51. [Education of Sir Harry Luke] – [Lukach, Harry Charles / Sir Harry Luke] / Alington, Cyril Argentine.

Manuscript Letter Signed (MLS) / Autographed Letter Signed (ALS) from Eton Headmaster Cyril Argentine Alington to Harry Lukach, on Eton College stationery and accompanied with a photograph: “My dear Harry, I hope this will catch you in time to convey my best thanks for your delightful present….[Luke’s old headmaster continues by saying he wished he could go where Luke is going and finishes: “I shall think of you in Venice”] – Signed by Alington.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Windsor, Eton College, no year – c.1906. Octavo. Two pages manuscript letter signed (MLS) with photograph of Luke and friends on an ocean liner. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

52. [Education of Sir Harry Luke] – [Luke, Sir Harry] Lukach, Harry Charles / [Claude Delaval Cobham (British Colonial Official in Cyprus (Larnaca)] / [Guy le Strange (British Orientalist).

Manuscript letter by british colonial officer Claude Delaval Cobham to Harry Lukach, [later Sir Harry Luke] in which Cobham reflects on a manuscript Luke had sent him for analysis: “My dear Lukach, I return the Ms. I lent it to Guy le Strange who showed it to Ellis [possibly Sir Ellis Hovell Minns], of the B.M. [British Museum] [who are] both skilled analysts”. Cobham continues about the manuscript: “It is a kind of Hagiology, but written by a Druze – hence the [?] of the mad Khalife Hakim bin amr allah as a Saint, and spells Salih, which is a Druze Mack. There are similar Mss. in the B.M. library but Ellis [?] not a Druze one – but they are of no great interest or Value. The writing is neat and very legible….I hope you are well and enjoying yourself. I start, I think, on Thursday for Coblenz and S. Blasien [that is St. Blasien], returning at the very end of August. Yours very truly – C. Delaval Cobham”.

S. James, July 27 (no year but c.1906). Small Octavo. 2 pages filled on one bifolium / Plus Letter from British Museum to Harry Charles Lukach regarding Admission to the Reading Room (19th of July 1906). Excellent letter by British Colonial official in Cyprus, Claude Delaval Cobham. Important letter which states the early influence of Luke in his love for Cyprus because by the time this letter was written and Luke had a relationship with this important scholar, Cobham had already written the important “Excerpta Cypria”. The ALS by Cobham came with a letter by the Director of the British Museum to H.C.Lukach regarding admission to the Reading Room of the B.M.

53. [Education of Sir Harry Luke] – [Lukach, Harry Charles / Sir Harry Luke] / Lady Angela Forbes.

Manuscript Letter Signed (MLS / ALS) from Harry Luke to his mother: “My Darling Mother, ….we got to London very late & dined at the Club. For the present i am taking Carleton’s rooms….we went to the Turkish Bath and then had Curry at the Savoy…..almost impossible to get a table…very vulgar crowd who did nothing but shout all the time. Has my Pin been found yet ? I enclose a letter to Miss Getty whose address I don’t know….” Luke goes on to tell his mother who he was meeting: “The Duchess’ Sister Lady Angela Forbes…..& the son who is 16 & at Eton is an awfully nice boy. They all went out shooting today, I went out too but did not shoot. …we restored to the Potteries & then to some amateur theatricals at Lady Huntington’s. The G[rand] Duke Michael & Comtesse Forbes were there too. Scoones began on the 2nd and I am starting on Monday so I fear I shall not be able to come back to Paris. My love to Lily – Have my things come from Florence. I am also Expecting some books from there – please send them on – Much love H.”

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Lilleshall, Newport, SALOP, January 1907. Octavo. 4 pages. From the library and personal collection of Sir Harry Luke.

54. [Education of Sir Harry Luke] – [Lukach, Harry Charles / Sir Harry Luke] Smallbones, R.T [‘Bones’].

Manuscript Letter Signed / Autographed Letter Signed from ‘Bones’, that was Luke’s friend from Trinity College, Robert Townsend Smallbones, British diplomat and Humanitarian. Very long four – page – letter from a youthful ‘Bones’ to Luke on November 1st, 1907: “My dear old Licky, thank you very much for your charming letter, I am afraid your father was not only justly byt considerably infuriated….requesting you to wire your father your movements. I was unable to deal with it as i was ignorant of you mothers address in Paris….and only hope you were able to brave the storm of parental indignation without too great loss of personal dignity and bodily comfort….I also hope the financial crisis in America and in particular the slump in Westinghouse has not affected the family fortune….We are leaving tomorrow morning…the reason is that my brother is going to Hungary …to shoot stags…I want to read up ssome German literature for which i shall find the books in Velm. I am in extremely bad form..I caught a violent cold & have been reading Mark Twain the whole afternoon….[‘Bones’ then continues to make fun of Luke not being able to win the heart of someone he just met on holiday and he taunts Luke by writing: “….I on the other hand shall kiss her to-morrow morning when saying goodbye. Poor old Licky !] The rest of the letter is about girls ‘Bones’ met and he expresses his hope to see Luke very soon.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. 1907. Quarto. 4 sheets / 4 manuscript pages in ink, signed “Yours ever Bones”. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

55. [Education of Sir Harry Luke] – [Lukach, Harry Charles / Sir Harry Luke] Luke, J.H. / William [Vilmos] de Ormody.

Manuscript letter signed (MLS) from J.H.Luke on Westinghouse Stationery, to his son Harry Charles Lukach (later Sir Harry Luke): “My dear Harry, Just a hurried line to say that I agree your remaining in Austria Hungary until the arrival of Grandfather….You say nothing about the [?] book – I hope you are putting your best effort into this your first literary work. Am terribly busy & off to Bussa [Nigeria] tomorrow [Westinghouse had business in Nigeria]. Love to all – Your affectionate Father J.H.L.”

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Paris, Societe Anonyme Westinghouse, 1907. Octavo. Two – page letter with original envelope, addressed to “H.C.Lukach Esq. c/o Wm [William] de Ormody Esq. – Redoutenplatz [later Vigadó Square] – Budapest, Hungary”. From Sir Harry Luke’s personal Library.

56. Fitzpatrick, Percy.

Jock of the Bushveld. Illustrated by E. Caldwell.

5th Edition. London, Longmans, Green and Co, 1908. 16 cm x 21.5 cm. Frontispiece, XVI, 475 pages. 23 illustrations on 23 plpates, including colour frontispiece. Hardcover [publisher’s original green cloth] with gilt lettering and design on spine and front board. Unusually excellent condition with only minor signs of external wear. Interior bright and clean. Preowner’s name and date on front pastedown: ‘Adeline G. Bowen – July 13th, 1909’. A very desirable copy in the original publisher’s binding. Extremely Rare in this very excellent condition.

57. [Sierra Leone Content] – Luke, Harry Charles.

Collection of ninetythree (93) [Multi-Page] Manuscript Letters Signed (MLS) / Autographed Letters Signed (ALS) – from Harry Luke sent home in the years 1908 – 1911 to his Father, Mother & Sister during his posting as Private Secretary to the Governor of Sierra Leone, Sir Leslie Probyn. With private but also lots of official news from the Colonies and including strong impressions by Harry Luke on his very first posting as an official for the Colonial Office. A fantastic collection of letters, re-introduced into Harry Luke’s private library after the death of his parents. Of great interest regarding the becoming of a colonial officer, Luke shares in these letters his adventures as much as his thoughts and worries about which career-path to take. These 93 letters give an extraordinarily detailed insight into the career of an Etonian and Trinity College Oxford Alumni, turning Colonial Officer, just prior of The Great War at the time of the ascent of contemporaries as eminent as Churchill & Bonar Law.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Freetown / “S.S.Nigeria”, November 1908 – January 1911. Octavo. From the personal collection of Sir Harry Luke.

58. Shelford, Frederic.

Pioneering. A Series of Four Articles contributed to “The Engineer.”

London / New York, E. & F. N. Spon / Spon & Chamberlain, 1909. 12.5 cm x 19 cm. 82 82 pages. With numerous illustrations throughout the text, showing examples of basic equipment, medicines etc. for the pioneer and surveyor [photographs of “A Hammock as commonly used in West Africa” / “Miner’s Dial” / “Instrument Umbrella” (Mosquito Net) / “Edgington’s Aluminium Demi-Johns” / “Doulton’s Traveller Pump Filter” etc.]. Hardcover [publisher’s original brown cloth] with gilt lettering on spine. Very good condition with only minor signs of external wear. Minor bumps to lower corner boards. Some minor signs of staining to pages 46 and 47, otherwise interior very good. Extremely Rare publication for the Settler and Pioneer in Colonial Africa !

59. Johnston, Harry.

Britain Across the Seas – Africa, A History and Description of the British Empire in Africa.

London, National Society’s Depository, no year [1910]. 15.5 cm x 23.5 cm. XIX, 429 pages. 238 illustrations. 7 maps. [Sketch Map of Kaffraria / Political Map of Africa (in colour) etc.]. Hardcover [publisher’s original red cloth] with gilt lettering on spine. Excellent condition with only minor signs of external wear. Internally exceptionally tight, bright and clean with sharp edges. Front pastedown carries presentation bookplate of Leyland Parish Church Sunday School and Bible Classes awarding prize to J. Pickles for regular attendance.

60. Walsh, Langton Prendergast.

Under the Flag, and Somali Coast Stories.

London, Andrew Melrose, Ltd., no year (c.1910). 16 cm x 23.5 cm. Frontispiece, VIII, 384 pages. Hardcover [publisher’s original salmon cloth] with lettering on spine. Very good condition with only minor signs of external wear and fading. Interior is bright and clean.