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9 175 résultats
1865réf. 124557c. 1865. Rare thirty-six star printed American parade flag commemorating the statehood of Nevada. The first flag to appear after the end of the Civil War the thirty-six star flag was in use for two years between July 4 1865 when Nevada was admitted into the Union and July 3 1867 when Nebraska was admitted. Printed in blue and red ink on cotton the flag measures 27.5 inches by 19 inches. Matted and framed the entire piece measures 35.5 inches by 27 inches. In very good condition. A handsome presentation of a desirable Civil War era flag. "Although Nevada became a state while the Civil War was in progress its membership in the Union was not officially recognized by Congress until July 4 1865 several months after the war was over" Druckman & Kohn 56. Although not considered a Civil War flag this flag nevertheless contains elements of Civil War flags: "The preference of Civil War flagmakers was clearly for horizontal and vertical alignment of stars: that is complete parallelism of rows. The collective visual effect of Civil War flags is therefore one of hypnotic rhythm - the embattled stars drawn up in military order in defense of the threatened Union stride on relentlessly. Star patterns of this sort denser now and necessarily smaller may be described as 'phalanx' or 'battalion' arrangements" Mastai & Mastai 123. "The thirty-six star flag. typically contained five rows of stars. The first third and fifth rows hel eight stars each; the second and fourth rows had six each" Lepson 94. The present flag has the phalanx pattern in an unusual configuration of six rows of six five-pointed stars each. "While Civil War flags escaped much of the mortal rigidity of mechanical mass production their artistic merit was more particularly due to the delicate design relationship of the elements and to numerous subtle details - such as the directions of the arms of the stars which we never entirely regimented as they are on modern flags. And truly no modern replica can either do justice to the artistic character or render the 'patina' of one of these antique flags" Mastai & Mastai 124. unknown books
1836réf. 1243531836. Rare autograph letter signed by one of the most prominent American lawyers of the 19th century Daniel Webster written in anticipation of the opening of the American west. One page folded text in the hand of an amanuensis the letter stipulates which types of land Webster and Perkins wish the recipient Joseph R. Williams of Toledo Ohio to invest in with their $5000 speculative fund. The reads in part "Washington 16 May 1836 Dear Sir Mr. H. Perkins Esq. of Boston who is doubtless well known to you at least by character and reputation is now here. He and myself have argued to join in some investments in lands in your part of the country and we propose to place a sum in your hands for that purpose to be invested on the same terms and conditions as you invest other funds for me and for Mr. Davis. The sum which we propose to place at your disposal for this purpose is five thousand dollars; of which three fourths are to be invested for account of Col. Perkins and one fourth on my account. Of course we leave the choice of places to your discretion looking to safety and to the hopes of profit. We would not devise you to be too adventurous in regard to town lots; but if you should see a good prospect of a handsome advance in property of that kind you will embrace the opportunity so to dispose of part of lands for agricultural purposes in townships already settles and settling near to great lines of communication and taken up at Government prices cannot well fail to produce handsome returns on the capital. Still we should be very glad if you could make a lucky hit at some point where the land should soon be wanted for town purposes or where it would be met by some canal or other improvement which should enhance its value. As to the mode of remittance we have thought of no better way than for you to draw on me. I shall be in this city until the early part of Jun perhaps later and then in Boston. As commercial transactions in your quarter may enter in New York and Philadelphia your Bills on me may be made payable either at Boston or at the Merchants Bank in the city of New York or the Bank of the United States at Philadelphia. You will of course write me on the receipt of this. You will see what day shall be fixed on for the adjustment of Congress and may take it for granted that I shall be here till about that time." Signed at the conclusion by Webster "with regards Yr obedient Serv Daniel Webster'. Additionally signed "Joseph R. Williams Esq Toledo" and "approved & agreed to by me Th. Perkins". The spring and summer of 1936 saw the admission to the Union of Arkansas and Michigan as the 25th and 26th states respectively and the organization of the Wisconsin Territory essentially opening the American West as the next urban frontier. In near fine condition. Accompanied by an etched portrait of Webster. American lawyer and statesman Daniel Webster represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the U.S. Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harrison John Tyler and Millard Fillmore. As one of the most prominent American lawyers of the 19th century he argued over 200 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court between 1814 and his death in 1852. During his life he was a member of the Federalist Party the National Republican Party and the Whig Party. During the Mexican-American War he emerged as a leader of the "Cotton Whigs" a faction of Northern Whigs that emphasized good relations with the South over anti-slavery policies. In 1850 President Fillmore appointed Webster as secretary of state and Webster contributed to the passage of the Compromise of 1850 which settled several territorial issues and enacted a new fugitive slave law. unknown books
1886réf. 125249New York: George Routledge & Sons 1886. First American edition of Blackburn's biography of famed British illustrator Randolph Caldecott; from the library of Woodrow Wilson with his ownership signature. Octavo original publisher's cloth decorated in gilt with one hundred and seventy two illustrations frontispiece portrait of Caldecott. Signed by Woodrow Wilson on the title page. One of the most influential children's book illustrators of nineteenth century British artist Randolph Caldecott published 16 picture books throughout his career including The House that Jack Built 1878 John Gilpin 1878 The Three Jovial Huntsman 1880 and The Great Panjandrum Himself 1885. The Caldecott Medal first proposed by Frederic G. Melcher in 1937 was named in his honor. In near fine condition. Housed in a custom half morocco slipcase. The 28th president of the United States Thomas Woodrow Wilson grew up in the American South mainly in Augusta Georgia during the Civil War and Reconstruction. After winning the 1913 Presidential election he introduced a comprehensive program of domestic legislation with four major domestic priorities: the conservation of natural resources banking reform tariff reduction and equal access to raw materials which would be accomplished in part through the regulation of trusts. At the outbreak of World War I in 1914 the U.S. declared neutrality as Wilson tried to negotiate a peace between the Allied and Central Powers. Wilson narrowly won re-election in the 1916 United States presidential election boasting how he kept the nation out of wars in Europe and Mexico but in 1917 asked Congress for a declaration of war against Germany in response to its policy of unrestricted submarine warfare that sank American merchant ships. After the Allied victory in November 1918 Wilson went to Paris where he and the British and French leaders dominated the Paris Peace Conference. There he successfully advocated for the establishment of a multinational organization the League of Nations which was incorporated into the Treaty of Versailles. Scholars have generally ranked Wilson in the upper tier of U.S presidents although he has been criticized for supporting racial segregation. His liberalism nevertheless lives on as a major factor in American foreign policy and his vision of ethnic self-determination resonated globally. George Routledge & Sons hardcover books
1871réf. 125391New York: Published at the Office of The Golden Age 1871. First edition of Tilton's biography of American suffragette Victoria Woodhull published shortly before she became the first woman to campaign for President of the United States. 12 mo original wrappers stitched as issued publisher's advertisement at rear. In very good condition. Housed in a custom cloth chemise and half morocco slipcase. Victoria Woodhull first made her reputation as a supporter of free love by which she meant the freedom to marry divorce and bear children without social restriction or government interference and as one of the only female newspaper publishers Woodhull & Claflin's Weekly with her sister Tennessee Claflin. She soon became an activist for women's rights and labor reforms and in a pivotal 1871 speech argued that the 14th and 15th amendments already covered women's suffrage. She decided to run for president in 1872 backed by the Equal Rights Party whose convention nominated Frederick Douglass for Vice President although he did not participate in the convention or acknowledge the nomination. While she obviously lost--and indeed could not have won constitutionally due to her age--Woodhull became one of the most powerful women's rights advocates of her day. This contemporary biography was written by Theodore Tilton a close friend of many within the movement. In 1872 Tilton confided in Elizabeth Cady Stanton that his wife was having an affair with Henry Ward Beecher. Tilton sued Beecher for alienation of affection and a salacious trial commenced. Woodhull abandoned her friendship to splash the scandal across the pages of Woodhull & Claflin's Weekly. Woodhull was arrested for obscenity and then acquitted--events that gave rise to the Comstock Laws of 1873 arguably the nation's most powerful and successful attempt at censorship. Woodhull emerged from the debacle with fewer friends--Susan B. Anthony for example disagreed with her behavior entirely--but nevertheless managed to retain her reputation as a leading supporter of women's rights and as an early American female politician. Published at the Office of The Golden Age hardcover books
1885réf. 125381New York: Henry-Bonnard Bronze Co. c. 1885. Attractive bronze bust of of Ulysses S. Grant as General of the Army by famed American sculptor Henry Kirke Bush-Brown. The adopted nephew of sculptor Henry Kirke Brown Henry Kirke Bush-Brown was revered for his accurate realist sculptures illustrating American history. He produced three equestrian bronze sculptures erected at the Gettysburg battlefield depicting General George Mead the victor at Gettysburg General John F. Reynolds killed in action July 1 1863 and General John Sedgwick the senior most Union casualty of the American Civil War. In addition Bush-Brown made a bust of Abraham Lincoln dedicated in 1912 as part of the Lincoln Speech Memorial commemorating Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Mounted on a bronze base the entire piece measures 7.75 inches in height. In fine condition. Following the close of the American Civil War Congress revisited the idea of a superior General rank initially intended for bestowal upon George Washington who held the rank of "General and Commander-in-Chief" which was a grade senior to all American major generals and brigadier generals from the American Revolutionary War but only entitled him to the three-star insignia of an Army lieutenant general. On July 25 1866 Congress enacted legislation authorizing the grade of General of the Army and on that same date the new grade was conferred on Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant as a reward for saving the Union in the American Civil War. The grade was recognized and continued in various acts until the Act of July 15 1870 which contained the requirement that "the offices of general and lieutenant general shall continue until a vacancy shall exist in the same and no longer and when such vacancy shall occur in either of said offices shall become inoperative and shall by virtue of this act from thence forward be held to be repealed. Henry-Bonnard Bronze Co. unknown books
1896réf. 125077New York: The Century Co. 1896. Early printing of Roosevelt's fascinating account of the West. Quarto original publisher's decorated cloth top edge gilt. Illustrated by Frederic Remington. In very good condition. Bookplate. Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail is a detailed wide-ranging look at life in western America by the future president from his ranch on the Little Missouri covering the range the ranch the round-up and much more. Combines the talents of two of the most important chroniclers of the early American west. Frederic Remington was "the most successful Western illustrator in the 'Golden Age' of illustration at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th so much so that the other Western artists such as Charles Russell and Charles Schreyvogel were known during Remington's life as members of the 'School of Remington" Samuels ix. This is the second in Roosevelt's series of four books on ranching and hunting. The Century Co. hardcover books
1861réf. 125394Greenneville sic Tenn.: Printed And For Sale by J. M. Robertson 1861. Scarce 1861 Tennessee printing of The Constitution of The Confederate States of America adopted on March 11 1861. Octavo original wrappers. In very good condition wrappers laminated in glassine. Housed in a custom cloth chemise and half morocco slipcase. Exceedingly rare being the only example printed in Tennessee in the year of the Constitution's adoption to appear in auction records. Adopted on March 11 1861 the Constitution of the Confederate States was the supreme law of the Confederate States of America. It was in effect from 22 February 1862 to the conclusion of the American Civil War in May 1865. The majority of its provisions follow the United States Constitution verbatim; however there are critical differences between the two documents regarding slavery. Whereas the original U.S. Constitution did not use the word "slavery" or the term "Negro Slaves" but instead used "Persons held to Service or Labour" which included whites and Native Americans in indentured servitude the Confederate Constitution addresses the legality of slavery directly and by name. Though Article I Section 9 1 of both constitutions are quite similar in banning the importation of slaves from foreign nations the Confederate Constitution permitted the Confederate States to import slaves from the United States and specified the "African race" as the subject. The importation of slaves into the United States including the South had been illegal since 1808. Printed And For Sale by J. M. Robertson hardcover books
1861réf. 125637Richmond VA: Printed for Private Distribution Only 1861. First edition of the first book printed in the Confederacy. Quarto original stiff paper wrappers one of approximately 50 copies issued on regular paper. Ten being issued on thick paper and twenty copies destroyed in a fire. In very good condition reinforcement to the hinges. Housed in a custom full morocco clamshell box. Howes F26. Sabin 23778. Exceptionally rare. David Fanning was one of the most infamous of the Southern Tories raiding Patriots throughout the Carolinas. His guerilla warfare only paused when he was captured but following each of his multiple escapes he would quickly resume his vengeful predation. His narrative was to be the first in a series but the Civil War intervened and only this initial volume was produced. It was reprinted by Sabin in 1865 but this original edition was noted by Goodspeed's "as one of the finest of Confederate imprints." Printed for Private Distribution Only unknown books
1872réf. 123738Salt Lake City 1872. Brigham Young signed document as President of the Utah Central Railroad Company ordering the treasurer of the UCRC to pay $13 to C.W. Penrose with Penrose's signature on verso. The entire piece measures 8 inches by 3.8 inches. Brigham Young was a religious leader politician and settler. He was the second president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints LDS Church from 1847 until his death in 1877. He founded Salt Lake City and served as the first governor of the Utah Territory. Young also led the foundings of the precursors to the University of Utah and Brigham Young University. unknown books
1850réf. 123164c. 1850. Fine terracotta statue of President George Washington after Sir Francis Chantrey's Washington as a Roman Senator 1826. Terracotta. In 1818 the Washington Monument Association commissioned Francis Chantrey to sculpt a pedestrian statue of George Washington in white marble. Unveiled in Doric Hall of the Massachusetts State House in November 1827 it was the first sculpture to be placed in the then new State House and the first full-sized marble statue in New England. In fine condition. The statue measures 14.75 inches in height. American statesman and soldier George Washington served as the first President of the United States from 1789 to 1797 and was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He served as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and later presided over the 1787 convention that drafted the United States Constitution. He is popularly considered the driving force behind the nation's establishment and came to be known as the "father of the country" both during his lifetime and to this day. unknown books
1859réf. 124158Kingsport Ohio 1859. Rare autograph letter signed by and completely in the hand of Abolitionist John Brown to his wife and children regarding his return home. One page entirely in the hand of John Brown the letter is dated 7th April 1859 and reads in part: "Kingsport Ohio Dear Wife and children All I write you March 25th enclosing Draft for $150 saying write me Care of American House. to say what articles you need of provisions clothing shoes c. Have you written I still wish you to retain what money you can for a few days as I hope to be at home to advise with you about laying it out. I have been entirely laid up for more than a week. All well in Hudson Akron and West Andover lately. May write again before getting home. My best wish for you all is that you may truly love God and his Commandments. Your affectionate husband and father John Brown." In December of 1858 Brown led a successful raid in Missouri freeing 11 slaves and leading them to Canada in January 1859. He then met with Frederick Douglass in Detroit where he made a final plea to convince Douglass of the necessity of violence in ending American slavery. Brown had conceived of the Harper's Ferry raid in early 1859 and would return home to North Elba one last time in June before going to Harper's Ferry in July ending with his raid on the Federal Armory there on October 16th. His wife would not see him again until she was allowed to visit him in the Jefferson County Jail on the eve of his execution. In very good condition. Double matted and framed. The letter measures 6.5 by 4 inches. The entire piece measures 20 inches by 16.5 inches. American abolitionist John Brown escalated the tensions that led to the American Civil War "to a degree that no other American did. he had an impact on the course of national events matched by few in American history" Reynolds ix-x. Dissatisfied with the pacifism of the organized abolitionist movement Brown advocated armed insurrection as the only way to overthrow the institution of slavery in the United States. The 1859 Brown led the historic raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry West Virginia with the intention of arming slaves with weapons from the arsenal. The attack ultimately failed; Brown was imprisoned and found guilty of treason and executed after a two week trial however its impact on the course of American history were significant. "The Harpers Ferry raid sent tremors of horror throughout the South and gave secessionists a persuasive symbol of northern hostility. It hardened positions over slavery everywhere. It helped to discredit Stephen A. Douglas' compromise policy of popular sovereignty and to divide the Democratic party thus ensuring the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860" ANB. hardcover books
1887réf. 122056New York: The Century Co 1887. First edition of this collection of articles contributed by both Union and Confederate officers which originally appeared in The Century Magazine containing four papers from Ulysses S. Grant which were later adapted into his "Personal Memoirs." Quarto four volumes bound in full leather with gilt titles to the spine blind-stamping and raised bands marbled endpapers and all edges marbled profusely illustrated with engravings portraits and maps. In near fine condition. Initially published as a detailed magazine series featuring articles by prominent generals of both sides of the Civil War Battles and Leaders of the Civil War was soon expanded into book form with the chief motive of providing ".strict fairness to the testimony of both sides and the chief endeavors have been to prove every important statement by the 'Official Records' and other trustworthy documents." Editor's Introduction. The collection includes four papers by General Ulysses S. Grant writing before his severe illness on the topic of his greatest campaigns which were later adapted into his "Personal Memoirs". The Century Co hardcover books
1823réf. 120635Hartford: Published by Silas Andrus 1823. First edition of Putnam's work dedicated to American naval heroes of the Revolutionary War including James Monroe John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Octavo bound in three quarters morocco over marbled boards with gilt titles to the spine. In near fine condition. Armorial bookplate to the pastedown. Rare. Inspired by a recently published letter from John Adams to the Editor of the Baltimore Magazine encouraging "young gentlemen of letters in all the states. to undertake the laborious but certainly interesting and amusing task of searching and collecting all the records pamphlets newspapers and even hand-bills which in any way contributed to change the temper and views of the people and compose them into an independent nation" Putnam's Biographical Sketches of Distinguished American Naval Heroes and the War of the Revolution contains his biographies of James Monroe John Adams Thomas Jefferson Nicholas Biddle John Paul Jones Edward Preble and Alexander Murray. Published by Silas Andrus hardcover books
1809réf. 1215601809. Exceptionally rare 16-page autograph letter signed by and entirely in the hand of Founding Father John Adams defending the ultimate necessity of American sovereignty and its precedence over international alliances. Sixteen pages entirely in the hand of John Adams and written on both the recto and verso of each page the letter is dated January 9 1809 and addressed to Speaker of the House of Representatives Joseph Bradley Varnum. Although France and America shared a strong alliance which proved crucial to winning the Revolutionary War at the onset of the French Revolution in 1789 Washington's fear that American involvement would weaken the new nation before it had firmly established itself created tensions and a new war between England and France broke out in 1793. The British Navy soon began targeting French vessels and trading interests across the Atlantic and although many Federalists thought that America should aid its ally Washington proclaimed that the United States would be "friendly and impartial toward the belligerent parties." The Neutrality Proclamation was ignored by Britain and angered France which then allowed its navy and privateers to prey on American trade. To protect American sailors and merchants without provoking Britain in March 1794 Congress passed a 30-day embargo which it then extended. Britain the strongest sea power began to seize American ships suspected of trading with France and stepped up its practice of impressment. From 1806-1807 the British navy in desperate need of men to oppose Napoleon forced roughly 5000 American sailors into service on the pretense that they were deserters. In 1807 King George III proclaimed his right to call any British subjects into war service and claimed that Britain had full discretion to determine who was a British citizen. The crisis reached one peak for America in June of 1807 when the HMS Leopard attacked the USS Chesapeake off the coast of Virginia. Three American sailors were killed eighteen were wounded and the Chesapeake surrendered after firing only one shot. The Leopard seized four American seaman claimed as deserters from the British navy and hanged one of them. Jefferson and Madison his Secretary of State responded with the Embargo of 1807 a ban on all American vessels sailing for foreign ports. Meanwhile Russia allied with Napoleon and pressed Denmark to turn over her fleet. In September 1807 Britain preemptively bombarded Copenhagen and seized the Danish-Norwegian fleet. While Jefferson's Republicans still generally favored France a schism grew in the Federalist party. Men like Timothy Pickering downplayed impressments while focusing on trade and access to British manufacturing. On October 16 1807 King George III aggravated already high tensions with American following the British attack of the USS Chesapeake off the coast of Virginia by issuing a Royal Proclamation expanding the British right to impressment the King's right to call any British subjects into war service and determine their citizenship. News of the King's Proclamation arrived in the United States in December 1807 and lacking military options President Jefferson proposed an embargo to ban all U.S. exports on American vessels in order to protect American sailors' lives and liberties despite its potential to cripple American trade. The Embargo Act was signed on December 22 1807 causing immediate economic devastation. In protesting the Embargo rather than wrestling with the difficulty of defending American sovereignty some opponents chose to declare the legality of impressments as defined by King George's Royal Proclamation. John Adams' former Secretary of State Timothy Pickering took a leading role in fighting the embargo arguing that Jefferson was using it to draw America closer to Napoleon's France. Given the devastating economic effects of the embargo Pickering's message found a wide audience. Adams on the other hand recognized the dire threat the King's Proclamation posed in denying America the right to determine its own rules for citizenship and in December took his arguments to Speaker of the House Joseph Varnum. As he stated in the present letter "He Pickering thinks that as every Nation has a Right to the Service of its Subjects in time of War the Proclamation of the King of Great Britain commanding his Naval Officers to practice Such Impressments on board not the Vessells of his own Subjects but of the United States a foreign Nation could not furnish the Slightest ground for an Embargo! . But I Say with Confidence that it furnished a Sufficient ground for a Declaration of War. Not the Murder of Pierce nor all the Murders on board the Chesapeake nor all the other Injuries and Insults We have received from foreign Nations atrocious as they have been can be of such dangerous lasting and pernicious Consequence to this Country as this Proclamation if We have Servility enough to Submit to it." Adams suggested repealing and replacing the Embargo Act with one that allowed international trade with all but the belligerents while building up the navy. Varnum asked to publish it. Before assenting Adams completely reworked his argument mustering all the reason and rhetoric at his disposal into a stirring defense of sovereignty and citizenship resulting in the present letter. On March 1 1809 Congress repealed the Embargo Act following Adams' suggestion to replace it with the Non-Intercourse Act which allowed trade with all nations except Britain and France. In fine condition. A remarkable piece of early American history illustrating the second President of the United States' impassioned devotion to the pursuit of American liberty. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. The longest letter signed and entirely in the hand of John Adams obtainable. American Founding Father John Adams served as the first vice president of the United States from 1789 to 1797 and subsequently the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. A lawyer and political activist prior to the revolution Adams was devoted to the right to counsel and presumption of innocence. He defied anti-British sentiment and successfully defended British soldiers against murder charges arising from the Boston Massacre. Adams was a Massachusetts delegate to the Continental Congress and became a principal leader of the Revolution. He assisted in drafting the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and was its foremost advocate in Congress. As a diplomat in Europe he helped negotiate the peace treaty with Great Britain and secured vital governmental loans. Adams was the primary author of the Massachusetts Constitution in 1780 which influenced the United States' own constitution as did his earlier Thoughts on Government. Adams was elected to two terms as vice president under President George Washington and was elected as the United States' second president in 1796. He was the only president elected under the banner of the Federalist Party. He and his wife generated a family of politicians diplomats and historians now referred to as the Adams political family which includes their son John Quincy Adams the sixth president of the United States. John Adams died on July 4 1826 - the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence - hours after Jefferson's death. unknown books
1896réf. 121043New York: H. M. Caldwell 1896. First edition of Bain's eloquent tribute to tobacco and the art of smoking. Small octavo original suede with gilt titles to the front panel patterned endpapers top edge gilt with others untrimmed tissue-guarded engraved frontispiece portrait of Sir Walter Raleigh who introduced tobacco to England in-text illustrations original yellow silk ribbon reading "Perfecto" bound in. In fine condition. Perhaps the first book to appear in America as a sole tribute to tobacco John Bain Jr.'s Tobacco in Song & Story contains a history of tobacco including its discovery and origin poems about smoke smoker's stories tobacco facts and brief narratives extolling the virtues and philosophy of smoking. H. M. Caldwell unknown books
1880réf. 120454Oakland: Thompson & West 1880. First edition of this early work on Los Angeles county. Quarto original leather backed cloth gilt titles. Illustrated with 86 lithographed plates two of them double-page; hand-colored lithographed map. In very good condition. From the library of the Ebell of Los Angeles inscription. Rare in the original binding. Spectacular series of views of the rather sleepy settlements which were to become the megapolis of Southern California including the communities of the future Orange County just prior to the boom of the 1880s. The historical text includes biographical data a business directory etc. One of the scarcer of the Thompson & West county histories and of a very desirable area. Cowan p. 397; Rocq 2657. Thompson & West hardcover books
1867réf. 119463Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott and Co 1867. First edition of Catlin's important work on the Mandan people and their rituals one of the only records of the Mandan tribe which was almost entirely exterminated in the smallpox epidemic of 1837. Octavo original publisher's green beveled cloth with gilt titles and double gilt ruling to the front panel illustrated with thirteen tissue-guarded chromolithographic plates after Catlin by Simonau & Toovely half-title present coated green endleaves all edges gilt. From the library of American businessman and amateur archaeologist William H. Claflin Jr. with his pictorial bookplate to the pastedown. In near fine condition. Rare and desirable especially in this condition. American portraitist and painter George Catlin spent nearly fourteen years among the tribes of the North American Indians and left the most authentic anthropological record of the swiftly vanishing people. He wrote O-Kee-Pa in response to an article that appeared in an 1866 issue of Truebner's that attributed him as the author of an "indescribably lascivious pamphlet" on the secret customs of the Mandans. O-Kee-Pa is therefore as much a defense of Catlin as of the Mandans a tribe native to the west side of the Missouri River most of whom were destroyed by a smallpox epidemic in 1837. Catlin states in his preface that of the many customs he had recorded nothing was so peculiar and surprising as the O-kee-Pa ceremony of the Mandans which was a crucial part of their survival and incorporated a number of "shocking" sexual rituals which considered too salacious for the general public were included in a separately issued three-page "Folium Reservatum" in an edition of approximately twenty-five copies. Because the Mandan were almost completely exterminated by smallpox in 1837 virtually no other documentation of this ceremony exists. Field 262; Sabin 11543. J. B. Lippincott and Co hardcover books
1885réf. 119281New York: Charles L. Webster & Company 1885-86. First edition of the memoirs of one of the most recognized figures in American military history illustrated with portrait frontispieces numerous steel engravings facsimiles and 43 maps in deluxe publisher's full sheep. Octavo 2 volumes publisher's full tan sheep raised bands red and navy morocco spine labels marbled endpapers and edges illustrated with numerous steel engravings facsimiles and 43 maps. In very good condition. "The best memoirs of any general's since Caesar" Mark Twain. "A unique expression of the national character.Grant has conveyed the suspense which was felt by himself and his army and by all who believed in the Union cause. The reader finds himself.on edge to know how the Civil War is coming out" Edmund Wilson. "Grant's memoirs comprise one of the most valuable writings by a military commander in history" Eicher 492. Charles L. Webster & Company hardcover books
1895réf. 117191Springfield Mass: Cyrus W. Atwood Printer 1895. Second edition of the A. A. cookbook. Octavo original wrappers. In good condition. The A. A. Cook Book contains a collection of more than three hundred recipes. The authors state in their preface "We trust something helpful to the young housekeeper may be found in these pages and that the housewife of experience may look with favor upon this effort of two young people." Rare in the original wrappers. Cyrus W. Atwood, Printer unknown books
1819réf. 117109London: Printed for John Thomson & Co. for Baldwin Cradock & Joy London & John Cumming Dublin 1819. Rare first edition of celebrated cartographer James Wyld the Elder's authoritative world atlas. Quarto bound in three quarters contemporary calf over marbled boards with original printed paper titular label to the front panel gilt titles to the spine engraved frontispiece table of comparative heights of of the principle mountains of the world engraved calligraphic title page featuring an engraved vignette of Wyld displaying a globe containing 41 hand-colored numbered maps including one double-page engraved by N.R.Hewitt after Wyld additional table of comparative lengths of principle rivers of the world. The maps include four of the ancient world three world maps including a double-page Mercator's projection map nineteen maps of European countries eight maps of Asia two of Africa and five related to the Americas each featuring a miniature vignette of the country or area's most famed palace city or attraction. The map of the young United States includes several important historical regions. One of the most unique and scarce features on early maps of the United States is the appearance of Franklinia. Franklinia was formed by settlers in 1784 but it was never recognized by Congress. Eventually it was annexed by North Carolina and later reverted back to Tennessee. This ephemeral state appeared on only a small number of maps into the early part of the 19th century this being a later example. In near fine condition. Rare and desirable. One of the foremost geographers of his time James Wyld the Elder. made several important contributions to cartography including the introduction of lithography as a method of map printing to England in 1812 He was named royal geographer to His Majesty George IV and William IV as well as HRH the Duke of York. Upon his death in 1836 Wyld's eldest son James Wyld Jr. became the sole owner of the thriving family mapmaking business based in Charing Cross. His maps which covered regions as diverse as London and the gold fields of California were regarded highly and Wyld himself had an excellent reputation as a mapmaker; he was elected as a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in 1839 and he was appointed Geographer to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as had been his father before him. Printed for John Thomson & Co. for Baldwin, Cradock & Joy, London & John Cumming, Dublin hardcover books
1885réf. 117530Columbus Ohio: Ward Brothers 1885. Rare accordion-fold album of photographic views of the city of New Orleans including Canal Street City Hall the Charles Hotel the Louisiana Jockey Club the West End Margaret Statue and Louisiana Cavalry Monument. Small octavo original boards elaborately stamped in blind with gilt titles and tooling to the front panel. In very good condition. Founded in 1718 by French colonists the city of New Orleans was once the territorial capital of French Louisiana before it was traded to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. In the 19th century New Orleans was the largest port in the South exporting most of the nation's cotton output and other products to Western Europe and New England. It was the largest and most important city in the South; thus an early target for capture by the Union during the Civil War. Ward Brothers hardcover books
1829réf. 117576Charlottesville VA: F. Carr and Co 1829. First edition of the first published collection of Jefferson's writings an impressive four-volume work edited by his grandson Thomas Jefferson Randolph. Octavo 4 volumes bound in full contemporary calf morocco spine labels engraved frontispiece portrait after Gilbert Stuart in Volume I. In very good condition with some of the usual foxing endemic to this title. Rare and desirable in contemporary calf. Volume one was written by Jefferson at age 77 and includes a journal kept by him while Secretary of State during Washingtons administration. "The rest consists exclusively of a voluminous correspondence ranging from 1775 after blood had been spilt in Boston to June 1826 only ten days before his death" Sabin. F. Carr and Co unknown books
1850réf. 117088London: William S. Orr & Co c. 1850. First edition of Ward's extensive survey of gold and gold mining published at the height of the California Gold Rush. Octavo original wrappers bound in full goatskin retaining a section of the hand-colored folding map of the Gold Regions of Victoria and New South Wales. In near fine condition. Ownership inscription to the front panel of the original wrapper. Rare. The California Gold Rush began on January 24 1848 when James W. Marshall discovered gold at Sutter's Mill in Coloma California. The news of gold brought approximately 300000 people to California from the rest of the United States and abroad. The sudden influx of gold into the money supply reinvigorated the American economy and the sudden population increase allowed California to go rapidly to statehood in the Compromise of 1850. Ward's A History of Gold contains an in-depth survey of the character and condition of gold in its natural state methods for mining it and reports on his trips to the gold fields of California and Australia. Cowan II p.668; Howes W95; Kurutz California Gold Rush 660. William S. Orr & Co unknown books
1849réf. 117084New York: George R. Putnam 1849. First edition first issue of Parkman's classic account of his journey across North America on the Oregon Trail in the scarce original cloth one of 1000 copies issued in March 1849 Howes 97. Octavo original cloth stamped in blind gilt titles in sans-serif font to the spine tissue guarded tinted lithographic frontispiece and vignette half title by Felix Octavius Carr Darley with the ad leaf preceding the frontispiece present. In very good condition. Housed in a custom half morocco and chemise case. From the libraries of famed bibliophile Joseph Halle Schaffner with his bookplate to the pastedown and newspaper publisher James Strohn Copley with his bookplate to the interior of the chemise case. Rare. A completely unrestored example with noted provenance. The California and Oregon Trail is the gripping account of young Bostonian's Francis Parkman's journey west across North America in 1846. After crossing the Allegheny Mountains by coach and continuing by boat and wagon to Westport Missouri he set out with three companions on a horseback journey that would ultimately take him over two thousand miles. His detailed description of the journey set against the vast majesty of the Great Plains has emerged through the generations as a classic narrative of one man's exploration of the American Wilderness. "Mr. Parkman had all the genuine love of adventure of a frontiersman the taste for the picturesque and romantic of an artist and the skill in narration of an accomplished raconteur. It is not too high praise to say that his pictures of save life are not excelled" Field 1177. George R. Putnam hardcover books
1805réf. 117672Philadelphia: Benjamin Johnson 1805. First edition of the second book on architecture published in America second only to Asher Benjamin's Country Builder's Assistant' published in 1797 Shaw & Shoemaker 8018. Quarto bound in full calf gilt titles and tooling to the spine gilt ruled to the front and rear panels illustrated with 44 engraved plates 2 folding. In very good condition. Scarce with only 2 copies having appeared at auction in the past 50 years. "A native born American like Asher Benjamin who wrote the first original American architectural book in 1797 Biddle emphasizes in his title that his book is especially suited for American use and that there is by this time 'a style of building in the United States' distinguishable from that of England. Benjamin imitated this title the next year in that of the first edition of The American builders' companion." American Architectural Books 176. Benjamin Johnson unknown books
