1. [Commonwealth & Colonial History & Law] – Luke, Sir Harry [Lukach, Harry] – ‘the most unwasted life of any man I have known’ – (Sir Ronald Storrs on Sir Harry Luke)

Very Large Archive / Collection of British Colonial Official & Lieutenant-Governor of Malta, Sir Harry Luke. The Archive is Sir Harry Luke’s very personal and one might say, confidential collection of original autographed letters, correspondence and books he surrounded himself with at the end of his life. The Archive includes important and meaningful personal and official letters from important historical figures in the Arena of the Middle East and especially Palestine with for example interesting legal insights into the Jewish-Arab conflicts of the 1920s, as well as working-copies of books which Luke wrote himself at every location he was posted to during his career. In order to understand the vastness of the Archive you need to visit our website and see the nineteen (19) chapters of Material we synchronised chronologically with Sir Harry Luke’s life [Search for “Library & Collections” and find 19 chapters at the bottom of that page]. The Archive contains an unbelievable and impressive array of several highly interesting letters and correspondence regarding key historical events as disparate as the Mudros/Gallipoli-Campaign under Rosslyn Wemyss, the Jaffa Riots, the Western Wall Riots of Jerusalem in 1929 as well as information on diplomatic activity prior to the Suez Crisis, descriptions of locations like Guadalcanal prior to the War in the Pacific, detailed information on personell at Gardner Island / Phoenix Islands during the vanishing of Amelia Earhart, to only name a few bizarre coincidences. The books contain manuscript annotations and preparatory notes for later editions as well as many letters written to Luke regarding the many postings he served at during his long career in the Colonial Service. The Archive includes several hundred pages of correspondence between Luke and other officials within the Colonial Office, often in multi-page letters. Also included is proof of Luke’s connections to the Ecclesiastical World of the Vatican and Lambeth Palace, his diplomatic abilities are praised in letters from friends and officials alike. Luke received cordial letters from Queens (Queen Salote) as well as polarizing letters from Politicians. Included are manuscript notepads as well as confidential reports from other diplomats on locations where Luke was soon to be taking office, e.g. British Western Pacific Islands. The Archive is unique in its form because it represents not only the correspondence between Luke as an official but also allows us a view into the life of a Career Diplomat of the last days of the Colonial British Empire who develops a deep connection with everyone he served with and under. Luke did not only keep correspondence with famous friends like Ronald Storrs but also emotional letters from those who served under him and respectfully stay in touch beyond the termination of Luke’s service. Many letters to family colleagues in the Colonial Office, Politicians, Priests with political functions, are preserved with Luke’s original typescript-answer or initial letter. The official and often explosive and historically meaningful content with striking relevance for reinterpreting Mediterranean, Middle Eastern Conflicts etc. makes this archive a must for research and posterity. This is not just any diplomat’s archive. The majority of these letters are unpublished but are waiting to be discovered (see for example the long letter by Sir Kenneth Roberts-Wray on the Palestine Commission. Also included his Luke’s very valuable, handwritten manuscript-notebook of colonial postings-recipe-collections together with his working copy of the very special cookery book “The Tenth Muse”. The majority of the collection is now catalogued and visible on our website. A collection of c. 89 letters and 43 items of Ephemera has not been catalogued yet.

England / Palestine / Israel / Malta / Cyprus, Fiji / Sierra Leone etc., 1898 – 1968. Octavo / Quarto / Folio. c.15000 pages (books) / Collection of hundreds of Letters (see images) / Photographs and ephemera etc. Original Hardcover / Softover – Bindings (also private interim-bindings), often with the rare dustjackets in protective collector’s Mylar, some without dustjackets. Very good condition with only minor signs of external wear. Please check our website under “Libraries & Collections” and see detailed listings of books and letters, all categorized.

2. Evans-Freke, John [Lord Carbery] / Castle Freke [Rathbarry] / Castlefreke Library Bookplate.

Collection of Books and Art with a relation to Castle Freke. Some of the books being from the historical library of Castle Freke with the original Exlibris / Bookplate / Some of the books from the libraries and private collections of relatives to the Freke Family / Some of the books by famous writer Mary Carbery, wife of Algernon [″Algy”] William George Evans-Freke, 9th Baron Carbery of Castle Freke, County Cork, Ireland, until his death in 1898. At least one book with direct connections to “Algy” Evans-Freke and Mary Carbery.

Ireland, 1811 – c. 1950 Octavo. Hardcover Editions. Find detailed descriptions and many photographs on all these titles on our website under “Library & Collections” [Castle Freke Collection”].

3. Fleckenstein, Josef.

Sonderdruck-Sammlung / Kleinschriften-Sammlung / Offprint-Collection of Prof.Dr.Josef Fleckenstein, one of the worlds most eminent historians for the medieval period / middle Ages (Mittelalter), and especially the development and background of knights, knighthoods, chivalry. The collection includes roughly 5000 (fivethousand) offprints and pamphlets in 166 folders, alphabetized, neatly sorted and assisted by a special, old-fashioned card catalog. Most of the offprints and pamphlets were sent to Prof.Fleckenstein by international colleagues in his field of medieval studies, history and related studies. The majority of the publications are in german but many are also in italian, french and english as well. Many of the publications are signed and beautifully inscribed to Fleckenstein.

Germany, different publishers, c.1960 – 2002. Octavo. More than 100000 pages (onehundredthousand pages). Original Softcovers. Very good condition with only minor signs of external wear. Ask for images. Price includes international shipping per courier.

4. Foster, Sir Augustus [British Ambassador to the United States of America] / Sir Charles Stuart [Britain’s Ambassador to France and Russia, Charles Stuart, 1st Baron Stuart de Rothesay] / [Lady Bess Foster, (née Lady Elizabeth Christiana Hervey), later Duchess of Devonshire (1759-1824)] / [Vere Henry Louis Foster] / [Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington].

Archive of a fantastic series of 42 Autograph Letters (signed) / Manuscript Letters (signed) by Sir Augustus Foster, British Diplomat and British Ambassador to the United States of America, prior and at the outbreak of the War of 1812, Recipient of the ‘Declaration of War’ on the “HMS Colibri” (June 28th, 1812), Ambassador to Denmark (1814-1825) and Ambassador to Sardinia (1824-1840). The letters were written between 1815 and 1841, during his time as Ambassador of Denmark (Copenhagen) and from his posting in Turin, as Ambassador to the Kingdom of Savoy-Sardinia [Piedmont-Sardinia]. Fortyone (41) of the letters are addressed to his friend, Sir Charles Stuart, Baron Stuart de Rothesay (1779-1845), Secret Agent, Diplomat, privy councilor as well as British Ambassador to France and Ambassador to Russia and the Duke of Wellington’s distinguished administrator in Europe during the Napoleonic Wars. The 42nd letter in the Archive, is a meaningful, three-page-letter, written by Sir Augustus Foster from Copenhagen in the year 1818, to his mother, Lady Elizabeth (″Bess”) Foster” [(née Lady Elizabeth Christiana Hervey), later Duchess of Devonshire (1759-1824)]. The Letters comprise of sizes between Octavo and Quarto and amount to 130 pages in total, written from Turin (27) & other places, including Copenhagen, Stockholm, London, Calais and Geneva, 1815-1841 / Important: The Archive includes also three important publications which touch on the work of Sir Augustus Foster in America: [1.Richard Beale Davis: “Jeffersonian America – Notes on the United States of America – Collected in the years 1805-1806-1807 and 1811 and 1812 by Sir Augustus Foster, Bart. San Marino, The Huntingdon Library, 1954 / 2. An Extra-Illustrated Version of the publication “The Two Duchesses”, by Vere Foster (son of Sir Augustus Foster), in which an american collector injected a plethora of original engravings, portraits of british and american personalities like Alexander Hamilton, George Washington as well as other contemporaries of Sir Augustus Foster (see 80 photographs of this breathtaking set, bound in red-morocco, on our website) / 3. [James Madison / James Monroe / Sir Augustus Foster – War of 1812] – “Three messages, from the President of the United States, to Congress, in November 1811, together with Documents accompanying the same”. Washington; printed 1811. Re-Printed for J.Hatchard, Bookseller to her Majesty, opposite Albany, Piccadilly, 1812 – The material here relates directly to the war of 1812; much of it is in the form of correspondence between Sir Augustus John Foster, H.M. Minister in America and James Monroe, Secretary of State under James Madison from 1811 to 1817. Other significant contributors include Mr. Pinkney and Lord Wellesley. Extremely scarce original edition. (No copy of the 1811 edition located. Not in COPAC or Sabin)] See more than 200 Images for all these books and manuscript letters in the Augustus Foster Archive on our website under “Libraries & Collections” /

Turin / London / Stockholm / Copenhagen / Calais / Geneva, 1815 – 1841. Octavo – Quarto. The Letters are housed in a beautiful, bespoke Solander-Chemise. The original books are either bound in Morocco (″Two Duchesses”), original cloth with dustjacket (″Jeffersonian America”) or in the publisher’s original interim-wrappers (the rare 1812-printing of “Three messages, from the President of the United States, to Congress, in November 1811, together with Documents accompanying the same”). Very good condition with some minor signs of wear only.

5. Foster, Vere [Henry Louis / Lewis] / [Emily Albinia “Alba” Foster] / [Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire / Elizabeth, Duchess of Devonshire].

Amazing Vere Foster-Collection including Educational Materials and as a centerpiece the “Presentation Copy of “The Two Duchesses” with Autograph / Manuscript – Letter by Vere Foster to his niece, Emily Albinia “Alba” Foster. With a stunning, unpublished, two-page-letter, revealing several important details about the immediately favorable reviews and reception of the book [″in the Daily Telegraph”] and Vere Foster’s disdain about some criticism from one J.Donohue [which led to an alteration in the second edition of the book]. Vere Foster is also expecting a review to appear in the “Athenaeum” but reports “the Athenaeum has nothing yet”. Vere Foster apologizes to his niece for the delay in sending the book and explains that he had left 12 “parcels″£ with Blackie’s agent and gave instructions to send them but a few days later found they had been “untouched”. / The Two Duchesses – Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire / Elizabeth, Duchess of Devonshire – Family Correspondence of and Relating to Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire / Elizabeth, Duchess of Devonshire, Earl of Bristol (Bishop of Derby), The Countess of Bristol, Lord and Lady Byron, The Earl of Aberdeen, Sir Augustus Foster Bart, and Others, 1777-1859. [See Full list of items which are part of this collection, on our website under the topic “Libraries & Collections”].

First Edition. London / Glasgow and Dublin, Blackie & Son Limited, 1898. Octavo (15 cm x 22 cm). Pagination: Frontispiece, IX, [3], 497 pages with 18 Illustrations (including frontispiece and one Vignette of the two Duchesses opposite page 1). Hardcover / Original, publisher’s green cloth with gilt lettering on spine. Very good condition with some minor signs of wear only. This is an astonishing find for the Vere Foster Research Community and the letter gives significant insight into the importance the publication had for him, its reception as seen by Vere Foster and it solves the riddle why an altertaion was necessary for the second edition [which Vere Foster explains in a brief note to the reader at the beginning of the second edition]. The heartfelt inscription to his niece Albinia Foster is also of great importance and to our knowledge the only presentation-copy of this book on the international market for the several decades we can look back at auction records.

6. [Liddell Hart, Adrian John / Lehmann, John (publisher)]

Collection of 118 manuscript postcards, sent by friends, colleagues and lovers to Adrian John Liddell Hart, son of Sir Basil Liddel Hart. Among the postcards also three (3) manuscript postcards by Adrian Liddel Hart’s lover, publisher John Lehmann, with interesting content (″Am staying with Harold Acton in this marvellous Villa…pity you aren’t with me….you old friend is wavering – Love J.” / another postcard by Lehmann to Adrian mentions Florence Nightingale and is also signed “Love – J.” / Other postcards with interesting content (″When the foreign ministers go bust, do you go bust too ? – Where are you and what happened to you ? )

Santa Barbara / Firenze / Washington / Sweden / Germany etc. etc., etc. 1942 – c. 1989. Small Oblong Octavo. postcards. Softcover. Very good condition with only minor signs of wear. Content of the postcards mainly of private nature (about travel, meetings, small talk etc.)

7. [Liddell Hart, Captain B.H. / Sir Basil Liddell Hart / Adrian John Liddell Hart / Kathleen Liddell Hart]

Collection of 45 manuscript postcards, signed and sent by Sir Basil Liddell Hart’s second wife Kathleen Liddell Hart to Adrian Liddell Hart. 32 of the postcards were sent by Kathleen from trips she undertook with Basil throughout the world, reporting to Sir Basil’s son Adrian from their experiences at conferences, meetings with governments, exhausting visits to war cemeteries etc. etc. A lot of the postcards very detailed with a good insight into Basil Liddell Hart’s routines (″Basil is sweating over two articles” / “At the moment he is seeing Monnel to discuss the Schumann Plan” / etc. ). The remaining 13 postcards were all written after Sir Basil Liddel Hart’s death and for example deal with the sale of the estate: John Cooper telling me that the N.P.G. paid 9500 Sterling for the picture. He wants more information on Hein and Basil. Wonder how much our Kennington’s are worth ? /

Firenze / Reims / Tanger / Dingle etc. etc., 1944 – 1970. Small Oblong Octavo. 45 postcards. Softcover. Very good condition with only minor signs of external wear.

8. [Liddell Hart, Captain B.H. / Sir Basil Liddell Hart / Adrian John Liddell Hart]

Collection of seven (7) manuscript postcards; correspondence between Captain B.H.Liddell Hart and his son Adrian.

Namur / Stockholm / Panama / Gibraltar / Tarjeta, etc. 1950 – 1965. Small Oblong Octavo. 7 postcards. Softcover. Very good condition with only minor signs of wear. Content of the postcards mainly of private nature (about travel etc.)

9. Russell, Bertrand.

Collection of important publications by and on the British Philosopher Bertrand Russell [some of the publications from libraries of important philosophers like Quine]. The collection includes: 1. Bertrand Russell – War – The Offspring of Fear (First Edition – London, 1914) / 2. Bertrand Russell – Ideas that have harmed Mankind – Man’s Unfortunate Experience with his self-made enemies, including sadistic Impulses, Religion, Superstition, Envy, Economic Nationalism, Pride, Racism, Sex Superiority, Creeds and other evil things. (First Edition – Girard (Kansas), 1946) [From the library of Henry David Aiken] / 3. Bertrand Russell – Scientific Method in Philosophy (First Edition – Oxford, 1914) / 4. [Bertrand Russell] Paul Foulkes – Wisdom of the West (London, 1960) / 5. Bertrand Russell – The Analysis of Mind (London, 1951) / 6. Bertrand Russell – “Per Aspera ad Astra” (in: “Science and the Future of Mankind” – together with essays by Albert Einstein, Robert Oppenheimer others, this copy used to belong to the library of Boston’s “Simmons College”) / 7. Ronald Jager – The Development of Bertrand Russell’s Philosophy [From the library of philosopher Willard Van Orman Quine (with inscription and signed by Jager to Quine)] / 8. Quine, Willard Van Orman / Heimpel, Carl G./ Wang, Hao – Symposium – Issue on Bertrand Russell by “The Journal of Philosophy”: ‘The Philosophy of Bertrand Russell’: Willard van Orman Quine – Russell’s Ontological Development / Carl G. Hempel – On Russell’s Phenomenological Constructionism / Hao Wang – Russell and Philosophy // A Historical Survey of Western Philosophy in its Social and Political Setting.

London / Oxford / Den Haag and others, Clarendon Press / Dr.Junk / Allen and Unwin / Macdonald & Co. Ltd., 1914 – 1972. Original Hardcover and Softcover – Bindings. Only one publications iwth some minor damage, otherwise all publications in very good or even better condition with only minor signs of external wear.

10. Savigny, Friedrich Carl von.

Fascinating and important, international collection of more than twentyfive (25) original editions, first editions, revised and definitive editions by one of the most important figures of the german legal and historical school, Friedrich Carl von Savigny, as well as publications by his disciples, immediate circle of friends and colleagues (like Eichhorn, Rudorff and Ihering/Jhering). The collection also includes first and revised editions of translations in french and spanish as well as a large number of original first editions of lectures Savigny had given to the Academy of Sciences in Berlin (all these in original edition and separately bound) [see full list on our website under “Libraries and Collections”].

Vienna / Berlin and others, Nicolai / Veit and Comp. and others, 1803 – 1911. Octavo. Original Hardcover and Softcover. Very good condition with only minor signs of external wear. Several of the publications with excellent provenance. [See detailed listing on our website under “Libraries & Collections”].