Autographs & Signed Books (all items)
First editions, rare books and manuscripts, including autograph letters, association copies, signed books, inscribed books, books with letters, original manuscripts, and signed limited editions.
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DARWIN, Charles.
Autograph letter signed ("Ch. Darwin") to Germer Baillière. 1878
£8,500
Darwin writes to the French publisher Germer Baillière ("Dear Sir") to ask him to tell L. Cosserat "how greatly pleased I am with the appearance of the translation which he has...
Single sheet of Joynson Superfine paper (257 × 203 mm) folded once to form a bifolium, printed letterhead, written in ink on one page. Creased where folded for... Read more
SHELLEY, Percy Bysshe.
Autograph letter signed ("Mr. Shelley." in the third person) to Christopher John Pike. 1813
£8,500
Shelley writes in the third person: "Mr. Shelley requests that Mr. Pike would give the Bearer the copy of the Settlement in his possession. Mr. S. will return it in the course of the...
One page, 12mo, with Shelley's red wax seal, red cloth portfolio. Provenance: A. Edward Newton (his sale Parke-Bernet, pt III, 30 October 1941, lot 247; bookplate in... Read more
THACKERAY, William Makepeace.
Autograph letter signed to an unnamed recipient. n.d.
£350
A brief note regarding the mending of Thackeray's watch.
Single sheet of white paper. Folded for mailing, a little browned. Very good. Read more
EMERSON, Ralph Waldo.
Autograph letter signed to Elizabeth Hoar. 1856
£4,500
RWE returns a book of newly published poems written by a neighbour ("… which I have kept longer than was right, from liking & because one is always expecting a better day & mood...
4 page letter, octavo, creased twice where folded. A touch of foxing in the central fold, excellent condition. Read more
MILNE, A. A.
Autograph letter signed to Ernest H. Shepard. Spring 1926]
£7,500
Autograph letter signed from A. A. Milne to Ernest H. Shepard discussing the progress of the latest Pooh book and a potential collaboration on a volume of Mother Goose rhymes. Milne...
Double-sided letter signed on a single sheet of Milne's printed stationery. A few very minor creases at the lower left corner. Excellent condition. Read more
GISSING, George.
Autograph letter signed to his sister Ellen ("My dear Nelly"). 1898
£2,000
A note to his sister: "I thought I remembered sending, or bringing, the Michelet to Wakefield. But I suppose I was mistaken. The vol. has somehow been lost, unfortunately....
One page, octavo (176 × 115 mm), conjugate leaf removed, trace of mount on verso. Horizontal crease where folded centrally. Read more
TOLKIEN, J. R. R.
Autograph letter signed to Kenneth Sisam. 1938
£2,750
Tolkien writes to Kenneth Sisam regarding Turville-Petre's presence in Iceland during his forthcoming publication. Edward Oswald Gabriel Turville-Petre F.B.A. (known as Gabriel) was...
One page. Signed by Tolkien in black ink. Two punched filing holes. With the stamp of receipt from the Clarendon Press secretary's office. Read more
WODEHOUSE, P. G.
Autograph letter signed to Mr Bohrer 1923
£800
A nice early letter to a fan commiserating with him for an eye condition and giving details of an upcoming short story to be published in Cosmopolitan.
Single sheet white laid paper. Housed in a dark green quarter morocco slipcase made by The Chelsea Bindery. Folded for mailing and a little tanned but excellent. Read more
CHURCHILL, Winston S.
Autograph letter signed to Philip Morrell declining to electioneer on his behalf at South Oxfordshire. 1904
£2,500
Dated 22 June 1904, on 105 Mount Street stationery. Churchill elegantly declines to appear in support of his Liberal colleague Morrell, as the Tory candidate Sir Robert Hermon Hodge...
Two pages, 203 × 125 mm. Recto and verso of the first leaf of a bifolium. Rust marks from a paper-clip to verso of first leaf and both sides of second leaf,... Read more
CHURCHILL, Winston S.
Autograph letter signed to Philip Morrell, concerning the National Land and Housing Demonstration, 1907. 1907
£3,250
Churchill writes to Morrell, MP for South Oxfordshire, philandering husband of Lady Ottoline Morrell, and in this context chairman of the executive of the National Land and Housing...
2 pages, 203 × 126 mm. Dated 22 Ap[ril] 1907, written recto and verso of the first leaf of a bifolium of Colonial Office stationery, embossed crest at the head.... Read more
WOOLF, Virginia.
Autograph letter signed to Vita Sackville-West. 1932]
£22,500
A strikingly intimate letter, from a small group of correspondence re-discovered at Sissinghurst. Following Virginia Woolf's death in 1941 Vita had their entire correspondence...
2 sides of a single leaf of blue writing paper. Folded for mailing with a partially split fold and some old tape stains on verso. Read more
CONRAD, Joseph.
Autograph letter signed to Algernon Methuen. 1908
£2,750
An excellent two-page letter to the publisher Methuen apologizing for a tardy response (Conrad puts this down to gout), talking of a recent visit by William Rothenstein, and thanking...
Single sheet cream laid paper, headed in red, black ink. Fine. Read more
[DODGSON, Charles Lutwidge] CARROLL, Lewis.
Autograph letter signed, regarding photographing children. 1877
£5,000
An extraordinary letter, in Dodgson's most elusive ironic mood, which provides a number of teasing hints for those seeking to understand the nature of his relationships with the...
2 pages, small octavo (155 × 102 mm), written in purple ink. Name of recipient blocked out, short split at foot of fold, creased where folded twice for posting,... Read more
SCOTT, Walter.
Autograph letter signed. n.d.
£975
A polite letter to an unknown recipient declining a present of bagpipes but agreeing to meet the said person at his office in Edinburgh, signed your obedient servant Walter Scott.
Single sheet (approx. 11 x 19 cm.) Mounted and framed together with an etching of Walter Scott writing in his study. Read more
PULLMAN, Philip.
Autograph letter signed. 1979
£850
Autograph letter from Philip Pullman to Marian Skedgell, the editor for his American publisher, E. P. Dutton. Pullman begins by thanking Skedgell for sending him a copy of an advance...
2 page, single-sided autograph letter written in blue ink and signed by the author. 2 minor horizontal creases from folding. Excellent condition. Read more
PUGIN, Augustus Welby Northmore.
Autograph letter, with original captioned ink sketch, to Henry Ridgard Bagshawe. 1841
£12,500
A wittily satirical sketch by Pugin, the Roman Catholic architect, sent to his friend Henry Ridgard Bagshawe (1799-1870), a prominent Catholic lawyer. Bagshawe sat on the committee...
Single leaf, hand-torn along one edge (225 × 182 mm); on recto, address panel with one-penny stamp (the famous Penny Black) with red cancellation, franks, red wax... Read more
CHURCHILL, Winston S.
Autograph manuscript draft for the establishment of a regimental polo club: the "Polo Club 4th Hussars Rules & Committee." 1 October 1896
£9,500
Churchill's draft constitution for the IV Queen's Own Hussars Polo Club was written on board the transport carrying his regiment to India, and corrected and dated by him on the day...
8 page manuscript, 7 quarto sheets (256 × 202 mm), being halved folio sheets of Whatman paper watermarked 1894, the "cover" a full sheet wrapped around, the... Read more
[CLEMENS, Samuel Langhorne] TWAIN, Mark.
Autograph manuscript of chapter 48 of A Tramp Abroad. [c. 1879–80]
£50,000
Twain's autograph manuscript of "My Collection of Bric-A-Brac", chapter XX of A Tramp Abroad, originally published in 1880. This chapter details Twain's passion for collecting...
Octavo (200 × 135 mm), 43-leaf autograph manuscript in purple and black ink and pencil, generally rectos only, with numerous corrections, each leaf on a... Read more
BRYANT, Arthur.
Autograph manuscript, "The Summer of Dunkirk." 1943
£2,750
The original working manuscript of Bryant's celebrated article commissioned by The Daily Sketch and published in that newspaper on 3 and 4 June 1943, the third anniversary of the...
Folio, 24 leaves, written in pencil on rectos only. Contemporary presentation binding by Birdsall in full red crushed morocco, titles to upper board gilt, two raised... Read more
DOUGLAS, Keith.
Autograph manuscript, signed, of his poem "Leukothea". 1940
£2,250
A poem in the form of a dramatic speech for one actor; an ode to lost love, to death and decay - the perfect subjects of this poet's verse. "Leukothea" was published in his Collected...
25 lines in green ink written on both sides of a single sheet of cream paper. Signed and titles by the poet. A smudge of ink at one edge, two small nicks. Excellent. Read more
ACTON, Harold.
Autograph manuscript: "Poems 1925". 1930
£4,750
With the author's 3-page autograph letter presenting this manuscript to Sir Robert Abdy, with the recipient's small bookplate to the front pastedown. Acton alludes to Abdy's gift of...
Octavo. Original batik-patterned green wrappers printed in black and gold. In a matching card slipcase. In excellent condition. Read more
STEVENSON, Robert Louis.
Autograph working manuscript. 1892]
£6,500
A working manuscript, beginning with a dialogue sketch from Catriona, the 1893 sequel to Kidnapped (1886). What follows are about 16 lines of unpublished poetry, in part: "I am come...
Single leaf, folio (319 × 200 mm), 16 lines written on one side and 4 on the verso, with some deletions. Browning and a little chipping at edges, still good. Read more
(BALANCHINE, George) TAPER, Bernard.
Balanchine. 1963
£275
First edition, first impression. Inscribed by Balanchine on the half-title, "To Paul from g. Balanchine".
Octavo. Original black cloth, titles to spine in white, design to upper board in blind, red endpapers. With the dust jackets. Illustrations from photos throughout. Top... Read more
(FREEDMAN, Barnett) MAYNE, Jonathan.
Barnett Freedman. 1948
£150
First edition, first impression. Inscribed in pencil by the author on the front free endpaper "To Regie & Charles with love from Barnett".
Octavo. Original blue cloth, titles to spine gilt. Illustrated throughout by Barnett Freedman. Boards rubbed, head of spine rubbed slightly affecting title, front... Read more
BASELITZ, Georg.
Baselitz. 2007
£1,750
First edition, first impression. Limited to 100 copies inscribed and dated by Baselitz with a woodcut "The Hand (Die Hand)" in two colours on Okamata Genshi 34 gsm laid paper,...
Quarto. Original yellow cloth, titles to front cover in blind, titles to spine in black. With the dust jacket. Fine in fine dust jacket. Read more
