Clues and Conclusions (Bran and Crowe Secondhand Books)

I don't really know how to structure this yet.

Printed Ephemera from Hamilton Golding

Hamilton Golding has a manuscript codex for sale by auction at Bonham's before Easter. This leaflet has a first draft of a catalogue entry for the lot. Decoding the abbreviations, the exterior is half hide, metal boards, Folio, with bosses, clasps, and corner-pieces. The interior is vellum folios, manuscript, historiated initials, Latin inscribed in various hands, with a Latin manuscript vellum letter laid inside. It's 500 years old at least. Oddly, it doesn't say what the contents are, apart from historiated - decorated with histoires, i.e., figures of men or animals, rather than with floral or formal designs. If it's named like Codex Sinaiticus that's not mentioned either.

Document Analysis

It was typeset and printed on Saturday 17 Mar 1934 by a jobbing printer.

Occult

A wishlist of occult codices. Number 1 is reputed to be bound in iron in the lost original. Number 4 is reputed to be bound in steel.

1. Book of Iod
2. Book of Skelos
3. Emerald Tablet
4. Firenze Tome
5. Ghorl Nigral
6. Key Of Solomon (Clavicula Salomonis)
7. Lesser Key Of Solomon (The Goetia)
8. Parchments of Pnom
9. Sepher Ha-Zohar (Book Of Splendor)
10. Sepher Yetzirah (Book Of Formation)
11. Testament of Carnamagos

Document Analysis

Typeset in Rockwell, a very new typeface from Monotype released this year. Printed with an Albion hand press. A jobbing printer with a Monotype system and the very latest Monotype matrixes, and an iron hand printing press designed in 1820 but still manufactured today? That's no ordinary jobbing printer.

Craft (papermaking)

It's printed on laid (i.e., handmade, chain lines & wire lines) art (i.e., coated, glossy) paper, normally used for expensive limited edition books of etchings or prints.

Bibliography 1-point spend

Golding's ephemera was printed by the Fanfare Press in St Martin's Lane, London. They aren't a jobbing printer as such. They do fine printing and advertising work.

Hamilton Golding

Credit Rating

You've (i.e., Frances Bradley) never met Hamilton Golding before. His accent marks him as upper middle class.

Golding is a catalogue agent. (Sebastian & Malcolm know that already, you'll learn much more about Golding at the bookshop)

Bookseller

The word is he's a personal catalogue agent, though no one knows who is client is. Someone with deep pockets and an aversion to publicity. Of course, in the absence of facts, rumours flourish, but I don't put much stock in them.

He's a bit of a snob, real upper-crust type. I've found the best way to deal with him is to be polite.

Book Scout

He's a solid fellow, certainly knows a fair amount when it comes to art, both of our sort and the more traditional, illustrative variety. I'm unsure if you remember last summer, when myself and others were running around purchasing translations of the Confessio Fraternitatis after he bought a Spanish translation over at Simons'. We are all so certain his client was looking for such items and hoping to be paid generously for them.

Walled Up Manuscript

Bibliography

Thomas Pettigrew served as librarian to the Duke of Sussex from 1818 to 1845. His three-volume catalogue of His Grace’s collection, the Bibliotheca Sussexiana, covers only a portion of the whole, mostly theological and religious works from all over the world.

It's written in the Freemason's cipher, which any schoolboy knows.

Document Analysis

You can date the paper and ribbon to before 1854. The paper was from Her Majesty's Stationery Office, James Street, Buckingham Gate.

Textual Analysis

What you can decipher in your head matches Thomas Pettigrew's style. This seems to be an unknown volume of the Bibliotheca Sussexiana.

Threadneedle Street

Bibliography (Malcolm Collins)

The six men with Golding are partners or senior staff from these booksellers:

1. Edward G. Allen & Son Ltd
2. Ellis
3. E.P. Goldschmidt & Co. Ltd
4. Maggs Bros.
5. Myers & Co.
6. James Tregaskis & Son

The Knowledge

This is Alf Jackson's corner. He's got a better whistle since the last time you came past here.

Bibliography (Frances Bradley)

That's Ernest Maggs! The man who negotiated with the government of Soviet Russia to acquire not only a Gutenberg Bible, but also the Codex Sinaiticus.

Bargain

A wealthy Italian arrived in London on Friday morning, stored something in the Bank of England before he went to his hotel, returned after lunch with Hamilton Golding and spent the afternoon in the Bank. Golding returned to the Bank on Monday morning as it opened.

Assess Honesty

Alf is telling you the truth.

The Knowledge

Percy Clarke is a cabbie. He's easy to find. You know where he stops for his tea, where he garages his cab, and so on.

Regent Street at Air Street

Streetwise 1-point spend

The bespectacled man (i.e., Evelyn Hathaway, bookseller) is an associate of Compeyson Kane, the fence. When Hathaway needs to dispose of stamp collections, coins, or weird family heirlooms profitably, he does so through Kane.

Flattery 1-point spend

Hathaway's bibliophily is fine bindings.

Manuscript Codex

Golding's client requests that as few people as possible handle the codex.

Bibliography

The half hide is not calf, nor goatskin, there are no follicles, perhaps it's sharkskin. The boards are grey metal and slightly incised with a herringbone pattern. There's dirt but no corrosion visible. The bosses, clasps and corner pieces are the same metal. The clasps are on the lower board, so it comes from elsewhere in Europe than England and France.

It is not in the usual wedge shape caused by swelling of the vellum in damp, nor is the vellum wrinkled and cockled by being too dry. The clasps would be under no strain keeping the codex closed.

Opening the upper board reveals the Latin vellum letter laid in.

Languages (Latin)

For the love of God and for Christendom and our common salvation, from this day onwards, as God will give me the wisdom and power, I shall keep this codex secret and safe in this, the vault of Rinaldo, protected by Saint Francis and the bones of my brothers.

History

Fra Lodovico is likely a relative of Everso degli Anguillara, who was a condottiero and member of the House of Anguillara, one of the most important Roman families in the early Renaissance.

The Battle of Anghiari was fought in 1440, between Milan and the Italian League led by Republic of Florence in the course of the Wars in Lombardy.

Under the letter is the first folio of the manuscript. It has an historiated initial letter, decorated with a picture of an ox. It's not in the Latin alphabet.

Occult

These symbols bear great similarity to those on the mysterious rongorongo boards found on Easter Island.

The first Latin inscription is on the reverse of the first folio.

Languages (Latin)

No, for me, if they are her face and a hundred tongues a hundred, and voice of iron, all the forms of crimes, the names of all those punishments beyond my power.

Occult

It is in the handwriting of Cecco d'Ascoli, an astrologer burned at the stake in 1327.

Document Analysis

You are sure it is the handwriting of Cecco d'Ascoli though a check in the Museum would not hurt.

Textual Analysis

He wrote it late in his life, in the 1320s, and the style is not his usual. It's poetry, but utterly unlike his normal poetry. It's like his mind is unravelling. It was written in the last 3 years of his life, but not during his trial.

A later inscription

Languages (Latin)

Behold, I devise, against this family an evil from which you shall not withdraw your necks, and you shall not walk haughtily, for this is a very evil time.

Occult

It bears the signature of Francesco Prelati. Prelati was named in the trial of Gilles de Rais. Rais was hanged in 1440 for crimes committed in the 1430s.

History 1-point spend

See the Wikipedia articles on d'Ascoli and Rais and their references up to 1934 verbatim.

Tower Bridge Road

The Knowledge (interpersonal)

The wealthy Italian arrived in London at Waterloo Station.

His manservant is German and named Stefan. He addresses his master as signore.

They are staying at Claridge's in Mayfair.

Their luggage had 'Homeric' labels on it. The box that was 'Not Wanted on Voyage' went into the Bank.

Assess Honesty

Percy Clarke is telling you the truth.

The Knowledge

RMS Homeric is a White Star Line ship. Their headquarters are Oceanic House, 1 Cockspur Street, Westminster. A short walk from Bran & Crowe.