Nelson, His Life and His Navy: The Clive Richards Collection of Letters and Manuscripts

Sotheby's is putting on a pre-auction display of the Clive Richards collection, a massive gathering of letters and manuscripts relating to Horatio Nelson. The auction itself runs from 21 October to 18 November, but you can see the items on public viewing days: Friday 23 October, and then Monday 26, Tuesday 27, and Wednesday 28 October, from 9:00am to 4:30pm. It's at 34-35 New Bond Street, London W1A 2AA.

Sotheby's describes it as the greatest collection of Nelson letters, documents, and manuscripts to be assembled in modern times. There are about 415 listed items in total, with more than 200 letters and documents written by Nelson himself and 73 by Emma Hamilton. The papers are split into four groups: Nelson Papers (217 items), Hamilton Papers (136 items), Battle Papers (46 items), and Nelson Family Papers (19 items). Among them are eyewitness accounts of battles, personal announcements of historic victories, and more intimate glimpses into his character, like the letters that show his painful efforts to relearn how to write after losing his right arm in battle.

The whole thing was put together by Clive Richards, CBE (1937-2021), who spent some forty years collecting. The auction works on a rolling basis, with lots closing independently at one-minute intervals rather than all at once. Entry to the viewing is free, and the doors are open 9:00am to 4:30pm on those specific dates.