, plus Sandler (Lucy Freeman) , The Lichtenthal Psalter and the manuscript patronage of the Bohun family, 2004, colour & monochrome illustrations, original cloth in dust jacket, 8vo, and other modern scholarly history reference, including publications by Cambridge, California, Oxford, University of Toronto Press, Manchester University Press, Brill, Princeton, mostly original cloth in dust jackets, some paperbacks, G/VG, 8vo/4to (Qty: 3 shelves )

Coste (Hilarion de). Les Eloges de nos Rois, et des enfans de France, qui ont esté Daufins de Viennois, Comtes de Valentinois et de Diois, Paris, Sebastien Cramoisy, 1643, title printed in red and black, with manuscript ownership name excised to lower portion, all edges gilt, contemporary gilt-decorated brown sheep, upper joint with short split at head, generally an attractive copy, together with: Dow (Alexander). The History of Hindostan, translated from the Persian, new edition, 3 volumes, printed for Vernor & Hood, 1803, engraved plates, folding map to rear of third volume, 19th century engraved bookplate of Alexander R. Stewart to front pastedown of each volume, contemporary half brown calf gilt, some marks to spines, 8vo, plus other 19th century antiquarian interest, including Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipeligo: The Land of the Orang-utan and the Bird of Paradise, 3rd edition, 1872, Richard Phillips, A Morning's Walk from London to Kew, new edition, 1820 , bound in contemporary half vellum, George Ellis, Specimens of Early English Metrical Romances, 3 volumes, 1805, bound in contemporary diced full calf, Ann Radcliffe, The Mysteries of Udolpho, A Romance, 4 volumes, 6th edition, 1806, engraved plates, all edges gilt, contemporary straight-grained red full morocco gilt, a little rubbed and spines somewhat dulled, 8vo, etc., mostly leather-bound, generally in good condition, mostly 8v o (Qty: 3 shelves )NOTESApproximately 60 volumes

Guyet (Charles) . Heortologia, sive De festis propriis locorum & ecclesiarum, opus novum et intentatum hactenus in quo, Urbino, 1728, black & white engraved title vignette, bookplates to from pastedown, period inscription to front endpaper, some light spotting & marginal toning, contemporary full vellum, boards & spine toned & rubbed, front hinges cracked to head & foot, folio, together with: Hermant (Godefroy) , La vie de S. Ambroise archevesque de Milan,..., Paris, 1679, black & white engraved title vignette, book plate to front pastedown, period inscriptions to endpapers, some light spotting & toning throughout, slight water damage to foot of front endpaper to pp.200, later calf spine retaining contemporary full calf boards, rubbed with minor loss, 8vo, and da Barberino (Andrea) , Li Rea li di Francia ne' qua li si contiene la generazione degl'Imperatori Re Duchi Principi Baroni e Pala di ni di Francia con l'imprese gran di e battag li e da loro fatte cominciando da Costantino Imperatore sino ad Orlando conte d'Anglante, new impression, Venice, circa 1742, black & white engraved title page & vignette to A2, bookplates to front endpapers, small worm hole to head of the front endpaper and title page, manuscript catch-title to top & bottom edge, contemporary full vellum, boards & spine slightly rubbed to head & foot, 8vo, plus other 17th - 19th Latin theological literature & related, some odd volumes, mostly leather bindings, overall condition is good/very good, 8vo/folio (Qty: 3 shelves)NOTESApproximately 60 volumes

[Africa]. Group of approximately 36 manuscript maps, town plans and geological sections, c.1860, all in pen and ink on laid paper, many folding, 17 on loose or disbound single sheets or bifolia (these generally water-damaged, resultantly friable and separating along central folds), 15 remaining bound together in a section disbound from a larger sketchbook (some of these mounted on guards), 4 town plans similarly disbound (these water-stained), various dimensions (sheet size range approx. 23 x 19 cm to 28 x 40 cm), together with: Gambia, Map of the River Gambia for 105 Miles above the Falls of Barraconda, by F. W. Finden, from a Sketch made by His Excellency Governor Mac Donnell, February 1849, lithographic map, marginal excisions to top and right-hand edges, closely trimmed along others edges, small hole to lower outer corner, creased from folding, 31 x 39 cm, Aden, Plan of Aden and the Surrounding Country, [1839], lithographic map, disbound from book with guard adhering to inner edge verso, trimmed with loss of frame along lower edge, creased from folding, 29 x 51 cm (Qty: -)NOTESThe manuscript maps and plans appear to be meticulous contemporary copies mainly after those in Heinrich Barth's Travels and Discoveries in North and Central Africa (first edition in English 1857-8). The printed map of Aden is from Indian Papers, No. IX, Correspondence relating to Aden (1839).

[America]. Two pamphlet volumes, 1806-13, containing: 1. Sullivan (James & Pickering, Timothy). Interesting Correspondence between His Excellency Governour Sullivan and Col. Pickering; in which the latter vindicates himself against the groundless charges and insinuations made by the Governour and others, 2nd edition, Boston: Printed by Greenough & Stebbins, 1808, 24pp., 2. Pickering (Timothy), Mr. Pickering's Speech, in the Senate of the United States, on the Resolution offered by Mr. Hillhouse to repeal the several Acts laying an Embargo, November 30, 1808, [U.S.]: [publisher not identified], [1808], 27pp., caption title, 3. Adams (James) , A Review of the Correspondence between the Hon. John Adams, Late President of the United States, and the Late William Cunningham..., 2nd edition, Salem: Cushing & Appleton, 1824, 140pp., some spotting, 4. Upham (Charles W.) , A Discourse, Delivered on the Sabbath after the Decease of the Hon. Timothy Pickering, Salem: Foote & Brown, 1829, 45,[1]pp., errata slip present, 5. Everett (David) , A Report of the Case of Belchertown Election, with the Documents, and Minutes of the Arguments in the Case. Published by Order of the House of Representatives, in their January Session, 1811. Under the Direction of David Everett, Boston: Printed by Isaac Munroe, Printer to the State, 1811, [52pp.], 6. Vose (John) , An Oration, Pronounced at Hanover, August 27, 1805, before the Phi Beta Kappa Society, Hanover, N.H.: Printed by Moses Davis, 1806, 14,[2]pp., final leaf blank, 7. ibid. , An Oration, Pronounced at Londonderry, before the Rockingham Agricultural Society, at their Annual Meeting, June 7, 1813, Concord: Printed by George Hough, Sept. 1813, 15,[1]pp., manuscript calculation to title, bound with one other, some spotting and browning, items 1-4 in first volume, items 5-7 in second, both bound in uniform modern boards, printed paper title label 'American Pamphlets' to spine of each, 8vo, together with: Burroughs (Charles), A Discourse Delivered in the Chapel of the New Alms-House, in Portsmouth, N.H.Dec. XV. MDCCCXXXIV. on the Occasion of its being first opened for Religious Services ... Published by request, Portsmouth, N.H.: J.W. Foster,1835, 108pp., half-title present, light spotting, modern cloth-backed marbled boards, printed title label to upper board, 8vo, United States Treasury, Reports of the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, Prepared in Obedience to the Act of the 10th May, 1800 ... to which are prefixed, the Reports of Alexander Hamilton, on Public Credit, on a National Bank, on Manufacturers, and on the Establishment of a Mint, 2 volumes, Washington: Printed by Duff Green, 1828, library ink stamp to titles, some browning and spotting, contemporary sheep-backed marbled boards, maroon morocco title label to spine of each, old library numbers to spines, some joints cracked and wear to extremities, 8vo (Qty: 5)NOTESBurroughs: Sabin 9458. The half-title is Dr. Burroughs's Discourse on Pauperism and it is in fact on that subject alone that the author concentrates. The Rector of St. John's church in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Burroughs considered that the nature of public provision for the relief of the poor was 'one of the most momentous and interesting subjects of political economy'. It was a subject, he recognised, 'that deeply affects the civil, social, religious, and moral concerns of the community ... Though perfection in the system of providing for the poor cannot be attained, yet it may be to a much nearer degree approached. Many errors may be corrected; many corruptions may be healed; many evils may be remedied'. And Burroughs reviews local causes of poverty and local provision for the poor, while at the same time looking at the bigger picture, the policies and practices of Britain, and the views of the great political economists (Malthus, Say, Chalmers and others). He commends the practical humanity and public philanthropy of the new local alms-house or poorhouse and recommends its continued financial support by the residents of Portsmouth.

[Arabian Peninsula]. 'Carte de la mer Rouge, relevée sur celle de James Bruce', 1827, watercolour with pen and ink on laid paper (the paper probably Middle Eastern), captions and lines of latitude and longitude, title within cartouche lower left, spotting and staining, extensive loss to left side affecting frame and cartouche, 2 extensive closed tears extending into image from bottom and right edges, other chips and tears to corners edges, verso with old adhesive residue and numerous inked inscriptions in Arabic (see note), 45.8 x 31.8 cm (Qty: 1)NOTESNear-contemporary manuscript copy of James Bruce's 'Chart of the Arabian Gulf with its Egyptian, Ethiopian and Arabian Coasts', with compelling provenance to early-19th-century Egypt: the Arabic inscriptions verso include 'Ibrahim Khwajah al-Sarraf' (i.e. 'Ibrahim Khwajah the Moneychanger'), 'Misr 1223' (Cairo/ Egypt, 1808/9 AD [sic]), 'Sikandariyah 1244' (Alexandria 1828/9 AD), and a religious invocation apparently including part of the genealogy of Jesus Christ from the Gospel of Matthew, with orthographical inconsistencies suggesting a non-native author. The map was first published in Bruce's Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile (1790). It focuses on the coast of modern Saudi Arabia down to Mocha in Yemen, and includes the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. A French translation of Bruce's work appeared in 1790-2; no edition appears to have been published in 1827, the date in the cartouche, which is consequently presumed to be the date of execution.

* Clarke (Sir Alured, 1744-1832). Manuscript document signed as commander of British forces in Georgia during the American War of Independence, Savannah, [Georgia], 18 June 1782, 'His Excellency Sir James Wright Bart. having represented to me that the following gentlemen, viz. J[oh]n Wallace, Leonard Cecil, Henry Beal, Andrew McLean, John Irvine, William Corker, and Joseph Maddock, have applied to him for leave to go to the Honble Brigadier General Wayne ... on business relative to the private concerns of themselves ... I do hereby notify, that leave is granted ...', single sheet written on one side only, 15 lines and signature ('Alured Clarke Brig. Gen.'), docketed verso '17th June 1782 Genl Clarke staff order', chip to inner edge causing partial loss of two words (the sense easily recoverable), 4to (22.6 x 18.6 cm) (Qty: 1)NOTESProvenance: Acquired from Walter S. Benjamin, New York, October 1965. Clarke appears to grant a selection of loyalists permission to treat privately with victorious patriot commander 'Mad' Anthony Wayne (1745-1796). A remarkable survival dating from the last few weeks before the final British evacuation of Savannah on 10-11 July 1782.

* Hastings (Francis Rawdon, 1st Marquess of Hastings, 1754-1826). Three autograph letters signed 'Moira' to politician and dissenter William Smith (1756-1835), 1801-10, i.e. 1) 15 April 1801, ' Accept, my dear sir, many thanks for your polite & obliging present of the book ... such a repository of ancient military dress ...', single bifolium, 2 pp., 2) 'Fullarton, near Ayr', 14 July 1802, 'Your letter respecting the voters in the 17th Regt has only just met me here. It has been tracing me thro' a devious jaunt which I have been making in Scotland ...', single sheet, 2 pp., 3) 15 May 1810, discussing the validity of integrating officers of the former Scots Brigade ('Scotch Dutch Brigade', disbanded 1782) 'into the British line according to their respective ranks' and of the promise of a regiment to Lieutenant-Colonel Robertson (presumably Walter Philip Colyear Robertson, 1743-1819), 2 bifolia, 8 pp., each with contemporary manuscript dockets, 4to (various dimensions), together with: Amherst (Willia m Pitt, 1st Earl Amherst of Arracan, 1773-1857), Autograph bank draft signed, London, 25 July 1812, 'Please to pay James Rice Esqr ... Two Hundred and Fifty Pounds on account of the St James's Volunteers', ink-stamp of Hammersleys & Co, single sheet, card mount, 12mo (18 x 12 cm) , ibid., Autograph letter signed to Nathaniel Wallich (1786-1854) , East India Company botanist and surgeon, Hastings, 29 August 1848 , on the Supreme Court of Judicature, Calcutta, single bifolium, 3 pp., 12mo (18.5 x 11.5 cm), Bentinck (Lord William, 1774-1839) , Autograph letter signed, Burlington House, London, 28 June 1808, to Charles Cotton (probably the mariner and East India Company director, 1745-1825) on the good conduct of his son, single sheet, 2 pp., 4to (23.2 x 18.7 cm), and 1 other item (a contemporary copy of a letter from Amherst to Lieutenant Colonel Loftus, 14 March 1794) (Qty: 7)NOTESRawdon saw distinguished service in the American War of Independence and succeeded as earl of Moira in 1793. As governor-general of Bengal (1812-21) he oversaw victory in the Third Anglo-Maratha War. He was a whig in politics and was appointed master-general of the ordnance in Grenville's 'Ministry of all the Talents' in 1806. William Smith successfully contested Norwich at the invitation of the whigs and radicals in 1802, but lost his seat in the 1806 election. He was, like Hastings, also a prominent abolitionist; his granddaughter was Florence Nightingale. Amherst was governor-general of Bengal from 1823 to 1827, and Bentinck from 1828 to 1835.

* India. Three watercolours of military scenes, by M. Rigby, 1878, watercolour on artist's board, each depicting a scene of military men and horses, one including a camel and an elephant, another with troops lined up on a battle field with a cannon, one signed and dated lower right, approximately 32 x 46 cm (11.5 x 18 ins), each mounted, one framed and glazed (Qty: 3)NOTESPossibly illustrations for Illustrated London News or The Graphic. One with manuscript note dated 1971 on verso stating that the works were purchased in Chichester in the 1950s, and that the painting which is signed possibly "depicts the death of General Neill at the Relief of Lucknow in Sept 1857".

[Italy]. [Album of architectural studies and designs], c.1812-27, 18 wove-paper leaves each with architectural sketch recto in pen and ink, pencil and grisaille or bistre wash, captions and annotations in black ink, 4 leaves blank, contemporary Italian half vellum, marbled sides, shelf-mark label to spine, oblong 4to (24.4 x 19 cm), together with: [France & Italy] , [Manuscript journal of a tour through France and Italy], 1822-3, including Paris, Turin, Alessandria, Lucca, Buggiano, Florence, Rome, Naples, Herculaneum, and Terracina, [ 120] pp., ownership inscription 'Mary Ranson Bush, Lyons, France, Novr 30th 1822' to front pastedown, laid-in manuscript letter to Cecil H. Clough on Warburg Institute letterhead identifying the sitter as the subject of 'Hakewill's engraving', contemporary roan-backed boards, rubbed and worn, sides cockled, oblong 8vo (21 x 12.4 cm), [Genoa], 'Introduction à l'histoire de la famille D'Oria, de Gènes', 1844, manuscript in black ink on light blue wove paper, 31 leaves, written mainly rectos only, hand-painted illuminated coat of arms on leaf of thicker paper stock, initial blank annotated 'I copied this M.S. at Florence in the month of May 1844 from the original M.S. sent to me by the author Count Gräberg de Hemsö, librarian of the Pitti Palace. F. C. Brooke', contemporary Italian half vellum, 8vo (19.8 x 13 cm), and 1 other item (album of pencil sketches including views of Dover, 1907 , front cover detached) (Qty: 4)NOTESProvenance: First item only: Thomas Ashby (1874-1931), British archaeologist in Italy and director of the British School at Rome (bookplate, annotated 'Vespignani sale, March /00, 957, 16-50'; the note may refer to Italian neoclassical architect Virginio Vespignani (1808-1882)). All items: Professor Cecil H. Clough (1930-2017), reader in medieval history, University of Liverpool. The first item contains two studies of fountains at the villa d'Este in Tivoli but mainly contains designs for submission to the Accademia di San Luca and other purposes, with captions as follows: 'Progetto d’un eremo per un religioso, presentato alla Accademia della pace l’anno 1812'; 'Idea per riduzione d’una sala … nell’Accademia Romana di S. Luca, ad uso della pubblicita premazioni, presentato all’Accademia de S. Luca l’anno 1814'; 'Altra idea par la sudetta sala all’istasio uso, presentato all’Ac[c]ademia d S. Luca l’anno 1814'; 'Idea per l’aspetto d’una piccolo casa private, fatto per eseguire in l’anno 1815'; 'Memoria da erigersi sopra una sepottura con l’appoggio alla parete che forma recinto dell’arca[?] [...] la Chiesa di Cavallere nel Tivolo, fatta per eseguire l’anno 1816'; 'Tinello con sala di ricreazione al di sopra, seguita su la vetta di una collina presso la Magliana per il Sig. Lugi Righetti l'anno 1827'.

[Italy]. Album of watercolours, Bagni di Lucca and elsewhere, 1829, 27 leaves of wove paper watermarked 'J Whatman 1817', of which 22 containing watercolours (with variable use of pen-and-ink and pencil), the remaining 5 with pencil sketches only (apparently abandoned drafts), the watercolours including 10 landscapes each on separate sheet (7 en grisaille or bistre, all depicting river or mountain scenes, most with bridges or viaducts and populated with small figures) and 17 discrete 'types', personages, genre scenes and caricatures on 12 sheets, these with frequent manuscript captions including subject, place, date and monogram signature (possibly 'GR'), subjects including Neapolitan priests, 'Il Re de Baviere [King of Bavaria], Roma, 23 Aprile 1829', 'Calessino da Regina a Napoli' (the queen's calash at Naples), 'Galeotti di Pisa[?] a Livorno' (Pisan prisoners at Livorno), glutton monks (with satirical captions: 'Edo pro omnibus, Bibo pro omnibus' and 'Sic itur ad astra'), 'Il pittore cantatore' (the singing painter), and a triptych including a Tyrolese male, a Spanish wet-nurse and an Italian priest, leaves uniformly toned throughout, one leaf (with landscape) loose, another (with genre scene depicting fishermen) trimmed to half length (i.e. to edge of image), co ntemporary half roan binding, wear to spine, oblong 4to (20.2 x 27.5 cm) (Qty: 1)NOTESProvenance: 1) Thomas Ashby (1874-1931), British archaeologist in Italy and director of the British School at Rome (bookplate; letter to Ashby laid in, dated 1912). 2) Professor Cecil H. Clough (1930-2017), Reader in Medieval History, University of Liverpool.

Mahbubi (Sadr al-Shari'ah al-Asghar al-, d.1346/7 CE). Tanqih al-usul, probably Iran or Central Asia, c.17/18th century, Arabic manuscript in black ink on laid paper, 117 unnumbered leaves + 3 blanks, naskh script, 15 lines to the page, text within concentric red and blue frames throughout, rubricated headings, diacritics and other marks, contemporary sepia wash to text area of final few leaves, profuse Arabic annotations by several hands to margins, text, interleaves and blanks (naskh and nasta'liq script), a few minor stains and repairs, early binding of reddish-brown goatskin, covers elaborately blind-tooled with outer floral roll and stamped corner- and centrepieces all containing repeated vegetal motifs, manuscript label in Arabic pasted to front cover, slight loss to spine-ends, 8vo (21 x 12 cm), laid-in typed letter signed from Martin Lings (1909-2005) as assistant keeper, British Museum (dated 1961) identifying the work, together with: [Persian manuscript], Hikmet-nama, probably Iran, c.16/17th century, Persian manuscript in black ink on thick laid paper sprinkled with gold, 82 unnumbered leaves + 2 blanks, nasta'liq script, 18 lines to the page, text within gold frames throughout, rubricated headings, containing approximately 6 discrete sections, Persian manuscript title 'Hikmet-nama' to initial blank, occasional marginal damp-staining, a few leaves repaired or extended in fore margins, 2 consecutive leaves with stain in text (text remaining legible), one blank page towards rear with numerous Islamic seal impressions (and concomitant ink-staining), a few other marks, early sheep binding, both covers detached, spine perished, worn, 8vo, (21 x 12 cm) (Qty: 2)NOTESProvenance: 1) Edward Hampton, British soldier, with his ownership inscription 'E Hampton, 67th Regiment, Kabul, 1879' to the initial or final blank of each work. ‘Lieut. Hampton served in the Afghan war in 1879-80, and was present in the engagement at Charasiab on the 6 th October 1879, and in the operations round Cabul in December 1879 (Medal with two Clasps)’ (Hart, The New Annual Army List … for 1888, p. 281). 2) Thence by descent. Sadr al-Shari'ah al-Asghar al-Mahbubi was an influential legal scholar from Central Asia who died in Bukhara, modern-day Uzbekistan. His Tanqih al-Usul, a synthesis of Hanafi and Maliki legal writing, marked a significant new development in Islamic jurisprudence but has been overlooked by modern scholarship (see Al-Azem, Rule-Formulation and Binding Precedent in the Madhhab-Law Tradition , p. 79). At least the first section of the second item (the 'Hikmet-nama', i.e. 'Book of maxims' or 'Book of wisdom') appears to be from the encyclopaedic Javedan-nama by Persian author Baba Afzal al-Din (d.1213/14; see Mosannafat, Tehran, 1952, p. 289).

* Minto (Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of, 1751-1814). Manuscript memorandum to Sir John Malcolm (1769-1833) concerning his mission to Tehran, Fort William, Calcutta, 12 August 1808, a 'true copy', written in 2 secretarial hands, 61 pp., mainly in bifolia, unbound, folio (30 x 18.8 cm), together with: Bosanquet (Jacob, 1755-1828), Letter signed as chairman of the East India Company to 'My Lord', probably Richard Wellesley, Marquess Wellesley (1760-1842) as governor-general of Bengal, East India House, London, 24 June 1803, on 'that Corsican adventurer' Napoleon, the progress of Linois's expedition to the Indian Ocean, the supply of bullion to India and China, the expense of the Second Anglo-Maratha War, and the proposed abandonment of Bencoolen (Sumatra) as an unnecessary expense, 2 bifolia, 7 pp., 4to (22.8 x 18.7 cm), with accompanying manuscript memorandum of bullion not yet transported (mentioned in the letter, single bifolium, 1 p., 4to, 22.8 x 18.5 cm), Wellesley (Richard, Marquess Wellesley, 1760-1842), Autograph letter to 'My dear Sir', Camelford House, Oxford Street, London, 10 May 1806, addressing a candidate for his successor as governor-general of Bengal, discussing the politics of succession and the 'violent attacks [which] have been made upon me [Wellesley] in Parliament, & in the India House', 2 bifolia, 5 pp., Wellesley's signature excised, clipped signature 'Mornington' mounted to conjugate blank of second bifolium, 4to (23.2 x 18.1 cm), ibid., Free front signed 'Wellesley', 19 July 1839, addressed to Mr W. Botham, Windmill Inn, Salt Hill, Buckinghamshire, a few marks, nicks and old repairs, 7.5 x 12.5 cm (Qty: 4)NOTESProvenance (Minto): Francis Edwards, 1966. Minto was governor-general of Bengal from 1807 to 1813. His memorandum is a magisterial critique of Malcolm's conduct during his abortive mission to Fath Ali Shah Qajar, which was intended to mitigate the Franco-Russian threat created by the treaty of Tilsit. Minto was dismayed by Malcolm's insistence on the expulsion of the French mission, remarking, ‘I cannot help regretting that you should have judged it advisable to adopt the principle of intimidation’. There is another copy in the India Office Records (BL, IOC, Fac. Rec. Persia 25) and extracts have been quoted in secondary literature, but it does not seem to have been published in full. Bosanquet (second item) was chairman of the East India Company three times: in 1798, 1803 and 1811 (see The India List and India Office List for 1905 , p. 110).

Rossini (Pietro). Il Mercurio errante delle Grandezze di Roma, 2 parts in one, Rome: Fausto Amidei al Corso, 1771, 18 engraved folding plates (including 2 signed by Piranesi), title with printer's device and near contemporary ink manuscript ownership name at head, part II with separate title, p.1 with short closed tear to lower outer corner (associated with paper fault), contemporary vellum, front cover with a couple of minor marks at head, spine with faded ink manuscript title, 12mo (Qty: 1)NOTESIt has been suggested that the plates for this work could be individually chosen by the buyer from an available selection, resulting in differing groups of plates bound within each copy.

Manuscript facsimile.- The Book of Felicity, edited by M. Moleiro, facsimile reprint, coloured and gilt manuscript facsimile leaves, certificate of authenticity tipped into front free endpaper, ornately gilt morocco folding case binding, blindstamped, housed in tray-case (very light scuff marks), else fine, folio, 2007.⁂ An exact reproduction of the original 16th century manuscript held in the Bibliotheque Nationale De France. The Book of Felicity, commissioned by Sultan Murad III for his favourite daughter, features descriptions of the twelve signs of the zodiac accompanied by splendid miniatures; a series of paintings showing how human circumstances are influenced by the planets; astrological and astronomical tables; and an enigmatic treatise on fortune telling.

Manuscript facsimile.- Von Retz (Franz) Defensorium inviolatae virginitatis beatae Mariae, facsimile reprint, one of 800 copies, coloured and gilt facsimile manuscript leaves, original velvet binding with gold embroidery, 4to, Dublin, Müller & Schindler, 2007.

Manuscript facsimile.- De Pizan (Christine) Epistre Othea, facsimile reprint, coloured and gilt facsimile manuscript leaves, original distressed cloth, spine lightly faded, Stuttgart, 2009; and an accompanying commentary volume, together housed in cloth slip-case (lightly marked), 8vo

Wells, Somerset.- Charter, Thomas de Merkesbury [Marksbury] son of Thomas Merkesbury grants to Hugh de Somerton and Matill his wife a messuage in Wells, witnesses: Roger de Middelton, Edmund de Mellesleygh and others, manuscript in Latin, on vellum, 11 lines, in light brown ink, very fine green wax seal with good impression, small hole affecting two letters in first line, folds, slightly browned, 70 x 205mm., [c. 1320].

NO RESERVE Norfolk, Flordon.- Charter I Milla Knyght have granted and confirmed to Richard Cristemesse vicar of Keteryngham [Ketteringham] a tenement, four acres and one rod in the village and fields of Flordon, witnesses: Richard Appulyerd de Brakon, Sybale de fflordon and others, manuscript in Latin, on vellum, 21 lines, black wax seal, folds, 1 small wormhole not affecting text, an attractive document, later inscription on the dorse, 160 x 250mm., Flordon, 25th August 1432.

NO RESERVE Runnymede.- Indenture agreement between William Lord Chandos, Samuel Wilde "Citizen and Goldsmith of London" and others to pay Rebecca Clarke £230 bargain and sale "all those three acres of meadow... in the meadowes... called Runney Meade", manuscript document on vellum, calligraphic T at beginning, modern ink note in margin, folds, slightly creased, 410 x 472mm., 29th May 1674.

NO RESERVE Galway (Henri de Massue, second Marquis de Ruvigny, Earl of, Huguenot soldier and diplomat, influential in the English service in the Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession, 1648-1720) Commission appointing Simon Parry a captain "in the Regiment of Dragoons", D.s. "Gallway", manuscript on vellum, blind-stamped paper seal, folds, some slight surface wear affecting a few words, yellowed, 265 x 315mm., Lisbon, 24th August 1709.

NO RESERVE West Indies.- 2 deeds between John Bourryan and Joseph Rawlins relating to a plantation and land in in the island of St Christopher, manuscript documents on vellum, first document engraved portrait at head, red wax seals, surface wear affecting legibility, extensively torn along folds (second document extensively torn), soiled and yellowed, 285 x 810mm. & 180 x 810 mm., 1763; and 2 other deeds relating to plantations in St Christopher and Antigua, all with tears and some poor legibility, 1787 & 1820, v.s., v.d. (4).

Victorian Agriculture.- Selby (John, of Lilford, Northamptonshire) [Report addressed to the Hon & Rev R.B. Stopford "for the drainage of strong or clay soils], manuscript, 20pp., a few small pen and ink diagrams, folds, browned, unbound, folio, Lilford, 1815.⁂ Richard Bruce Stopford (1774-1844), son of the Earl of Courtown; married a sister of Lord Lilford; vicar of Nuneaton; Canon of WSindsor; chaplain to Queen Victoria.

Gardening.- [Volume of gardening notes], manuscript, 6pp. with 2pp. accounts from 1825, some newspaper cuttings, slightly browned, original vellum, sm. 4to, 1869 & 1825.⁂ "Australian seeds. Sow at end of February in sandy peat."

Suppression of the slave trade & Iceland.- Malcolm (George John, Rear-Admiral, 1830-84) [Journal of suppression of the slave trade and a voyage to Iceland], autograph manuscript, in English and German, 141pp. excluding blanks, reverse entries, original roan-backed boards, rubbed, corners bumped, tear at head of spine, folio, 11th April 1879 - 8th November 1881.⁂ Suppression of the slave trade. "To the Governor of Sawakin [port in north eastern Sudan on the Red Sea] the slaves which were landed from the Sambook Alone are to be made free & disposed of according to the terms the convention of the 4th August 1877... . I wish you to give the slaves free papers... ." After Malcolm retired from active service in 1873, he entered the Turkish services as Pasha and was employed at Constantinople as Director General of the Abolition of the Slave Trade and Judge of the Slave Courts.Iceland. "Start on 21 July for Thingwalla - Lunch at Seljadal 50 feet high palajerite cliffs. Then the 12 miles over the horrid tuffa lava of Mossfiels - plover & curlew - a splendid view of the lake near Skalabreeka."

18th century Lawyer.- An Attorney's Practice Epitomiz'd, misbound at end but complete, contemporary ink manuscript notes on interleaved ff. and ink signature of John Walshman on fly-leaf, some ff. loose or working loose, slightly browned, contemporary boards, calf cut away except from spine, 8vo, for J. Worrall and B. Tovey, 1768.

Irish actor and playwright.- O'Brien (William, actor and playwright, ?1738-1815) Something Snug.... A New Edition of O'Brien's Lusorium... A Feast of the Votaries of Comus, printed handbill, folds, browned, edges uncut, [not in ESTC], 228 x 190mm., date corrected in manuscript, 21st February 1795; and another handbill, Reading Sauce, [early 19th century], v.s., v.d. (2).

NO RESERVE Minerva Press.- [Dodsley (Robert)] The economy of human life: translated from an Indian manuscript, written by an ancient Bramin, with an account of the manner in which the said manuscript was discovered, in a letter from an English gentleman, residing in China, engraved frontispiece, occasional spotting, contemporary calf, upper cover detached, worn, [Blakey p.170], 12mo, Printed for William Lane at The Minerva Press, 1795.

Manuscript facsimile.- Francois I. Der Rosenroman für Francois I, facsimile reprint, number 47 of 50 specially-bound copies in velvet with decorative gold-plated bosses, coloured and gilt facsimile manuscript leaves, Austria; and an accompanying commentary volume, together housed in slip-case (a little marked), 1993, folio

NO RESERVE Gesualdo (Filippo) Plutosofia... nella quale si spiega l'arte della memoria con altre cose notabili pertinenti, tanto alla memoria naturale, quanto all'artificiale, first edition, woodcut device on title, woodcut initials, head- and tail-piece, full-page woodcut illustration, tables, small paper flaw in margin of ¶¶1, woodcut trimmed at outer and lower margin, later patterned paper boards with manuscript fragment along spine, [Edit16 20728; Tomash & Williams G41], 8vo, Padua, Paolo Meietti, 1592.⁂ Gesualdo's treatise on mnemonics, based on lectures he gave at Palermo.Provenance: Inscriptions on inside front cover: "Nell'elenco de libri rari V.3.74.4" and "Del V. seminario di S. Gio. Bat. in Varallo".

NO RESERVE Vega (Georg, Freiherr von) Thesaurus Logarithmorum Completus, ex Arithmetica Logarithmica, et ex Trigonometria Artificiali Adriani Vlacci collectus... [parallel title in German] Vollstaandige Sammlung grosserer logarithmisch-trigonometrischer Tafeln, nach Adrian Vlack's arithmetica logarithmica und trigonometria artificialis verbessert, first edition, tables, errata with manuscript notes and additional small slip pasted in, lacking un-numbered leaf after errata, occasional spotting and browning, modern vellum-backed boards, preserved in custom drop-back box, [Tomash & Williams V7; VD18 1474418X], Leipzig, Weidmann, 1794; Logarithmisch-trigonometrisches Handbuch, first editions, parallel titles in Latin and German, tables, errata at end, occasional foxing or browning, contemporary calf-backed boards, rubbed, later endpapers, [Tomash & Williams V5; VD18 1024705X], Leipzig, Weidmann, 1793, folio & 8vo (2)⁂ Both of these works would prove enormously popular, each running into hundreds of editions.

India.- Shepherd (William Jonah) Narrative of the Mutiny at Cawnpore 1857, first edition, [one of 500 copies], occasional marginalia (slightly cropped), ink inscription on preliminary blank f. and ms . title cut down and mounted on inside front cover both dated 1863, later cloth-backed marbled boards, 8vo, [1862/3].⁂ Scarce. This is the first (and probably only) edition of this work in book form, taking from the original publication in the Delhi Gazette and produced in 500 copies only. The inscription is by Sophia Catty, mother of Major Charles Parker Catty, who served in the Kaffir War as Commandant of "Catty's Rifles" from October 1868 to May 1876. There is also a 2pp. manuscript note relating to Major Catty's actions in the Kaffir War, written at the Cawnpore Club, loosely inserted.

Manuscript facsimile.- Maximilian I. Theuerdank, one of 250 copies, original blind-stamped pigskin, spine lightly faded, Stuttgart, Müller und Schindler, 1968; and an accompanying commentary volume, together housed in slip-case (marked and faded), 4to, 1968.

Manuscript facsimile.- Tuti-Nama, facsimile reprint, coloured manuscript facsimile leaves, original morocco in folding case binding, gilt, very lightly marked, Graz, 1976; and an accompanying commentary volume, 4to (2)

Manuscript facsimile.- Das Stundenbuch Ludwigs von Orléans, facsimile reprint, gilt and coloured manuscript facsimile leaves, original blindstamped calf, spines faded, g.e., Haarlem, De Haan, 1980; and an accompanying commentary volume, together in decorative slip-case, 4to

Manuscript facsimiles.- Das Missale des Grafen Asmus Von Wethem, facsimile reprint, bound in morocco-backed box with clasps, Békéscsaba, 1989 § A Pannonhalmi Evangelistarium, coloured and gilt facsimile leaves, original red morocco, gilt, Budapest, 1996; and 8 others, Hungarian facsimile reprints, some duplicates, v.s. (10)

Manuscript facsimile.- Binding.- Epistolary of Frederick the Wise, facsimile reprint, coloured and gilt manuscript facsimile leaves, original velvet with decorative metalwork and shields, coloured illustration of Saint Paul laid under glass, metal bosses to lower cover, cornerpiece to upper cover slightly loose, lacking lower clasp, folio, Leipzig, 1989.

Manuscript facsimile.- The Benedictional of Saint Aethelwold, coloured and gilt facsimile manuscript leaves, original calf, gilt, g.e., Folio Society, 2001; and accompanying commentary volume, together housed in box (spine label working loose), 8vo; and another, commentary volume (2)

Manuscript facsimile.- Lydgate (John) The Life of St Edmund King and Martyr, coloured and gilt manuscript facsimile pages, original decorative goatskin, gilt, Folio Society, 2004; and an accompanying commentary volume, together housed in box, leather spine label, 8vo.

Manuscript facsimile.- Das Buch vom Erfüllten Leben, facsimile reprint, coloured and gilt manuscript facsimile leaves, leather book label of Joseph Widener to pastedown, original velvet with metal cornerpieces, 2005; and an accompanying commentary volume, together housed in acrylic box, 8vo. ⁂ Book label of Joseph E. Widener (1872-1943), a wealthy American art collector who was a founding benefactor of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and a major figure in thoroughbred horse racing.

19th-century Qur'an, c.1878, printed in black ink, full contemporary leather wallet binding bearing pasted manuscript note to rear (referring to Mohammad Yaqub Khan, Emir of Afghanistan), 'This book, the al Koran, or Mahomedan Bible was once the property of Yakoob Khan, the ameer (king) of afghanistan, and was taken from the Bala Hissar, or Royal Palace in Kabul by William Lowther Wilson in 1879, prior to the demolition of that edifice by the British army, under the command of General Sir Frederick Roberts V.C. to avenge the murder of the British Envoy, Sir Louis Cavignari, his retinue of four British officers, and his official escort of 100 Indian Sowars (cavalry) and Sepys (foot soldiers)'. The book also includes a loosely-inserted envelope bearing pencil inscription, '8 Ward Infirmary, Dear neice, I return the moslem Bible as the afghan Embassy did not think it an appropriate time to remind the afghan king that his father was an enemy to England & was dethroned by us & his palace destroyed, they want this king to be our friend, just what I thought, Hope you are both well, Love from aff uncle. Note the address no. 8 ward'. The British Library has advised that William Lowther Wilson is not listed in the India List Civil and Military for 1879

Marbeck, John. A Booke of Notes and Common Places, London: Thomas East [1581]. Woodcut pictorial border to title page; occasional woodcut capitals; manuscript date of '1537' beneath publisher details; several 18th-century ink inscriptions throughout; verso of title page backed with early-19th century paper; text appears complete but possibly lacking some pages (opening dedication is only one leaf and ends abruptly before The Table), not collated but note that page numbering runs 1-688, 699-1194; worn leather binding with detached boards. Theology Interest. Scarce

English Civil War period manuscript survey relating to Kenilworth, Warwickshire, dated 12 August 1650, signed by the Surveyor General, William Webb. The document refers to Henry Carey, Earl of Monmouth, and 'the late King Charles'. 'A Survey of Certaine houses and land belonging to the late dissolved Monastry'. Folio, 16 pages, laid/chain-lined paper bearing manufacturer's watermark, bound with vellum cord at the top

Collection of documents and ephemera relating to Staffordshire. Deeds/indentures, predominantly 19th century, some earlier (names include Tollett; Wicksted; Twemlow; Royds; Copeland; Moss; Shingleton 1699; Parson; Jackson; Blagg; Poole; Wood; Brindley; Davenport; Turner; Brunt; Port Hill Estate 1887; Basford Hall Estate 1893, and others); business invoices/receipts; Victorian & Edwardian solicitors' letters (predominantly Newcastle-under-Lyme); Stoke-on-Trent Poll Book for 1868; a quantity of handwritten correspondence to Harold Beresford-Hope throughout 1910, from his mother, on headed paper (6 Gledhow Gardens, South Kensington); a manuscript 'Book of Bodies, Glazes, Colours'; correspondence to Arthur Barnes Esq., Lichfield, 1873 (with envelope); free frank post signed by Baron Bagot, Lichfield, addressed to Rev. Hughes; armorial bookplate for Bayley-Paget, Lord Paget; 1857 Act extending powers of Burslem and Tunstall Gaslight Company; 1813 & 1823 Acts relating to land enclosure in Staffs; two framed In Memoriam/funeral cards, Bentley Cemetary, elaborate silvered paper lace designs; a wooden printing block for 'R. L. Bodley & Son, Wine & Spirit Merchants, Newcastle (Staff)'; an engraved copper printing plate for W. H. Grindley, depicting pottery factory; metal plaque depicting 'the oldest house in America, built in 1634'; 20th-century/modern printed material about Staffs/Potteries; newspapers; 19th-century maps/plans of Staffs, and others, in two boxes (2) 

Two small manuscript volumes of information relating to colours, glazes, business transactions for Thomas Aidney, supplier to the Pottery industry in Stoke-on-Trent

Collection of four 18th-century mezzotints on heavy laid paper, a series of biblical scenes after Guercino, engraved by Robert Dunkarton, published in London by John Boydell: Joseph Sold to the Ishmaelites (manuscript title), 1 January 1782; Joseph's Bloody Garment brought to Jacob (manuscript title), 1 January 1782; Joseph's Brethren Bringing Him Presents, 2 February 1784; The Cup Found in Benjamin's Sack (manuscript title), 1 April 1785. Unframed (rolled), each measuring approx. 53.5cm by 60.5cm (plate-marks), some wear (mostly confined to margins) (4)

Valentine. Collection of Victorian Valentines, predominantly embossed paper lace with chromolithographic illustrations, several "sachets" (sometimes scented sachets were sent instead of cards), 103, housed in two albums. To include a pierced paper lace example by Rock, with manuscript romantic verse and opening door (revealing illustration of love heart and ring, 'for thee'); a silvered paper lace example with manuscript text, 'a Token of Love, For my Favorite!', with green envelope containing sheet of romantic verse; an elaborate pierced paper lace design depicting lovers on a boat with cherubs and swans, embellished with fabric flowers and dried grasses, and others (2)

Valentine. Two 18th-century Devotional Valentines, elaborate cut-paper designs with watercolour illustrations and manuscript titles, depicting Saint Mary and Saint Aura. Devotional Valentines like these were handmade by nuns in France or Germany during the eighteenth century (2)

Valentine. Two Georgian handmade cut-out Valentines, c.1790, manuscript romantic verse, one signed 'by Charles Smith' (2)

Valentine. Canadian Valentine, embossed lace border with central hand-coloured lithographic illustration of flowers, extensive manuscript verse inside (beginning, 'Dear Elizabeth, This is the voice of a friend unknown'), fold-lines from when it was originally posted, addressed to Miss Elizabeth Hill, St John Suburbs, Quebec, postmarked Quebec 19 February 1844. Together with another Valentine addressed to the same recipient, Miss Elizabeth Hill (from a different suitor), embossed border by Rock of London, gilt printed verse with illustration of Cupid, manuscript message inside (beginning, 'Dear Betty, Ever and ever dear to me'), fold-lines from when it was first posted, addressed to Miss Elizabeth Hill, to be left at Mr Hill the Bailiff, St John Suburbs, at the sign of the gold lion, Quebec, postmarked Quebec, 14 February 1844, tape repairs. Canada / Postal History Interest (2)

Valentine. Collection comprising: 1) Sailor's Farewell, c.1800, etched design depicting cupid firing arrow at two lovers with distant ship, engraved by Francesco Bartolozzi, on laid/chain-lined paper bearing manufacturer's watermark. 2) Cupids Nest, c.1820, etched design with printed romantic verse on laid/chain-lined paper. 3) Visiting Cards, two late-18th century etched architectural/topographical designs, unused, and two embossed paper designs depicting flowers (one with embossed verse in French; one with indistinct manuscript note). 4) Two early-19th century German friendship cards, "Freundschaftskarten", one being an embossed silk design depicting fashionable lady and gentleman outside a house (the house lifting to reveal sentimental message), the other being a sepia etched design with central silk printed message (8)

Valentine. Collection of three Victorian Valentines, comprising: 1) Manuscript romantic verse (beginning, 'On this day the turtle dove, Looks about to find its love'), with envelope addressed to Miss Wakefield, Thomas Attwood Esquire, Harrogate, stamped with Penny Red, 1847. 2) 'A Love Token for My Favorite', Dobbs embossed paper lace with dried grasses, original envelope addressed to Miss Maria Williams, Penton House, Newington Butts, stamped and postmarked London, 15 February 1860. 3) Kershaw paper lace, central metal mirror (3)

George Formby Snr (1875-1921). His own personal book of assignments featuring numerous manuscript & signed documents appointing him to various roles, including a manuscript sheet of song titles written by George Formby Sr in black ink, 'Songs for Records for 1920, all cut & dried & ready for making'

George Formby Snr (1875-1921). Archive of assignments, numerous manuscript and signed documents appointing him to various roles, 1899-1921, housed in binderProvenance: Purchased by the vendor from Stan Evans

Cyril Ornadel (1924-2011), British conductor, songwriter and composer. Archive of sheet music comprising approximately 100 original manuscript scores (in pencil and ink) on Chappell paper, most signed and dated by Ornadel (autograph scores), together with numerous corresponding photostat copies and typewritten lyrics. Arranged by date and housed in four Boosey & Hawkes folio library bags (1957-1960; 1961-1964; 1966; 1970-1972), together with a separate packet of material relating to Cinderella (1966). Scores include Tilla Dilla; Panama; Hull; Eel Pie Island; City Street; Only the Heart Can Tell; Tu; The World Outside My Window; Caroline; C'est La Vie; Boy Meets Girl; Don't Cry My Heart; Nuclear Queen; Piccolo; Someone is Watching; The Eggheads; Man in the Moon; Ashkelon; Those Eyes; When the Whole World was Dancing; It Takes All Kinds of People, and many others. Lyrics by Norman Newell, David Croft, George Carden, Jimmy Grafton, James Godfrey, Don Marchand, Mike Fletcher, Gil King, David West, Benny Hill, Edward Heyman, Leslie Bricusse, Jackie Rae, Peter Callander. At least one example stamped 'Cyril Ornadel, Musicians Union A.C.C.S.'. To include typewritten lyrics on Jackie Rae headed paper, 'Make the Circus Come to Town', featuring the note, 'again I thought this we might show Streisand'. Musical Theatre Interest