These unpublished letters were part of the private collection of the late Paula Peyraud (b. 1947), a reclusive librarian from Chappaqua, New York, who assembled an outstanding collection of literary materials relating to the Bluestockings. They include four autograph letters from Fanny Burney to Mrs Thrale/Piozzi, 1780-82, gossiping about members of their circle, including Samuel Johnson, and discussing her struggle to get her novel Cecilia published. They are an important addition to the the Rylands Library's pre-eminent collection of about 2,800 Thrale/Piozzi items,
Item Provenance
Paula Peyraud; Bloomsbury Auctions, New York, 6 May 2009, lots 190, 192-195, 381, 393, 404 and 406