Lot 161 , [Keates, Carey. ]The Holland & Holland Collection with a Brief History of the Company and Notes on Related Subjects 1976. Privately printed by Holland & Holland, London, 1976. Bound in full red morocco with inner dentell

° [Keates, Carey. ]The Holland & Holland Collection with a Brief History of the Company and Notes on Related Subjects 1976. Privately printed by Holland & Holland, London, 1976. Bound in full red morocco with inner dentelles and silk endpapers by Zaehnsdorf of London in a red cloth covered slip case with a dark red leather title label. * A manuscript note by Malcom Lyell on the second free endpaper states that this is one of seven copies bound for the author and the directors of the company. Together with a copy in the original printed wrappers in a paper folder with a reprint of a Holland & Holland catalogue of c. 1910. (2).
Malcolm Lyell (1922-2011) a good shot, a fisherman, a naturalist, a gardener, a hunter, an adventurer, and a raconteur who has been described as having been the doyen of the London gun trade.

After being educated at Bryanston and Westminster School, he took a degree in forestry at Bangor University in 1943 and worked as a forester until 1947 when he became the manager of Westley Richards London showrooms.

In 1955 when the parent company made the decision to close the London showrooms, Malcolm sought the backing of British and American sportsmen to finance his takeover of the business and established Westley Richards (Agency). Soon after acquiring it he bought Jeffery’s the gun-makers, and later Farlow’s, the fishing tackle specialists.

The ultimate salesman, he not only had a comprehensive knowledge but also loved and was proud of what he was offering for sale. Over the next twelve years he developed, expanded, and advanced the business with great panache and the able assistance of his wife Rosamunde (they married in 1949).

His success brought its own reward, in 1959 Holland and Holland invited him to merge his company with theirs and he became the managing director of the new enterprise. By the time of his retirement in 1988, he had acquired a plethora of clients many of whom became great friends; they included kings and princes, maharajahs, presidents, and prime ministers. Hollywood stars, white hunters, sportsmen and trophy collectors fell under his spell and with Rosamunde and his two daughters Caroline and Harmony he travelled the world combining business with pleasure.

Malcolm was born a collector, as a boy he collected objects to exhibit and opened his own “museum” in his parents’ house in South Kensington (admission to it cost the viewer one penny). Throughout his life his own houses became filled with treasures gathered from across the globe.

His passion and the intense enjoyment that he derived from his collection can be seen in the ephemera and the considered personal notes and annotations that he added to most of his books.

£150-200

Sold for £130