21. [Commonwealth & Colonial History & Law] – Luke, Sir Harry [Lukach, Harry] – ‘the most unwasted life of any man I have known’ – (Sir Ronald Storrs on Sir Harry Luke)

Very Large Archive / Collection of British Colonial Official & Lieutenant-Governor of Malta, Sir Harry Luke. Including 123 Books and Pamphlets, often with multiple annotations and inserted materials / Including the stunning amount of 427 Manuscript-Letters / Typed Letters (among which are also a few Postcards) / Including 95 interesting documents / Inlcuding 171 Items of Ephemera. The Archive is Sir Harry Luke’s very personal and one might say, confidential collection of original autographed letters, correspondence and books he surrounded himself with at the end of his life. The Archive includes important and meaningful personal and official letters from important historical figures in the Arena of the Middle East and especially Palestine with for example interesting legal insights into the Jewish-Arab conflicts of the 1920s, as well as working-copies of books which Luke wrote himself at every location he was posted to during his career. In order to understand the vastness of the Archive you need to visit our website and see the twenty (20) chapters of Material we synchronised chronologically with Sir Harry Luke’s life [Search for “Library & Collections” and find 20 chapters at the bottom of that page]. The Archive contains an unbelievable and impressive array of several highly interesting letters and correspondence regarding key historical events as disparate as the Mudros/Gallipoli-Campaign under Rosslyn Wemyss, the Jaffa Riots, the Western Wall Riots of Jerusalem in 1929 as well as information on diplomatic activity prior to the Suez Crisis, descriptions of locations like Guadalcanal prior to the War in the Pacific, detailed information on personell at Gardner Island / Phoenix Islands during the vanishing of Amelia Earhart, to only name a few bizarre coincidences. The books contain manuscript annotations and preparatory notes for later editions as well as many letters written to Luke regarding the many postings he served at during his long career in the Colonial Service. The Archive includes several hundred pages of correspondence between Luke and other officials within the Colonial Office, often in multi-page letters. Also included is proof of Luke’s connections to the Ecclesiastical World of the Vatican and Lambeth Palace, his diplomatic abilities are praised in letters from friends and officials alike. Luke received cordial letters from Queens (Queen Salote) as well as polarizing letters from Politicians. Included are manuscript notepads as well as confidential reports from other diplomats on locations where Luke was soon to be taking office, e.g. British Western Pacific Islands. The Archive is unique in its form because it represents not only the correspondence between Luke as an official but also allows us a view into the life of a Career Diplomat of the last days of the Colonial British Empire who develops a deep connection with everyone he served with and under. Luke did not only keep correspondence with famous friends like Ronald Storrs but also emotional letters from those who served under him and respectfully stay in touch beyond the termination of Luke’s service. Many letters to family colleagues in the Colonial Office, Politicians, Priests with political functions, are preserved with Luke’s original typescript-answer or initial letter. The official and often explosive and historically meaningful content with striking relevance for reinterpreting Mediterranean, Middle Eastern Conflicts etc. makes this archive a must for research and posterity. This is not just any diplomat’s archive. The majority of these letters are unpublished but are waiting to be discovered (see for example the long letter by Sir Kenneth Roberts-Wray on the Palestine Commission. Also included his Luke’s very valuable, handwritten manuscript-notebook of colonial postings-recipe-collections together with his working copy of the very special cookery book “The Tenth Muse”. The majority of the collection is now catalogued and visible on our website. A collection of c. 89 letters and 43 items of Ephemera has not been catalogued yet.

England / Palestine / Israel / Malta / Cyprus, Fiji / Sierra Leone etc., 1898 – 1968. Octavo / Quarto / Folio. c.15000 pages (books) / Collection of hundreds of Letters (see images) / Photographs and ephemera etc. Original Hardcover / Softover – Bindings (also private interim-bindings), often with the rare dustjackets in protective collector’s Mylar, some without dustjackets. Very good condition with only minor signs of external wear. Please check our website under “Libraries & Collections” and see detailed listings of books and letters, all categorized.

22. [Family History of Sir Harry Luke] – [Luke, Sir Harry] / Matthias Likeij – Freemason at St.John’s Lodge / St.Johannisloge / Carl Sörensson //

Collection of Manuscript Masonic Letters and Masonic Papers of Sir Harry Luke’s Cousin, Swedish Philosopher Matthias Likeij, Member, “Sancti Johannis Meister” of the St.John’s Lodge in Christianstad. Including eight (8) Manuscript letters between swedish Freemason Carl Sörensson, Visby, dated between the years 1899 – 1902 and Broder [Matthias] Likeij.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. [Visby / Christiansstad], 1899 – 1902. Octavo – Folio. Two original Masonic Diplomas for Matthias Likeij and eight (often multi-page) letters. From the personal library of Sir Harry Luke (Luke was a Mason as well and a cousin of Matthias Likeij), protected in a special envelope: “On His Majesty’s Service”.

23. Lloyd, A.B.

In Dwarf Land and Cannibal Country a Record of Travel and Discovery in Central Africa. 146 Illustrations and Maps.

Second Popular Impression (Limited to 1500 copies). London, T. Fisher Unwin, 1900. 15 cm x 21 cm. Frontispiece, XXIV, 385 pages. One fold-out map of Toro and Aruwimi districts within interior. Hardcover [publisher’s original red cloth] with gilt lettering on spine. Pictoral and lettering on front board. Good+ condition. Signs of external wear. Bumps to corners. Some staining to front board with small cloth tear evident also. Spine ends rubbed. Valley between front pastedown and endpaper slightly cracked. Binding overall a little shaky but still firm and strong. Roughness to cut edges. Slight tears at edge of fold-out map. Some untrimmed pages. Interior mostly bright and clean.

24. [Education of Sir Harry Luke] – [Lukach, Harry Charles / Sir Harry Luke].

[Eton] – “Rules of E.W.Stone’s, Esq., (Late Rev. Ford’s) – House Debating Society” – Founded, May 1900 – Revised, September 1902 / Founded: D.J.Cassavetti, President / B.H.Hartopp Nash, Secretary / H.C.Lukach, Treasurer / Revised, September 1902: H.C.Lukach, President / L. McCormick-Goodhart, Secretary.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Eton, Spottiswoode & Co., 1900 – 1902. Folio. 8 versions of Rules of Luke’s “House debating Society” From Sir Harry Luke’s personal Library.

25. [Education of Sir Harry Luke] – [Lukach, Harry Charles / Sir Harry Luke] / Vaughan Esq., E. L. [Edward Littleton, “Totty”].

Manuscript / Autographed Song called “Vaughan”, drafted by E.L. Vaughan Esq. himself on his personal Eton College Stationery: “I’m mastermaster Vaughan…who caters for the Eton College Rifles, the cutest ever born….”

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Windsor, Eton College, no year – c.1900. Octavo. Three pages manuscript draft. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

26. [Education of Sir Harry Luke] – [Lukach, Harry Charles / Sir Harry Luke] / Ford, Lionel George Bridges Justice [Headmaster at Eton and Repton].

Fantastic Manuscript Letter on “Repton Hall – Stationery” by Lionel George Bridges Justice Ford to his former pupil, Harry Charles Lukach (later Sir Harry Luke) written just after Ford’s Italian Journey with Alington and shortly after he became Headmaster at Repton. The six-page letter is a wonderful example of the relationship of Teacher and Student and Ford writes here to Luke more like to an old friend: “My dear Lukach, I have been trying to make time to answer your nice letter, but the rush of things just at first is so great I think you will have to wai a bit unless I send you a dictated answer. Well ! I am not going to let you wait any longer. I am delighted to hear that Rev. Alington [that is Cyril Argentine Alington] tore up your copy of “M.a.P.” which was far and away the best method of dealing with that class of literary productions”. I wish I had realized that you were in Paris in the holidays, because I passed through the place on my way to and from Italy and I had some solitary hours there which I divided between Notre Dame & guess where ! Rev. Alington was with me in Italy and wore the most outrageous lay costume that I have ever been scandalised by. For all that we had a very nice time. I stood on top of Vesuvius and longed to jump into the hole to see what it was making that noise underneath. I saw Assisi the home of S.Francis & theought of your Sunday private business. I travelled along the North of L. Trasimene and wished for some of my old pupils to explain to me the details of the great battle that took place there. I saw Rome – where – as you are aware there are a good many objects of interest. And Florence ! Oh ! Florence !! The Masterpieces of Raphael & Michael Angelo and the tombs of Clough – Mrs. Browning & Landor would have made your artistic and literary mouth water. You will find Rev. Alington has a good deal of information which he is willing to impact as to Florence. He did not half appreciate the statues as compared with the pictures. Unhappy Man ! I have not told you any news about Eton [crossed out and replaced with ‘Repton’] that must wait till I come down next week. Your affectionate Tutor”.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Repton Hall / Burton on Trent, 1901. Octavo. Six pages on two sheets folded. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

27. Pearse, Henry H.S.

The History of Lumsden’s Horse – A Complete Record of the Corps from Its Formation to Its Disbandment. With Many Portraits and Other Illustrations and a Map.

London, New York and Bombay, Longmans, Green, and Co., 1903. 19.5 cm x 25.5 cm. Frontispiece, XII, 506 pages. 79 illustrations. Fold-out map at rear showing ‘Part of South Africa showing the routes taken by Lumsden’s Horse.’ Hardcover [publisher’s original red buckram] with gilt lettering and design on spine and front board. Some staining to cover but overall in very good condition but with signs of external wear and fading. Binding still strong and firm. Interior bright and clean. Errata leaf inserted near front.

28. [Education of Sir Harry Luke] – [Lukach, Harry Charles / Sir Harry Luke].

Hommage / Greeting – Letter from fellow Etonians to Harry Luke’s “Natal Day”, loosely inserted into its original envelope and addressed to Luke at Trinity College. Written for Luke’s 19th birthday on December 4th, 1903. Four-page manuscript letter, signed by his friends with imaginary signatures of eminent people like Winston Churchill, Sherlock Holmes, Thomas J.Lipton, Edna May, Pio Decimo (Pope Pius X) etc. / Also included an original photograph showing Luke dressed as Priest, playing on the pontification of Pius X in 1903.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. London / Oxford, Trinity College, 1903. Quarto. 4 pages on A4 fold in original envelope with photograph of Luke as priest included. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

29. [Education of Sir Harry Luke] – [Lukach, Harry Charles / Sir Harry Luke] / [Michael Furse, Dean of Trinity].

Manuscript Letter Signed (MLS) / Autographed Letter Signed (ALS) from Harry Luke to his father. The letter, on stationery of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, was surely written after / during Orientation week in 1903 when Luke started his Education at Trinity Collee, Oxford. Luke reports to his father: “I am having a capital time up here. It is quite delightful. I was met at the station by one of the fellows I was in Italy with, who escorted me to my lodgings, which are most Excellent. Then went to tea with another fellow, or rather ‘Man’ at Worcester Coll. & had Dinner at Trinity Hall. On Tuesday I had breakfast with Arthur at Balliol & lunched with Furse [that was Michael Furse], the Dean of Trinity. In fact I am having a fine time. The papers are very hard indeed, harder than I Expected. I will show them to you when I come down. We have two papers every day, from 9:30 to 12:30, & from 2-5…..arriving at Paddington at 12.15. I propose to sleep that night at Down St. to go down to Ascot the next day & from Ascot on to Eton. I have met several old Etonians up here, amongst others Cassaretti, who is at Trinity….I hope you are well. How is the Electrocuting getting on ? Much love & au revoir till Friday – Your loving son Harry” – “P.S. That pig Paul got a Scholarship at New College”.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Oxford, Corpus Christi College, [1903]. Small Octavo. 4 pages on A5 fold. From Sir Harry Luke’s personal Library.

30. [Education of Sir Harry Luke] – [Luke, Harry Charles / Sir Harry Luke].

Scrapbook of articles (newspaper-clippings) written by Harry Charlkes Lukach [later Sir Harry Luke] Clippings during his very first job at the “New York Commercial [Advertiser]”. With manuscript annotation: “H.C.Lukach – Joined “New York Commercial” – Feb. 9th 1903 – Resigned – May 23rd [1903].

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. New York, New York Commercial, 1903. 27 cm x 20 cm. [22] pages. Original Hardcover. Harry Luke’s (Lukach) personal copy. Cockling to pages, rubbing to boards. Otherwise in excellent condition. Harry Luke must have taken this very first job at the New York paper shortly after leaving Eton and prior to joining Trinity College. The New York Commercial was also the first stop for investigative journalist Joseph Lincoln Steffens. Luke’s scrapbook of articles lets us already see his talent in summarizing events and getting to the point ! The job was clearly based on his father’s connections in New York and Luke must have quickly realized it was not for him !