Thomas John Dibdin Playwright Actor (2 results)

1p., 4to. 15 lines. On aged and worn paper. The letter reads 'Dear Sir/ | A general meeting of all the Dramatic Authors will take place at the Garricks head in Bow Street on Monday nexxt at One o'Clock. Can you continue to come among us?, as it is for the purpose of making some arrangements and appointing an agent under the new act - As many of your plays have been written within the last ten years, the act being so far retrospective, it is to your interest to understand all its advantages - I undertook to write you on the subject, and also to inform you that Douglas Jerrold and Thomas James Serle will become subscribers to your work. One copy each - Am very happy to hear that your list of names are [sic] increasing'. The final reference is to Dibdin's 'Last Lays of the Last Three Dibdins' (1833), a collection of 200 songs which, according to the Oxford DNB, he published, '[e]ncouraged by Bulwer-Lytton's copyright reform, [.] under royal patronage and wide theatrical subscription'. Dibdin is not named as the recipient, but the item comes from a small collection of his papers.

Dibdin's letter: 1p., 12mo. On bifolium, with the Signed Autograph Copy of Chapple's reply (also 1p., 12mo) on the reverse of the same leaf. Reverse of second leaf addressed to 'C. Chapple Esq', with a nineteenth-century shelfmark at the foot of the page: 'C.68.Coll.CR.' In fair condtion, on aged paper. Dibdin writes: 'Dear Sir, | I presume you will not like to give £50 for the Copyright of the New Opera or perhaps you would give 45 - therefore I am going to take a good offer which will enable me to accept the two Bills and pay [last word underlined] them | With many thanks - Yours ever truly | T Dibdin'. Autograph Signed Copy of Chapple's reply: 18 lines of neatly written text. He begins: 'Dr Sir | I have been expecting your opera on our late understanding viz to Publish jointly, I am however happy to learn you can have some money for it, pray dont miss the offer as there is a very great dearth in the purchasing way as well as in all others.' He continues in the hope that Dibdin 'can assist' him 'wth cash', as he has 'a 37 on Saturday & two more next week, and actually no stuff for either of them at this moment'. He is 'going out this morning in the forlorn hope', but expects his labour to be in vain. He ends by asking Dibdin to 'favor my Clerk with an order for 3 or for 2 this evening'.