Lot 41
  • 41

Dickens, Charles

Estimate
1,000 - 1,500 GBP
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Description

  • Dickens, Charles
  • Autograph letter signed, to A.H. Layard
  • ink on paper
inviting him to dine with "Mary Barton and Susan Hopley - two ladies you have met in print" the following Tuesday, 1 page, 8vo, integral blank, blue Athenaeum headed stationery, Athenaeum, "Sunday" [late 1851]

Literature

The Letters of Charles Dickens, Vol. 6, eds Storey, Tillotson and Burgis (1988), p.564

Condition

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

AN INVITATION TO A LITERARY DINNER. "Mary Barton" and "Susan Hopley" were, in fact, the novelists Mrs Gaskell and Catherine Crowe. Austin Henry Layard (1817-1894) is best remembered as the excavator of Ninevah, but his primary connection with Dickens came through reforming politics. In 1855, a few years after this letter, Layard helped to found the Administrative Reform Society, the only political movement Dickens was ever to join.