(18) [Letters to the Bible Society: 1911]
Letters of / George Borrow / To the British and Foreign / Bible Society / Published by Direction of the Committee / Edited by / T. H. Darlow / Hodder and Stoughton / London New York Toronto / 1911.
Collation:—Octavo, pp. xviii + 471; consisting of: Half-title (with blank reverse) pp. i–ii; Title-page, as above (with blank reverse) pp. iii–iv; Dedication To Williamson Lamplough (with blank reverse) pp. v–vi; Preface vii–xi; Note regarding “the officials of the Bible Society with whom Borrow came into close
relationship” pp. xi–xii; List of Borrow’s Letters, etc., printed in this Volume pp. xiii–xvii; chronological Outline of Borrow’s career p. xviii; and Text of the Letters, &c., pp. 1–471. There are head-lines throughout, each verso being headed George Borrow’s Letters, and each recto To the Bible Society. Upon the reverse of p. 471 is the following imprint “Printed by T. and A. Constable, Printers to His Majesty / at the Edinburgh University Press.” The signatures are a (one sheet of 8 leaves), b (a quarter-sheet of 2 leaves), A to 2 F (29 sheets, each 8 leaves) plus 2 G (a half-sheet of 4 leaves). Sig. a 1 is a blank. A facsimile of one of the Letters included in the volume is inserted as Frontispiece.
Issued in dark crimson buckram, with paper sides, lettered in gold across the back, “Letters of / George / Borrow / To the / Bible Society / Edited by / T. H. Darlow / Hodder & / Stoughton.” The leaves measure 8⅜ × 5⅞ inches. The published price was 7s. 6d.
“When Borrow set about preparing The Bible in Spain, he obtained from the Committee of the Bible Society the loan of the letters which are here published, and introduced considerable portions of them into that most picturesque and popular of his works. Perhaps one-third of the contents of the present volume was utilised in this way, being more or less altered and edited by Borrow for the purpose.”—[Preface, pp. ix-x].
The holographs of the complete series of Letters included in this volume are preserved in the archives of the British and Foreign Bible Society.
There is a copy of Letters of George Borrow to the British and Foreign Bible Society in the Library of the British Museum. The Press-mark is 010902.e.10.
(19) [Letters to Mary Borrow: 1913]
Letters / To his Wife / Mary Borrow / By / George Borrow / London: / Printed for Private Circulation / 1913.
Collation:—Crown octavo, pp. 38; consisting of: Half-title (with blank reverse) pp. 1–2; Title-page, as above (with blank reverse), pp. 3–4; and Text of the Letters pp. 5–38. The head-line is Letters to His Wife throughout, upon both sides of the page. Following p. 38 is a leaf, with blank reverse, and with the following imprint upon its recto, “London: / Printed for Thomas J. Wise, Hampstead, N.W. / Edition limited to Thirty Copies.” The signatures are A (a half sheet of 4 leaves), plus B and C (2 sheets, each 8 leaves), inset within each other.
Issued in bright green paper wrappers, with untrimmed edges, and with the title-page reproduced upon the front. The leaves measure 7½ × 5 inches.
Thirty Copies only were printed.
Holograph Letters by Borrow are extremely uncommon, the number known to be extant being far less than one might have supposed would be the case, considering the good age to which Borrow attained. His correspondents were few, and, save to the officials of the Bible Society, he was not a diligent letter-writer. The holographs of this series of letters addressed to his wife are in my own collection of Borroviana.
The majority of the letters included in this volume were reprinted
in George Borrow and his Circle. By Clement King Shorter, 8vo, 1913.
There is a copy of Letters to his Wife, Mary Borrow, in the Library of the British Museum. The Press-mark is C. 44. d. 32.