Peter Weiss, PlaywrightMareMagnum
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1960New York City, Frankfurt, Stockholm, etc., 1961-1966. Substantial archive of documents concerning the publication and production of several notable literary works and theatrical plays by Peter Ulrich Weiss, including correspondence, draft agreements, contracts signed with leading publishers and producers, as well as some programmes and peer reviews, being the working files of his New York agent, Joan Daves. Together with 3 LP record box sets of the first and complete Broadway original cast music recording for the Marat/Sade play. Octavo and Folio documents and letters, ranging in size and number of pages, some signed in the original. Most are in English; some are in German; the lot neatly contained in four ring binders. The vast majority of the documents date to the 1960s, with a scant few being later including a letter regarding a special television production in 1979 with NBC. Occasional wear to extremities, otherwise in very good condition, beautifully preserved, clean and bright. A generous and comprehensive archive chronicling the work and partnership of a leading literary agent in the rise of German-American publishing, and one of her notable German writers. Provenance: From the desk of Weiss' literary agent for the US, Joan Daves. Joan Daves (1919-1997) was a leading literary agent with her own agency in New York, whose client list boasts six Nobel Prize winners including Martin Luther King, Jr. Daves had a profound effect on the very existence of German literature in America. Born Liselotte Davidson in Berlin, she escaped Nazi Germany by fleeing to Paris and England before emigrating to the United States in 1940. Her agency, established in 1948, handled the original works of several American authors. She handled Martin Luther King, Jr.'s literary property from 1957 until her death. Of great emphasis with her firm was the representation of several major German publishers, such as Suhrkamp, Piper, S. Fischer Verlag and others. It was the prime time of German writers such as Peter Weiss, Uwe Johnson, Max Frisch, Heinar Kipphardt, Hans Magnus Enzensberger, and Hermann Hesse. In the mid-1960s, communication with German publishers was quite different from today. A shipment of galleys was prepared with a 'by sea mail' label. When the New York Times printed the date and time the next ship would leave the harbor, delivery of the parcels of documents to that specific ship was requested. Peter Ulrich Weiss (1916-1982) was a German author, playwright, and experimental filmmaker, who gained celebrity fame on Broadway in the 1960s. He is particularly known for his plays "Marat/Sade" of 1963/65 which is largely represented in the present archive and which was enormously successful, for "The Investigation" of 1965, and for his later novel "The Aesthetics of Resistance" (1971-81). In the 1960s Weiss also embraced and promoted politically controversial groups, standing for revolutionary Cuba, standing against US intervention in Vietnam, and joining Sweden's eurocommunist party. Manuscript
18818vo, 154 pages, 80 pages of ads, bound in original publisher's cloth, heavily annotated and inscribed by author on title page, a rare Presentation Copy in very good condition. A linguistic and and folkloric study, issued in the publisher's Oriental Series. Scarce in the first edition. Tsuni-Goam is a figure in the Khoikhoi mythology. He is sometimes called a trickster figure, similar to Cagn of the related Bushmen people. In other contexts, he appears as a patron of hunters and in some stories he even had a part in creating the world. The multiple roles of have been called a reflection of the fluidity of the Khoisan's religious resources and rituals, which are usually ambiguous and lack in standardization. He was also a life-death-rebirth figure, dying and resurrecting himself on numerous occasions. Resulting from this, his funeral cairns can be found in many locations in southern Africa, and it is customary to throw a stone onto them for good luck Manuscript
1844A collection of manuscript and printed materials by celebrated poet, playwright, lyricist and Consul John Howard Payne consisting of an unpublished, autograph poem, an autograph letter written from Tunis as the resident American Consul dealing with the matter of an insult to the American flag as well as an account of the repatriation of his remains to American home soil from Tunis in Africa to Oak Hill Cemetery in Georgetown. A specially bound volume titled 'John Howard Payne - a Biographical Sketch' by Charles H. Brainard, Coolidge, Washington, DC 1885 providing an interesting Biography and dealing with the repatriation of Payne's remains to Washington 30 years after he died in Africa. The account is very detailed, leaves nothing to the imagination as far as the transportation of the remains are concerned and is accompanied by some photographic plates. Bound in a special full morocco presentation binding, all edges gilt, gilt inner dentelles, silk moire endpapers. A beautifully executed printed work and binding in fine condition. Manuscript
1831One Original Signed Letter from Sir John Barrow to Davies Gilbert. 8vo. 1 page on a single-leaf, dated 22 August, (content reveals the year is 1831). Leaf measures approximately 18cm x 11,5cm (7 inches x 4.5 inches). Very good condition. In 1831, the Royal Astronomical Society deemed it imperative for advancement in navigation, to form "New Requisite Tables" which would be introduced in the impending publication of the New Nautical Almanack. At the behest of Captain Beaufort, Hydrographer to the Admiralty, RN Lieutenant Henry Raper, a revered authority on navigation, was in charge of constructing the charts. Here Sir John Barrow, Secretary of the Admiralty, is evidently responding to an enquiry by Davies Gilbert, mathematician and President of the Royal Society. Barrow assures Gilbert that he has directed the question to Captain Francis Beaufort, who is an integral member of the committee charged with making the nautical charts. Signed in the original by Sir John Barrow, the letter states: "The subject of the New Requisite Tables is in the hands of the Astronomical Society and has been for some time, but as yet they have not made any report. I have shown your note to Capt Beaufort who is one of the Committee." A report published in the Nautical Magazine, March 1831, corroborates the significance of this work, and the involvement of such leading authorities in navigation. Manuscript
1827Folio, signed and inscribed document on laid, watermarked paper. Printed to one side, completed in manuscript by William IV of the United Kingdom when he was Lord High Admiral. The official warrant, by the Royal Navy, commissioning Charles Sharp to serve on His Majesty's ship 'Herald.' Single leaf measuring approximately 32cm x 20cm. Small tears to lower margin, unobtrusive to the text, otherwise in very good and original condition. Scarce signed royal personalia item. Manuscript
Broadside preventing the Export of Horses to Foreign Lands........ [Christiansburg 1 October 1788]. Folio (22 x 32cm), 1 leaf folded, uncut and unbound as issued, very strong impression, light discoloration at bottom margin, otherwise in very good condition. Text in German. An interesting broadside issued by the King of Denmark in 1788 who at the time ruled over the Province of Schleswig Holstein (today part of Germany) and the City of Altona (today part of Hamburg) attempting to prevent the export of horses…"by land or sea…" This edict was most likely issued as a result of the 'Theatre War' which had started just a week prior on 24 September. Any available horses were most likely needed for the war effort. Rare and Unusual. No Copies in KVK.
1878Original letter penned and signed by Layard after the Bulgarian uprising in the Balkans. The letter measures 7 x 9 inches dated February 23, 1878 while he was HBM Ambassador in Constantinople. The letter provides a reference for a James Long, MA who was a humanitarian. Long was about to go to Bazandjik on the Danube in Bulgaria which had recently been occupied by the Russians during the Russo-Turkish War. Together with the letter is an original portrait photograph of Layard measuring 8 x 10 inches as well as a contemporary bigraphical sketch from the 1880's. Letters from Layard while abroad are rare. Manuscript
1748.....Compiled from Papers and other Materials of the Right Honourable George Lord Anson, and Published under his Direction, by Richard Walter, M.A. Chaplain of His Majesty's Ship the Centurion. SUBSCRIBERS COPY OWNED BY SUBSCRIBER LISTED IN BOOK AND WITH ADDITIONAL MANUSCRIPT LEAF SIGNED BY ANSON. First Edition. Quarto, measuring approximately 260mm x 210mm. 34, 420 pages, with 42 engraved folding plates and maps. Bound in a contemporary full calf binding. Bound without the directions to binder leaf, otherwise a stunning and very clean copy of this book. WITH THE SIGNATURE OF HENRY PENNYMAN ON THE TOP OF THE TITLE PAGE WHO IS LISTED IN THE LIST OF SUBCRIBERS AND THE BOOKPLATE OF JAMES PENNYMAN. IN ADDITION THERE IS A MANUSCRIPT LEAF - A RECEIPT FOR LOAN IN SALT - SIGNED IN THE ORIGINAL BY ANSON IN MAY 1752. This is the official account of Anson's voyage. England, at war with Spain in 1739, equipped eight ships under the command of George Anson to harass the Spaniards on the western coast of South America, for the purpose of cutting off Spanish supplies of wealth from the Pacific area. The Spanish fleet sent out to oppose the British ran into storms; provisions ran out and many ships were wrecked. Anson continued taking prizes during 1741-42, off the Pacific coast, and in June, 1743, captured the Manila galleon containing a vast treasure in Gold and Silver. Cox I, p. 49. Hill 1817. National Maritime Museum I, 109. Sabin 1625. Manuscript
1826Original Signed Letter by Lord Holland. 8vo. 4 pages on a double-leaf measuring approximately 11cm x 17cm. Very good condition. An interesting letter between English upper class aristocrats, pertaining to the natural history of fresh water fish, and the sport of angling, with reference to reports by respected angler and author on the subject, Sir Humphrey Davy, as well as Lord Kinnaird of Scotland. The recipient is unidentified, but could be MP Thomas Creevey, or Samuel Rogers the famous author and banker, both of whom the Baron was frequently communicating with at the time. Dated, Holland House, 17 July 1826, and signed Vassall Holland, the letter was originally sent with two reports from the Select Committee on the Salmon Fisheries of the United Kingdom, published for the Great Britain Parliament, House of Commons, in 1825. Sir Humphrey Davy (1778-1829), English Baron, was highly respected for his study and skill as an angler. In 1828, two years later than this letter which refers to his expertise, the baron published a book on the subject, titled "Salmonia or Days of Fly Fishing." Very well received, it was a few editions, and an American edition followed four years later. In it he compares the habits and physiological attributes of river and lake fish throughout Europe, including numerous rivers in England, the Danube, Glommen river in Norway, Lake Morat in Switzerland, the Rhine, and so forth. Naturally, the self-touted philosophical angler, also contemplates various fishing strategies.
18558vo. 32 page German manuscript, a poetic or theatrical composition dealing with California and dedicated to Queen Marie, Consort of King George V of Hanover, during the California Gold Rush. Dedication page, written in French, signed and dated by 'Gontard' who was an affluent art collector and chairman of an elite German art museum, and whom had evidently just met the Queen in person at the Exposition Universelle in Paris. Exquisite red morocco binding by Hof-buchbinders Wilhelm Ermold (binder to the Royal Hanover Court), beautifully finished in gilt with a crowned monogram 'M' for Marie, royal blue cloth endpapers, satin bow dividers. Evidence of an imbedded gift-wrapping ribbon to boards, slight foxing to first few leafs, otherwise very good condition, internally clean and bright, a pleasing work in an elegant binding fit for royalty. Title: Die Reise nach Californien. Nach dem französischen bearbeitet von Eduard Suhren. [A Voyage to California. From the French, edited by Edward Suhren.] The ambiguously titled manuscript may be a German rendition of the French theatrical opera by Dondey Dupré titled "Le voyage en Californie ou notice explicative du panorama" which concerned travels across the United States and explorations in the West - by John Charles Fremont, first explorer to cross the Sierra Nevada in winter, foremost US Senator, abolitionist, who prospered during the California Gold Rush. Content includes the explorer's sighting of pines in the Sierra Nevada oak forest at 3500 feet, melting gold, and so forth. Frémont's father was a native of France, who died only eight years after the French Revolution. As such, his gallant endeavours and accomplishments in the New World would certainly garner much attention in France, as with other European nations with colonies abroad. The French opera was first publicly performed 8 August 1850 in Paris, at the Théâtre des Variétés. Gontard, who met the queen, and dedicates this manuscript to her, may have been involved in a German production, performed for the House of Hanover. A full page dedication inscription, in French, is addressed to the Queen of Hanover, by Huguenot descendant Jakob Friedrich Moritz Gontard (1826-1886), chairman and administrator of the Städel art museum in Frankfurt, officially the Städelsches Kunstinstitut und Städtische Galerie. Queen consort of Hanover from 1851 to 1878, née Princess Marie of Saxe-Altenburg, recipient of this dedicated manuscript, was the wife of King George V of Hanover, the last monarch of the short-lived Kingdom of Hanover. In his dedication, dated Hanover, 12 July 1855, Gontard thanks the monarch for having come to see his panorama at the International Exhibition held on the Champs-Elysées, stating that her visit inspired the work which forms the volume, and which he humbly offers to her. He references materials which were given to her onsite, which would elucidate the obscure details of the creative piece. The date indicates that King George V and Queen Marie of the short-lived Kingdom of Hanover attended the event in its first eight weeks. Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom paid a visit to the Parisian Exhibition in August. Unique manuscript volume, bound in the Royal Court of Hanover, written at the height of the California Gold Rush and featuring historic Americana content. Manuscript
1881Signed letter by James Foote Gibb, affluent shipwright and partner of Gibb and Hutchinson firm. 8vo. Single-leaf, his company's printed stationery, The Ben Line of Steam Tugs. Leaf measures approximately 20cm x 25cm. Very good condition. James Foote Gibb, together with business partner Allan Hutchison, carried on business as shipwrights at the Ratcliff Dry Dock in Shadwell, East London until October 1871, at which time the partnership was dissolved, Hutchison entering retirement and Gibb continuing on his own. In December 1882, five months after this letter was written, he entered into partnership with James Glen Williamson. Gibb's office was located in n City Chambers, Railway Place, Fenchurch Street, in the City of London, advertised on his letterhead. Dealing with matters of personal business, the recipient of this letter is identified only as Annie, and appears to be a prodigal staff, perhaps servant/cook, returning and making amends.
30 January 1868. Manuscript Signed Letter by Sir John Kirk, British administrator in Zanzibar and co-explorer with David Livingstone, in which leading explorers of the Dark Continent are mentioned. 8vo. Double-leaf mourning stationery, measures approximately 18cm x 11cm. Creased, otherwise in very good condition, interesting correspondence on the procurement of significant autographs. The letter reads as follows: "Dear Mrs. Carnegie, Please give to Mrs. Baradaille the enclosed autographs of Livingstone and Du Chaillu. Of Murchison I have not one now but so frequently am in correspondence with him that it cannot be long time before I can add it also. Give her my best regards and believe me I am Yours sincerely. John Kirk" Manuscript
1897Manuscript Signed Letter, dated 21 January 1897, discussing matters pertaining to the settlement era of Perth, Western Australia. 8vo. Two double-leafs, 5 pages. Very good condition. Fascinating content such as a poverty, drought, general health issues in Perth from the conditions, problems of the homeless, and in contrast the increase in land values, and prospects for youngsters, The writer also talks of the Music Society and of singing the Messiah at Christmas. Written by M. Barigh of Havelock Street, her home located on a hill above the central town, who may have been a relative of Richard Henry Barigh, an immigrant to Australia, possibly originally as a convict. Excerpts from the letter: "Lately we have had a water famine and all day long the water is cut off but we fill a tank and so it does not cause us much inconvenience... We do not like W.A. half so much as N.Z. it is too hot and dry and this town is not healthy." "The place must have grown half since we came and building is going on all the time and the values of property increasing - our land cost about four pounds a foot and a lady has just bought this piece adjoining ours and given over eleven pounds for it and thinks she has got it cheap." "There are scores of people here with nothing who a little while since in Melbourne were living in luxury." End Excerpts. Perth had only been established since 1829. In 1850, Western Australia was opened to convicts at the request of farming and business people looking for cheap labour. Queen Victoria announced the city status of Perth in 1856.
186217 August 1862. Official certificate of appointment issued by the British Armed Forces to Dr. John Campbell Bow, Esq. as "Surgeon to Our Forces." Document measures approximately 16 x 12 inches, completed in manuscript, signed by an officer of the War Office, witnessed in the hand of a Field Marshall, and bearing the paper seal of Queen Victoria. Filing annotations to verso are dated Bengal, 17 April 1863. Stamped at the War office in London 11.5.1866 together with a ten shilling embossed revenue stamp. Fascinating document, assigning a new surgeon to the Bengal Army subsequent to the Indian Mutiny of 1857, during the British Crown's re-structuring of administration and rule over the Indian subcontinent, and implementation of the British Raj The Bengal Army was the army of the Bengal Presidency, one of the three presidencies of the British Raj within the British Empire. The Sepoy rebellion was a result of various grievances, and ultimately led to the dissolution of the East India Company in 1858. It also led the British to reorganize the army, the financial system and the administration in India. Manuscript
1947London, 20 September 1947. Manuscript Signed Letter by the Right Honourable Montgomery of Alamein, to well known fiction writer Lady Anderson, mentioning an unpublished book by Anderson which precedes her formal writing career. 8vo. Single-leaf measuring approximately 14 x 18cm (5.5 x 7 inches). Very good condition, and accompanied by the original postally used envelope. Graciously confirming receipt of what appears to be an unpublished book by a well known female author, and perhaps the first she had written, this letter is penned and signed by Bernard Law Montgomery (1887-1976), 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, and British Army Field Marshal nicknamed "Monty" and the "Spartan General" whose illustrious military career spanned both World Wars, during which time he earned numerous honours and awards. The recipient is Barbara Anderson, Lady Anderson (1926-2013) née Barbara Lillian Romaine, an internationally recognized fiction writer from New Zealand, and later, the wife of Sir Neil Dudley Anderson, Chief of New Zealand Defence Staff. Only a few months to this letter being written, Barbara had graduated with a BSc from Otago University. She subsequently worked as a medical technologist and teacher, though her passion had always been in writing. She finally pursued her formal writing career in her sixties, publishing a volume of short stories, for the first time, in 1989. The book mentioned in this letter does not appear on common lists of her published works, and pre-dates her writing career by approximately thirty years. The letter reads as follows: "Dear Lady Anderson, I have just got back from Germany and found your book 'Lend Me Your Ears'. Thank you so very much. Yrs. ever Montgomery of Alamein" [signed] Manuscript
1900London, 26 February 1900. Signed Manuscript Letter by Admiral Sir Albert Hastings Markham, naval officer and pioneering arctic explorer, addressed to S. C. J. Freeman-Mathews in Cape Town, South Africa. Small 8vo. Double-leaf measuring approximately 15 x 15cm. Together with original cover, opened on three sides, bearing three postal marks and one stamp, and measuring 11 x 8 cm. Both in very good condition, from the autograph collection of Seymour C.J. Freeman-Matthews. The addressee, Seymour C.J. Freeman-Matthews was a collector of autographs and amassed a sizeable treasure of signatures with solicitations such as which led to this letter and autograph being penned by a great Arctic navigator. The letter reads as follows: "Dear Sir, I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 5th inst. and, in reply, have much pleasure in complying with your request, Believe me. Yrs. faithfully, A. Markham [signature] Vice Admiral." Manuscript
1858Octavo, xvii,347p; viii, 425p. 21 plates, includes foldout illustration of Sistine Chapel ceiling. Bound in original publisher's green cloth, very light foxing, a stellar example of this book. This a presentation copy to Samuel Gobat, Bishop of Jerusalem: "Presented to Bishop Gobat with the affectionate regards of the author, Blaise castle, Augt 19th 1861".
1880Canterbury, October 1880. Calendar of Prisoners tried, charged, and imprisoned at Her Majesty's Prison at Canterbury. Original court document, with manuscript annotations by the clerk, listing nine convicts and three persons on bail. Folio. 3 pages, printed at the Kentish Observer Steam Printing Office in Canterbury. Double leaf measuring approximately 27 x 42 cm. Chips to margins, otherwise in very good condition. "Calendar of Prisoners for Trial at the General Quarter Sessions of the Peace, to be holden at St. Augustine's, near Canterbury, on Tuesday, the 19th day of October, 1880." Felonies herein recorded consisted mainly of thievery and fraud having taken place in East Kent, although two deal with the crime of "unlawfully wounding" a person. Presented in a succinct chart, the location and date of each crime, the date of warrant and arrest, and specific charges are outlined. The victims are named, as is each felon and his occupation. Items stolen include a handkerchief, watches, coats, a shovel, cash currency, wool, 20 feet of a leather band, and in one instance a sail and a yard for navigation, which certainly draws attention to the drastically different crimes occupying the early court system. As well as the criminals, the title page names the High Ssheriff of Kent, the under-sheriff, the clerk of the peace, and the Chairman of the East Kent Division - Right Honourable Lord Brabourne. [Edward Hugessen Knatchbull-Hugessen, 1st Baron Brabourne, PC, a British Liberal politician who served as Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department under Lord Russell in 1866, and under William Ewart Gladstone from 1868 to 1871. He was also Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies under Gladstone from 1871 to 1874. He was admitted to the Privy Council in 1873 and raised to the peerage as Baron Brabourne, of Brabourne in the County of Kent, in 1880.] [The High Sheriff of Kent was at the time Sir David Salomons, 1st Baronet, a leading figure in the 19th century struggle for Jewish emancipation in the United Kingdom, the first Jewish Sheriff of the City of London and Lord Mayor of London. Originating as a county gaol in 1808, Her Majesty's (HM) Prison Canterbury, in Kent, served as a Home Office archive during the First World War, as a Naval Detention Centre during the Second World War, and reopened in 1946 as a local prison to serve the courts of Kent. The prison formally closed on 31 March 2013, and was bought by Canterbury Christ Church University in April 2014.
1849London, 28 November 1849. Manuscript Signed Letter to approbate the cocoa served by the Royal Navy to its nearly 200,000 mariners, written by important Scottish chemist Andrew Ure. 8vo. Double-leaf measuring approximately 18.5 x 17 cm. Very good, original condition. A most unusual document of unexpected consequence. Together with a privately printed biography published in London 1874, featuring an original albumen portrait photograph frontis of Dr. Ure. Small 8vo. measuring 10.5 x 14.5 cm. 18, [3] pages, giltedged leafs, gilt tooled and titled green leather boards, minor wear to corners, otherwise in Very Good condition. The favourable result from a formal investigation of a specific company's cocoa purchased and consumed by the British Navy at 400 tonnes per year, Dr. Ure suggests that many English producers were at the time compromising quality during production, however, he confirms the purity of Graham & Hedley's Genuine Roll Cocoa which was manufactured in Liverpool. A new product, the cacao was moulded into rolls and stamped. For a fee of £10.10 and commissioned by the Lords of the Admiralty [Sir James Whitley Deans Dundas, &c.], this analysis may very well have secured enormous profitability and longevity for the chocolate company. Competitors immediately denounced the assessment, such as Taylor Brothers for example, whom stated that public preference or 'taste test' was all that truly mattered. Evidently significant not only to the Navy, but also to the public as a whole, Ure's letter was published in the "Law Times" volume 15, 1850. Subsequently, numerous publications touted Graham & Hedley's product as "the best preparation of cocoa for morning and evening meals.... advantageous for invalids to whom it is essential to have the article genuine... the most economical substance offered to the public... superior homeopathic cocoa..." and so on. Excerpt from the letter: "Having been employed by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to analyze and improve the Cocoa and Chocolate of which 400 tonnes are annually manufactured for Navy at the Deptford Victualling Yard... " "I take pleasure in testifying that the Roll Cocoa of Messrs Graham & Hedley of Liverpool is perfectly pure, and so well prepared as to afford with hot water or milk, a bland, aromatic, salubrious, and highly nutritious an article of diet." End Excerpts. The letter is accompanied by a rare biographical sketch which commemorates Dr. Ure's important works, a lovely volume printed for private distribution only. Excerpts from the book: "... To Dr. Ure belongs the honour of having taken the lead in a movement which has had incalculable power in developing national wealth... In 1809, when the Glasgow Observatory was about to be established, Dr. Ure came to London, commissioned to make the scientific arrangements. Here he met, and acquired the friendship of Maskelyne, Pond, Groombridge, and other Astronomers, and also of Davy, Wollaston, Henry, and other distinguished chemists of that day... in London... appointed in 1834, Chemist to the Board of Customs... important researches on sugar refining... his skill and accuracy as an analytic chemist were well known, as well as the ingenuity of the means employed in his researches..." Dr. Andrew Ure (1778-1857) was a Scottish physician, analytical chemist, and a highly respected professor of chemistry. A foremost (possibly the first) consulting chemist in Britain, doing much work in London where he settled in 1830, his work entailed investigative tours of several industries in England, Belgium and France, various government commissions such as the one outlined above, and speaking as an expert witness. His visits to English textile mills led to his famous publications of "The Philosophy of Manufactures" (1835) and "The Cotton Manufactures of Great Britain" (1836). His exposure to factory conditions led him to consider methods of heating and ventilation, and he is credited with being the first to describe a bi-metallic thermostat. "The Great Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines" (1837), was Ure's chief and most encyclopaedic work. In 1840 he helped found the Pharmaceutical Society. The Board of Commissioners for the Victualling of the Navy, often called the Victualling Commissioners or Victualling Board, was for 150 years the body responsible under the Navy Board for victualling ships of the British Royal Navy. It oversaw the vast operation of providing serving naval personnel (140,000 men in 1810) with enough food, drink and supplies to keep them fighting fit, sometimes for months at a time, in whatever part of the globe they might be stationed. It was in 1795 that Dr. Joseph Fry of Bristol employed a steam engine to grind cocoa beans, which led to the manufacture of chocolate on a large scale. By 1825 the Royal Navy purchased more cocoa than for the rest of Britain. It was considered perfectly nutritious beverage for sailors on watch duty, being hot and non-alcoholic was of further benefit. Sailors in the Atlantic Ocean and the Baltic Sea coined the term "chocolate gale" in reference to the cold wind from the northwest, which ultimately granted them the comforting treat. By the nineteenth century chocolate was being tested for commercial distribution as a "homeopathic" and "dietetic" product. According to Hassall's survey of British made chocolate, producers of homeopathic chocolates included Graham & Hedley, Taylor Brothers, Leaths, J.S. Fry & Sons, Cadbury, Barry and Company, Epps' and others. Manuscript
1827Northamptonshire, circa 1827-1828. Manuscript plan of Wadenhoe Wood, Bearshank Wood, showing a single building, perhaps an estate or farmhouse in the making. Drawn on gilt-edged paper watermarked 'Brocklesbey & Iorbey 1827.' Small 8vo. 4+ pages. Original ink drawings on 3 double-leafs, string-tied into paper wrappers inversely titled in manuscript, and placed into marbled paper covers. Item measuring approximately 20 x 33 cm, string-tied to margin, Fold at center, otherwise in Very Good condition. These charming hand drawn maps of Wadenhoe Wood, Bearshank Wood, and the grassy regions in between, show roads, the River Nene and some tributaries, and even foot bridges. Roughly within 5 miles of Little Wadenhoe Wood, on the map which shows the broadest scope of the region, is drawn a square indicative of an estate or farmhouse. The chart of Bearshank Wood draws a country road from Pilton to Benefield (which today connects Pilton Road to Harley Way), near which the home would be situated. A partial road also begins at Pilton and terminates between the forest and field regions. Wadenhoe is a village and civil parish in East Northamptonshire. It is best known for Wadenhoe House, a magnificent Jacobean manor built circa 1617, whose early residents include the Delacy family who were actively involved in the Gunpowder Plot, and George Ward Hunt - Chancellor of the Exchequer in the first Disraeli government later First Lord of the Admiralty (1874). The latter made some renovations to create a classical House of the period. Bearshank Wood was once a famous butterfly site; in the 1920s butterfly collectors would descend from far and wide to capture rarities such as chequered skippers and Duke of Burgundy fritillaries. Closed, dense woodland and conifer plantations are poor habitats for fussy butterflies, thus these and other remarkable butterflies disappeared from here decades ago. Manuscript
1928Three (3) original signatures of Hardy Amies, the couturier for Queen Elizabeth for some thirty-nine years, contained in three books from his personal library, and each also containing his bookplate. 8vo. Three volumes each signed and dated by Amies to front endpaper, very slight wear to boards, otherwise in Very Good condition, signed on crisp, clean leafs. Sir Edwin Hardy Amies, KCVO (1909-2003), was a British fashion designer, best known for being the dress designer for HM Queen Elizabeth II for thirty-nine years. In the 1930s Amies rose to become one of Britain's leading couturiers and his salon was one of the few to rival the great dress houses of Paris. After a successful pre-war career as a designer in other people’s fashion houses, Amies opened his own establishment at 14 Savile Row in 1946. In 1950 Amies made several outfits for Elizabeth's royal tour to Canada (then Princess Elizabeth). He received the award of a Royal Warrant as official dressmaker in 1955. One of his best known creations is the gown he designed in 1977 for Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee portrait. Knighted in 1989, Amies held the warrant until 1990, when he gave it up so that younger designers could create for the Queen. He was also the couturier for Lady Alice Egerton, who was appointed as lady-in-waiting to the young Princess Elizabeth in 1949, and who would go on to become Woman of the Bedchamber when Elizabeth became queen in 1953. For three years he travelled and worked in France and Germany; becoming fluent in both countries' languages. Amies worked for a customs agent and then as an English tutor in Antibes, and later in Bendorf, Germany where in 1928 he acquired one of these volumes for his library. Around the same time, another of the volumes was acquired in a village on the Mosel River. He returned to England in 1930. The third volume is signed by him in 1933 and appears to have been gifted to him by famous Austrian writer Karl Heinrich Waggerl. Manuscript
1848[England], September 1848. Manuscript notes on the treatment of cholera by R. Baikie, former surgeon in the Madras Medical Service, made during the second cholera pandemic, and transcribed by an unknown nineteenth century hand. 8vo. Double leaf measuring 11 x 18 cm, watermarked with the year 1848. Very good condition. Written during the second cholera pandemic,which erupted in 1839 and persisted until 1856, and at the onset of the outbreak in London, British physician Dr. Baikie's notes examine early hydrotherapy treatments by Vincenz Priessnitz and Heinrich Friedrich Francke, leaders in the study and cure of the disease in the mid-1800s. Most interestingly, the cures prescribed here are partly accurate and partly opposite to what science have since discovered to be effective. For example,while continued eating aids in the speed of recovery of normal intestinal function, herein the experts suggest eating as little as possible. However, continuous hydration with fluid intake was also prescribed, and remains a paramount part of treatment today. [Robert Baikie, MD, was a military surgeon with the Thirty-sixth Native Infantry in Madras, retiring from service in 1844.] Indeed, as Baikie predicts, in 1849, a second major outbreak spread across Europe. In London, it was the worst outbreak in the city's history, claiming 14,137 lives, over twice as many as the 1832 outbreak, and also claiming 5,308 lives in the major port city of Liverpool. Excerpts from the letter: "It will doubtless at this time, when cholera appears to be rapidly approaching, be both interesting & useful to know how the disease was treated by the celebrated Priessnitz of Graefenberg, during the last epidemic of 1832-33, when, as stated from good authority he had from 30-40 cases brought to him , & did not lose one. The subjoined was taken down from his own lips by a German friend who communicated it to me..." "[from Priessnitz]... In light cases it was found sufficient to use sitting baths at 59 degrees continued in some cases so long as two hours, with uninterrupted friction of the abdomen & extremities, plentiful drinking of cold water, & thereafter 1 or 2 clysters... In several cases where cramps... paralysis had already come on, the patient was put into a half bath... rubbed while every part of the body attained natural warmth... several hours... then packed in a wet sheet till gentle perspiration came on... frequent enemata of cold water, & sitting baths... according as severe pain in the belly or cramps in the bowels occurred... The after cure consisted of repeated wet packing, 2 long side baths daily, 2 enemata daily, & compress round the body. The patient to eat as little as possible... light white bread & cold water being the best diet." [end] "... The mode of treatment recommended by his celebrated scholar Francke (Rausse)... used the sitting baths & shallow baths at a temperature of 65 degrees to 68 degrees & not more than 20 minutes... Instead of the wet packing, he put the patient to bed, & covered him up warm... washed in a half bath, or if very weak, gently washed down in bed..." "The case above described, which occurred just after M. Franke's melancholy death, was treated on his principles by his pupil & assistant M. Halin." End Excerpts. Vincenz Priessnitz, also written Prießnitz (1799-1851) was a peasant farmer in Gräfenberg, Austrian Silesia, who is generally considered the founder of modern hydrotherapy, which is used in alternative and orthodox medicine. Priessnitz stressed remedies such as suitable food, air, exercise, rest and water, over conventional medicine. Priessnitz gave water treatments to patients of the Great Cholera Pandemic of 1832. Heinrich Friedrich Francke (1805-1848) (Pseudonym: J. H. Rausse) was an expert in hydrotherapy, and wrote several papers on the subject beginning in 1839. His enthusiasm for the treatment method came after a water cure with Priessnitz in Gräfenberg, 1838. Francke subsequently opened his own cold water treatment facilities. Manuscript
1512Spain, 1512. Manuscript will and testament, in Latin, of Anthonio Colonier from the Catalan village of Arenys de Munt, dated Calella, 8 May 1512. Folio, 27 x 34 cm, written in a neat scribal hand on vellum. Some age-toning, otherwise in very good condition, a rare manuscript document surviving over 500 years. Latin Manuscript Will and Testament of Catalan Farmer from Arenys de Munt, 1512. The will and testament of Anthonio Colonier, a farmer from the Catalan village of Arenys de Munt in the outskirts of Calella (where the will was signed) and north of Barcelona. In it, Colonier names his daughter, Eulalie, as his legitimate heir. Arenys de Munt is a municipality in the comarca of the Maresme in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated inland from the coast, in the el Corredor range. It retains a textile industry and is also known for the production of strawberries, cherries and liqueurs. (Arenys is Catalan for "sands (of a seasonal creek)" and de Munt for "up hill"). Manuscript
1971First American edition. Hardcover. 341 pages. Inscribed, "To Casper Citron with Best Wishes"... Heyerdahl 9.14.1971 on half-title page. B&W illustrations and 111 colour photographs of his expeditions. Dark green cloth with dustjacket slightly chipped at extremities, otherwise, in very good condition. Heyerdahl, the Kon-Tiki explorer, describes his two trips from Africa to South America aboard papyrus reed boats, proving it is possible.
1901Reading (Berkshire, England), 1901-1923. Manuscript minute book for the Reading Rifle Club, established in 1900, containing all particulars of its growing membership, annual shooting programs and competitions, rules and regulations, financial statements, and the like, recorded in various hands over the years and containing several original signatures. A few of the club's printed documents, some manuscript letters from members, and newspaper clippings are tipped in. Together with a printed pocketsize 9 page handbook of the club's rules. 8vo. 218 pages on watermarked lined paper. Half calf over dark teal cloth boards titled in gilt to spine, original marbled endpapers, bookbinder's label to front pastedown. Endpapers reinforced at seam, otherwise in very good condition, a most interesting volume dealing with shooting as a sanctioned pastime. A fine example of a pre-war shooting club, nineteenth century firearms etiquette, and freedom to enjoy skilled gunnery competition. Gaining popularity and new members every year from its opening season, the Reading Rifle Club appears to have been most diligently managed, every one of its meetings being recorded in this manuscript minute book. Entries are wide-ranging in subject matter, some topics up for discussion being entrance fees and prizes, monthly competitions, an annual challenge cup, subscriptions, nominations and elections for leadership and administrative posts, expenses and receipts, ammunition purchases, firearms kept onsite, new members, annual shooting programs and competitions, rules and protocol, scoring, handicapping, dividing competitors into classes, the daily pay rate for the range warden, special use of the firing range, and so forth. Meetings were very regular from the turn of the century until 1914, then reduced rather abruptly owing to the Great War, during which time most of the members would have been in service, putting their shooting skills to practical use. Many captains are named as members, being of the British Army or the Royal Navy, many surely being attached to the pre-First World War Berkshire Yeomanry. Further research may find some notable persons. Being a legitimate and accredited pastime promoting honest and skilful competition, the member roll also included reverends. [In 2009 the National Rifle Association of the United Kingdom celebrated its 150th Anniversary. Today the association is primarily concerned with civilian full-bore target rifle shooting, although retaining its military heritage and close links with the British Armed Forces. Similarly, the Reading Rifle Club would have attracted Captains and Colonels of the Royal Armed Forces.] Incidences of special interest include experimentation with a patent target machine, a disconcerting matter of irregular entries on a score card, possible embezzlement of subscription money, a shooter having an epileptic seizure, and a proposal for establishing a summer camp at Clacton-on-Sea together with the Colchester Rifle Club. We also find occasional mention of Churn Camp, which was at the time in Berkshire, and another popular place for men of the Berkshire Yeomanry. Indeed a pastime requiring fastidious safety monitoring and honorable sportsmanship, frequent mention is made of the governing body of full bore rifle and pistol shooting sports, the National Rifle Association (NRA), which had been founded only forty years earlier in 1859. The Reading Rifle Club was affiliated to it. [The National Rifle Association was based at Putney Heath & Wimbledon Common, in south-west London, 12 years before its better known American cousin.] Manuscript