- 992
Lamb, Charles
Estimate
12,000 - 18,000 USD
Log in to view results
bidding is closed
Description
- Lamb, Charles
- Autograph manuscript of ''Witches and Other Night-Fears'' (1821)
- paper
5 1/4 pages on three leaves, folio (14 3/8 x 8 1/4 in.; 365 x 210 mm), signed (''Elia'') on the verso third leaf below integral address to Taylor & Hessey, postmarked Hackney. 11 September 1821 and franked ''Elia''; very browned and brittle, first leaf cracked and chipped with small loss (costing about two words) near center fold and with right margin extended, repair to short fore-edge tear on second-leaf, third leaf chipped at fore-edge and bottom margin, traces of former mounting and seal. Half blue morocco gilt slipcase, chemise.
Provenance
Arthur A. Houghton (Christie's, 14 June 1979, lot 282, to Fleming) — Sotheby's New York, 18 July 2004, lot 208. acquisition: James Cummins
Literature
Index of English Literary Manuscripts: Volume IV 1800-1900, Part 2, ed. Rosenbaum (1990), LmC 299
Condition
Condition as described in catalogue entry.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
The printer's copy of one of the most openly biographical of the ''Elia'' essays. ''Witches and other Night-Fears'' vividly recounts the terrors of childhood during the ''unwholesome hours'' of the night. Witches, conjured up from the image of one raising Samuel in an illustrated Bible, played a formidable role in ''hell of [his] infancy,'' appearing nightly on his pillow.
The last paragraph of the manuscript differs from the published version of the essay, which first appeared in the London Magazine in October 1821.