International book order assistance offer from Foyle booksellers for Soviet clients.

W. & G. Foyle, Ltd. Booksellers. Second Hand and New Books = Knigoprodavtsy. Knigi Novye i Poderzhannye.

[London], [ca 1924].
8vo, 1 l.

In good condition, very light wear, horizonal fold.

Very rare ephemera. 

This advertising letter was sent to clients in the Soviet Union, starting with the old-fashioned formal salutation 'Honored Sir', a remnant of pre-revolutionary rather than Soviet Russia. The letter offered agency services for the supply of books and periodicals in English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian. It also offered the option to ship editions shortly after their official release and provided clients with insights into the book market.The letter was signed by William Foyle and included a list of thematic catalogs available.
Although the letter lacks a specific date, the store was located at 121-125 Charing Cross Road from 1920 to 1929. The letter also mentions the 'condition of the Russian exchange rate', which stabilized in 1924. Additionally, Foyles had an account with Moscow Narodny Bank, which had been operating in London since 1915 and became an independent British legal entity in 1919. The bank was incorporated into the Soviet banking system following the British government's recognition of the Soviet Union and the signing of the Anglo-Soviet trade agreement in 1924. Therefore, this advertisement could not have been sent earlier than 1924.
It is likely that this advertising effort was successful, as Christina Foyle, Gilbert Foyle's daughter, traveled to the USSR in 1932 to collect outstanding debts.