FAMOUS MEN: A good, small selection of A.Ls.S. etc. by various famous men comprising Prince Edward, Duke of Kent ...

FAMOUS MEN: A good, small selection of A.Ls.S. etc. by various famous men comprising Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn (A.L.S. to 'My dear Frederick', inviting him to dine and stay for the evening, 6th November n.y.), Benjamin Hall (A.L.S., to [Alfred Ollivant] the Bishop of Llandaff regarding a dinner appointment, 8th April 1855), Adolf Beck (scarce A.Q.S., Adolf Beck, one page, 8vo, n.p., n.d., in full, 'Blessed be to God thou hast delivered me', accompanied by Beck's personal unsigned visiting card featuring his printed address at Dryden Chambers, 119 Oxford Street), Redvers Buller VC (A.Q.S. from Paradise Lost, in full, 'Either to disinthrone the King of Heaven, We war, if war be best, or to regain, Our own right lost', dated Transvaal 1899-1900-01), George Pomeroy Colley (A.L.S. confirming that he is going to be married to a Miss Hamilton from Ireland, n.d. [1878]), Sabine Baring-Gould (A.L.S. stating that he has read a book which he found to be a striking story although one which would have to be modified to suit the English public, 1904), Richard Payne Knight (A.L.S. stating that he will be happy to see his correspondent and their friends and is always at home between 11am and 1pm 'unless something unusual happens to call me out', 1821), John Herschel (A.L.S. thanking his correspondent for some pheasants and continuing 'I trust that H.H.H. has forgiven me for writing to him as I did some while ago in the style of an old fogram proffering unmasked opinions on men & things. But I can't help it. It is my way' and further warning against athletics at Oxford University, 'that running, leaping, training and boat racing which is running to such wild excess in both Universities & eating into the very heart of under graduate life, undermining health and defeating (when carried to the excess it often is) the main objects for which a youth is sent to college……There! There's a tirade for you!', 1871) and Lord Shaftesbury (A.L.S. advising on a train journey to Ringwood Station, 1860). Some of the letters with minor faults (foxing, small tears, traces of former mounting etc.). G to generally VG, 10 £100-150