[Rarebooks] FS: Thomas J. Wise & Forgery - Box Lot of Books & Catalogs

[Joslin Hall Rare Books, ABAA]

A box lot of 8 books and catalogs dealing with the famous literary forger
Thomas J. Wise, sold as a lot-


Bratcher, James T. & Lyle H. Kendall, Jr.  "A Suppressed Critique of
Wise's Swinburne Transactions. Addendum to An Enquiry"  University of
Texas at Austin, Humanities Research Center: 1970. Limited to 500 copies. 
Years before Carter and Pollard exposed Thomas J. Wise as a forger of
"Certain Nineteenth Century Pamphlets", Wise got into an undignified but
revealing spat with the Bibliophile Society of Boston over some Swinburne
manuscripts.  The editors here reprint, from a copy of the uncorrected
proofsheets (apparently the only example remaining) the suppressed 1914
Bibliophile Society pamphlet "The Swinburne Manuscripts".  They also give
the history of the controversy, and speculate on the relationships between
Wise and Society members and the possible reasons for the suppression of
the pamphlet.  Hardcover. 6"x9", 58 pages, fine.  [05347]


Carter, John & Graham Pollard.  "Gorfin's Stock. Working Paper No.4" 
Oxford; for the authors: 1970; 400 copies for sale.  In writing their
groundbreaking 1934 expose of the Wise forgeries, "An Enquiry into the
Nature of Certain Nineteenth Century Pamphlets", Carter and Pollard had
relied on the affidavit and records of Herbert Edwin Gorfin, the
(unwitting) bookseller through whom Wise sold many of his forged
pamphlets.  Here they present the Gorfin records, including his notebook,
his first affidavit about his business dealings with Wise, his second
affidavit, describing Wise's reaction to the revelation that the pamphlets
were forgeries (he asked Gorfin to destroy the remaining copies) and an
account of Gorfin's printed catalogs, showing how the forgeries were sold.
 A very interesting sidelight into the Wise Affair.  Softcover. 5.5"x8.5",
36 pages, card covers. Very light fading along spine.  [05346]


Carter, John & Graham Pollard.  "The Firm of Charles Ottley, Landon & Co. 
Footnote to an Enquiry"  London; Rupert Hart-Davis & New York; Charles
Scribner's Sons: 1948.  In their groundbreaking 1934 expose of the Wise
forgeries, "An Enquiry into the Nature of Certain Nineteenth Century
Pamphlets", Carter and Pollard had designated several Swinburne pamphlets
as doubtful, but not necessarily forged.  In this follow-up, they no
longer have any doubt about the fraudulent nature of the 1887 Swinburne
works "A Word for the Navy", "The Question", "The Jubilee", and "Gathered
Songs", supposedly published by the (fictitious) firm of Charles Ottley,
Landon & Co.  As is usual with Carter and Pollard's work, simply reading
their description of their detective methods is a fascinating and
instructive pastime, even if one has only a passing interest in obscure,
fake Swinburne pamphlets.  Softcover. 5"x7", 95 pages, facsimiles; text
somewhat browned, light wear, a little spine fading.  %%[05345]


Foxon, D.F.  "Thomas J. Wise and the Pre-Restoration Drama. A Study in
Theft and Sophistication"  London; The Bibliographical Society: 1959.  "In
October 1956 it was announced that a considerable number of leaves stolen
from early seventeenth-century plays in the British Museum had been
identified in the copies of those plays in Thomas J. Wise's Ashley Library
bought by the British Museum after his death in 1937".  Uh oh... 
Softcover. 6.5"x10", 41 pages plus 4 rather incriminating b/w plates;
light wear, tips thumbed, etc.  [05349]


Hood, Thurman L. (ed.).  "Letters of Robert Browning, Collected by Thomas
J. Wise.  Edited, with an introduction and notes by Thurman L. Hood"  New
Haven; Yale University Press: 1933.  "Mr. Wise has served as central
treasurer of Browning lore, the untiring helper of Browning biographers
and scholars.  The factual resources of his growing store of letters from
the poet to various correspondents have never been exhausted.  And in its
present range it provides a new approach, on the human side, to the
understanding of Browning's personality.  It thus becomes a tribute to the
poet, in consummation of the longest, and in spite of unusual difficulties
one of the most successful, bibliophile labors ever spent upon an English
poet".  It would, of course, have been more of a tribute had it not been
revealed a year after the publication of this book that Wise had also been
engaged in forging rare Browning pamphlets...  Hardcover. 6.5"x9.5", 389
pages, 16 b/w plates; a very nice, clean copy.  [05269]


[Quaritch]  "A Catalogue of Books and Pamphlets from the Library of
Maurice Buxton Forman, with an Introduction by Graham Pollard. Catalog
926"  London; Bernard Quaritch Ltd.: 1973.  In 1972 the distinguished
English bookselling firm of Bernard Quaritch acquired a "quantity of books
and pamphlets" from the estate of the late Maurice Buxton Forman, son of
Harry Buxton Forman, friend of T.J. Wise...  As Graham Pollard,
Super-Literary-Sleuth and co-author of "An Inquiry Into Certain Nineteenth
Century Pamphlets" points out in the introduction to this catalog, the
contents described here shed new light on the role that Harry Buxton
Forman played in the infamous  "Wise Forgeries" of 19th century literary
pamphlets.  Softover. 6"x9", 37 pages, light soil.  [05230]


Ratchford, Fannie E.  "Letters of Thomas J. Wise to John Henry Wrenn. A
Further Inquiry into the Guilt of Certain Nineteenth-Century Forgers"  New
York; Alfred A. Knopf: 1944.  The volumous and revealing correspondence
between Thomas J. Wise, book dealer, bibliographer, and forger of "certain
nineteenth century pamphlets", and John Henry Wrenn, the wealthy Chicago
banker, noted collector, and somewhat-too-trusting customer of Wise. 
Hardcover. 6.5"x9.5", 591 pages, portrait frontispiece of Wise, b/w
plates; text browned, tattered dj.  [05350]


Todd, William B.  "Suppressed Commentaries on the Wiseian Forgeries. 
Addendum to an Enquiry"  University of Texas at Austin: 1969. Edition
limited to 750 copies.  An entertaining account of four different
campaigns launched against Thomas J. Wise in 1934, after Carter and
Pollard had exposed Wise as the forger of "Certain Nineteenth Century
Pamphlets".  The letters of this correspondence were acquired by the
Library of the University of Texas, and provide the basis for this study. 
Two of the campaigns were undertaken ("directed by" is the term Todd uses)
by Charles F. Heartman, bibliophile and editor of the 'American Book
Collector'.  The other two were "instigated" by bookseller Gabriel Wells. 
It all makes most interesting reading...  Hardcover. 6"x9", 50 pages,
folding b/w plate; bookplate; light soil.  [05348]

The lot of 8 books & catalogs, $275.00 net, postpaid

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