NOBEL ALFRED: (1833-1896) Swedish chemist, inventor & philanthropist. Known for his invention of ...

NOBEL ALFRED: (1833-1896) Swedish chemist, inventor & philanthropist. Known for his invention of dynamite, Nobel bequeathed his fortune to institute the Nobel Prizes. A rare A.L.S., Alfred, two pages, 8vo, Bofors (Karlskoga), 20th February n.y. (c.1895), to his brother Robert, in Swedish. Nobel explains that he was not able to go to Stockholm or Geta, suggests that he ought to have left from Sanremo in Italy despite his illness, expresses frustration at having lost a lawsuit in London (brought by his Explosives Company against Frederick Abel and James Dwar for infringement of the company´s patent on the explosive ´cordite´), further explains that the purchase of Bofors was necessary to continue the development of his industry, promising to return to Sweden in the spring and, in a postscript, inquiring about the date of a wedding and apologising for not having written on a larger sheet of paper, in part, ´We lost the vile lawsuit in London, as you know: the company will not be giving up the ghost as a consequence, but it will have lost a large part of its spirit, and since it lives on blast (explosive blast) the matter is serious enough......As you know, a long time ago I almost bought Bofors. I have long wanted to have a cannon workshop because it is absolutely necessary for the development of things in my industry. But the purchase of Bofors´s shares with the associated agreements has forced me to go on a winter trip for several nights´. A couple of neat splits to the left and right central edges, otherwise VG