literature

AN EXCEPTIONALLY EARLY LETTER OF EZRA POUND. — “UNLESS THE DIVINE FIRE DESCENDS WITH UNUSUAL VIGOR…THERE WON’T BE ENOUGH NEW POEMS TO MAKE A VOLUME OUT OF THEM [THOUGH]…THERE ARE A FEW NEW POEMS THAT COULD BE PRINTED WITH IT. NOTABLY THE CANZONI ‘OF VENICE’ (APRIL ENG[LISH] REV[IEW]) & ‘OF ANGELS’. “
POUND, EZRA. (1885-1972). American poet and critic. Wonderful, and extremely uncommon, early Autograph Letter Signed, “Ezra Pound”, on imprinted and illustrated Hotel Eden stationery. Four full pages, large octavo. “Lago di Garda [Italy]”, circa 1910.

THOREAU HAVING JUST PUBLISHED ”WALDEN”, AGREES TO A READING ON CAPE COD — “THAT IS AS LARGE A TASTE OF MY PRESENT SELF AS I DARE OFFER YOU ”
THOREAU, HENRY DAVID. (1817-1862). American transcendentalist writer. Very rare Autograph Letter Signed, “Henry D. Thoreau”. One page, quarto. Concord, Massachusetts, October 4, 1854.

W.B. YEATS ON HIS: “PROPOSAL TO FOUND A BODY WITHIN THE FIRST ACADEMY WHICH COULD ACT AS AN ACADEMY OF LETTERS”
YEATS, WILLIAM BUTLER (1865-1939) Irish poet, dramatist, and Nobel laureate. Autograph Letter Signed, “W.B. Yeats,” on imprinted 82, Merrion Square, Dublin letterhead. Two pages, octavo. Dublin.

IBSEN — RARELY SEEN, CABINET PHOTOGRAPH SIGNED — THE NYBLIN STUDIO
IBSEN, HENRIK. (1828-1906) Norwegian playwright, director, and poet; Ibsen is viewed as one of the founders of Modernism in theater. Rarely seen, Cabinet Photograph Signed, “Henrik Ibsen / 27.12.97”.

ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON: “WHEN MY BOOK WAS WRITTEN, IT WAS STILL POSSIBLE TO HAVE RECONCILED MATAAFA AND LAMFEFA: THIS IS NOW TOO LATE, THE TREATY HAS LOST AUTHORITY WITH THE SAMOANS, THEY HAVE PLUNGED AGAIN INTO A STATE OF DIEHARD REBELLION AND SPORADIC WAR”
STEVENSON, ROBERT LOUIS. (1850-94). Scottish essayist, novelist and poet. Extremely scarce Autograph Letter Signed, “Robert Louis Stevenson”. Two separate pages, octavo. “Vailima, Samoa”, July 14, 1893.

DICKENS WRITING FROM PARIS ATTEMPTS TO HELP A ‘FALLEN WOMEN’ GET A JOB
DICKENS, CHARLES. (1812-1870). English novelist. Autograph Letter Signed, “Charles Dickens”. One full page, octavo. “Paris, 49 Avenue des Champs-Élysées”, January 7, 1856.

VOLTAIRE — IN 1774 — CERTIFYING THE OWNERSHIP OF A SURGEON’S SURGERY
VOLTAIRE — nom de plume of: FRANCOIS-MARIE AROUET. (1694-1778) French essayist and philosopher. Very-scarce Manuscript Note Signed, ”Voltaire.”, in French. One page, small octavo. Ferney, October 2, 1774.