- Contents loosening. = From the collection of P.J. and L. Buijnsters-Smets.
ADDED: a gilt red morocco chemise.
= Text in the tradition of so-called "libri indulgentiarum", which listed the different locations in Rome where relics could be found and indulgences obtained, serving as propaganda to attract pilgrims to the Holy City. The text mentions seven principal churches in Rome and lists St. John's Lateran as first and foremost, indicating that the original text dates from between the mid-14th and the late-15th cent. - before St. Peter's took primacy over Rome's other churches. See: J.R. Hulbert, Some Medieval Advertisements of Rome (Modern Philology, 1923, p.404-405). One leaf bearing the watermark of Zaandijk paper producer J. (Aggesz.?) Kool.
- Binding sl. rubbed along extremities.
= Contains copied poems as well as original poems, partly monogrammed "A.J." or signed "A. Jacobi", mostly commemorating deceased family members. Some titles: "Op eene Bloem door Huysem geschilderd (...) Naar Prior" (dated "Dec. 1846"); "Op eene Walvischkaak in 't Veld"; "Berchem" (signed and dated "Febr. 1847"); "Wouwerman" (signed "A. Jacobi"); "Gedachtenis aan onze geliefde Moeder Petronella Jacobi, geb. Van der Kooy" (signed and dated "Augustus 1852"); "By den dood onzes geliefden Broeder Coenraad Jacobi (...) begraven te Hillgondersberg 9 Febry. 1855"; "Aan den Schilder Claude le Lorrain, bij het beschouwen van zijn "Liber Veritatis"" (signed and dated "31 January 1857") and "Herinnering" (signed and dated "19 July 1868" and w. contemp. annot. "gecopieerd door J. Jacobi" in lower margin of leaf). The latter poem is written in praise of "Kraantjen-lek", the famous 500 year old hollow oak tree, and the fine views from the top of the iconic dune "De Blinkert". The author "A. Jacobi" might be the amateur artist Abraham Jacobi who worked in Rotterdam.
- Outer leaf sl. (water)stained at the end. Otherwise fine.
= Probably all or almost all copied from publications.
- Waterstained.
= On a disputed inheritance of a house and grounds in Moergestel and payments. A few names of the aldermen: Jan van Vladeracken, Willem van Arkelen and Lambert van de Laerschot.
AND 10 others, i.a. by aldermen from Drunen, dated 1452 and 1445(?), Alkmaar (1610), Amsterdam (1620, 1765, 1813), Gouda (1682), Leyden (1625, 1726), Vreeswijk (1536),
- One leaf w. sm. tear on fold.
= All sent to the "Internationaal Literatuur Bureau": giving permission for the performance of his play Hochzeit by Groningen students [10/04/1982]; sending a contract for a Dutch paperback edition of Het Martyrium [07/06/1989]; and on theater adaptions of his works. "(...) Eben erhalte ich von Verlag Polak und Van Gennep eine Theaterbearbeitung meines Romans 'Die Blendung' zugeschickt. Ik kann auf keinen Fall meine Einwilligung zu einer Theaterbearbeitung des Romans geben. Man hat mich nie um Erlaubnis gebeten (...) und ich bin sehr erstaunt darüber (...). Ich wäre Ihnen dankbar, wenn man das gleich klarstellen könnte (...)" [08/06/1990]. "(...) Ich habe nun einen Brief vom Theater de Balie bekommen (...) und muss mich leider doch gegen eine dramatische Bearbeitung von 'Masse und Macht' entscheiden. Ich kann mich nicht ausführlich dazu äussern, da ich in nächste Zeit ins Krankenhaus muss. Aus denselben Grund bitte ich Sie, in meinem Namen den Theater mitzuteilen, dass ich eine Bearbeitung von 'Masse und Macht' fürs Theater auf keinen Fall erlauben kann (...)" [14/12/1992].
= Writing i.a. about a short trip to Ireland and commenting on the driving skills of the Irish: "(...) and then rented a car and drove into the north, Belfast and such places. Migod, never, under any circumstances, drive a car in Ireland. Traffic, of course, is on the opposite side of the road from what I'm used to, and the Irish drivers are worse than the Brazilians and Mexicans. It was an ordeal I don't ever look forward to doing over again... I actually sideswiped a car before I got out of Dublin, but I kept going, of course (...)".
Idem. TYPESCRIPT LETTER SIGNED "Ray", to "Dear Theo", dated "December 10, 1985", 1 leaf, recto and verso, w. the orig. envelope.
= Expressing his joy at seeing his poems published in Dutch translation (by Sjaak Commandeur) in Maatstaf and looking forward to a Dutch translation of his poems "sometime next year. That is splendid news! You may recall that you showed me an edition you had published of Phillip [sic] Larkin's poems. It was very handsomely done, and I was impressed. If my book looks anything like that, I'll be made happy." Also about a possible trip to Europe on which he and his wife (the poet Tess Gallagher) might meet up with Sontrop again. And finally telling Sontrop "a secret: another Hemingway novel, its title is THE GARDEN OF EDEN, will be published next April by Scribners. (...) The book was begun in 1948 and was one he worked on for several years and left in ms form. I've read it (a friend of mine at Scribners gave me a copy). It's Hemingway, all right. You might be interested in trying to acquire it. (...)".
AND an AUTOGRAPH NEW YEAR'S WISHING CARD SIGNED by the same (w. orig. envelope, postmarked 14 Dec. 1986; expressing his pleasure that "the new book of stories will be out in February next" and that Sontrop also plans to publish a collection of his poems in his poetry series).
= On one of her favorite subjects, the cat: "(...) Si vous connaissiez la chatte, la vraie - elle est vivante et bien vivante - tout vous serait claire et simple comme à moi-même. Je n'ai jamais connu, entre cent chattes, une chatte comme celle-là. Qui réincarne-t-elle? J'aime mieux ne pas le savoir (...).." Included in the lot are 5 facsimiles of Colette's handwriting,
- Folded three times; a few unobtrusive light brown stains; sm. tears in margins of folds. Otherwise fine.
= Provenance: Willem Hubrecht, building inspector of the Dutch public water management corporation, by descent to the present owner. Apparently mr Hubrecht had found a clear resemblance between the subterranean vault that Hugo had described in his book l'Homme qui rit and a penal cave that Hubrecht had discovered below Vredenburg Castle in Utrecht. According to information added by a nephew of Willem Hubrecht, Hubrecht had sent Hugo a sketch of the penal cave and had asked him where he got his information for his description of the vault. Hugo does not give a specific answer to this question, but responds as follows: "J'ai reçu, Monsieur, (...) votre très curieuse et très précieuse communication. Je vous en remercie, ainsi que de l'utile dessin qui l'accompagne. Je regrette la démolition de votre cave pénale d'Utrecht. Ces vieux monuments sont bons à conserver, ils inspirent l'honeur[?] du passé. Je sens, Monsieur, dans votre lettre excellente un homme très distingué, et je vous serre la main. [signed:] Victor Hugo". SEE ILLUSTRATION PLATE LXXXI.
= Fine letter, signed twice (above the printed letterhead and at the end of the letter), responding to the congratulatory letter of the Dutch publisher Theo Sontrop on occasion of the knighthood that had been granted to Naipaul in 1990. "It is a very great gesture by the country to me. I came to England in 1950 to be a writer. It is nice, in 1990, to be given a [...] honour for literature. I am delighted you are giving Among the Believers another run. Incidentally, Rushdie reviewed it for one of the glossy magazines & thought it was written to reassure the Americans!"
= Letter written in response to an "emblematic card" that Sontrop had sent to Naipaul after it had become known that he had won the Nobel Prize for literature in 2001. "You were among my best publishers, and I cherish your kindness. The prize was quite unexpected. I thought that the political current had showed[?] too strongly against me. In those days you were a supporter, and that does not go unremembered. (...)".
Idem. TYPESCRIPT LETTER SIGNED "Yours ever Vidia N.", to [typescript:] "Dear Theo [Sontrop]", dated "2 December 1991", 1 leaf w. printed letterhead "Dairy Cottage, Salterton, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP4 6AL", recto only, w. the orig. envelope.
- Numb. "31" (encircled) in upper right corner in a different hand.
= Commenting favourably on the Dutch paperback edition of A House for Mr Biswas that Sontrop had sent him and sending Sontrop "the reprinted Updike review of the Loss of El Dorado from the New Yorker" and calling his attention to the review of the book by Gregory Rabassa.
- Lacks matins of the Hours of the Virgin (w. miniature?) and none; lacks first leaf to Office of the Dead cut out (w. miniature?); lacks O Intermerata(?).
= A book of hours possibly made for a patron residing in the region of Brittany of Normandy, France. Contents: a calendar w. i.a. mentioned in red St. Augustine, St. Jerome, St. Dyonisius, St. Maclou, St. Nicolas and St. Thomas of Cantrbury; the Hours of the Virgin; the Penitential Psalms and Litany and the Office of the Dead. SEE ILLUSTRATION PLATE LXXXI.
- With the usual scuffing and soiling due to previous use as part of a later binding.
- Not examined outside of frame. = Delicate, detailed image. SEE ILLUSTRATION PLATE LXXXI.
- Hinges weak. Vellum sl. soiled/ stained; lacks ties.
= Transcript (autograph?) of this work by S. VAN SLINGELANDT, published as the 3rd part of his Staatkundige Geschriften (Amst., P. Schouten, 1784-1785) and separately (n.pl., n.publ., n.d. (±1783)). Cf. Dekkers p.161, 1; Doorninck 3828. With the notes in left margin.
- Outer lvs. soiled; waterstained in lower part throughout.
= Noël de Caron was an administrator from Bruges and was elected in the States General. He was a protestant, loyal to the prince of Orange, and became a Dutch diplomat. He served in several diplomatic missions to i.a. France and Great Britain (i.a. working on the Treaty of Nonsuch). He bought a house in Lambeth, London in 1602. In 1604 he was requested to start as an envoy for the Republic, but he had to wait until 1609 to become the official ambassador of the Dutch Republic in England, at the start of the Truce between Spain and the Republic. The Dutch Republic was only then officially recognized by the English. While in England he became very wealthy and a good personal friend to king James I. The report centers mostly around the upcoming marriage between Frederick V, elector Palatine and the only daughter of James I, Elizabeth Stuart and the political ramifications of that union (also for the Republic). He writes i.a. about the king's growing favourable sentiment towards Frederick V, his future son-in-law, who arrived in London, on the 16th of October. The king arranged a meeting between De Caron and Frederick. De Caron also mentions marriage negotiations between James I and the duke of Savoye and the grand duke of Tuscany, to match their respective daughter and sister to the prince of Wales, Henry Frederick. The negotations had progressed to such a stage that the pope was asked for a dispensation. The pope, however, threatened to excommunicate, which rattled the grand duke. The king was more inclined to the Savoy candidate because of the large dowry (according to Caron's sources "ses hondertmael duisent cronen"). De Caron asked the prince of Wales directly about the two possible matches, especially about the Savoye princess, to which the prince answered that he preferred a princess with his own religion, but that in the end he would accept his father's wishes and showed De Caron a painted portrait of the Savoye princess [Henry died a month later before any marriage had been decided on]. At the end of the report De Caron also mentions that James I wanted to reassure the States-General about the positive outcome of the king's diplomatic efforts to end the Kalmar War between Denmark and Sweden [the war affected the trade between England and the Netherlands]. According to James I, the king of Denmark (his brother-in-law) would accept his role as an impartial party. And De Caron finally ends with asking to send money a.s.a.p.