Literature Autographs

French dramatist and librettist (1791-1861), wrote the libretto for many famous operas by Rossini, Donizetti, Verdi, and others. An autograph note in French signed by him recommending someone (probably the last part from a longer letter whose top is missing) mounted on a card. Size is 3.8 x 2.6 inches, minor stains, in very good condition. Translation and Transcription are ALSO INCLUDED.

French music critic and musicologist (1806-1864). Set of four autograph letters in French (untranslated) signed by him, dated between 1841 and 1854. Scudo addresses the jurist Joseph Ortolan (1802-1873), concerning private matters and meetings. We report an extract as a sample: “…Je ne pourrai pas être de votres aujourd’hui, car je suis obligé d’assister à la reprise de La donna del Lago au Théâtre italien…”. Different sizes, lengths, and conditions (see scans provided for a detailed view). SOLD TOGETHER, NOT SOLD SEPARATELY.

French dramatist and librettist (1719-1797), especially noted for his librettos for operas. Printed document in French (untranslated) signed by him and dated in Paris, May 22, 1791, concerning "Décharges d'Arrérages de rentes", with details of rents collected by the French dramatist.  Size is 6.7 x 8.5 inches, folds and creases, in overall very good condition.

Irish playwright (1856-1950), critic, polemicist, and political activist, whose influence on Western theatre, culture, and politics extended from the 1880s to his death and beyond. His book "The Adventures of the Black Girl in Her Search for God" (1932) signed, inscribed, and dated by him on October 5, 1934. Published by R. & R. Clark, Edinburgh, 1932, first edition.  Size is 5.3 x 8.2 inches, 74 pages, semi-hard covers, some wear on the spine, inside in excellent condition.  

Irish playwright (1956-1950) and critic, whose influence on Western theatre, culture, and politics extended from the 1880s on. His original business card signed by him with his initials adding an enigmatic short text quote, dated June 6, 1940. Size is 4.5 x 2.1 inches, mat burn signs, otherwise in excellent condition. ALSO INCLUDED is a half-tone unsigned photograph of the writer, shown in his elder days. Size is 4.5 x 7.9 inches, in excellent condition.

Irish playwright (1956-1950) and critic, whose influence on Western theatre, culture, and politics extended from the 1880s on. Playbill signed by him announcing his comedy "Too True to Be Good" (1932) at Cincinnati (no year indicated).  Size is 5.8 x 8.5 inches, 1 sheet, small crack over the left border, otherwise in excellent condition.

American writer (1864-1955) and teacher of English literature. Autograph letter written on both sides of a card signed by her and dated 1946. Size is 4.25 x 2.75 inches, in very good condition. Its original envelope is ALSO INCLUDED.

French writer (1837-1901), librettist, whose poems have been set to music by Camille Saint-Saëns, André Messager, Léo Delibes, Benjamin Godard, and many others. Autograph letter in French (untranslated) signed by him, dated 25 Nov. 1897, concerning some newspaper directors: “…M. Walduck Romeau est l’ami de Valentin Simond; mais je crois que Valentin Simond n’est plus grand … au journal l’Echo où prévaut son fils…”. Size is 8.4 x 11.6 inches, 1 page, mounted on a larger piece of cardboard, in overall very good condition.

French poet (1837-1901), and librettist, author of many opéra-comique librettos, including Saint-Säens' "Henry VIII" (1883). Autograph note in French (untranslated) signed by him, dated June 10, 1887, to a gentleman, thanking him for a present, saying he would ask to D'Auber to write an article on his "XV pièce de mariage". Size is 4.5 x 7.1 inches, 1 page, central fold, in very good condition.

American playwright (1927-2018), screenwriter, and author. Fine black-and-white photograph signed by him, shown in his office. Size is 7.9 x 9.8 inches, in excellent condition.

American playwright (1927-2018), screenwriter, and author. Beautiful color casual photograph signed by him, shown young. Size is 7.8 x 9.7 inches, probably trimmed at the bottom, otherwise in excellent condition.

French musicologist (1846-1918) and music critic. Autograph letter in French (untranslated) signed by him, no date, where he addresses the musicologist Johannes Weber (1818-1902): "...Je viens pour la 17e fois vous recommander mon petit Almanach des Spectacles...". Size is 4.5 x 7 inches, 1 page, central fold and some light creases, in very good condition. ALSO INCLUDED is his visiting card signed by him with a short sentiment dated August 24, 1886.

American crime novelist (1918-2006), active between 1947-2006. Beautiful black-and-white photograph signed by him. Size is 8 x 9.9 inches, in excellent condition. ALSO INCLUDED is a card printed with the name of his most famous novel character "Mike Hammer". Size is 5 x 3 inches, in excellent condition. SOLD TOGETHER, NOT SOLD SEPARATELY.

American poet (1833-1908), critic, and essayist.  Autograph note signed by him initialized as "E.C.S.". Size 4.7 x 7.6 inches, plus a card also signed by him, 4.9 x 3.8 inches in size, both in excellent condition.

French writer (1783-1842), one of the best in his country in the first half of the 19th century, best known for his novels The Red and the Black (1830), and The Charterhouse of Parma (1839). His real name was Marie-Henri Beyle. Autograph note signed, in French, dated by him in 1809, about an appointment. Sold with translation and transcription. Size is 6 x 4.1 inches, in excellent condition.

Famous Argentinian poet of the modernist period (1892-1938). A very relevant voice among Latin American poets, Storni died young by committing suicide (walked into the sea and drowned).  Handwritten poem, signed by her, entitled "Faro en la Noche" (Lighthouse in the Night), in Spanish, dated by her in Buenos Aires in 1934. Also included is the first edition of her book "Mundo de Siete Pozos" (A World of Seven Pits), Editorial Tor, Buenos Aires, 1934 - where this poem was published for the first time.  Poem is one page, 4.5 x 7.1 inches, in excellent condition, book has 160 pages, hard covers (not original), 5 x 7.1 inches, ownership marks on title page, in very good condition. Rare!

French novelist (1804-1857). Autograph letter in French (sold untranslated) signed by him. Size is 4.2 x 5.3 inches, 3 written pages in one folded sheet, in very good condition.

English author (1837-1919), who was an important figure during the late Victorian literary scene. Autograph letter in English signed by her about personal matters. Size is 4.3 x 6.8 inches, three written pages in one folded sheet, folds, some stains, storage holes, in very good condition.

English novelist (1811-1863), and illustrator. His signature cut (probably the bottom of a letter or document). Size is 1.75 x 0.8 inches, in very good condition. ALSO INCLUDED is a carte-de-visite (CDV) of him. Size is 2.25 x 3.75 inches, mounting traces on verso, in very good condition.

French statesman and historian (1797-1877), second elected President of France and first President of the French Third Republic. Large signed photograph (21 x 27.25 inches !), also hand signed by famous photographer Leon Bonnat (1833-1922) - his portraits of Victor Hugo and Louis Adolphe Thiers are among his most famous works. Size of the actual photograph without the mat around (inside the golden borders) is 13 x 17.5 inches. The actual photo print is in excellent condition, original photographer mat has some loss of paper on corners, overall aging coloration and some stains. There is a clear crease over the left border, but is still in very good condition. This is a rare, large size item! See scans of item and detail of the signatures.  

French musicologist (1827-1894) and bibliophile, one of the first to study French music of the 17th and 18th centuries. Autograph letter in French (untranslated) signed by him, no date [ probably Paris, 1861 ca.], where he addresses a gentleman, concerning the renown engraver Firmin Gillot, inventor of the printing method based on relief photo-engraving known as "Gillotage": "...Je ne puis vous envoyer mon homme car il ne se dérangera pas. C'est lui qui fait toutes les planches des journaux illustrés tels que la Vie Parisienne, Le journal amusant (...) Il est donc très occupé et le plus simple est d'aller chez lui...".  Size is 5.2 x 8.1 inches, 2 written pages in one sheet (front and back), folds and creases, overall dust stains, missing upper-right corner, in overall very good condition.

French musicologist (1857-1936), remembered for his work on folk songs of the French Alps. Set of two autograph letters in French (untranslated) signed by him, both dated 1912. We report an extract as a sample, concerning an autograph dedication by Gaspare Spontini: "...J'avais l'an dernier chez Costa-Borgna l'exemplaire des trios de César Franck revetus de la dédicace à Spontini, et j'apprends maintenant que c'est nous qui en êtes l'heureux possesseur. Je voudrais pour une publication de documents autographes, pouvoir reproduire par la photographie l'une de ces dédicaces de l'auteur de Béatitudes à l'auteur de La Vestale...".  Size is 5.5 x 8.4 inches each, 1 written page each, central folds, light creases, printed letterhead, both in very good condition. SOLD TOGETHER, NOT SOLD SEPARATELY.

German writer (1864-1946) of novels and short stories. Fine sepia photo postcard signed by him. Size is 3.3 x 5.3 inches, in excellent condition.

American author (1827-1916) An album page signed by him with a short text quote dated March 1892. Size is 5 x 4 inches, loss of paper at the bottom, otherwise in good condition.

American writer (1835-1910) whose real name was Samuel Clemens, humorist, publisher and author of the celebrated novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885). St. Valentin's Day card, dated by him in 1902. Size is 7.9 x 5.75 inches, creases, in very good condition. ALSO INCLUDED is an original photograph by George G. Rockwood, size is 4.9 x 6.9 inches, in excellent condition.

English writer (1787-1849) and politician, a Shakespeare scholar. Autograph letter signed by him, written on both sides of a sheet. Size is 4.4 x 7.4 inches, 2 pages, folds, in very good condition.

French writer (1819-1893). Collection of three autograph letters in French (untranslated) signed by him, no date, addressed to the literary critic Paul de Saint-Victor (1827-1881), concerning his contemporary composers: "...M. Victor Massé vient de publier un recueil de 12 mélodies qui a tout l'intérêt d'une partition. M. Victor Massé appartient avec Gounod et Félicien David a cette école qu'on pourrait appeler en musique l'école philosophique, talent peut-être un peu chercheur, et sait toujours rendre ses idées dans une forme élevée autant qu'original....".  Different sizes, lengths, and conditions (see scans provided for a detailed view). SOLD ONLY AS A LOT, NOT SOLD SEPARATELY.

American poet (1885-1977). Fine black-and-white printed portrait of him in a photo. Size is 4.25 x 5.1 inches, in excellent condition.

American author of historical fiction (1924-2003).  Black and white photo signed and inscribed by him; ink-stamped on verso by photographer Jill Uris.  Size is 7.9 x 9.9 inches, in excellent condition.

Romanian-French artistocrat writer (1864-1947), twice a laureate of the Académie Française. Black-and-white photograph signed by her with a short sentiment dated in Paris, 1938. Size is 3.75 x 5.7 inches, in excellent condition.

French writer and dramatist (1854-1937), knight of the Legion of Honor. Autograph letter in French signed by him, dated in Paris, July 30, 1885, to the art critic Henry Lapauze, informing "... I immediately wrote to [Henri] Pagat. I hope that he has kept a copy of his short story and that he will be able to send it back to you (...) I am currently in the middle of my work, but as soon as I have finished the play I have in progress, I will write a short story for you, which I hope you will like...".  Open size is 10 x 8 inches, 2 written pages in one folded sheet, some smudges, folds, overall rust tone, in good condition.  

Peruvian novelist (b.1936) and Nobel Prize in Literature. Beautiful black-and-white photograph signed by him. Size is 7 x 9.4 inches, creases over the lower-left border, otherwise in excellent condition.

French romantic writer (1802-1885) and politician, whose career spanned more than sixty years. Gorgeous vintage carte-de-visite (CDV) of him by Photographer Charles-Albert Bertall (Paris). Size is 2.3 x 4 inches, in very good condition.

Fantastic album that belonged to the English palaeographer and amateur historian Emma Elizabeth Thoyts (1860-1949) with many autograph letters and clips signed by different personalities of the Victorian era including Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert, King Henry IV, King William IV, Princess Christiane (Queen Victoria's daughter), Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli and many other personalities of the United Kingdom. Album has a larger number of items (for a more complete list of the items identified please give a look at the last scans provided) and it is signed by Mrs. Thoyts on the back of the front cover, dated 1875.  Album's size is 9.8 x 11.75 inches, in very good condition.

Italian journalist. Famous pamphlet released with a long article about the world premiere of Puccini's Tosca heavily criticizing it signed by its author on the first page. Size is 5.8 x 8.25 inches, 32 pages, soft covers, in very good condition.

French writer and journalist (1823-1891). Autograph letter in French signed by her, dated in Paris, 1873. Size is 3.8 x 6 inches, 2 written pages in one sheet (front and back), overall rust tone, in very good condition.

American best-selling author and screenwriter (1916-1990), famous for some his novels. Signed photo shown with a copy of his famous novel "The Word" (1972), inscribed with a short sentiment dated in 1972. Size is 8 x 10 inches, in excellent condition.

American writer (b.1937) known for his fictional and nonfictional accounts of police work in the United States. Black-and-white promo photograph signed and inscribed by him with a short sentiment, dated 1981. Size is 7.9 x 10.1 inches, in excellent condition.

German historian (1817-1897). Autograph note signed by him, written in German (sold untranslated).  Size is 5.5 x 8.6 inches, 1 page, folds, in very good condition. ALSO INCLUDED is  an extra page with a text written in Latin by the composer.

Romanian-born American writer (1928-2016), professor, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor. 4-page card for an event at the Marriott Hotel, 1983, signed and inscribed by him in the last page. Size is 5.2 x 7.75 inches, in excellent condition.

Irish poet (1854-1900) and playwright, who became one of the most famous playwrights in London in the early 1890s; best remembered for his plays and his novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray". Fantastic extra large cabinet photograph of him by photographer Sarony (New York) signed and inscribed with a short sentiment by Wilde himself to the American actress Clara Morris during his visit to New York in January 1882 where he met her. Size is 7.2 x 12.75 inches, full crack professionally repaired at the center, re-mounted on new cardboard, some signs of mounting damage on verso, otherwise in overall good condition. Large photographs of Oscar Wilde are very rare and highly desirable!

German poet (1845-1909) and dramatist. Autograph letter signed by him, written in German (sold with translation). Size is 5.6 x 8.6 inches, 1 page, recipient's name was trimmed at the top, small cracks, folds, otherwise in good condition.

American journalist (1873-1941), writer, and political critic. Black-and-white halftone photograph signed by him, advertising a conference in 1932. Size is 6 x 4 inches, minor stains, in very good condition.

French librettist and lyricist (1887-1964), author of many songs for cinema, including the movie "Tossing Ship" (1932) and "Passionnément" with music by André Messager. Set of three typed letters in French (untranslated) signed by him with autograph additions, both dated 1932, addressed to Alfred Bloch of the Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques concerning the Italian distribution and the sale to Paramount of his work for the movie "Passionnément". Size is 8.4 x 10.8 inches each one, different lengths, all with letterhead from "Theatre des Bouffes Parisiens" in each one,  some creases and stains, in overall very good condition. SOLD TOGETHER, NOT SOLD SEPARATELY.

French librettist and lyricist (1887-1964), author of many songs for cinema, including the movie "Tossing Ship" (1932) and "Passionnément" with music by André Messager. Typed letter in French (untranslated) signed by him, dated in Paris, December 6, 1929, addressed to the composer and conductor Gustave Goublier (1856-1926), attaching a typed copy of a letter by the lyricist Charles-Louis Pothier (1881-1962), that caused him some astonishment. Size is 8.4 x 10.7 inches, 1 page, letterhead from Theatre des Bouffles Parisiens, folds, creases, in very good condition. We report a sample of the letter by Pothier: "...J'apprends par Benjamin Rabier que Monsieur Goublier vous aurait demandé à faire la musique de l'opérette "LES FAUCHES DE L'AMOUR". Il est malheureusement un peu trop tard. Voici pourquoi: Monsieur Goublier lut, il y a environ deux ans, le scénario des "FAUCHES DE L'AMOUR" (...) Il cessa de s'intéresser à l'affaire et dit à Rabier que cette pièce ne l'emballait plus (...) Croyant bien que l'affaire n'intéressait plus Monsieur Goublier, je proposai à un musicien qui l'accepta. Il m'est donc impossible de reprendre maintenant ce livret à un musicien envers qui je suis engagé...". 

English writer (1905-1987), dramatist, and actor.  Beautiful photo postcard shown young, signed by him with a short sentiment.  Size is 3.3 x 5.25 inches, in excellent condition.

English writer (1905-1987), dramatist, and actor.  Signed publicity photograph, shown young, size is 3.75 x 5.75 inches, mounting tape traces on verso, otherwise in excellent condition.

Welsh writer (1905-1987) and dramatist. Program for the play The Playboy of the Weekend World signed and inscribed by him with a short sentiment dated 1976 on its cover. Size is 5.6 x 8.9 inches, full program, in excellent condition.