Sales catalogue 511: Maggs Bros

Date:
1928
Reference:
WA/HMM/CM/Sal/13/68
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Sales catalogue 511: Maggs Bros. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    37/464 page 31
    155 BINYON (Laurence). The Four Years. War Poems, collected and newly augmented. With portrait of the Author by William Strang. FIRST EDITION. F’cap. 8vo, o7tginal cloth, uncut, ¢. e. g. London, 1919. £5 5s With Signed Autograph Verse of 4 lines from Binyon’s Poem ‘‘ For the Fallen,’’ commencing ‘‘ They shall grow not old,’’ on fly-leaf, in the Author’s handwriting. 156 BLACKMORE (Rk. ey Mary Anerley, a Yorkshire Tale. FIRST EDITION. 3 vols., post 8vo, orzginal cloth, uncut. London, 1880. £2 2s 157 ———— 56 Autograph Letters and Letter Cards Signed to Mrs. Alfred Hunt, the Author (including one to her daughter Violet, and two io. Hueffer). 125 pp., Svo'and' 12mio: 1875-13800. £1590 A most interesting series of literary letters, extending over more than twenty years of Blackmore’s life, and referring at great length to his own writings and those of his correspondent. Blackmore’s novel, ‘*‘ Alice Lorraine,’’ was published in 1875, and several of the letters relate to his work upon it, the carelessness of the printers, and the reviews; others mention his first novel, ‘‘ Clara Vaughan,’’ ‘‘ Lorna Doone,”’ ** Cripps,’’ ‘‘ Idrema,’’ and ‘* Mary Anerley.’’ He also criticises Mrs. Hunt’s books, ‘‘ Under Seal of Confession,’’ *‘ Thorny- croft’s Model,’’ and dwells at length on his gardening, in which he took exceptional interest and showed great ability. 2: . Robin Hood's bag appears—though not clearly—in a book of mine called ‘ Mary Anerley,’ wherein I “wandered a little too far North. At present I am busy with familiar places for Harper of next year, & times which are not altogether immemorial. I hope you are also busy with a bright pen—brighter than mine, which is getting very rusty.’’ Etc. ‘* My faithless missel has ‘ mizzled ’ with this change of weather. I am terribly back with my ‘ Alice Lorraine’ & am sure to muddle it desperately.’’ Let me thank you well, for sending me your very clever book. © I call it that, because I know it to be so—more I cannot yet say, because (most excellent reason) I have not read it. But my wife has; and I go by her verdict. My own opinion (such as it is) will be formed when I am off with my present job. I fear to read your book yet, I might unconsciously steal ideas, expressions, or I know not what of treasure, in the present tumultuous & piratical state of my wits; wh. go woolgathering now, to any extent (mixture of metaphors, strictly legitimate, in the anguish of polishing off one’s heroine) & wh. at intervals of psychological neuralgia, come back, most thoroughly shorn & shivering, much worse than the sheep of the little Bo-peep. ‘* As you so kindly permit me, I hope to imbibe a little sanity (when I get to the climax of perturbation) by calling upon you, some Sunday ere long, at the early hour first proffered (by the bye, why do novelists love that word, as 0 very much finer than ‘ offered’ just as how they all say subserve instead of serve) & ‘ elect ’ instead of choose?—Also a thousand other elegances. But I shd. not ask you; as don’t do such things; unless I am much mistaken.’’ Ete.
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