Remarkable ALS signed “C. L. Dodgson” at the conclusion and “Lewis Carroll” within the text, one page on black-bordered stationery, 4 x 6, Christ Church, Oxford, November 5, 1884. Letter to “Mr. Bowles.” In full: “I hope you may think the enclosed worth noticing—not for the sake of the sale of it (it is sure to be a loss) but because of the importance of the subject, at this most critical time. If you do, please make no allusion to ‘Lewis Carroll!’” Light soiling to the top, a slight crease to the right border, and a penciled office notation to the upper left, otherwise fine condition.
Having retired from lecturing at Christ Church, Oxford in 1881, Dodgson shifted his focus onto his philosophical and political interests. The enclosed item mentioned in this letter was most likely a copy of his recently completed booklet titled The Principles of Parliamentary Representation, the preface to which he wrote the same day. As Britain’s political landscape continued to change, shifting throughout the 19th century from a small ruling elite in Parliament to a more democratic and representative base, Dodgson presented this booklet as a unified approach to the electoral reform issues which were being discussed at the time. Though commercially unsuccessful (as anticipated by Dodgson, noting, “it is sure to be a loss”) it contributed valuable ideas to the political scene. Explicitly requesting that Bowles keep his intellectual identity separate from his identity as the famed Alice author, this extraordinary piece holds both his given name and pen-name, making it one of the finest we have seen.
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