DODGSON (CHARLES LUTWIDGE) 'LEWIS CARROLL' Autograph letter signed ('C.L. Dodgson') to a young friend ('My dear Mary'), letting her know he is in Edinburgh and that if she comes to town it '...would be a pity I shouldn't have the chance of seeing you... don't be very angry if I'm not in: and don't think of coming on purpose...', pencil docket on reverse, one page on a bifolium, ink faded, ink offset from red stamp on verso, dust-staining and marks, creased with dust-staining at folds, 8vo (180 x 112mm.), Royal Hotel, Edinburgh, 13 September 1871 Footnotes: 'DON'T BE VERY ANGRY IF I AM NOT IN': An unpublished letter written in the year of Through the Looking Glass. Dodgson lets a young friend know of his arrival in Edinburgh. Mary's identity has been the subject of much speculation, although the three prominent Marys in his life, Mary Watson, Mary MacDonald and his sister, can probably be discounted as they were seemingly not in Scotland at this time. The wording suggests that the recipient was staying outside Edinburgh, near enough to come to town on the off chance of seeing him. Dodgson visited Scotland from 5 September to 1 November 1871 and, whilst he gives a detailed account of his movements in his diary, he makes no mention of a visit from a Mary (Edward Wakeling (ed.), Lewis Carroll's Diaries, Vol.6, 2001). Our letter is not published in Cohen's edition of The Letters of Lewis Carroll, 1979. Provenance: Sotheby's New York, 3 June 2014, lot 92. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: * * VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing