Verlag: Ayer Co Pub, 1967
ISBN 10: 0836903277 ISBN 13: 9780836903270
Anbieter: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, USA
Zustand: Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Zustand: Good. Good condition. Good dust jacket. Stamped on page edges. Hardcover edition.
Verlag: Prentice Hall Press
ISBN 10: 0582117194 ISBN 13: 9780582117198
Anbieter: WeBuyBooks, Rossendale, LANCS, Vereinigtes Königreich
Zustand: Good. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. Ex library copy with usual stamps & stickers.
Zustand: Good. Good condition. No Dust Jacket. (Thomas Hardy, Biography, Conversation).
Verlag: Prentice Hall Press
ISBN 10: 0582117208 ISBN 13: 9780582117204
Anbieter: WeBuyBooks, Rossendale, LANCS, Vereinigtes Königreich
Zustand: Good. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day.
Verlag: Longmans, Green and Co., 1958
Anbieter: World of Rare Books, Goring-by-Sea, SXW, Vereinigtes Königreich
Erstausgabe
Zustand: Good. 1958. First Edition. 256 pages. No dust jacket. Black and green paper covered boards. Pages remain bright and clear with minimal tanning and foxing. Tape marks to free endpapers. Light creasing to gutter. Binding remains firm. Boards have mild edge-wear with slight rubbing to surfaces. Soft crushing to spine ends. Light tanning to spine and edges. Minor marks to boards.
Verlag: Duckworth & Co., 1928
Anbieter: World of Rare Books, Goring-by-Sea, SXW, Vereinigtes Königreich
Zustand: Fair. 1928. No Edition Stated. 84 pages. No dust jacket. This is an ex-Library book. Black cloth. Spine is completely missing. Notable tanning to pages throughout. Front hinge cracked. Some gutter cracking. Ex-library with usual stamps, inserts and markings. Mild wear to board edges and corners. Notable scuffing and marking to boards. Dewy code to base of spine area.
Verlag: Longmans Press, 1964
Anbieter: Nostalgie Salzburg, Salzburg, Österreich
Hardcover. Zustand: Einband leicht beschädigt, Seiten geringfügig fleckig, insgesamt SEHR GUTER Zustand! 258 Seiten Englisch 300g.
Verlag: Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd, 1978
ISBN 10: 0715612808 ISBN 13: 9780715612804
Anbieter: HALCYON BOOKS, LONDON, Vereinigtes Königreich
hardcover. Zustand: Very Good. Zustand des Schutzumschlags: Very Good. Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd 1978, reprint. Binding firm. Pages clean and bright, no markings. Price-clipped Dust Jacket. ALL ITEMS ARE DISPATCHED FROM THE UK WITHIN 48 HOURS ( BOOKS ORDERED OVER THE WEEKEND DISPATCHED ON MONDAY) ALL OVERSEAS ORDERS SENT BY TRACKABLE AIR MAIL. IF YOU ARE LOCATED OUTSIDE THE UK PLEASE ASK US FOR A POSTAGE QUOTE FOR MULTI VOLUME SETS BEFORE ORDERING.
Verlag: Doubleday, Doran & Company, Garden City, New York, 1928
Anbieter: Between the Covers-Rare Books, Inc. ABAA, Gloucester City, NJ, USA
Erstausgabe
Hardcover. Zustand: Very Good. First edition. 84pp. Owner bookplate with light offsetting to front pastedown, small bookseller ticket, boards slightly spotted with modest edgewear, about very good, lacking the dust jacket.
Verlag: Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc, New York, 1928
Anbieter: Between the Covers-Rare Books, Inc. ABAA, Gloucester City, NJ, USA
Erstausgabe
Hardcover. Zustand: Fine. Zustand des Schutzumschlags: Near Fine. First edition. Octavo. 84, [1]pp. Fine in near fine dust jacket with small nicks and tears at the spine ends.
Verlag: 12 August On letterhead of Constable & Co. 10 Orange Street London WC2, 1953
Anbieter: Richard M. Ford Ltd, London, Vereinigtes Königreich
Manuskript / Papierantiquität Signiert
See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged, with a crease, dogeared corner and small nick. Folded once for postage. Signed 'Michael Sadleir'. He is grateful to Collins 'for pointing out the careless grammatical mistake of mine in the SUNDAY TIMES review. It is only too easy to slip into a conversational style (for I think that what I meant was perfectly clear) when writing rapid condensations for a newspaper. But of course you are perfectly right about the word otherwise.' He ends (perhaps with a hint of irony): 'I am sending an order to Longmans for a copy of THE CHOICE OF WORDS.' Collins's book had been published in the previous year.
Verlag: 10 October On letterhead of Andre Deutsch Limited Publishers 12-14 Carlisle Street Soho Square London W1, 1955
Anbieter: Richard M. Ford Ltd, London, Vereinigtes Königreich
Manuskript / Papierantiquität
See his entry by Ruari Maclean in the Oxford DNB. The recipient Vere Henry Collins (1872-1966), was an author and grammatical stickler. 1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. With Bentley's distinctive stylized signature 'Nicolas Bentley'. After thanking him for his letter he writes (apparently with reference to a newspaper article): 'I am sorry if in using the phrase "I am afraid" I ruffled your grammatical sensibilities. I used it because I meant it. I am always afraid of hurting people's feelings, and I know that sometimes the return of a manuscript must give pain to an author.' He agrees that the phrase is used to often, as a substitute for 'I am sorry'.
Verlag: 24 May On letterhead of 7 Linton Road Oxford, 1954
Anbieter: Richard M. Ford Ltd, London, Vereinigtes Königreich
Manuskript / Papierantiquität
An interesting letter, revealing some of Cecil's views on the art of writing. See his entry in the Oxford DNB. The recipient Vere Henry Collins (1872-1966), was an author and grammatical stickler, and Cecil has clearly been on the receiving end of a ticking off. 2pp, 4to. On grey paper. In fair condition, lightly aged, with creasing and a short closed cut at the foot. He begins by stating that he found Collins's letter 'very interesting': 'I take a great interest in the small points of style.' He agrees with some of Collins's 'strictures', 'in particular that about the exclamation mark. As a matter of fact I didn't put any exclamation marks, they were put in by the newspaper. However, I am partly responsible, for I didn't notice them in the hurry of looking through the proof at the last minute.' He responds to another question of punctuation, before stating: 'I do not take the view that no sentence should begin with 'and'. It may be necessary to begin one with 'and', in order to convey the precise modulation of thought in the mind of the author.' He continues: 'You are wrong in thinking "whether or not" unnecessary. I wished to give the impression of the controversy raging in the Norton household - with Caroline saying the children should go to stay with her brother, and George Norton maintaining that they should not do so - this could not be conveyed so well by simply using the word "whether".' He proceeds to explain his disagreement with Collins's point regarding 'consternated', commenting: 'I note that you quote Fowler [H. W. Fowler, author of 'Modern English Usage'] as an authority. Believe me, he is no such thing. His books are lively and vigorous, but they reveal him as a man who does not understand much about the art of writing. Almost every rule he propounds has been broken by great writers.' After conceding Collins's points on 'slips in punctuation', he concludes: 'You are surely right to protest against slipshod writing; but you should remember that the writing of English is a flexible art.' The letter carries numerous pencil annotations by Collins, including - concerning the point about sentences beginning with 'and' - 'Nor do I nor does any sensible person'. And on the question of Fowler: 'No argument. There is not a glaring error in grammar or style of which an example could not be found in a famous writer. The quality of their [?], like Homer, nods.'.
Verlag: 31 December On letterhead of Nethergate House Clare Suffolk, 1954
Anbieter: Richard M. Ford Ltd, London, Vereinigtes Königreich
Manuskript / Papierantiquität
An interesting letter, in which Johnson discusses her writing practice. See her entry and that of her husband in the Oxford DNB. The recipient Vere Henry Collins (1872-1966), was an author and grammatical stickler. 2pp, 12mo. 27 lines of text. In good condition, lightly aged, with slight rust spotting from a paperclip. Folded twice for postage. On the topic of 'Madame de Charlus', one of the 'Six Proust Reconstructions' - plays by Johnson inspired by the work of Marcel Proust - just broadcast on the BBC Third Programme, she thanks him for his 'most kind & pleasing letter'. She is 'delighted to know' that he was pleased with the play, and 'most interested to know of your wife's publication, which I shall try to obtain through the London Library'. She continues: 'I must not claim much for my prose in my Proust reconstruction, as it is, of course, pastiche: I write it as rapidly as I can, with my head full of Marcel, & hope that it will catch the spirit'. She hopes to hear Max Beerbohm's radio talk when it is repeated. She ends with renewed thanks for giving her so much pleasure by writing to her. Postscript: 'My last two books were An Impossible Marriage & Catherine Carter (both published by Macmillan. An Avenue of Stone & A Summer to Decide, belonging to a trilogy, are obtainable in Penguin Books.'.
Verlag: 7 July Oving House Oving Nr. Aylesbury Bucks on cancelled letterhead of 12 Catherine Place London SW1, 1953
Anbieter: Richard M. Ford Ltd, London, Vereinigtes Königreich
Manuskript / Papierantiquität Signiert
See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 4to. In good condition, lightly aged. Signed 'Randoph S. Churchill. The recipient Vere Henry Collins (1872-1966), was an author and grammatical stickler. After apologising for the delayed response he administers an effective put-down: 'I do not pretend to be an expert in these mattes, but I have never heard the word EQUALITARIAN used in ordinary talk. EGALITARIAN, on the other hand, I have heard used by a wide variety of people who speak good English, including Sir Winston Churchill. I note that you say that EQALITARIAN [sic] is an affectation of journalese. According to the O.E.D. the word was introduced into the English language from the French by Lord Tennyson. It is news to me that he was a journalist.' He concludes: 'Thank you so much for writing. I am ordering a copy of your book.' (Collins's 'The Choice of Words' had been published in the previous year.].
Verlag: 25 July On cropped letterhead 'The Hills and Bridgefoot Farm / From C. E. M. Joad The Hills Stedham Midhurst / Manager: / John Hill / Bridgefoot', 1952
Anbieter: Richard M. Ford Ltd, London, Vereinigtes Königreich
Manuskript / Papierantiquität Signiert
A poignant letter, written during Joad's final illness (he died on 9 April 1953). Joad's entry in the Oxford DNB ends with this assessment: 'Cyril Joad was an outstanding educator, a tireless proponent of 'progressive' causes, and one of the best-known broadcasters of the 1940s.' The recipient Vere Henry Collins (1872-1966), was an author and grammatical stickler, and the letter concerns his 1952 book 'The Choice of Words'. 2pp, 4to. Aged and discoloured, and cropped at the head with loss of a line of text. Folded once for postage. Date given in ink at head, presumably by Collins. Written in pencil in a barely-legible hand. Signed 'Your old friend / Cyril Joad' and beginning: 'Vere, / You've written a lovely book. I'm ill in bed - have been for a very long time; prostate! - and have therefore read it with continuity and attention as it is "sweet" in the Victorian good sense of the word - the sense in which there aren't any 'sweet' girls now.' The concluding half of the letter is difficult to decipher. Postscript: 'PS For the next impression should not "Sydney" on p 154 be Melbourne? / PS (2) Why not continue in the same vein up to our time / Come and see me'.
Verlag: 20 September ; on letterhead of Staverton House 104 Woodstock Road Oxford, 1954
Anbieter: Richard M. Ford Ltd, London, Vereinigtes Königreich
Manuskript / Papierantiquität Signiert
See Sir William Beveridge's entry in the Oxford DNB: 'An overbearing and temperamental Scotswoman, Mrs Mair had come to the school [the LSE] with Beveridge in 1919 (having been his secretary and aide during the war) and was highly unpopular with many of the school's professors. Throughout the 1930s there were complaints about the 'BeveridgeMair dictatorship' and a general sense of relief when Beveridge decided to leave the school to accept the mastership of University College, Oxford, in 1937.' 1p, 4to. In good condition, lightly aged, with one dog-eared corner. Folded twice for postage. Signed 'Janet Beveridge'. The recipient Vere Henry Collins (1872-1966), was an author and grammatical stickler. She thanks him for writing to her about her letter to The Times, and reminding her that they had met 'in my sister's flat in London. Her death two years ago was very sad for me; I miss her more than I ever thought possible.' She discusses her use of the word 'Lady' in the letter, which she says was done 'for the very special reason that I felt that the women making a fuss about the kilt would describe themselves as Ladies'. She is on his side 'about the nomenclature in general', and asks him to 'read the book I had published a month or so ago, "Beveridge and His Plan," and let me know if I have transgressed the rules in my use of language.' She cannot understand 'how it came about that William did not acknowledge your letter to him - he is puncilious in this as a rule'. The reason may be that they have spent a couple of months in America without a secretary. She concludes with reference to 'some members of our society who, being indignant at such vulgarians as myself for wearing a kilt, would equally object to my calling them women!'.
Verlag: LETTERS: 9 July and 11 May 1954. NOTE: 14 July 1953. All three items on letterheads of the Royal Courts of Justice Strand London WC2, 1953
Anbieter: Richard M. Ford Ltd, London, Vereinigtes Königreich
Manuskript / Papierantiquität Signiert
The third letter gives an excellent indication of Birkett's pride in his use of language. See his entry in the Oxford DNB. The recipient Vere Henry Collins (1872-1966), was an author and grammatical stickler. All three signed 'Norman Birkett'. In fair condition, lightly aged and little grubby. The first letter with a small hole to one corner, and the two leaves of the last letter held together with a pin. ONE: ALS, 9 July 1953. 1pp, 4to. He is adding Collins's book to his 'select library on "words"'. 'I am afrait that "finalise" is in frequent use as "I was sent to finalise the arrangements", and it is often used by witnesses in court, and sometimes (not without protest from me) by barristers.' He ends: 'But the purpose of this letter is to thank you, if somewhat belatedly, for the interest you took in the subject of my address, and for your kindness in writing to me.' TWO: ANS, 14 July 1953. 1p, 4to. He has no objection if Collins adds the note he sends him 'to the book now at the printers'. He will get 'One Word and Another' when it is published. THREE: ALS, 11 May 1954. 3pp, 4to. He will read the book Collins has sent him with great pleasure, 'for, as you know, anything written about words has a great fascination for me'. Turning to Collins's 'criticism of some remarks of mine uttered in the course of an after-dinner speech', which have appeared without Birkett's knowledge or consent, he is for the most part in agreement, 'but I take it a little hard that the unpremeditated effusion of the moment should be treated as though it were a carefully prepared essay. I will say no extempore speech can survive a scrutiny such as the scrutiny you send to me.' With regard to Collins's seven points, he feels he should 'keep in mind the difficulties of extempore speaking. The perfect word does not always come readily to the tongue. The sentences do not always flow as one could wish, and the "verbal expert" seated in his comfortable study might make a little allowance for human frailty!' In the following paragraph he turns the tables on Collins, analysing his use of language in his letter to Birkett. With a veiled criticism of Collins he explains how 'the lover of words (as I am) can become a "tiresome pedant" ' Collins's criticism has clearly hit home, as Birkett adds a fourteen-line postscript in his distinctive close hand, ending: 'I cannot even be sure that the reporter took down accurately what I did say: I had no notes, and never dreamt that what I said would receive this unwanted publicity, and subject me to the criticism of lovers of good English!'.