Dickens: Manuscripts & Paper Collectibles, Letter (29 results)

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. On one side of 9 x 6 cm piece section from a letter and laid down on slightly larger and thicker piece of paper. In good condition, lightly aged. Reads: '[.] / to subscribe myself / Your faithful Servant / W. Harrison Ainsworth. / Kensal Manor House, / Harrow Road. / March Four. 1843.' See IMage.

Pamphlet. 7p., stapled wraps, 5.5 x 8.25 inches, small sticker scar on front wrap else very good condition.

Pamphlet. 7p., stapled wraps, 5.5x8.5 inches, very good condition.

See the two men's entries in the Oxford DNB. The present item, is on one side of an 11 x 6.5 cm slip of paper, cut from a letter and laid down on a 12.5 x 8 cm piece of card. In good condition, lightly aged. Very slightly smudged by Leech. Reads: '[.] very low. until I see / you Believe me / Yours Ever Faithfully / John Leech. / Martin . F. Tupper Esq / &c. &c. &c.' See Image. Leech illustrated at least one book by Tupper ("The Crock of Gold").

No Binding. Condition: Good. The present item gives an indication of the high spirits, though hardly the brilliant wit , which, according to Quin s entry in the Oxford DNB, afforded him a welcome to high society. 3pp, 16mo. Bifolium, with second leaf slightly damaged at foot by removal from mount. The body of the letter reads: Dear Jesse / Don t you or your fair friends forget Supper at Vun Undred and Vunety Vun Mount Street tomorrow Saturday night at 11 oclock or as soon after it as you can come. / N.B. "No Dogs admitted on these premises under a severe fine & penalty." / thine & my unhappy Country / God save the Quin. Longish postscript asks to know when he is likely to arrive - so that a hot dish I have ordered may not be spilt by waiting. Do you understand Eh? See image of pp.2/3.

Paper. Condition: Good. First Edition. An Original Handwritten and Signed Letter by Barrister and Youngest son of Charles Dickens Sir Henry Fielding Dickens. Dated 1918. A confirmation letter to say he will attend the Annual Dinner at the Green Room Club. Sir Henry Fielding Dickens, 1849-1933 was an English barrister, who served as a KC and Common Serjeant of London. He was the eighth of ten children born to English author Charles Dickens and his wife Catherine, and the last surviving child of Dickens. Size is 177mm x 112mm. Condition is good. Light folding crease. More images can be taken upon request. Ref 18812. Signed by Author(s).

2 SS. 8vo. An den Maler, Kunstautor und Sekretär der Society of Graphic Arts Frank L. Emmanuel (18651948): In turning over my papers, which had been sadly disarranged by the hand of a new servant, I have this morning come across a letter from you in which you convey the kind invitation of the Society of Graphic Art that I should become an Original Honorary Member. Although the communication had been opened, I fear I must have failed to read its contents or to grasp its purpose, otherwise I certainly should not have delayed in accepting this invitation and thanking the members of the Society for the honour they propose to offer me [.]". Auf Briefpapier mit gedr. Adresse.

Talfourd's entry in the Oxford DNB notes that he was 'particularly loved' by Dickens, and that he 'provided the archetype of the idealistic Tommy Traddles in David Copperfield; his children Frank and Kate gave their names to two youngsters in Dickens's Nicholas Nickleby.' The subject of the letter is the actor Henry Thomas Betty (1819-1897), son of 'the young Roscius' Henry Betty (1791-1874), whose entry in the ODNB also see. 1p, 4to. In good condition, lightly aged, and with slight traces of mount on reverse. Folded for postage. Begins: 'My dear Sir, / Mr. Henry Betty, the Son of the sometime famed young Roscius, is about to perform in your Town; - and, among other parts, proposes to try that of Thoas in my Play of "The Athenian Captive". He is a very meritorious youth; - and if you should know any play-going people (now alas! a small remnant) in the neighbourhood whom you could inspire with a wish to see him either in that or in better parts, you would very much oblige, My dear Sir, / Your's most truly / T N Talfourd'. See Image.

The subject of this article is discussed by William M. Johnston, in his article 'William Kinglake's "A Summer in Russia": A Neglected Memoir of Saint Petersburgh in 1845' (TSLL, Spring 1967). The memoir was published anonymously by Ainsworth in the New Monthly Magazine, of which he was editor and proprietor, in three parts, but a German translation in the same year revealed Kinglake's identity. See the entries for Ainsworth and Kinglake in the Oxford DNB. An interesting letter, casting light on Victorian journalistic practices. 4pp, 12mo. Forty lines of text. On a bifolium. In fair condition, aged and worn, with strips of paper adhering to blank areas at head and foot of the reverse of the second leaf. Folded for postage. The recipient is not named. Signed 'W. Harrison Ainsworth.' Begins: 'My dear Sir. I received your Russian Tour at breakfast this morning, and since then I have read it with great interest - an unusual instance for me, for extensive familiarity with manuscripts has not tended to increase my partiality for them. But your paper is not only well written, but very lively and amusing, and I have got through it with great satisfaction to myself. Under these circumstances you will not wonder that I gladly accept it for the New Monthly; and I only regret that I cannot, owing to the Mag[azin]e. being already made up, commence in next No.' He will however 'send the paper incontinently to the Printer, with directions to him to forward proofs' to the writer's address. He suggests dividing the paper 'into chapters with separate headings'. He asks how he proposes to 'entitle it', and whether he wishes to attach his name to it. He would be pleased to make his acquaintance, and suggests that they dine at the Parthenon Club in Regent Street the following Friday, 'when we can talk matters over'. If that is not possible, he suggests that they dine 'here, en famille, on Sunday next at six, likewise'. See Image.

See Wendy Trewin, 'The Royal General Theatrical Fund: a history, 1838-1988' (1989), and Macqueen-Pope's entry in the Oxford DNB. ONE: Carbon copy of letter from Macqueen-Pope to Allen, 15 May 1953, with three drafts of advertisement. 4pp, 4to. On four leaves. The letter, on the first page, is somewhat grubby, with rust spotting from paper clip, the other three leaves, each of which carries a proposed version of the advertisment, in good condition, lightly aged. The letter begins: 'Dear Jack Allen, / Herewith three rough samples for the proposed advertisement concerning the Fund. We should of course add the name of Leslie Henson as President, wherever you think best. I will try and knock out a few more. They are intended as basic ideas only and can be altered by the Board or discarded altogether.' He is 'down with a sharp attack of bronchitis' and is 'Not by any means out of the wood yet'. He believes the 'lack of new recruits' is because 'they do not think the Pensino good enough. People today think in very different terms of money to those we knew. And that I fear is our great problem.' One draft begins: 'You Belong to the / Most Precarious Profession in the World / You Cannot Do Anything about that / BUT / You Can Provide for Yourself and / Face the Future. [last word deleted and replaced in MP's autograph with 'Years to Come'] / That is the reason for / The Royal General Theatrical Fund / It is the Profession's Own Way of / Safeguarding the Future / Get into touch with the Secretary at / 11 Garrick Street. London W.C.2 / Phone / The Younger You Join the Less You Pay / And there is a Secured Income for you at Sixty / Not only that - you never lose what you have paid in. / Youth's A Thing Will Not Endure - so Shakespeare said / but / The Royal General Theatrical Fund will take care of / Your Old Age.' Another version begins 'You Are Young Now. Old Age Seems a Long Way off. / But is it? / You will be surprised how quietly and relentlessly it approaches. / Old Age is a serious thing to those who belong to / The Theatrical Profession.' It ends '[Pr]ivacy. Proficiency. Providence.' TWO: Corrected draft of circular, 27 November 1957. 1p, 4to. Typewritten letter, with list of 'BUSINESS.' Reads 'Dear Sir or Madam, / The usual monthly meeting of the Directors will be held here on Wednesday, 4th December, 1957, at 12 noon. / Trusting you will be able to be present, / I am, / Yours faithfully, / J. MAYHEW ALLEN, / Secretary.' The 'BUSINESS', which include ' "My Fair Lady" benefit performance' and 'Elsie Coram', have been deleted in pencil and replaced in MP's autograph with 'Wolfit / Robert [Ormsby?] / Peter Ustinov / Richardson / Michael Redgrave'. Above this is written 'Mrs Long'. After the body of the letter MP has written, in ink, 'W. Macqueen-Pope Esq'. See Image.

It is hard to overestimate the impact of 'Ion' on Victorian audiences in Britain and America. According to Talfourd's entry in the Oxford DNB, the play was 'first performed at Covent Garden Theatre, London, on his birthday, 26 May 1836. He had circulated the play privately to influential individuals, including Wordsworth, Robert Southey, and Gladstone, which ensured that the theatre was packed with the most distinguished audience contemporary reviewers could remember, including Dickens, Robert Browning, Walter Savage Landor, Pitt, Melbourne, Lord Chief Justice Denman, Lord Grey, and Lady Blessington. Ion caused a sensation and remained popular for many years. [.] The political impact of Ion was increased by the known republican sympathies of the actor in the leading role, William Charles Macready. [.] Ion was seen as a stage play of lasting stature. It was performed continuously for over a year and consistently revived in London until at least 1861. It was even more popular in the United States, where the transvestite actress Ellen Tree performed in it repeatedly. ' 1p, 12mo. Aged and spotted with a small lengthened hole causing loss to three words of text. Folded twice. Reads: 'Mr. Sergt. Talfourd presents his compliments to Mrs. Walter and takes the liberty of sending her a copy of a little dramatic [p]oem which is not published but pr[in]ted for private circulation among tho[s]e whose kindness may induce them to look indulgently on its slender claims to their attention. / Reading / 21 October 1835'. See image.

Dickens, Charles (1812-1870) - Autograph letter signed matted with carte de visite photograph English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. Charles Dickens partial autograph letter signed and original carte de visite photograph. One partial page, 4.5 x 3.25 inch (visible), no place, no date. The last three lines of a letter with closing and his typical signature "Charles Dickens". In full: ". here no thought of coming to Ireland again, but I hope you will let me know when you in England whenever you come here." Together with a 2.5 x 4.0 inch carte de visite photograph. A sepia toned head and shoulders portrait of Dickens with PRINTED signature at bottom. With London Stereoscopic & Photographic Company backmark. Handsomely matted in gray to an overall of 7.75 x 11.75 inch. Both items removable affixed with photo corners. Letter is slightly toned with some soiling, minor paper loss, but not affecting the fine signature. Carte de visite with minor handling wear, else good condition. COMES WITH A CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY BY ANDREAS WIEMER HISTORICAL AUTOGRAPHS. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.

No Binding. Condition: Fine. DICKENS, CHARLES. (1812-1870). Beloved English novelist. Choice, and apparently unpublished Autograph Letter Signed, Charles Dickens . One full page, octavo. 3 Albion Villas, Folkstone, Wednesday August 1855 . To Albert Smith . Handsomely matted and framed with an engraved portrait of Dickens in a simple black wood frame, measuring approximately 11 x 13 inches. Dickens writes: Chamoni [sp?] shall have my sovereign willingly, and you shall come down here to collect it , whenever you feel disposed for a quiet Sunday s rest. Write and tell me so. Have been away for a few days or would have answered your note sooner. Faithfully yours always, Charles Dickens . Charles Dickens rented 3 Alblion Villas during the summer months (1855-1857) and wrote part of Little Dorrit there. This letter does not appear in The Charles Dickens Letters Project , and thus is apparently unpublished. ALBERT RICHARD SMITH. (1816 1860) English author, entertainer, and mountaineer; In August 1851 he ascended Mont Blanc; a year later published a book about his adventures, The Story of Mont Blanc , and produced at the Egyptian Hall, a show called Mont Blanc , describing the ascent of the mountain, which became the most popular exhibition of the kind ever known. Just a choice piece for the Dickens collector, beginner or advanced!

No Binding. Condition: Near Fine. DICKENS, CHARLES. (1812-1870). English novelist. Autograph Letter Signed, ''Charles Dickens'' with a big, bold paraph under his signature. One full page, octavo. ''Paris, 49 Avenue des Champs-Élysées'', January 7, 1856. Fine condition. To Mr. Edmund Wardley. Dickens writes: ''Sir, Having returned here, and not having any present occasion for visiting London, I am unable to see the girl in whom you are interested. But if you will make an appointment which will enable her to be spoken with by the lady who will forward this note to you, she will report her opinion of the case to me and no time shall be lost in deciding on it. Your obedient servant, Charles Dickens''. Letters written from Dickens travels abroad are somewhat uncommon, and for the collector of Dickens, this is a fine example. The topic probably refers to Dickens work with assisting fallen women to get jobs in better positions than their former occupations, something he was devoted to, offering not only his support, but his financial backing.

8vo. 1 1/2 pp. Gedr. Briefkopf. An den deutschen Musiker Moritz Nabich: Incessant occupations and the hopeless impossibility of keeping pace with the vast number of correspondents who everyday address me, have rendered it quite out of my power to return an earlier reply to your letter. Even now, I can only beg you not to suppose me insensible of your anxieties or your confidence, when I reply to it that I must excuse myself from acceding to your request. I am not a professional judge of music or musician. I could be of no service to you and I have as many demands on my time and attention as I can in any reason satisfy. Therefore, I have not broken the seals of your packet. []".

8vo. 1 page. In French to Francois Régnier informing that he has not invited Augustin Eugène Scribe for dinner because of his wife's ill health, but hoping that Regnier willvisit.

8vo. 1 page. To Charles Coote. Dickens gratefully acknowledgingHousehold Songs .I am happy to see my name in that association, and intend to sit down this evening and hear them all, one after another, from beginning to end".

1 p. Large-4to. Printed letterhead Office of the Daily News". Minor stains. Concerning matters of the Daily News, which will not be published until next year, to the railway engineer John Scott Russell, whom he is appointing as the person responsible for railway matters for the newspaper.. I am happy to conclude the arrangement on the altered terms you suggest.In reference to the manner of paying your salary I would observe that it is not within my province; and that Messrs: Bradbury & Evans will be happy to arrange that part of the subject with you .""In 1844, Dickens moved to the publishing house Bradbury & Sons and was to be, albeit for only 20 days, the first editor of the Daily News.

4 pages, 8vo. Bluish ink. All edges gilt. Slightly stained. Small tear along the fold. To Thomas Chapman, chairman of the committee of the Sanatorium, a private London care home for the emerging middle class, which had been initiated in 1842 by Dr. Thomas Southwood-Smith, promoted by Dickens, and funded through membership contributions.. I made a suggestion to Dr. Smith to day, in reference to our Sanatorium Dinner, which I was amazed to find from him made last year. As it has occurred to others, as well as to myself, I am strongly inclined to think there is something in it.It is, that we shall have Ladies to dine. I truly believe that it would have an immense effect upon our success would make a brilliant and striking sight would be clearly chronicled in the papers and would at once give our dinners a distinctive and graceful character.There is a special reason in our case for having them. We address classes, including great numbers of ladies we have had ladies in our house (I don't allude to Mrs. Gibbons) we have a ladies' committee our object has strong claims upon mothers whose sons are away from home upon sisters and all kinds of womanly relations. Of the impulse it would give our dinner, I have not the slightest doubt.If all the members of the committee really interested, would promise to bring each one his pair of ladies at least, the thing is done. I, for one, would pledge myself to do so, instantly.The sale of the ladies' tickets might be left with the stewards, or better still with our committee of ladies. But I am pretty certain they would be in great demand . / Do think of this again. I write to you in great haste before going out to dinner; that as you and Dr. Smith and Mr. Ricardo are to meet tomorrow mor- ning . I am anxious that you should be in the receipt of this, tonight ."Although Prince Consort Albert served as president of the Sanatorium, the then-novel concept ultimately failed to gain acceptance.

8vo. 2½ pp. on bifolium. To Mr. Breach, the proprietor of the Folkestone Inn, where Dickens stayed for three days while travelling to Boulogne-sur-Mer on Sunday, June 12th. Dickens mis-dated this letter as, according to another letter in the VanderPoel Dickens collection (A85) written from Folkestone dated Saturday the 11th, this letter, written on Thursday, would have been the 9th of June. In his letter Dickens asks the proprietor to have a "quiet and cheerful" room prepared for him and his family who plan on coming for the summer. Dickens was particularly fond of Boulogne as, the previous summer, he had completed two chapters of "Bleak House" while vacationing there. - Minor overall toning; brown spot to upper middle crease. - Provenance: from a Chicago-area private collection. - Edgar Johnson, 756-759; The VanderPoel Dickens Collection, A85.

8vo. 2¾ pp. on bifolium. To Dr. Frederick Salmon complaining of some aches and pains. Dickens and his wife went to stay at the White Hart Hotel in Windsor on November 6th, the day after Dickens completed his novel "Barnaby Rudge". The trip was meant to provide some rest and relaxation for Dickens who had completed "The Old Curiosity Shop" and "Barnaby Rudge" back to back, and had recently undergone major surgery. Dr. Frederick Salmon had performed surgery on Dickens in October of 1841 for a fistula of the rectum, a procedure for which Salmon was renowned. In this letter, Dickens' describes his pain and references the operation with his typical wit, noting "all manner of queer pains were floating about my illustrious person [.] now (but not often) shooting through that region which you have made as tender as my heart [.]". Dickens tells his doctor that he is feeling "immeasurably better" and asks whether Salmon would like to make his follow up visit tomorrow rather than Tuesday. - Light soiling to creases; evidence of removal of wax seal. Property from a Private Chicago-area Collection. Provenance: The Comte Alain de Suzannet Dickens Collection Sold: Sotheby's, London, November 22-23, 1971.

8vo. 2 pp. Mourning border. To Thomasina Ross, translator of "El Buscapié," a pastiche of Cervantes by Adolfo de Castro y Rossi, published in Spanish in 1844 and which deceived many scholars. Dickens looks forward to reading it by the fireside and mentions a portrait of Cervantes that cannot be confused with that of Castro.I thank you very cordially for your kind recollection of me. I look forward to putting my feet on the fender tonight, and thoroughly enjoying a prodigious cold in the head, and El Buscapie, together. It is comfortable to see this portrait of Cervantes. It strikes me that the former one must be a true likeness of the rash and miserable man who produced a second part of Don Quixote, and that his unworthy visage has come to be confounded in the mind of some collector with that of our immortal friend.I am very sorry to hear of your father's indisposition. But it is very pleasant to me to be remember of him, and I hope you will tell him so with my warm regards. []".

8vo. 2 pp. Laid-down, staining from an old mount at the edge. To the composer and performer John L. Hatton, regretting that he has "not the least knowledge of any musical person in America"; adding that he is happy offering testimony to his "merits as an accomplished musician and composer, and as one whom he would much desire to see employed at home here in the lucrative exercise of his knowledge and abilities, as to have no leisure for 'fresh fields and pastures new'". Dickens writes a testimonial on behalf of the composer and performer John Liptrot Hatton, who was about to undertake a tour of the United States: 'In August 1848 [Hatton] first visited America, remaining there until the spring of 1850, when he returned in order to accompany Sims Reeves on a tour; he went again to America in the following September. His playing and singing were alike admired, and he introduced some of Mendelssohn's music to the Boston public. At no time was he troubled by artistic scruples, and it was often uncertain whether the place allotted to him in the programme would be occupied by one of Bach's fugues or by a comic song of his own composition. It is said that his hearers were delighted with a song called "The Sleigh Ride," in the course of which he produced "realistic" effects by means of bells tied to his leg' (J. A. F. Maitland, DNB). See the Pilgrim edition of The Letters of Charles Dickens, volume 5, 1981, p. 382.

framed. Condition: Very Good. SIGNED DICKENS LETTER DESCRIBING A THEATRICAL READING OF DAVID COPPERFIELD, FAMILY LIFE, AND A SUPERNATURAL OCCURRENCE WITH A WOMAN. In 1863, a well-renowned Charles Dickens continued a speaking tour of Paris and London. Dickens's readings were dramatic occurrences, the product of a deep affection for the theatrical. A younger Dickens had attempted to embark on an acting career in 1832, but after missing an audition, he encountered success with writing, and decided that he need not pursue acting. Still, his acting ability remained highly visible in his readings. Dickens utilized a performance mode known as 'monopolylogue,' performing alone, and using variations in voice, expression, and movement to represent different characters. These public performances proved massively popular. One viewer described: "character after character appeared [.] before us, living and breathing, in the flesh." By the 1860s, Dickens, for all of his popular success, found himself in need of more income. Resultantly, his public readings, which had initially been for charity, became a financial endeavor in addition to a creative one. It is not unfair to suggest that Dickens's allegiance to the dramatic expressions of his own work in addition to his exhaustive speaking tour, may have contributed to an early death from stroke [Ferguson; Forés López]. In this letter written on his Gad's Hill Place stationery dated "Saturday, thirtieth of May, 1863" to close friend Captain Cavendish Boyle, Dickens writes of an upcoming reading of The Poor Traveler. Dickens promises to ensure that Boyle gets good seat placement if he attends. Given the large demand for Dickens' readings, good seats were not a giveneven for someone of Boyles' elevated status (he was later knighted). Dickens then reflects upon a reading of David Copperfield, his favorite to read aloud (as noted in this letter) which took place in the Hanover Square Room in London. This reading comprised part of a series of performances, from March to early June of 1862. Again, Dickens was renowned for his reading ability and so the 'enthusiastic and quick' audience was likely a testament to that talent. [Ferguson; Forés López] Dickens begins the letter by detailing his effort to find a tutor for his then eleven-year-old son Edward 'Plorn' Dickens. Dickens had separated from his wife Catherine Hogwarth, Plorn's mother, five years earlier in 1858, after falling in love with a young English actress named Ternan. In this letter, after receiving Boyle's tutor recommendation for Plorn, a certain highgate gentleman, Dickens responds with thanks, and promises to reach out to the individual. These educational aspirationsfinding a tutor to take Plorn until he had reached adulthood never fully materialized. Dickens later wrote that Plorn had always sought for a, "steady, constant purpose." This purpose, as it was realized in 1868, was not formal education, but migration to Australia at age 16. To Plorn, Dickens remained deeply affectionate, even after his departure to Australia. [Dickens] Lastly, Dickens speaks of a dream he had, including a certain Miss Napier. As Dickens wrote in an earlier letter, the Thursday two days prior, he had dreamed of a lady in a red shawl, with her back towards him. When Dickens turned to meet the Lady, she told him her name was Miss Napier. Dickens did not know any woman named Miss Napier, and so he dismissed the dream. However, that Friday, after a reading, Captain Boyle and his sister Mary Boyle introduced him to a woman with the same name and appearance [Forster]. In this letter, Dickens clarifies that, as an individual used to reflecting on his own, "mental phenomena," he is certain that he remembers the dream exactly. He seems to regard this eerie pre-knowledge as the, "only instance of such a thing that I ever got close to." In other words, this is an instance of the supernatural. Dickens concludes the letter by referring to Mary. This would be Mary Boyle, whom Dickens met in 1849 at Rockingham castle. The two had developed a friendship while acting together in amateur performances. Dickens once referred to her as the best amateur actress he ever met. The two became close friends and carried out a correspondence of mock flirtation. [Dickens Journal] This unique letter demonstrates a wide breadth of Dickens' experiences in the 1860s: caring for his son's education, excited and exhausted by a speaking tour, deeply committed to the dramatic, and highly affectionate with his friends. The letter provides insight into Dickens's mind. Initially owned by Dr. R.T. Jupp, a collector in London, then sold at Anderson Galleries on February 1st and 2nd, 1922. Jupp seems to have initially bought this letter in the early 20th century from famed New York bookseller Harry F. Marks, with documentation included. The letter reads in full: "Saturday Thirtieth May 1863. My Dear Boyle. Many thanks for your kind letter. My object being, to find out a tutor with whom my boy (now eleven) could remain a tutor also could take him now, and keep him until 16 or 20-I thinkthe Highgate gentleman seems the most likely for the purpose. I will therefore pursue that scent, keeping the letter you enclosed me, to refer to, for a few days longer. I read the Poor Traveller on Friday the 12th of June. If you come, let me know, and I will take care you are placed near me. There was quite a tremendous demonstration with my favorite reading, Copperfield, last night. I have never seen such an enthusiastic and quick audience: no, not even when I read in Paris. That curious circumstance about Miss Napier, is the only instance of such a thing that I ever got close to. Being pretty steadily in the habit of observing the mental phenomena of my own spirit, I am perfectly certain that the case stands exactly and precisely as I stated it to Mary. Ever Yours, Charles Dickens [signed]." Letter measures 9 by 7 inches written on Dickens' Gad's Hill Place letterhead, folded once to make four 4 ½ b.

No Binding. Condition: Fine. DICKENS, CHARLES. (1812-1870). English novelist. Superb early, Autograph Letter Signed, ''Charles Dickens''. One full page, quarto. 48 Doughty Street, London, January 19, 1838 . To Thomas Lydely. Neatly inlaid into a larger leaf. Integral [on the verso], is a postal leaf, addressed and signed in full by Dickens. The 48 Doughty Street location from where this letter was written is important, and is now the CHARLES DICKENS MUSEUM, which was Dickens home from 1837 1839. Charles and his bride, Catherine, along with his sister-in-law Mary Hogarth, lived here a year after his marriage. It is the only surviving London house owned by Dickens, where he worked on his early tales. During this time, he would serialize Oliver Twist, to be first published in Bentley s Miscellany, a British monthly magazine, starting February 1837, through April 1839. Charles Dickens was its first editor. Oliver Twist first appeared in Bentley s as part of his serial ''The Mudfog Papers.'' In this letter to Thomas Lydely, of the Worcester Herald, in which Dickens has stricken the word Herald, and replaced it with Office , Dickens remarks on the ''Irish Tale,'' which was presumably at Bentley s, and alludes to plot details in upcoming issues of Oliver Twist. The letter in full: ''I write to you very briefly, to save the Post. I shall be very happy to avail myself of the Temptation which has only been delayed by a great press of matter, and which you will see at all in the March Number, [The introduction of Monks] unless something extraordinary should occur to prevent it. The 'Irish Tale' I should imagine must be at Bentley s. Depend on it that either his people or those at Peel s have made some mistake. It was returned to one or another place from here, but my brother shall enquire into it. I shall be glad to receive the refusal of your papers, and am, Very Truly Yours, Charles Dickens.'' Oliver Twist would be the only work published by Bentley s and because of disagreements with Richard Bentley, Dickens resigned his position as editor in February 1839. Bentley separately published Dicken s Oliver Twist the year this letter was written with the title ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy s Progress, by Boz.'' What the Irish Tale Dickens refers to here remains elusive. Letters written from this early period of Dickens life are almost unobtainable, and those with significant content and reference to his major writings at this time are even more so. Just an exceptional letter.

No Binding. Condition: Fine. DICKENS, CHARLES. (1812-1870) English novelist of the Victoria era. Autograph Statement Signed, ''Charles Dickens'', with a big bold paraph under his signature. One page, octavo. ''Tavistock House, London, Eight April, 1857''. Dickens writes: ''I beg to state that I give my free consent, on the solicitation of Mr. King of St. Michael s Hill, Bristol, to the admission into this country, of one copy of the Leipzig reprint of David Copperfield, and one Copy of a Liepzig reprint of Pickwick (I being the author of both books) brought over by a German passenger from Germany Manilla [sic] in the Hamberg ship Martahan Charles Dickens''. During Dickens visit to the United States in 1842, he campaigned vigorously for an international copyright law. He realized that he had lost income when his The Pickwick Papers was published in the US in 1837 by publishing pirate firms. On this visit, he met with Henry Clay, Daniel Webster and even President John Tyler to press the need for an international copyright. Under the British Copyright Act of 1842; that law provided for the copyright period to last for the lifetime of the author plus 7 years, or for 42 years from first publication, whichever was longer. In this signed statement, Dickens is acknowledging, and allowing for the importation into the UK of a German edition of his works. He was thus ensuring that his hard earned efforts in establishing copyright protections were being met in this way. A very fine letter. Any mention, of any of his better know works, merits special consideration by the serious collector. When two of his greatest works are mentioned in the same letter, then that is a letter of very special qualities indeed!

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. 'Believe me, my Lord, that I am deeply sensible of this high token, and that I shall ever regard the title with a pride and pleasure much too deep for words.' A letter in which a young Charles Dickens writes from the Royal Hotel, Edinburgh, expressing his gratitude to the Lord Provost of Edinburgh (Sir James Forrest) for the distinguished honour of granting the young novelist the freedom of the city in June 1841. Claire Tomalin writes 'He left an unseasonably cold London to travel north with Catherine, to a warm and enthusiastic welcome. Crowds gathered round their hotel, and over 250 gentlemen attended the public dinner in his honour' ( Charles Dickens, A Life - Viking 2011) 1 page, 7 x 4.5 inches, in excellent, near fine condition, with a main crease through the centre and the remains of a small area of guard to the reverse where it was formerly mounted in a Victorian album. A unique letter displayed in a removable leather frame which is itself housed in a custom full morocco solander box. The box is complete with gilt lettering and a gilt Scottish thistle motif. Signed by Author(s).

8vo. 12 pp. Sieben Briefe an seinen Freund Thomas James Thompson, ein Brief an Thomas Edmund Weller und ein Brief an Christiana Weller, die Dickens sehr verehrte:27.2.1843: I am obliged to you for your good-humoured letter; and I beg you to present my regards to your accomplished daughter. Together with this autograph which must be understood to include all manner of good wishes for her, and you, and the Wellers generally. []"15.3.1843: Secondsight no doubt caught (I see it all), from Donald what's his name, who came bock agen (deliberate misspelling with Scottish accent of 'back again') from that unspellable Glen, and published the news of his arrival so extensively. Next time you and your bankers, if you will let them have a cheque for the money, payable to Coutts & Cie on account of the Macready Testimonial; you will realise the hearty thanks of the committee, and all other privileges and gratifications to which the subscription entitles you []" 14.6.1844. An Frau Christiana Weller: Let me congratulate you with my whole heart on your brilliant achievements last night. You rose with the occasion nobly. Nothing could have been more successful graceful charming-triumphant in any particular. I felt a pride in you which I cannnot express. i do not write to you therefore with the view of expressing it or giving language to my great delight; but merely to say I cannot do either." Anna was great. I adored her. I refused all comfort afterwards, because I hadn't sent sent her a bouquet. But writing all day put it out of my heard. It was there several times. Tell her it was Mr. chuzalewit's omission, not mine'. This appears to be a deliberate misspelling of 'Chuzzlewit' as per his character/novel 'Martin Chuzzlewit'. Perhaps there is a character in the book who pronounces his name as 'chuzalewit' and he is speaking in that character's voice here?".

No Binding. Condition: Fine. DICKENS, CHARLES. (1812-1870). English novelist of the Victorian era; his numerous beloved works include: A Christmas Carol , A Tale of Two Cities Barnaby Rudge , Bleak House , David Copperfield , Dombey and Son , Great Expectations , Martin Chuzzlewit , Nicholas Nickleby , Oliver Twist , The Old Curiosity Shop , and The Pickwick Papers . Simply superb Autograph Quotation Signed, "Charles Dickens", being the most famous quotation from his timeless Christmas classic: A CHRISTMAS CAROL, penned on his imprinted Gad s Hill Place, Higham by Rochester, Kent stationery, with a bold paraph under his name. One page, small square octavo. [approx. 4 1/5 x 5 inches]. Tiny paper loss in 2 corners, else excellent condition. Saturday, 13th February 1869 . Dickens writes: ''and so as Tiny Tim observed God bless us every one! Charles Dickens'' This most remarkable quotation is accompanied by a letter from Wilkie Collins wherein he notes sending the quotation, to a Mrs. Richard . COLLINS, (WILLIAM) WILKIE. (1824-89). Noted English novelist and playwright known especially for The Woman in White (1859), a mystery novel and early "sensation novel", and for The Moonstone (1868), which has been proposed as the first modern English detective novel. Excellent Autograph Letter Signed, Wilkie Collins , full page, octavo. 90, Gloucester Place, Portman Square, W. [London], February 13, 1869. Laid down to a heavier paper stock, else fine condition. Collins writes: Dear Mrs. Richard, Here is a line from The Christmas Carol , copied, dated, and signed by Dickens. I shall be sorting some old letters before long and if I find any autographs of celebrities , you shall have them. Very truly yours, Wilkie Collins . We can add nothing more to this, except to say: Exceeding rare, Exceedingly choice, and simply One of our Best of the Best .