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[Genealogie].
Stammbaum der Familie Philbert. Nancy, 28. IV. 1721.
1 S. Qu.-Imp.- Folio (470:580 mm). Kollationierte Abschrift auf Pergament mit zahlreichen aquarellierten Wappendarstellungen, datiert Wien, 9. I. 1808.
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[Album amicorum of Martin Ziegler].
Ara mnemoneutica [...] in gratiam Martini Ziegler Transsilvani, Patricii Stephanopolitani Anno M.DC.XXC. Wittenberg, Leiden, Dresden, Leipzig, Königstein etc., 1680-1703.
Oblong 8vo (ca 100 x 160 mm). 181 entries. With an armorial watercolour with motto, title with watercolour decoration, 5 drawings (3 of which full-page), and 1 engraved coat of arms, all on ca 300 ff. Contemporary calf binding with giltstamped cover borders, leading edges gilt, spine elaborately gilt, edges goffered and gilt. Gilstamped initials "MZCT" and date "1680" to upper cover (slightly rubbed). A wonderfully preserved Baroque friendship album giving a fairly precise record of its owner's youth and university years, containing numerous entries by eminent statesmen and scholars, especially at the University of Wittenberg in the 1680s. The first entry by "Ulricus Comtes a Kinsky et Tettau" (dated 12 April 1685; likely count Franz Ulrich Kinsky, 1634-99, Bohemian diplomat) is followed by those of several professors, including Abraham Calovius (1612-86), Johannes Andreas Quenstedt (1617-88), Johannes Deutschmann (1625-1706), Werner Theodor Martini (1626-85), Caspar Ziegler (1621-90), Conrad Samuel Schurzfleisch (1641-1708), Constantinus Ziegra (1617-91), Georg Caspar Kirchmaier (1635-1700), Michael Strauch (1635-1709), and Balthasar Stolberg (1640-84). There are also numerous scholars from Leipzig and Leiden, such as Georg Lehmann (1616-99), Johann Benedict Carpzov (1639-99), Valentin Alberti (1637-87), August Pfeiffer (1640-98), Adam Rechenberg (1642-1721), Gottfried Nicolaus Ittig (1645-1719), Jacob Trigland the younger (1652-1705), Frederik Dekkers (1644-1720), and Jacob Gronovius (1645-1716). Furthermore, there are entries by colleagues as well as by important men from Dresden (Christoph Bernhard, composer and music scholar), Magdeburg (Christian Scriver, hymnwriter), Hamburg (Joachim F. Gerstenbüttel, theologian), Jena (Joachim Andreas Danz, theologian and oriental scholar), Magdeburg (Balthasar Kindermann, theologian and poet), Erfurt (Christoph Klesch, theologian and poet), Kronstadt (Georg Wilhelm Löffelholz von Kolberg), Amsterdam, Bergfestung Königstein, and Buxtehude. - Martin Ziegler, a baker's son (born in Kronstadt [Brasov] in 1660, died in Brenndorf [Bod] in 1716), attended the Kronstadt grammar school before studying at Wittenberg from 1679 onwards. After nearly twelve years abroad he returned home, soon being named director of his old grammar school. He later became a priest at Tartlau but was suspended following a scandal. In 1713 he was elected priest of Brenndorf, but died a few years afterwards. He is remembered as a historian of his native city and of Transylvania (cf. Wurzbach). - Slight browning; occasional offsetting. Complete save for two removed leaves (likely empty, as they have left no trace of offsetting). Cf. Wurzbach LX, 62.
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Alexander I, Emperor of Russia (1777-1825).
Autograph letter signed (paraph). St. P[etersburg], 30 Aug. 1801.
8vo. 2 pp. on bifolium. Apparently to his sister, Anna Pavlovna of Russia, reassuring her of his friendship: "[...] Tomorrow we leave for Moscow and my wife separates from her parents. This will not make the scene any gayer, as you can well imagine [...]" (transl.). - From the "Autograph Collection / Dr. Max Thorek / Chicago, Ill".
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Diesel, Rudolf, German inventor and mechanical engineer (1858-1913).
Letter signed. Munich, 30 Nov. 1903.
4to. 2 pp. on bifolium. To the later Nobel Peace laureate Henri La Fontaine, to whom he sends his recently published book on "Solidarity", referring to La Fontaine's related work "Essai d'une philosophie de la solidarité". - On headed stationery.
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Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia (1729-1796).
Autograph letter signed ("Caterina"). No place, 13. VI. [1773].
Small 4to. 2/3 page. To Lieutenant General Friedrich Wilhelm von Baur about the visit of the Countess Palatine Caroline of Deuxponts, whom she had invited together with three of her daughters to find a fiancée for her son, the future Emperor Paul I of Russia, letting him know that the Countess would spend a night in Yamburg and would have lunch with her in Gatchina on Saturday: "Herr General Lieutenant die Landgräfin wird diese nacht in Yambourg schlafen [...] den Sonabend aber zu Gatschina mit mir den mittag speisen [...]". - The visit had been a success: Paul was to marry Caroline's daughter Wilhelmina Louisa the very same year.
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Kossuth, Lajos, Hungarian statesman and revolutionary (1802-1894).
Cabinet photograph signed ("Louis Kossuth age 88 years"). Turin, 1. II. 1891.
1p. Gilt-edged imperial cabinet photograph by Ambrosetti. Framed. Inscribed to his fellow statesman, the U.S. Secretary of State Hamilton Fish (1808-93). - The inscription and signature are somewhat light. Very rare in this format and in fine condition.
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Marx, Karl, philosopher and economist (1818-1883).
Autograph letter signed. Brussels, 2 Oct. [1848].
8vo. 1 p. bifolium with integral address leaf. Unpublished, early letter in French, Marx's only known missive to the Belgian journalist and politician Lucien-Léopold Jottrand (1804-77), who during the Belgian Revolution of 1830 had designed what would become the national flag of Belgium: "J’ai l’honneur de vous faire parvenir l’original de mon petit discours inséré au Northern Star. Je me fais un Plaisir d’y ajouter un exemplaire de mon livre contre M. Proudhon [...]". Five days previously, at a Brussels "Workers' Banquet" led by Engels and Jottrand, it had been decided to found a "Democratic Association", and Engels was elected to its organising committee. Engels had warned Jottrand that he might have to leave Belgium and thus would be unable to serve; his suggested replacement was Marx. Indeed, on the 30th of September, Engels officially wrote to Jottrand that circumstances would require his absence: "I therefore request you to call on a German democrat resident in Brussels to participate in the work of the committee charged with organising a universal democratic society. I would take the liberty of proposing to you one of the German democrats in Brussels whom the meeting, had he been able to attend it, would have nominated for the office which, in his absence, it honoured me by conferring upon myself. I mean Mr Marx, who, I am firmly convinced, has the best claim to represent German democracy on the committee. Hence it would not be Mr Marx who would be replacing me there, but rather I who, at the meeting, replaced Mr Marx [...]" (cf. MEGA III.2, p. 110). On the same day, he advised Marx of the content of his letter to Jottrand, adding: "I had in fact already agreed with Jottrand that I would advise him in writing of my departure and propose you for the committee. Jottrand is also away and will be back in a fortnight. If, as I believe, nothing comes of the whole affair, it will be Heilberg’s proposal that falls through; if something does come of it, then it will be we who have brought the thing about. Either way we have succeeded in getting you and, after you, myself, recognised as representatives of the German democrats in Brussels, besides the whole plot having been brought to a dreadfully ignominious end" (cf. p. 105). Under the influence of Marx, the Brussels Democratic Association would soon become one of the principal hubs of the international democratic movement, and the present letter constitutes Marx's formal introduction to its president, Jottrand. Notably, Marx included with his letter the manuscript of a piece he had written for Engels's "Northern Star" as well as his recently published "Poverty of Philosophy", an attack on Proudon’s "Philosophy of Poverty" and a pivotal work in Marx’s thinking. Here, Marx memorably described his opponent as "petit bourgeois" - an epithet which resounded in all later Communist literature. Marx’s book paved the way for the Communist Manifesto, written between December 1847 and January 1848. - Marx dated the letter "2 octobre" from his Brussels address in the rue d’Orléans; the letter is erroneously docketed "1848" in another hand. Vertical and horizontal folds, but well-preserved. Not in MEGA III.2 (Letters May 1846-Dec. 1848); for Jottrand cf. p. 1176.
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Krauss, Clemens, Austrian conductor and opera impresario (1893-1954).
25 (16 autograph und 9 typed) letters signed, 9 autogr. postcards signed, and1 autogr. lettercard signed. Prag, Stettin, Graz, Wien, Berlin, München a. o., 1917 to 1953.
4to and 8vo. Altogether 83½ pp. on 49ff. With 4 autogr. envelopes. Comprehensive correspondence with the Stuttgart (later Dusseldorf) concertmaster Reinhold Rohlfs-Zoll, who discusses private requests as well as conducting requests, or illuminates Krauss' role as artistic director of various theaters. In his letter from March 1922, Krauss reports enthusiastically that he conducted Wagner's "Rheingold" and "Die Walküre", and Strauss's "Rosenkavalier" so successfully at the Vienna State Opera that he was offered y contract for Austro-Hungarian Kronen 5,000,000.00 per year and an official lodgings in the Hofburg. In June 1924 he reports from a serious conversation with Richard Strauss, and nearly 20 years later he gives an account of the premiere of Strauss's last opera "Capriccio" for which Krauss has co-written the libretto. - Accompanied by 9 portraits and portrait postcards (7 undescribed, and 2 inscribed).
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Feuerbach, Ludwig, philosopher and anthropologist (1804-1872).
Autograph letter signed ("L. Feuerbach"). "Bbg." (i.e., Bruckberg), 23 Jan. 1852.
4to. 1 p. on bifolium. Unpublished letter to his friend, the educator and economics administrator Josef Schibich, about preparations for an edition of his father's writings: "[...] In größter Eile weil mir eben der Einfall erst gekommen u. der Kutscher schon am Abgehen ist u. in eben so großer Unverschämtheit, weil Du selbst so gedrängt u. beschäftigt bist, schicke ich Dir hier zwei Bücher mit Stahlstichen mit der Bitte, sie zum H. Ra[a]b zu bringen u. zu zeigen mit der Bemerkung, daß mir die Größe derselben der ungefähre Maaßstab sei, wonach ich glaube, daß mein Vater zu stechen sei, daß ich soeben auch dem [Verleger] O. Wigand diese Bilder als Maaß vorgeschlagen u. ihn aufgefordert habe, unverzüglich seine Ansicht u. Willensmeinung mir oder vielmehr sogleich ihm, dem H. Kupferstecher mitzutheilen [...]". - The book, edited by Feuerbach, would be published by Wigand later that same year as "Anselm Ritter von Feuerbach's [...] Leben und Wirken aus seinen ungedruckten Briefen und Tagebüchern, Vorträgen und Denkschriften".
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Delaroche, Paul, French painter (1797-1856).
Autograph letter signed. Rome, 11. XII. ?
8vo. 1 page on bifolium. With integral address panel. To his brother, painter Jules Delaroche.
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Freund, Gisèle, German-born French photographer (1908-2000).
Autograph letter signed. Paris, 25. IX. 1988.
Large 4to. ½ p. To an unidentified lady: "Ce n'est que maintenant que j'ai decouvert votre lettre du 17-12-87, et votre exposé de thése, fort intéressant. J'etais absente de Paris durant une année universitaire - et puis j'arrive du Canada óu visite ma famille. Essayez de me prendre par téléphone, quand vous passez à Paris, mais je n'y suis pas souvent [...]". - On headed paper.
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Labisse, Félix, French Surrealist painter, illustrator, and designer (1905-1982).
4 autograph letters and 2 (1 autogr. and 1 typed) postcards, all signed. Neuilly-sur-Seine and no place, 1930-1976.
Large 4to and 8vo. Altogether 6 pp. on 6 ff. Together with 2 typed letters by Labisse (carbon copies) and 2 letters of response. To the Belgian author, filmmaker and documentarist Henri Storck. The first letter dates from the beginning of their friendship; here, Labisse argues vehemently against becoming involved in politics: "Occupons nous essentiellement d'art et de littérature. Bougre de nom de Dieu!, nous ne sommes bon qu'à cela. C'est déjà quelque chose, il y a tant qui y sont étrangers. Je ne condescendrai jamais à jeter le plus infime regard sur les [illegible] de la société, laissons les laver leur linge sale en famille ; que m'importe les régiments, ils se valent tous, ils sont tous aussi mauvais. Henri, nous ne pouvons nous occuper de tout. Laissons les politiciens s'arracher les yeux pour avoir le pouvoir [...]" (17 May 1930). - In another letter, Labisse asks his friend to take pictures of the paintings in his possession for an illustrated catalogue of his work: "j'aimerais que tu me fasse parvenir 2 photographies de chaque tableau de moi que tu possèdes. 'Le baptême de l'air'. 'Le démythifieur'. Et si possible celles du portrait que j'ai fait de ta sœur Janot [...]" (18 Oct. 1976). - One month later, he has obviously received some of the pictures as well as other documents, which remind him of their youth: "Merci pour les documents, souvenir de notre puberté. Tu dois en avoir une ou deux avec James Ensor sur la plage - pendant le tournage d'un de tes films - mais je ne me souviens plus […] du film. Au sujet des négatifs noirs et blancs, les tableaux photographiés pour [illegible], je te remercie, cela sera très utile. Voilà ceux qui me manquent : Document I: Bonjour Marie; […] L'infallibilité; […] Découverte de l'amérique […]; Document II: Le combat singulier; […]. Fais les moi parvenir quand tu pourras […]" (22 Nov. 1976). - In 1977, on the occasion of Stock's 70th birthday, Labisse honours his friend with a long letter (or was it a speech?) about the latter's accomplishments: "Nous nous sommes connus en 1926. Tu étais alors un garçon un peu austère et un tantinet dogmatique. Malgré nos caractères assez différents il s'établit très vite entre nous une amitié complice, et, avec l'impétuosité de la jeunesse nous fonçâmes allégrement dans le ventre mou des Arts. Ostende, à cette époque, était une ville extraordinaire […] En 1927, aventure mirobolante … Tu inventes le CLUB DU CINÉMA d'OSTENDE, un des premiers du genre. J'en suis nommé pompeusement le Secrétaire Général. […] Et puis, en 1929, ce fut LA MORT DE VENUS, ton premier court métrage de fiction, tourné sur la plage avec une ravissante autrichienne, un colonel en retraite et moi-même. Hélas, il ne reste que quelques rarissimes photographies de cette œuvre historique malheureusement perdue. Je cesserai maintenant d'égrener ces quelques souvenirs très anciens. Les nombreux films que tu as réalisés depuis sont tous ici 'en chair et en os' illustrant magnifiquement ton soixante dixième anniversaire et tes cinquante ans de cinéma [...]" (7 May 1977). - James Ensor (1860-1949) was a Belgian painter and printmaker.
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Moholy-Nagy, László, Hungarian painter and photographer (1895-1946).
7 autograph letters signed ("M-N"). Berlin and others, 1934 and 1935.
Mostly 4to. Altogether 16 pp. With 4 autogr. envelopes and some addenda. Detailed correspondence (in German) with Frantisek Kalivoda on the publication of a special edition of "Telehor" devoted to Moholy-Nagy, with praise of the recipient's work, ("It's amazing what you manage to achieve"), and of a prospective title ("The title 'thesis -- antithesis -- synthesis' is wonderfully Marxist - or Hegelian"), and declaring that "My one desire is, through telepathy and telesympathy, to make your work easy and pleasant". The papers comprise 3 sketches within text of paintings, and a sketched design for the outer covers of the special edition of "Telehor". - In detail: 1) 12. VIII. [1934]. 2 pp. With autograph envelope. - 2) 25. VIII. [1934]. 2 pp. With small coloured sketch, and autogr. envelope. -3) 27. II. 1935. 2 pp. - 4) 19. IV. 1935. 2 pp. With small sketch in pencil. - 5) 10. VI. 1935. 4 pp. With two small sketches. - 6) 9. VIII. 1935. 4 pp. With autogr. envelope. - 7) 9. X. 1935. 2 pp. With autogr. envelope. - Addenda: 1) Typescript signed by Moholy-Nagy, an introduction to an exhibition on Dutch fabric production, March 1935, 1p., folio. - 2) A typescript article by Kalivoda on the relationship between the artist and the city of Brünn, 1965, in Czech and German (punchholes in margins, folds, browned).
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Munch, Edvard, Norwegian painter (1863-1944).
Autograph letter signed. N. p. o. d.
½ p. on bifolium. 8vo. To an unidentified recipient, in idiosyncratic German, announcing an illness requiring total rest: "Ich bin krank und muss vorlaufig vollstandich ruhe haben - Schreibe baldigst / Herzlichsten Gruss / Edvard Munch". - Munch's intensely evocative treatment of psychological themes built upon some of the main tenets of late 19th-century Symbolism and greatly influenced German Expressionism in the early 20th century. One of his best-known works is "The Scream" (1893).
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Blind, Karl, German revolutionist and writer (1826-1907).
"Czarism At Bay". Autograph manuscript signed twice (in title and at end). N. p., October 1904.
8vo. 60 pp. The complete text (setting copy) of his long essay on current political events in Russia, written shortly before the Revolution of 1905: "As the forces of [Russian despotism; stricken out and corrected to:] Czardom are driven back and crippled more and more, both on sea and on land, curious attempts are being made in England to impress public opinion with the idea that, if [inserted: ever] she were [stricken out: to] actively to turn against Russia, she would have to reckon with an armed alliance between Russia and Germany [...]". With numerous revisions in ink and pencil as well as setting instructions ("all minion on this page" etc.); a few leaves assembled from paragraphs clipped from other sheets and glued together. Occasional edge flaws, but very well preserved. - Even as a law student in Heidelberg, the Mannheim-born Blind promoted a political revolution that would produce a unified, democratic German republic; after a brief imprisonment he participated in the failed Baden insurrection of 1848 led by Friedrich Hecker and Gustav Struve. Blind first met Marx at the Karlsruhe Republican Committee in May 1848, where Marx and Engels declared their frustration with the course of the uprising. As Engels remembered, the 21-year-old Blind was one of only two members of the committee who had supported their opinion. Indeed, Blind was taken prisoner and sentenced to eight years’ confinement, but was soon freed by fellow revolutionaries and escaped to France, and later to England. During Marx’s early weeks of refuge in London he even lodged with Blind: in a letter to Freiligrath written on 5 September 1849, he gives Blind’s address as his own. Blind permanently settled in London in 1852 and continued to advance the cause of democracy as a writer. He was well-connected among European republicans and corresponded with Garibaldi, Kossuth, and Louis Blanc. A man of wide education and interests, Blind composed not only political propaganda and journalism but also biography and works on history and mythology, as well as on German and Indian literature. Published in the "North American Review", vol. CLXXIX (October 1904), no. 575, pp. 481-493.
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[Egypt]. Batta, Michel.
Letter signed to Niccolò Caragiani in Venice concerning the trading conditions in Cairo for different woolen and silk fabrics. Cairo, 20. X. 1732.
1 p. on bifolium. 220 x 335 mm. In Italian. Including text duplicating an additional letter dated 26 September 1732. Verso of second leaf penned with manuscript address panel and remains of red wax seal. This mercantile letter in Italian from Michel Batta in Cairo to Niccolò Caragiani in Venice contains updates on the state of the cloth market in the Egyptian capital in September and October 1732. Various different fabrics including silks, damasks, "malarroldi woollens", "paduanelli," striped materials with "fontana" work, and others are mentioned, with the colours and types in demand being specified in order that Caragiani might send shipments to Cairo to take advantage of the expected winter rise in prices during the approach to Ramadan. Coffee prices are noted also, with mention of a likely fall once the first ships arrive from Jeddah in December. - Old folds, blank leaf with small tear along section of one fold, very good.
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[Fußball].
Fußball-Weltmeisterschaft 1974 in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Hamburg, Hamburger Abendblatt, 1974.
Mit einigen postfrischen Briefmarken, zahlr. Ersttagsbriefen und Sonderumschlägen und vielen Autogrammen prominenter Fußballspieler. 43 Bll. Rotes Kunstleder. Von der Briefmarken-Redaktion des Hamburger Abendblattes zusammengestelltes und ausgegebenes Album ("in dieser Form einmalig") aus dem Jahr, als sich die deutsche Elf ihren zweiten Stern erspielte. Mit Autogrammen von Franz Beckenbauer, Paul Breitner, Jürgen Grabowski, Sepp Herberger, Uli Hoeneß, Sepp Maier, Gerd Müller, Willi Schulz, Uwe Seeler, Berti Vogts, Fritz Walter und vieler anderer Meisterschaftsteilnehmer. - Die Briefmarken unter Cellophanstreifen eingesteckt, die Karten und Umschläge mit Fotoecken gehalten, einige wenige Stücke noch ohne Ecken und an der vorgesehenen Stelle nur eingelegt; vier Autogrammkarten und - umschläge ohne derartige Kennzeichnung lose beigefügt. Das Blatt "Deutschland Fußballweltmeister 1974" mit drei Sondermarken und zwei Ersttagsstempeln vom 7. 7. 1974 doppelt vorhanden.
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Mary of Guise, Queen of Scots (1515-1560).
Autograph letter signed ("Marie de Lorrainne"). Dieppe, 18. X. [1551].
Folio. 2 pages. A beautiful and rare letter to her mother, Antoinette de Bourbon. After a year spent in France, she returned to Scotland with her daughter Marie to take over the Regency of the kingdom, entrusted to the count of Arran. Through her brother, the cardinal Charles de Lorraine, she had received a letter of great consolation which her mother had written to him: "[...] presantement je fais mon anbarquement. Je croy on me metera en terre à la Rie [Rye, sur les côtes du Sussex] ung por d'Angleterre. Les navires de Flandre sont dehors a se que j'entens quy me fera prandre plustost terre. Le voyage sera de grande despanse et tou l'iver mais non sy dangereux sy ne laisse aprocher mes voisins de ma poupe [...]. Quant à mes afair Mons. le Cardinal et moy an navons devizé anplement j'ai tout remis à vous et à luy [...]". - Some damage to edges; stained.
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Rathenau, Walther, German statesman (1867-1922).
Autograph letter signed. Berlin, 3 April 1914.
Large 8vo. 2 pages on bifolium. To the German economist and social scientist Eduard Heimann, thanking for giving him some biobliographical details. - On stationery with printed letterhead of the "Berliner Handels-Gesellschaft".
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Stauffenberg, Claus Graf von, German army officer and one of the central figures of the German Resistance movement within the Wehrmacht (1907-1944).
Typed letter signed ("Stauffenberg“). Berlin, 12 Nov. 1941.
Oblong large 8vo. 1 p. To the chief of staff at the Field Army Command, sending a report on prisoners of war: "In der Anlage übersende ich den Bericht des O. K. H. vom 07. 11. 41 mit der Auswertung der Kriegsgefangenenmeldungen im Bereich der HGr. Süd, Zeitraum: Sept. und Okt. 41 mit der Bitte um Kenntnisnahme und Empfangsbestätigung [...]". - Left margin with punched holes (no loss to text); stamped by the Field Army Command.
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Trotsky, Leon, Bolshevik revolutionary and Marxist theorist (1879-1940).
Typed letter signed ("Leo Scdoff (Trotsky)"). No place, 21 March 1935.
Large 4to. 1 page. Living in France after his return from exile in Prinkipo, Trotsky writes to his lawyer Gerard Rosenthal, urging him to continue to oversee the publication of his works and to defend his interests generally, adding that he looks forward to a meeting when they can continue their discussions on these issues: "Je vous demande de continuer a vous occuper activement de l'edition de mes ouvrages et d'adjoindre ce soin a la défense des interets généraux que j'ai confiés a votre charge. Je serai heureux de recevoir bientot votre visite pour poursuivre no entreteins sur ces questions [...]".
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Barthes, Roland, French philosopher and semiotician (1915-1980).
Autograph letter signed. Paris, 1. II. 1972.
2 pp. Oblong 8vo. To [Madame Irma Antonetti of the Italian Cultural Association (Associazione Culturale Italiana) in Turin]. Barthes thanks her for her invitation and tells her he feels the greatest desire to accept it but he has major difficulties with his time management. "Aussi avant de vous répondre, voulez-vous avoir la gentillesse de me préciser d'un mot les villes que je devrais visiter et la durée totale (en jours) de ce voyage?" ("Also before answering you, would you have the kindness to let me know in one word which cities I would have to visit and the total duration of this journey (in days)?"). Barthes promises to answer by return mail. - On headed paper; with punched holes (not touching text).
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Barthes, Roland, French philosopher and semiotician (1915-1980).
Autograph letter signed. Paris, 10. III. 1973.
1 p. 4to. To [Madame Irma Antonetti of the Italian Cultural Association (Associazione Culturale Italiana) in Turin]. Barthes lets her know that his Italian journey approaches. He confirms that he himself will take the ticket Paris-Turin. He will arrive in Turin Thursday 29 March at 21H47 by train and he will go to Hotel Turin where he will doubtlessly have a note from her. As agreed upon Barthes will leave the other tickets to be taken by Madame Antonetti: by train, surely, from Trieste to Milan as he would like to stop in Venice; doubtlessly by plane from Milan to Rome and from Rome to Bari. Barthes would like to return to Paris by plane on Friday 6 April during the day. Barthes ends his letter by thanking Madame Antonetti for all this and by sending his respectful greetings to her. - On headed paper; with punched holes (not touching text).
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Barthes, Roland, French philosopher and semiotician (1915-1980).
Autograph letter signed. Paris, 1. V. 1977.
1 p. 4to. To [Madame Irma Antonetti of the Italian Cultural Association (Associazione Culturale Italiana) in Turin]. Barthes thanks her for her letter and her proposal. He has kept a very good remembrance of his collaboration with the ACI (Associazione Culturale Italiana, Italian Cultural Association). Most unfortunately, he does not travel any more: "la santé de ma mère n'est pas bonne, je dois rester beaucoup auprès d'elle et je ne peux pas envisager aucun déplacement" ("my mother's health is not good, I have to stay close to her a lot and I cannot consider any movement"). - Barthes regrets this very much and thanks Madame Antonetti for having thought of him, expressing his respectful sympathy for her. - On headed paper; with punched holes (not touching text).
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Baudelaire, Charles, French artist (1889-1963).
Autograph letter signed. No place, 15. II. [1865].
12mo. 1 p. To Louis Marcelin, artistic director of La Vie parisienne: "Cher Monsieur, Un extrême besoin d'argent me servira d'excuse auprès de vous si je vous reprends les habitations imaginaires, et si je vous prie de les remettre à Julien Lemer qui en fera ce qu'il voudra. - En vérité je n'ai pas de chance auprès de vous. J'espère que je me dédommagerai chez vous par un paquet de poèmes en proses. J'en ai bien une trentaine sur ma table mais ce sont des horreurs et des monstruosités qui feraient avorter vos lectrices enceintes [...]".
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Beckett, Samuel, Irish writer and Nobel laureate (1906-1989).
19 autograph items (lettercards, picture postcards, calling cards and one letter) signed ("Sam Beckett" or "Sam"). Paris, London, Algeria, Morocco, 1972-1989.
Altogether approximately 14 pp. Various formats. With 10 autogr. envelopes. To the German actor Stefan Wigger, who had played the character of Vladimir in Beckett's Berlin production of "Waiting for Godot" in 1975. During the following years, Wigger had sent him congratulations, books or messages of various content, and Beckett answered him kindly. - "[...] Bien reçu hier les deux livres dont je me promets beaucoup de plaisir et votre gentille carte de voeux. Je suis très touché que vous ayez pensé à mon anniversaire et vous remercie de tout coeur. Je pense souvent aux amis du Schiller et leur dis à tous un grand Grüss Gott! [...]" (13 April 1972). - "[...] Retour de voyage je trouve avec le beau livre du cher vieux Fontane votre gentille carte de voeux [...]" (23 April 1974). - "[...] Als Stock absagte, wollte ich Sie. Mir wurde geantwortet, Sie seien nicht mehr frei. Jetzt ist es mit Fernau abgemacht. Ich bedaure sehr [...]" (18 Aug. 1975). - "[...] Un grand merci pour votre toi-toi-toi. Le travail ici s'est bien passé. Retour à Paris cette semaine [...]" (10 Oct. 1976). - "[...] Many thanks for your card from Dublin. Hope all went well & no casualties [...]" (25 April 1977). - "[...] J'ai peur que le théâtre ne m'ait fait ses adieux. Moi qui aimerais tant pouvoir jouer encore une fois avec la chère bande à Godot. Bolli, Klaus, Carl, embrasse-les bien fort à ma place [...]" (12 April 1980; Beckett refers to the Berlin "Godot" performers, Horst Bollmann, Klaus Herm and Carl Raddatz). - "[...] I feel my theatre days are over - as director at least. TV perhaps not yet quite. I often think of you all & of our times together - with fondness & nostalgia [...]" (6 April 1983).
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Byron, George Gordon Noel, British poet and leading figure in the Romantic movement (1788-1824).
Letter signed (with initials). Genoa, 12. VII. 1823.
4to. ¾ p. on bifolium. With integral address-leaf. The present letter, written in Italian and in the hand of Count Pietro Gamba (the brother of his beloved Teresa Guiccioli), was written while Byron was making his final preparations for his voyage to Greece, where he was to die nine months later "that Greece may still be free". Its addressee is the Greek patriot Giorgio Vitali (1776-1854) at Leghorn, from an ancient Venetian family and the commander of the Ionic vessel "Hercules" that Byron wanted to take. Byron is delaying his departure until July 14, and tells Vitali that by passing through Leghorn they should not drop anchor in order to avoid pointless expense and waste of time. - Byron was to bid farewell to Teresa and board the "Hercules" on 13 July, the day after writing this letter. However, his departure was to be delayed by calms, and then a storm. By some accounts, his mood at this time was despondent, almost fatalistic. During the delay he went on shore again to visit the house outside Genoa that he had shared with Teresa; as her brother recalled: "His conversation was somewhat melancholy on our way to Albaro, he spoke much of his past life, and of uncertainty of the future, 'where', said he, 'shall we be in a year?'" (quoted by Leslie A. Marchand, Byron: A Biography [1957] III, 1089). They eventually set sail from Genoa on the 16th. During the couple of days spent at Leghorn, Byron received a verse-tribute from Goethe and dashed off his famous reply: "I sailed from Genoa some days ago - was driven back by a Gale of Wind - and have since sailed again - and arrived here (Leghorn) this morning to receive on board some Greek passengers for their struggling country" (22 July 1823). They set sail once again on 24 July, and finally reached Cephalonia on 2 August. - Not published in Marchand's edition of Byron's Letters and Journals (1973-1994); small clipping from opening the letter (slightly touching text); overall in fine condition.
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Cocteau, Jean, French artist (1889-1963).
"La mort". Autograph poem. No place or date.
4to. 1 page. This wonderful poem was composed in memory of the young deceased French novelist and poet Raymond Radiguet, whose mentor Cocteau was.
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Hawkins, Sir Anthony Hope, English novelist and playwright (1863-1933).
Autograph lettercard signed ("AnthonyHHawkins"). [London], 24. IV. 1897.
Oblong small 8vo. 1 p. To C. A. Reiss, apologizes for not being able to attend the Balliol dinner.
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Kazantzakis, Nikos, Greek writer (1883-1857)
Autograph letter signed ("NKazantzaki"). Paris, 6 Aug. 1947.
4to. 2 pp. Addendum: TLS by the author's widow, Eleni Kazantzakis. Geneva, 25 May 1973. Folio. 1 p. Important, pessimistic letter to the Swedish Hellenist Börje Knös (1883-1970), whose visit he anticipates: "Cher monsieur et ami! Nous voilà dans le mois d'Août - le généreux dieu grec qui nous apporte là-bas les deux fruits pleins de mystère et de miel: les figues et les raisins. Pourrais-je espérer que ce dieu généreux va conduire Vos pas à Paris? J'en serais vraiment heureux [...] Ici, à Unesco, le travail commencé à être intense et trés intéressant. Mais il ne me reste plus un instant libre pour respirer et écrire; j'avais commencé une série d'oeuvres (des tragédies et des romans) et tout reste en suspens. Et il n'y a rien au monde qui me donne une plus grande douleur que l'oeuvre inachevée. Je ne voudrais pas mourir sans avoir pu sauver toute mon âme, en l'exprimant par des mots clairs, durs et enflammées. Comme l'Ulysse de mon Odyssée je ne voudrais laisser à la mort comme butin que quelques os et un peu de chair desséchée [...]." Undoubtedly under the impression of the Civil War in Greece, Kazantzakis continues: "Aura-t-on le temps de jouir encore un peu de cette vie unique et éphémère? La lumière de plus en plus s'assombrit; notre pauvre planète est entrée dans une ombre envahissante; l'esprit humain subit une éclipse - notre responsabilité est grande; chaque étincelle de lumière qui existe encore et vacille doit être sauvée: [Ho lógos ho spermatinós (gr.)], la Parole ensemençant! Chaque jour je deviens plus pessimiste et plus conscient de la responsabilité humaine. Garder cette etincelle, ne pas la laisser s'eteindre! Combattre la nuit horrible avec cette petite lumière. Rester debout, les yeux ouverts, l'esprit en sentinelle. - Cher monsieur et ami, j'espère Vous revoir bientôt et pouvoir parler avec Vous et nous promener aux bords de l'abîme sans trébucher [...]". - On stationery with printed UNESCO letterhead. Kazantzakis was then head of the Unesco's classics translation bureau. All the famous novels and tragedies on which his fame rests were written in exile in Paris. - Includes a TLS by the widow Eleni Kazantzakis, in which she sends he late husband's letter to a Mr. Dubois for a charity auction of the "Association Suisse en Faveur des Enfants Infirmes Moteurs Cérébraux".
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Staël-Holstein, Anne, French author and philosopher (1766-1817).
Autograph letter signed. Rome, 27 March [1805].
3 pp. 8vo. To an unnamed correspondent; address panel on verso of third page: "I have been deeply touched, dear Sir, by the feeling which inspired your article and I can say, without being influenced by my gratitude toward you, that there are some words in it that are remarkable not only for the elevation of thought, but I may add also for the soundness of judgment they indicate when you talk about my father. If you still read Le publiciste you must have seen in it a really touching letter. I may say that all that reaches me from Paris is in harmony with what I have been longing for. In the note on opposite natures, there is a line you wrote which I find extremely witty and true at the same time: there is no doubt that the big difference that exists between some souls, whose cause is unknown from us, makes it impossible for certain persons to understand each other ever and I think I would understand more easily the expression in the eye of some Persian than what some people say, even though they speak French. Thank you very much for giving me the hope that we will see each other in Milan. Your kindness to me makes you feel more attached to me: this is the sure sign of a generous nature. It is in six weeks probably that I will have the pleasure of seeing you again. I have enjoyed the arts and nature in the South of Italy, but my most tender affections were born when I first got to Milan, and returning there gives me a renewed pleasure, since you have shown me so clearly that my friends there have not forgotten me".
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Czerny, Carl, Austrian pianist, composer and teacher (1791-1857).
Musical manuscript with autograph inscription and signature. No place, August 1830.
Oblong large 4to. 24 pp. (incl. title page) on 12 pp. "Variations brillantes / pour le Pianoforte / à 4 mains / sur l'air favori de Mr Francois Schubert / (Das Wandern ist des Müllers Lust) / composée / par / Charles Czerny / oeuvre 223 / (avec accomp. de quatuor ad libitum)": "Copie exacte revue / par l'auteur / Charles Czerny / aout 1830". - In fine condition.
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Gluck, Christoph Willibald, composer (1714-1787).
Autograph letter signed ("Gluck"). Vienna, 29 Nov. 1776.
4to. 1 p. on bifolium. To his friend Franz Kruthoffer (1740-1815?), secretary at the Imperial Embassy in Paris and Gluck's de facto private secretary: a fine document of Gluck's shrewd business sense as well as of the high demand among librettists for music by the foremost composer of his age. For Kruthoffer's sake, Gluck promises to accomodate his publisher Peters with regard to royalties, but he makes it clear that in turn he will be asking extra voucher copies and will not let this one-off concession establish a precedent for future negotiations. Also, Gluck complains of the unsolicited opera librettos with which he is swamped by poets, and he forbids Kruthoffer to accept such submissions for him: "Wertester Freyndt / Ihren brief von 17 october habe rechtens Erhalten, in dem letzten Ersehe das begehren des Mr. [Johann Anton de] Peters, welches, weilen Er Ihr gutter freyndt ist, ich vor dieses mahl annehmen wiel, aber Etliche partitionen werde mir vor behalten, wie auch, das auß diesen wenigen, was Er geben wiel, keine consequentz vor zukünfftige opern gemacht wer den soll; der Courrier wiel abgehen, ich kan ihnen nichts mehr schreiben als Unser Compliments tres sinceres de la part de ma femme et de moi a vous, et a Mr. [Franz] de Blumendorff. Ich bitte ihnen auch kein pacquet an mich an zu nehmen Wo man mir wiel poesie schicken umb opern zu machen, dan ich werde grausamb desentwegen bombardirt [...]". - Folded horizontally, without an address: as mentioned in the text, the thrifty Gluck sent this letter - as most of his communications with Kruthoffer - by way of the diplomatic courier service just leaving Vienna for Paris. Kruthoffer has noted his response in the upper margin: "Beant. Paris am 18ten Dezember 1776". - Extremely rare, especially when signed (as Gluck, using the diplomatic mail, usually omitted his signature from his letters to Kruthoffer). Kinsky's 1927 edition of Gluck's correspondence with Kruthoffer noted the loss of a letter of this date; it was not published until 1932. - Provenance: in the "autograph collection of Mrs E[milie] Sch[aup] in Vienna" (cf. Komorn, p. 674) in 1932; in an unidentified "private collection" (cf. Badura-Skoda) in 1963. Includes old collection folder. Not in Kinsky (but cf. note p. 26). Not in Müller v. Asow (ed.), The Collected Correspondence and Papers of Christoph Willibald Gluck (1962). First published: Maria Komorn, Ein ungedruckter Brief Glucks, in: Zeitschrift für Musik 99 (1932), p. 672-675, at p. 674. Facsimile: Eva Badura-Skoda, "Eine private Briefsammlung", in: Festschrift Otto Erich Deutsch (Kassel 1963), p. 280-290, at fig. 5 and p. 282f.
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Hummel, Johann Nepomuk, Komponist (1778-1837).
9 eigenh. Briefe mit U. London, Stuttgart und Weimar, 1831.
Zusammen 17 SS. auf 16 Bll. 4to. Meist mit eh. Adresse (Faltbriefe). Inhaltsreiche Korrespondenz mit seinem ihm freundschaftlich verbundenen Verleger Tobias Haslinger über Verlags- und Vertragsangelegenheiten sowie über finanzielle Fragen im Familienkreis (1), Reisepläne (2), die zur Zeit wütende Cholera (3), ein Beethoven-Arrangement (4) und seinen Aufenthalt in London (5). - 1) "Ich habe Ihren letzten Brief (aber mit Schre[c]ken) erhalten; denn ich sah daraus, daß Sie meiner Schwiegermutter [...] 100 fl. C. M. gegeben haben. Lieber Freund, Sie wissen nicht wie sehr ich von der Famillie [sic] gemißbraucht werde, und was ich bereits seit vorigem Jahr für Rechnungen bei Beer und andern zahlte; das Ding kann nicht länger so fort gehen denn es wäre nur unmöglich so leichtsinnige Wirthschaft zu unterhalten und meine eigene Famillie [sic] darum zu bestehlen. Meine Schwiegermutter ist alt und schwach; diese leichtsinnigen Menschen wissen ihre Schwäche zu benutzen, und mißbrauchen dadurch meine Güte aufs Höchste [...]" (16. II.). - 2) "[...] ich und mein Eduard gehen den 20tn. d. weg, über Frankfurth wo ich mich nicht aufhalte, villeicht [!] ein paar Tage in Man[n]heim, 8 Tage in Stuttgardt, ein paar Tage vielleicht in Carlsruhe, einige Tage in Straßburg, 8 Tage in Paris; und so gedenke ich circa 20t. April in London zu seyn [...]" (11. III.). - 3) "[...] Es freut uns zu hören, daß Ihre liebe Frau und viele Ihrer Freunde die Madame Cholera glücklich überstanden haben; überhaupt scheint es, daß die Wiener Ärzte in ihrer Praktik mehr taugen als die Berliner gelehrten Ärzte, die sich heute noch herumzanken ob sie anste[c]kend sey oder nicht? [...]" (2. XI.). - 4) "[...] Die Cholera will nichts von uns wissen, dagegen tormentirt mich wie gewöhnlich der böse Novemb. u. Dec. - ich hatte einen Schnupfhusten wie ich in meinem ganzen Leben noch keinen hatte, und nun leide ich an Brustschmerzen von der heftigen Anstrengung [...] Was das Arrangiren der Beethovenschen Sinfonie zu 4 Händen anbelangt scheint mir weniger zweckmäßig, da sie od. wenigstens die Meisten meines Wissens schon von Czerny u. and. à 4 m. arrangirt sind, und ich die brauchbarsten davon schon selbst auf die Art wie die Haydn u. Mozartischen für Schultz arrangirt habe [...]" (4. XII.). - 5) "[...] Die Geschäfte gehen dieß Jahr weniger als voriges Jahr in London; die Auflösung des Parlaments hat die ganze Season verdorben. Auch Paganini, der einen großen Schlag zu machen beabsichtig[t]e, hatte doppelte Preise angesetzt und wurde dermaßen in allen hiesigen Zeitungen dieserwegen heruntergerissen, daß er (um nicht den höchsten Skandal zu erleben) auf die einfachen Preise zurückgehen mußte bevor er auftratt [!]; er wird zwar noch immer keine schlechten Geschäfte machen, doch nur halb so gut als er sich's erwartet hat. Daß er große Sensation machen würde und mußte war natürlich; doch zweifle ich sehr daß er es über 6 Konzerte bringen wird und davon dürften die Letztern schon ziemlich schwach ausfallen, denn man ist Hier [sic] im Ganzen viel zu unmusikalisch, und die Zahl der Liebhaber ist zu klein [...]" (6. VI.). - Unveröffentlicht.
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Liszt, Franz, Austro-Hungarian composer (1811-1886).
Autograph letter draft, unsigned. N. p., [c. 1870].
8vo. 4 pp. Letter to an unnamed correspondent, in which Liszt expresses his ideas for a concert which will be held at the Salle Erard in Paris and which will comprise several of his compositions. The name of Madame Marchesi is mentioned twice, once for her "benevolence" that seems to make the concert possible, and a second time for the provision of a "brilliant" student to sing the part of "Joan of Arc at the Stake" which is included in the programme. The name of the pianist Madame Montigny is also mentioned twice, above all to take part in the programme and to carry out the "Hungarian Rhapsody" or a "Concerto". Liszt honours the literary personalities of his time by reminding that his "Preludes" are "after Lamartine", "Mazeppa after Victor Hugo" and "Joan of Arc at the Stake" after "Dumas". He also mentions the editors of the programmes of his compositions (Breitkopf, Schott, Taborsky). Liszt adds an NB: "I would not like to take the risk of a danse macabre because of the great orchestral noise that will do injustice to that of Mazeppa". - Provenance: Family Nikita Magaloff and Joseph Szigeti.
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Mascagni, Pietro, Italian composer (1863-1945).
Portrait photograph signed. Vienna, 30 Sept. 1892.
146:100 mm. Mounted on cardboard. Head-and-shoulder portrait. - Upper margin somewhat scratched.
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Paderewski, Ignacy, pianist, composer and politician (1860-1941).
Autograph letter signed ("I J Paderewski"). N. p., "a vendredi", n. y.
8vo. 2 pp. on bifolium. To a lady, regarding a charity concert for the poor.
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Clair, René, French filmmaker and writer (1898-1981).
Autograph letter signed. [Paris], 21. XII. 1928.
Large 4to. 2 pp. To the (unnamed) Belgian author, filmmaker and documentarist Henri Storck. Returned from a trip to Belgium, Clair thanks Storck for the friendly reception at the Club du Cinéma and sends some photographs. In one of the postscripts, he asks Storck to help him obtain a drawing from James Ensor: "Cher Monsieur, De retour à Paris, je tiens à vous dire encore une fois ma gratitude pour l'accueil qui m'a été fait par le Club du Cinéma. Veuillez, je vous prie, remercier en mon nom, tous vos amis. Il m'est agréable de vous dire, personnellement, combien j'ai été sensible à vos attentions et au plaisir de vous connaître. C'est un grand réconfort pour moi de savoir que, loin de Paris, mon effort est suivi avec sympathie par des esprits que j'estime. Vous trouverez ci joint les quelques photographies demandées. Ne manquez pas de récrire à moi, si je puis être en quoique ce soit utile au Club. Et croyez, je vous prie, à mes sentiments les plus sympathiques, René Clair. P.S. 1.) Présentez encore une fois mes excuses à M. Spilliaert. J'ai beaucoup déploré que la fatigue de ma femme m'empêche d'aller chez lui. 2.) Si par hasard, M. Ensor était d'humeur facile un jour, pourriez-vous lui demander s'il voudrait me céder le charmant dessin qui me tentait (vous savez, avec ce petit parachute et les bonshommes accrochés) […]". - Léon Spilliaert (1881-1946) was a Belgian painter and graphic artist; James Ensor (1860-1949) was a Belgian painter and printmaker. - On stationery with printed address.
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Bloch, Ernst, German philosopher (1885-1977).
Autograph manuscript (fragment). No place or date, [but c. 1929].
Large 4to. 2 ff. The final paragraph of his essay "Die Angst des Ingenieurs", first published in 1929, revised for the collection entitled "Verfremdungen I" (Frankfurt, 1962), showing several corrections and departures from the published text. Includes two typescripts: a complete copy of the present text with corrections by a different writer (setting copy, 1 p., large 4to) and a discarded short version (¼ p., large 4to) with Bloch's autograph note "weiter auf gleicher Seite [...]".
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Brewster, David, Scottish physicist, mathematician, astronomer and inventor (1781-1868).
Autograph letter signed. N. p., 27 April 1840.
4to. 1½ pp. on bifolium. With autogr. address, sealed. To James Higgins, Literary and Philosophical Society, Newcastle-upon-Tyne: "[...] Since that time I believe I have published only a treatise on optics in Lardner's Cyclopaedia. I am now engaged in finishing a small Biographic volume entitled The Martyrs of Science on the lives of Galileo, Kepler and Tycho, but particularly on a new and copious Life of Sir Isaac Newton, drawn up from the Family Papers in the possession of the Earl of Portsmouth [...]". David Brester was most noted for his contributions to the field of optics, his inventions include the kaleidoscope and an improved version of the stereoscope. - Slightly spotty, browned and wrinkled; small tear to fol. 2 through breaking the seal.
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Bunsen, Robert Wilhelm, German chemist (1811-1899).
Autograph letter signed ("RWBunsen"). Heidelberg, 17 April 1875.
Large 8vo. 2¾ pp. on bifolium. Written to one Paul, giving some impressions from a travel through Italy, and sending greetings to the Prussian politician Georg Bunsen, "[...] what he wrote to you from me refers doubtlessly to Kirchhoff, who has already moved to Berlin [...]" (transl.). - Slightly browned, and small damage to edges and foldings (re-backed).
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Duden, Konrad, classicist (1829-1911), founder of the well-known German dictionary bearing his name.
Autograph letter signed. Hersfeld, 31 May 1893.
8vo. 6 pp. on 3 ff. With one addendum (cf. below). A comprehensive and emotional letter to his sister Hermine Weber about unpleasant financial and family matters, including a detailed account of the questionable financial arrangements of his brother August (which had led to a serious rift between them) and news from his son Eduard: "[...] As I write this, my dear Eduard is sailing across the ocean, bound for America! He spent a few months in London, where he had a moderately well-paid job and was asked whether he would like to take on a position in Chicago [...]". - Of the utmost rarity. - Includes an autograph envelope from Duden to his sister (postmarked 2 Nov. 1905).
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Feuerbach, Ludwig, philosopher (1804-1872).
Autograph letter signed ("L. Feuerbach"). Bruckberg, 27 Nov. 1855.
8vo. 2 pp. on bifolium with integral address leaf. To the surgeon Jakob Herz in Erlangen, whom Feuerbach held in high regard as a representative of the developing "materialist school" in medicine, recommending the son of his friend Karl Bayer, who wished to exchange his study of theology for that of medicine: "So ungern ich sonst die Feder, seis zum Brief- seis zum Schriftstellern, ergreife, so gern ergreife ich sie doch jetzt, weil sie mich mit Ihnen, einem von mir innig verehrten Mann, in, wenn auch nur geistige, Berührung bringt […] Ein junger Mann, ein Bruder des hier seit einigen Jahren ansäßigen u. mir befreundeten Dr. Bayer, welcher erstere zwar nicht auf mein Anstiften, doch nicht ohne meine ermunternden Versprechungen, daß ich Ihnen u. Herrn Prof. Dietrich ihn empfehlen würde, den beklemmenden Schulzwang der christlichen Theophilologie mit dem naturoffnen, liberalen Studium der Medicin vertauscht hat - dieser medicinische Embryo also, der vierte Sohn eines Schullehrers in Pommersfelden, welcher in den Erziehungs- u. Unterstützungskosten 1) eines ausstudirten freigemeindlichen Theologen 2) eines Schullehrers höhrer Ordnung 3) eines Malers bereits seinen mühsam gefüllten Beutel oder wenigstens guten Willen erschöpft hat - dieser also, um es endlich kurz abzumachen, hat mich ersucht, ein Wort zu seinen Gunsten an Sie zu richten, Sie zu ersuchen, ob Sie ihm nicht vielleicht zur Erlangung der Collegienfreiheit behülflich sein wollten […] Ich trage Ihnen […] nur seinen Wunsch vor, aber überlasse es vollkommen Ihrem eignen Willen u. Urtheil, ob sie ihn erfüllen wollen oder nicht. Ich weiß im Voraus, was Sie thun, ist das Rechte. Empfehlen Sie mich Ihrem abendlichen Freundeskreise u. empfangen Sie nochmals die Versicherung, daß ich nur deßwegen ohne Widerstreben die Feder zu diesen Zeilen ergriff, weil sie mir die Gelegenheit gaben, endlich einmal schriftlich Ihnen meine innige Verehrung aussprechen zu können […]". - At the time, Feuerbach was working on his "Theogonie" and had not published anything in years. - With remains of a seal and the address (slight defects to address leaf).
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Grove, Sir William Robert, natural philosopher and judge (1811-1896).
Manuscript signed. N. p., 25. III. 1843.
4to. 3¾ pp. on bifolium. Report to the Laboratory Committee of the London Institution, stating among his laboratory purchases "an apparatus for obtaining pure oxygen and hydrogen by electrolysis": "In the department of research I am happy to have to report a discovery which has attracted some attention among men of science & which will I trust do no discredit to the Laboratory of London Institution viz. the Gas Battery. Since the first paper upon this novel voltaic apparatus was published I have continued my experiments on the subject & have forwarded to the Royal Society a paper containing an account of them in which the Rationale of the action of the battery is inverstigated & its application to eudiometry detailed [...]". - Tear along fold.
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Humboldt, Alexander von, German naturalist and explorer (1769-1859).
5 autograph letters signed. Paris, Potsdam, Berlin, and no place, ca. 1817 to 1848.
Various formats. Altogether 3¾ pp. on 9 ff. Some with autogr. address. Fine collection of letters to various recipients, concerning Arnold Mendelssohn and the so-called "Casket Affair" (I), an appointment (II and III), etc. - I: N. p., [presumably ca. 1830]. Written during the European revolutions of 1848 to an unnamed minister about Arnold Mendelssohn (1817-54), a cousin of the composer Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: "Darf ich es wagen, theuerste Excellenz, mitten unter den zunehmenden unheimlichen Bewegungen der Hauptstadt Sie an Ihr Wohlwollen für mich, an die Bittschrift zu erinnern, die Sie die Gewogenheit haben wollten, in meinem Namen (in Angelegenheit der hoch betrübten Mendelssohnschen Familie) dem König zu überreichen. Die Sache liegt mir schmerzhaft am Herzen! [...]". Somewhat wrinkled; the reverse of fol. 2 slightly spotty. In 1846, Arnold Mendelssohn had become involved in the so-called "Casket Affair", which ruined his life: for the theft of a casket, the content of which was thought to be vital to Ferdinand Lassalle's court case, he was sentenced to five years imprisonment and lost the privilege to practise as physician. His accomplices, Alexander Oppenheim and Lassalle, were acquitted. Alexander von Humboldt interceded on his behalf, and Mendelssohn was pardoned in 1849, but was banished from Germany. - II: N. p., 19 Nov. (n. y.). To "Herr Boguslawski", i. e. the meteorologist Georg von Boguslawski (1827-84), about an appointment. Folded for mailing, torn where unsealed, a bit marked, pencil notations by a previous owner on one blank portion, and with some denting. - III: Paris, [ca. 1817]. To an unidentified recipient: "[...] Les travaux de Mr le Chevalier Millin [!] meriteroient des encouragemens bien plus grands et par la profondeur des recherches et par le noble desinteressement de l'auteur [...]". - IV: "Berlin Sonntag Abend". Somewhat spotty. To Prince Adalbert of Prussia, with thanks for granting him something he had asked for. - V: "En dimanche", n. p. To the wife of the composer Gasparo Spontini, Catherine Marie Céleste, born Erard: "Mr de Humboldt [...] profitera à Paris de la permission d'admirer les beaux tableaux de Mr. Erard, l'homme célèbre dont la génie est admiré dans l'Europe entière [...]". Slightly browned due to paper and somewhat spotty; right edge strongly creased; clipped section on f. 2 due to broken seal (not touching text). - V: Paris, 1821. In French, to a Paris bookseller, ordering several volumes. Folded, with remnants of a wax seal and corresponding abrasion where unsealed; few marks.
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Jaspers, Karl, German-Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher (1883-1969).
Autograph letter signed. Heidelberg, 4 May 1922.
8vo. 2 pp. With an addendum. Writing as professor of psychology at Heidelberg University, to Alexander Amersdorffer, first secretary of the Prussian Academy of Arts, who had asked him for a professional opinion on the case of the German painter Carl Blechen, who had died deranged in 1840: "Nach dem Material, das Sie mir senden, ist [...] eine Geisteskrankheit und zwar ein sogenannter Krankheitsprocess (im Gegensatz zu einer blossen Veranlagung oder dauernden Constitution) sicher. Aber eine Diagnose würde ich nicht wagen. Um eine Persönlichkeit psychiatrisch aufzufassen, dazu muss man das gesamte Material studieren. Die Diagnose im Sinne der Benennung mit einem Krankheitsnamen ist das letzte und für unsere Einsicht auch vielleicht das wenigst interessante [...] Vor Jahren habe ich einmal [...] mich mit Rethel beschäftigt. Hier konnte man die sichere Diagnose 'Paralyse' gewinnen, zugleich aber feststellen, dass für die Zeit des Kunstschaffens diese Erkrankung völlig gleichgültig ist. Nur in den letzten Bildern liessen sich einige paralytische Störungen [...] leicht sehen. Interessant wird die Fragestellung, wo die Krankheit selbst etwas schafft, das wir positiv werten. Bei Blechen würde ich [...] zunächst die Briefe [...] chronologisch betrachten, um den ersten Beginn der Erkrankung zu finden [...]". - Accompanied by a letter from Jaspers to his friend, the German psychiatrist Johannes Heinrich Schultz in Jena, thanking him for his response to Jaspers's pathography of Strindberg.
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La Farge, Joachim, economist (1748-1839).
Document signed ("Lafarge"). Paris, 24. II. 1796.
4to. 1 p. La Farge, as director general of the Caisse d'Epargne, with other bank officers including M. Mitouflet, appoints Jean Rodde as procurer general: "Before the notary public of the Department of the Seine, living in Paris, the undersigned were present - citizens Joachim de LaFarge, Director General of the Savings and Loan Bank, living in Paris at 701, rue de Grammont in the Le Pelletier section; Jean Charles Magnaud du Planier, same address as the above; Pierre Etienne Recalle, living at the above-mentioned street and section; Louis Charles Mitouflet, the same address. The administrators of the said bank have created and named as their Procurer General and Special Assistant Mr. Jean Rodde, office boy at 701 rue de Grammont, to whom they give the power for them and in their names [to accept] all registered letters and packages by post which may be presently addressed to them and will be so in the future, to give receipts and sign all appropriate registers" (transl.).
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Mendeleev, Dmitri Ivanovich, Russian chemist and inventor who formulated the Periodic Law (1834-1907).
O kolebanii vesov. Rech' dlja obshhego sobranija X-ogo S'ezda Russkih Estestvoispytatelej v g. Kieve (avg. 1898g.). No place, 1898.
Folio. Autograph manuscript. 24 ff., some leaves written on both sides. Revised by the author throughout. Stored in custom-made blue half morocco solander case. The original manuscript of Mendeleev's speech on "The Oscillation of the Balance", delivered at the General Meeting of the 10th Congress of Russian Naturalists in Kiev (August 1898). In his annotated bibliography of his own works, self-compiled in 1899, Mendeleev writes: "Predmet schitaju ochen' vazhnym i interesnym" ("A subject I find very important and interesting"). After the end of his teaching career at the University of St. Petersburg in 1890, Mendeleev was variously employed by the government bureaucracy. From 1892 on he was "concerned in the regulation of the system of weights and measures in Russia, a task that he discharged 'with enthusiasm, since here the purely scientific was closely interwoven with the practical.' In 1893 he was named director of the newly created Central Board of Weights and Measures, a post which he held until his death, and in connection with which he frequently traveled abroad" (DSB IX, 292). - "The great importance of Mendeleev's work", write Kayak and Smirnova, "was that in his approach to the development of the theory of balances and methods of accurate weighing he took into account the physical essence of the phenomena investigated, whereas many investigators before and even after him attempted to solve all the problems on the basis of purely mechanical conceptions [...] Mendeleev's interest in balances as the most important instrument in physical and chemical investigations was manifested from the very beginning of his scientific work. Long before his move to the Depot of Standard Weights and Measures he devoted much attention to the perfection of balances, and methods of accurate weighing. In 1861 Mendeleev succeded in observing the oscillations of balances from a distance, thereby eliminating the influence of the heat radiated by the observer on the balance; he also proposed the use of a heat distributor made of copper for a balance beam. Mendeleev's most important work on the development of the theory of balances and methods of accurate weighing was made at the Principal Bureau of Weights and Measures, where he took upon himself the entire responsibility for organizing and equipping the weight laboratory" (p. 25). - Occasional insignificant edge defects, but altogether a very well preserved manuscript. Includes a copy of the published text. Published: Sochineniya 7, pp. 577-591. Reference: Sochineniya 25, p. 752, no. 275. - Cf. L. K. Kayak and N. A. Smirnova, Theory of balances and accurate weighing in the investigations of Mendeleev and later developments, in: Izmeritel'naya Tekhnika 9 (Sept. 1969), pp. 25-28.
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Ramsay, William, Scottish chemist who discovered the noble gases and received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1904.
Autograph letter signed. London, 25 Feb. 1904.
8vo. 1 p. on bifolium. To an unidentified recipient: "Dear Sir, Our laboratory is very full, but it is possible there may be room for one more. I shall not know until after the end of this term, or I shall let you know as soon as I can. Would you send me your home address? Three - or rather 2 - months is, however, a very short time for a research [...]". - On headed paper of the University College London; left margin with punched holes (not touching text).
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Smith, Adam, economist (1723-1790).
Autograph letter signed. Glasgow, 10. III. 1760.
4to. 2½ pp. on bifolium with address on verso. In custom-made cloth box. To the 1st Earl of Shelburne, about the health of his son Thomas, then Smith's student and lodger: "My Lord / I think it my Duty to inform your Lordship that Mr. Fitzmaurice has been for some days past ill of a slight fever, from which, however, he never appeared to be in the least danger and from which I hope he is now in a fair way of recovery. He was seized with it on Wednesday last. I missed him that forenoon from the Class, which I had never done before and upon my return to my own house, I found him lying upon his bed and complaining of a headache. I immediately sent for a Physician who ordered him to be blooded. He was a good deal relieved by the bleeding, but became very feverish that evening. He continued so all next day but the day following found himself greatly relieved in consequence of a sweat and a sound Sleep. I should have written to your Lordship that evening, that is by fridays post, for I could have written no sooner, but he appeared to be so much better and Dr. Black assured me positively that all danger was now over, and that he would probably be quite well next day, that I resolved to wait one other post before I wrote anything that could possibly alarm your Lordship [...] Your Lordship, perhaps, may think that as I ventured to delay writing to you by last post, I ought not to have written by this: and I shall readily acknowledge that my behaviour in this respect is not very consistent. But when Mr. Fitzmaurice had a slight relapse on Saturday evening I felt so much uneasiness for not having written to your Lordship the day before that I resolved never to expose myself to the like; your Lordship may depend upon his being treated with the utmost care and attention [...]". Written in ink in a neat cursive hand, approximately 23 lines to the page, with a few corrections and one or two smudges not affecting legibility in the text, annotated: "Mr. Smith giving acct. of my son Thomas his illness & recovery". Sometime folded for posting, short tear at the foot along fold, verso with docket lightly dust soiled. Adam Smith was appointed professor of logic, and then of moral philosophy at Glasgow in 1751 and 1752 respectively. As a professor, Smith took students into his house, offering both supervision in studies and board and lodging. Of these students, the names of only two have come down to us: Henry Herbert, later Lord Porchester, and Thomas Petty-Fitzmaurice. In 1758 Gilbert Elliot, later Lord Minto, recommended Glasgow University rather than Oxford for the education of the younger son of the 1st Earl of Shelburne (the maternal grandson of the economist William Petty). Petty-Fitzmaurice (1742-93) had earlier been educated at Eton. For two years from 1759, Thomas Petty-Fitzmaurice lived with Adam Smith. After Glasgow he went to St Mary's Hall, Oxford, in 1761, was called to the English Bar in 1768 and became a Member of Parliament in 1762. In 1779 he set up as a linen merchant and established a bleaching factory at Llewenny in Wales, as his Irish estates were unproductive. He was reported to have lived on “the most intimate terms with Johnson, Hawkesworth and Garrick”. - The total number of recorded letters written by Adam Smith is surprisingly small - about 200, of which at least 24 are only known from published sources, which leaves about 176 letters surviving, virtually all in public collections. There are only 11 surviving letters of Adam Smith's predating his correspondence with Lord Shelburne. - Provenance: Bowood, home of the Earls of Shelburne. Mossner, Correspondence of Adam Smith, no. 45 (with one misreading; full transcription included).
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