(Charles Dickens), A collection of 15 titles relating to, or...

Estimate

£100 - £150

(Charles Dickens), A collection of 15 titles relating to, or by, Charles Dickens, many of which Dickens family association copies, being the personal copies of Henry Charles Dickens (1878-1966), lawyer, grandson of the author Charles Dickens, and son of Henry Fielding Dickens KC (1849-1933), Barrister, or Monica Dickens MBE (1915-1992), grand-daughter of the author Charles Dickens, and daughter of Henry Charles Dickens (1878-1966), titles include Felix Aylmer: 'Dickens Incognito', Rupert Hart-Davis, 1959, Henry Charles Dickens' copy, signed & inscribed to him by the author to FFEP, with further Typed Letter Signed by Aylmer to H.C. Dickens tipped in at front, content of letter in light of the content of the book re Charles Dickens' secret relationship with the actress Ellen Ternan "Dear Mr. Dickens, I am afraid I cannot expect you to give this book your blessing, more particularly in view of the advance publicity, which is quite out of my control. You will, however, want to know what it is all about and, if you have the patience to get through the book, will, I hope, recognise my intention to lift discussion of this much over-criticised attachment of your grandfather's out of the atmosphere of sniggering scandal mongering that has so intolerably surrounded it, and to which the advertising gentlemen seem set on making me contribute...I hope that my unpractised hand may not prove in its clumsiness to have made matters worse, and that your family may finally be able to forgive my intrusion into your family affairs. Yours very sincerely, Felix Aylmer", dated November 20th 1959, plus another tipped in TLS from Charles Garfield Lott Du Cann (1889-1983), barrister, to H.C. Dickens, December 5th 1959 "My dear Dickens, Thank you for your letter...because it shows...that you do not waver in your belief, which I share. I am glad too, because I can imagine the grief and anger of the illustrious dead, your grandfather and father, over the revival of this scandal, which they repudiated so strongly in their lifetimes....Your Aunt Peregini's "hearsay evidence" did much harm and had a disproportionate effect on biographers and viewers and...general readers. As lawyers you and I know what is, or is not, evidence; but not so the literary world, credulous of whatever titillates the reading-palate. This stuff of Aylmer's is surmise, suspicion, guess-work, bad reasoning...meantime I hope you are well and not over-distressed by this revival...of a 100-years scandal, which at its birth, was stigmatised as a foul lie by Charles Dickens himself. Vy sincerely, CGL Du Cann", plus further ALS from Graham Storey to HC Dickens tipped in, couple of relevant contemporary newspaper cuttings etc, original cloth gilt; E.F. Payne & H.H. Harper: 'The Charity of Charles Dickens', Boston, Bibliophile Society, 1929, ltd edn (425), signed & inscribed by H.H. Harper to Mr & Mrs Gimbalist to FFEP, full calf gilt; Madeline House & Graham Storey (edited): 'The Pilgrim Edition The Letters of Charles Dickens', Oxford, 1965-1969, vols 1 & 2, volume 1 with authors presentation bookplate signed & inscribed by both authors to H.C. Dickens attached to front pastedown, uniform orig. cloth gilt, dust wrappers; Augusto P. Miceli: 'The Pickwick Club of New Orleans', 1964, limited edition (400), signed by author to limitation page, further inscribed by author to Monica Dickens to dedication page "To Monica Dickens as souvenir of her trip to New Orleans The Dickensians of the Pickwick Club...OCtober 24, 1967", orig. cloth gilt, slipcase; Ada Nisbet: 'Dickens & Ellen Ternan', Univ. of California Press, 1952, signed & inscribed by the author to H.C. Dickens to FFEP "For Henry Charles Dickens - in deep appreciation of his courtesy and generosity toward an unknown American scholar - Gratefuly, Ada Nisbet", orig. cloth; Edgar Johnson: Letters from Charles Dickens to Angela Burdett-Coutts 1841-1865', L, Cape, 1953, 1st edition, ownership signature Henry Charles Dickens 1953 to FFEP, orig. cloth; Edna Healey: 'Lady Unknown. The Life of Angela Burdett-Coutts', 1978 reprint, signed & inscribed by author to title page, orig. cloth, d/w; Charles Dickens: Master Humphrey's Clock', L, Chapman & Hall, 1840-41, 1st edition, bound in 2 volumes, uniform old half calf gilt, bookplates of Eric Belton to front pastedowns; plus 5 others similar (15) (E) £50-80