Sotheby's auction (III)

More Brontë lots at the historical Sotheby's auction that will take place next December 15th. More Ellen Nussey's copies of the Brontë-related books are also auctioned:

English Literature, History, Private Press,Children's Books & Illustrations London / 15 December 2011 10:30 AM

Lot 38
Shirley. A Tale. By Currer Bell. Smith, Elder & Co., 1849

8vo (194 x 120mm.), first edition, Ellen Nussey's copy, 16-page publisher's catalogue at the end of volume 1, advertisements at the end of volume 3, p.304 in volume 2 misnumbered "403" and with error "Well said he", bookplate with vignette of Oakwell Hall, Birstall, nr. Leeds tipped-in to volume 1, late nineteenth-century polished red calf gilt by Zaehnsdorf, original brown cloth spines bound in, spines in six compartments with morocco labels, top edges gilt, inner dentelles, red coated endpapers, spines sunned and with some slight wear, some minor soiling and spotting to text.


Estimate 3,000-5,000 GBP

Provenance

Presented by the author near the time of publication to her lifelong friend Ellen Nussey; given by Ellen in May 1889 to Sir George John Armytage, 6th baronet of Kirklees (Armytage bookplate and additional printed leaf, c.1889, with full provenance, signed by Ellen Nussey, bound in at the front of each volume); thence by descent.


Lot 40
The Professor, A Tale. By Currer Bell. Smith, Elder & Co., 1857

8vo (193 x 126mm.), 2 volumes, first edition, Ellen Nussey's copy, 8pp.advertisements for the "Uniform Edition of the Works of Currer Bell" and 16 page publisher's catalogue dated June 1857 at the end of volume 1, advertisements leaf at the end of volume 2, late nineteenth-century polished red calf gilt by Zaehnsdorf, original brown cloth spines bound in, spines in six compartments with morocco labels, top edges gilt, inner dentelles, red coated endpapers, spines sunned and with some slight wear, some minor soiling and spotting to text.


Estimate  3,000-4,000 GBP

Provenance

The author's close friend Ellen Nussey, probably acquired near the time of publication; given by Ellen in May 1889 to Sir George John Armytage, 6th baronet of Kirklees (Armytage bookplate and additional printed leaf, c.1889, with full provenance, signed by Ellen Nussey, bound in at the front of each volume); thence by descent.


Lot 42
Brontë, Rev. Patrick
Collection of Seven Works in Five Volumes

The Rural Minstrel: a miscellany of descriptive poems. Halifax: P.K. Holden for the author, 1813; The Cottage in the Wood; or the Art of becoming rich and happy. Bradford: for T. Inkersley, 1818, second edition, engraved frontispiece; The Maid of Killarney; or, Albion and Flora: a modern Tale.... Baldwin, Cradock and Joy, 1818, errata leaf at the end, these all small 8vo in late nineteenth-century polished red calf gilt by Zaehnsdorf, spines in six compartments with morocco labels, top edges gilt, inner dentelles, red coated endpapers; Cottage Poems. Halifax: P.K. Holden for the author, 1811, nineteenth-century straight-grained red morocco gilt; A Sermon preached in the Church of Haworth, on Sunday, the 12th...September, 1824, in reference to an earthquake... Bradford: T. Inkersley, 1824; The Phenomenon; or an account in verse, of the extraordinary disruption of a bog...Bradford: T. Inkersley, 1824; A Funeral Sermon for the late Rev. William Weightman... Halifax: J.U. Walker, 1842; these last 3 pamphlets, various sizes, bound in half red morocco; first editions except where stated; some occasional spotting or soiling to text (5).



Estimate 2,500-4,000 GBP

Provenance

Sir George Armytage, and his eldest son G.J. Armytage, of Kirklees Park, their bookplates in (all but the last volume); thence by descent.

Lot 35
Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. Smith, Elder & Co., 1846 [1848]   
8vo (168 x 1033mm.), first edition, second issue, without errata slip or catalogue sometimes present, late nineteenth-century polished red calf gilt by Zaehnsdorf, original light green cloth spines bound in, spines in six compartments with morocco labels, top edges gilt, inner dentelles, red coated endpapers, spines slightly sunned


Estimate: 2,000-3,000 GBP
Provenance:
Sir George John Armytage, 6th baronet of Kirklees, armorial bookplate; thence by descent.
    
Jane Eyre: An Autobiography. By Currer Bell,  Smith, Elder And Co., 18488vo (194 x 121mm.), third edition, Ellen Nussey's copy, with advertisement leaf at the beginning of volume 1 and 8pp. advertisements at the end of volume 3, without the advertisements at the end of volume 1 which are sometimes present, lacking the "9" in pagination on p.279 of volume 1, Gothic letters "n" inverted in "An" and "h" instead of "b" on title page of volume 1 (all points listed by Smith), late nineteenth-century polished red calf gilt by Zaehnsdorf, original brown cloth spines bound in, spines in six compartments with morocco labels, top edges gilt, inner dentelles, red coated endpapers, spines sunned, some occasional spotting.


Estimate: 2,500-3,500 GBP

Provenance:

According to the additional printed leaf bound in (signed by Ellen Nussey) at the beginning of each volume, this copy was presented by the author near the time of publication to her lifelong friend Ellen Nussey [However, considering the circumstances of its anonymous publication, and the author's closely guarded secret of her authorship, it may be that this copy was purchased separately by Ellen Nussey, probably on her visit to London in June 1848 (see Winifred Gérin, Charlotte Brontë. The Evolution of Genius,1967, pp.356 ff.)]; subsequently a gift of Ellen's (in May 1889) to Sir George John Armytage, 6th baronet of Kirklees (his bookplate in all volumes); thence by descent.

Collection of 22 Works by and about the Brontës
Brontë, Charlotte."Emma. (A Fragment of a Story...)", with an introduction by W.M. Thackeray, [extracted from] The Cornhill Magazine. April, 1860; The Adventures of Ernest Albembert. A Fairy Tale...Edited by Thomas J. Wise. Printed for Private Circulation, 1896, limited to 30 copies--Brontë, Patrick. Brontëana...His Collected Works and Life...edited...by J. Horsfall Turner. Bingley, 1898--Swinburne, Algernon Charles. A Note on Charlotte Brontë. 1877--Gaskell, Mrs [Elizabeth]. The Life of Charlotte Brontë. 1905, later edition--Shorter, Clement K. Charlotte Brontë and her circle. 1896; The edition--Shorter, Clement K. Charlotte Brontë and her circle. 1896; The Brontës Life and Letters. 1908, 2 volumes--Reid, T. Wemyss. Charlotte Brontë. 1877--Leyland, Francis A. The Brontë Family. 1886, 2 volumes--Scruton, William. Thornton and the Brontës. 1898; The Birthplace of Charotte Brontë. Leeds, 1884--Stuart, J.A. Erskine.The Brontë Country... 1888--Wright, Dr. William. The Brontës in Ireland. 1893-- Malham-Dembleby, John. The Key to the Brontë Works. 1911; together with 3 volumes of the Transactions and other Publications of the Brontë Society (Volumes 1-3, 1898-1906), a collection of 14 articles and offprints on the Brontës from various magazines, bound in one volume (upper cover detached), contents leaf and notes probably in the hand of Sir G.J. Armytage, together with several loose items of Brontëana, including flyers for the AGM of the Brontë Society (chaired by Armytage) and several unbound offprints of an account of a "Visit to Miss Ellen Nussey..." by "E.M.F"; and two others; various cloth, board and leather bindings; 8v.

Estimate

1,500 - 2,000 GBP