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Catalogue 254 New Acquisitions |
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Section IX: Tocqueville to Woolworth |
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Papers
on Book Collecting by William S. Reese
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The Most Famous Discussion 192. Tocqueville, Alexis de: DE LA DEMOCRATIE EN AMERIQUE. Paris: Charles Gosselin, 1835. Two volumes. [4],xxiv,367; [4],459pp. plus handcolored folding map in first volume. Half title in each volume. Early 20th-century half polished calf over marbled boards, spines finely gilt. Light wear at outer joints, small chip at bottom of upper joint of first volume. Moderate age-toning and occasional light dampstains. Scattered pencil marks and a few notes in the margins, also in pencil. A very good copy. The first edition of the first part of Tocqueville’s famous classic, Democracy in America, one of the most famous investigations of the American political system. Alexis de Tocqueville came to the United States in the spring of 1831, accompanied by his friend and fellow student, Gustave de Beaumont. Their original goal was to study the penitentiary system of the United States. After visiting prisons in the East, they undertook a tour of the South as far as New Orleans, ascended the Mississippi, visited the Great Lakes and Canada, and returned via New York, having travelled for nine months. After writing their report on prisons, Tocqueville began work on the first part of Democracy in America in 1833-34 and published it, in an edition of less than five hundred copies, in January 1835. The book was an instant success, and numerous editions, many with revisions, followed quickly, so that the second part, first published in April 1840, was issued concurrently with the eighth edition of the first part. There were probably more than fifty editions in English and French published before 1900, besides numerous other translations. Almost from the beginning it enjoyed the reputation of being the most acute and perceptive discussion of the political and social life of the United States ever published. Remarkably, it has sustained its appeal generation after generation, as new readers find it speaks to their time with a contemporary voice. Whether perceived as a textbook of American political institutions, an investigation of society and culture, a probing of the psyche of the United States, or a study of the actions of modern democratic society, the book has continued to offer insight and provoke thought since its inception. It has also probably provided commentators with more quotations than any other work about the United States. HOWES T278. SABIN 96060. CLARK III:111. Library of Congress, A Passion for Liberty, Alexis de Tocqueville on Democracy & Revolution (Washington, 1989). $15,000. 193. [Tocqueville, Alexis de]: Beaumont, Gustave de, ed.: OEUVRES ET CORRESPONDANCE INEDITES D’ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLE.... Paris: Michel Levy Freres, 1861. Two volumes: [4],iii,[1],474; [4],503,[1]pp. Half titles. Contemporary three quarter calf and marbled boards, spines richly gilt, gilt leather labels. Spines very slightly rubbed, else a fine set. A presentation copy, inscribed by Gustave de Beaumont on the half title of the first volume. Tocqueville died in 1859 and his longtime friend, Gustave de Beaumont, who accompanied him on his 1831-32 tour of the United States that resulted in the landmark Democracy in America, set out to publish many of his then unknown writings. This text includes a biographical sketch of Tocqueville by Beaumont, excerpts from Tocqueville’s travel diaries in America, a sketch of a tour to Sicily, and much more. The second volume is entirely made up of letters between Tocqueville and a variety of correspondents, including Beaumont himself and Tocqueville’s official English-language translator, Henry Reeve. An important complement to Tocque-ville’s work, here in a lovely presentation copy, inscribed by Beaumont. $1750. 194. Tyler, Ron: AUDUBON’S GREAT NATIONAL WORK. THE ROYAL OCTAVO EDITION OF The Birds of America. Austin, Tx.: W. Thomas Taylor, 1993. xvii,[3],213,[1]pp. including illustrations (most in color). Quarto. Half cloth and marbled boards. Fine. In a cloth clamshell box. The deluxe edition, limited to 225 copies, of Ron Tyler’s excellent account of the conception, production, and distribution of the "petit edition" of Audubon’s The Birds of America. Also included is the pamphlet, "Original plates from the first and second editions of The Birds of America with the original text describing the bird depicted," this copy featuring the Common Pine Finch (Pine Grosbeak). $1000. 195. [United States Army, Quartermaster General]: UNIFORM OF THE ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES 1882. Philadelphia: Thomas Hunter Lith., 1882. Title-leaf, 4pp. plus ten chromolithographed plates and nine other plates. Oblong folio. Original blindstamped cloth, gilt title on front cover, expertly rebacked with tasteful spine to match. Old stamp on verso of title-leaf and on last plate. Else just about very good. This work, issued under the auspices of the Quartermaster General, contains ten fine chromolithographed plates showing the different uniforms of the Army as dictated by regulations in 1882. It would seem to be the first official such work, and may have been prepared by H.A. Ogden, whose named appeared on a similar publication noted by Bennett, which was published in 1888, with twelve plates. Ogden later produced a much larger work, Uniform of the Army of the U.S. Illustrated from 1774 to 1889, which was issued from 1900 to 1907. HOWES R155, "aa." BENNETT, p.85 (ref). $1000. 196. [United States-France Relations]: THE DEBILITATED SITUATION OF A MONARCHICAL GOVERNMENT WHEN PUFFED UP BY PRIDE AND SELF-IMPORTANCE, WHOSE RESOURCES MUST BE WRUNG FROM THE PEOPLE’S HANDS...THE FLOURISHING CONDITION OF A WELL-FORMED, INDUSTRIOUS REPUBLIC. THE WILLINGNESS DISPLAYED BY THE CITIZEN OF A FREE STATE TO SERVE HIS COUNTRY WITH HIS BLOOD AND FORTUNE [dual caption title]. [Most likely Philadelphia, but possibly London. 1836]. Lithograph, sheet size: 15¾ x 17¾ inches. Six small closed tears along left edge, all of them one-half inch or less, far from the image and below the mat line. A fresh, clear, dark impression. Near fine. Matted. An impressive and handsome lithographic print, forcefully illustrating the differences between the strong, wealthy, and secure United States and the corrupt, bankrupt, and fearful French monarchy in the 1830s. The image shows President Andrew Jackson and a group of six Americans standing on the left, facing King Louis Philippe, and six Frenchmen standing on the right, the two parties separated by a narrow strip of water symbolizing the Atlantic Ocean. Jackson holds in his hand the treaty of July 4, 1831, made between the United States and France to settle the issue of outstanding debts (in the amount of some twenty-five million francs) caused by French depredations during the Napoleonic Wars. The French were to pay over a number of years, but soon pled poverty and balked on their payments. This is symbolized in the illustration by an overturned treasure chest on the French side, with no money in it but with unpaid bills spilling out, including those for the army and the civil list. Louis Philippe holds in his hand a slip of paper reading "fortunate speculation 25 millions." By contrast, the chest on the American side is filled with bags of money, showing the great government surpluses available at the time. The American treasure chest has an image of the U.S. Capitol on its lid and is surrounded by books, including a biography of Washington and another listing great American military victories. The Americans are shown as confident and prosperous, and include a young sailor waving his cap, and a plainly dressed citizen holding a rifle and bayonet. The Frenchmen, by contrast, look fearful and apprehensive, and one of them is a sailor being impressed into service. Three French ships are seen in the background, facing off against three American ships, including the Constitution ("Old Ironsides") and the New Orleans. This evokes the determination of Jackson to settle the issue by force if necessary, and the fact that naval conflict over the French non-payment was a very real possibility. The caption notes that in "monarchical governments" resources must be "wrung from the people’s hands," whereas in a republic citizens willingly sacrifice their blood and fortune for their country. The lack of an imprint has led some to put forth London as the place of production for this print. A delightful lithograph, evocatively demonstrating growing American power and prosperity during the "Era of Good Feelings," especially in contrast with a decrepit, monarchical Europe. REILLY, AMERICAN POLITICAL PRINTS 1836-2. NEVINS & WEITENKAMPF, A CENTURY OF POLITICAL CARTOONS, pp.46-47. WEITENKAMPF, POLITICAL CARICATURE IN THE UNITED STATES, p.42. $2750. 197. Veech, James: THE MONONGAHELA OF OLD; OR, HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF SOUTH-WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA TO THE YEAR 1800. Pittsburgh. [1910]. [2],[17]-259pp. plus numerous extra illustrations. Modern three quarter purple morocco and purple cloth, ornate gilt-tooled spine, t.e.g. Minute browning. Very good. This copy is from the library of the bookplate of noted Americana collector Frank Cutter Deering and bears his gilt morocco bookplate on the front pastedown. The fourth issue, and the most complete, of this thorough history of Fayette County, Pennsylvania. Incomplete editions were issued in an extremely limited number of copies in 1857, 1860, and 1892. Veech took over this history from a friend, Freeman Lewis, when the project began to exceed Lewis’ intentions. A note at the end of the preface claims: "It will remain the standard of history of Fayette county and will be referred to as such by all future historians of Western Pennsylvania." Veech dedicates the most amount of text to the French and Indian War and the Mason-Dixon line. A nice county history, made more attractive by Deering’s extra illustrations. HOWES V64. $750. In Original Parts 198. Vincent, Francis: A HISTORY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE, FROM ITS FIRST SETTLEMENT UNTIL THE PRESENT TIME.... Philadelphia: John Campbell, 1870. Fifteen volumes. 478pp. continuously paginated. Original printed wrappers. Minor edge wear. Overall internally bright and clean. Contemporary ownership signature of Hattie F. Vincent at head of front wrapper of first volume. Near fine, largely unopened. In a Sangorski & Sutcliffe solander box. A comprehensive history of the "first state," also issued the same year in one volume. Extraordinary in original parts. HOWES V110. OCLC 3262081. $1250. 199. [War of 1812]: EMBARGO & WAR! OFFICE OF THE NEWPORT MERCURY, APRIL 13, 1812 [caption title]. Newport, R.I.: Newport Mercury, April 13, 1812. Folio newspaper broadside extra. Printed in five columns. Raggedly torn in left margin, not affecting text. Near fine. A rare and very interesting Rhode Island broadside, showing the negative reception in Federalist New England to the passage of the Embargo Act and the looming outbreak of the War of 1812. This broadside was published as an "extra" to the weekly Newport Mercury, and contains the text of the Embargo Act, passed on April 4. The Act placed a ninety-day embargo on British commerce, a measure that was hoped to convince England to repeal her orders-in-council restricting trade by neutrals during the Napoleonic Wars. England did not change her policy of seizing American shipping and violating neutral rights, and this was one of the justifications, along with the impressment of American soldiers, that led President James Madison to ask for a declaration of war against England on June 1, 1812. Along with the full text of the Act, there is an article that asserts that the Embargo is a maneuver by the Democratic Republican administration to take the United States into war with Great Britain. That same article calls on Rhode Islanders to express their feelings by supporting Federalist Governor William Jones and his associates over Democratic Republican James Fenner in a forthcoming election. A large, cursive-type "blow quote" from Senator William Hunter, a Federalist from Rhode Island, occupies the center portion of the center column of the text, asserting that "double duties and taxes" will follow the Embargo, and then war, "unless you in the North have zeal, spirit and activity enough to prevent it." Another article in this "extra" reports breathlessly on the American seizure of East Florida from Spanish control, warning that this was done at the bidding of France and is another step on the road to unconstitutional Presidential tyranny. OCLC locates only microfilm copies of this rare War of 1812 broadside. There is an original copy at the American Antiquarian Society, and Shaw & Shoemaker add another at the Newport Historical Society. Rare and desirable, showing the fractured state of American politics on the eve of the War of 1812. SHAW & SHOEMAKER 25336. $2000. With an Early Printing of the Constitution 200. [Waring, William]: THE NEW-JERSEY ALMANACK FOR THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 1788...TO WHICH IS ADDED, THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION, AGREED TO IN CONVENTION AT PHILADELPHIA, SEPT. 1787. Trenton: Printed and Sold by Isaac Collins, [1787]. [52]pp. including one woodcut illustration. 12mo. Printed self-wrappers, stitched. Wrappers soiled, scattered foxing, edges worn. Else very good. A New Jersey almanac by William Waring, containing an early printing of the Constitution. According to Felcone, there are two variants of this almanac, one with no reference to the Constitution on the titlepage and the present version, with a reference to the printing of the Constitution. The two are evidently separate printings using different type. In addition to the Constitution and the astronomical calendar, the almanac includes poetry, several essays on wealth and adversity, a "Chronology of remarkable Events in America," tables and schedules, and a woodcut anatomical illustration of the zodiac on page [2]. DRAKE 5138. EVANS 20852. FELCONE 185. $1000. Books From the Library 201. [Washington, Lawrence Augustine]: [SELECTION OF BOOKS FROM THE LIBRARY OF LAWRENCE AUGUSTINE WASHINGTON, NEPHEW OF GEORGE WASHINGTON]. [Various places. various dates]. Nineteen volumes. Individual titles and descriptions provided below. A fine gathering of nineteen volumes from the library of a close relative of George Washington. Lawrence Augustine Washington, (1775-1824), was the fourth son of George Washington’s younger brother, Samuel. When Samuel Washington died in 1781, the future president took it upon himself to provide for the education of his nephew, Lawrence, and for Lawrence’s older brother, George Steptoe Washington. Throughout the 1780s and early 1790s, Washington supervised and paid for their education in Alexandria, Virginia, and then at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, from which the two nephews graduated in 1792. While in Philadelphia, Lawrence Washington also studied law with Attorney General Edmund Randolph. He married Mary Dorcas Wood in 1797 and lived at Federal Hill, outside Winchester, Virginia. At George Washington’s death Lawrence and his brother, George, were absolved of all debts for their schooling, a sum of approximately five thousand dollars. George Washington also left his nephews a small portion of his estate in his will. Lawrence Washington and his brother often caused trouble for their uncle, and apparently Lawrence was the more rambunctious of the two. When he was about twelve, Lawrence was accused of physically attacking the five-year-old daughter of Samuel Hanson, with whose family he was staying in Alexandria while he studied. Later that same year, however, Hanson was reporting to George Washington that Lawrence’s conduct had improved: "from a perverse, insolent, unmannerly boy, he is transformed into an obliging, civil, & respectful one" (Hanson letter to George Washington of May 4, 1788). The nephew’s behavior continued to be erratic, ranging from well-mannered and obedient to disrespectful and violent toward Hanson, who in one letter to George Washington describes Lawrence as a "great Sloven." Apparently settling down after his legal education and marriage, Lawrence and his wife had four children. The present selection of books from his library indicates interests in politics, commerce and economics, geography, history, and belles lettres. Two volumes consist, separately, of collections of pamphlets and illustrations. Three of the books belonged to his wife and are inscribed by her. These consist of works on cooking, medicine, and geography. One of these three include a note indicating the volume had come from her husband, Lawrence Washington. The individual titles of all the works in the present collection follow: 1) Anderson, Adam: Anderson’s Historical and Chronological Deduction of the Origin of Commerce, from the Earliest Accounts...Carefully Revised, Corrected, and Continued to the Year 1789, by Mr. Coombe. Dublin: Printed by P. Byrne, 1790. The first volume only of six. xv,735pp. plus engraved frontispiece and two engraved maps. Contemporary calf, spine gilt, gilt leather label. Binding moderately worn, front board nearly detached. Ownership inscription on front free endpaper (detached) of Lawrence Washington dated May 22, 1813. Moderate age-toning, dampstaining, and foxing. A good copy. 2) Belknap, Jeremy: The Foresters, an American Tale: Being a Sequel to the History of John Bull the Clothier. In a Series of Letters to a Friend...the Second Edition, Revised and Considerably Enlarged. Boston: I. Thomas and E.T. Andrews, 1796. 240pp. Contemporary calf, spine gilt, gilt leather label. Binding moderately worn, front board detached. Ownership inscription on front free endpaper of Lawrence Washington dated Jan. 9, 1815 with purchase price of 7/6 indicated. Moderate age-toning, dampstaining, occasional foxing. A good copy. 3) Blodget, Samuel: Economica: A Statistical Manual for the United States of America. Washington: Printed for the author, 1806. viii,202,xiv pp. plus 8pp. pamphlet by "S.B." entitled Thoughts on a Plan of Economy (Suited to the Crisis of 1808) for the United States of America. Contemporary calf, spine gilt, gilt leather label. Binding worn and soiled, front board detached. Ownership inscription on front free endpaper of Lawrence Washington dated May 10, 1810. Modern ownership stamps in bottom margin of pp.100-101. Moderate age-toning and dampstaining on some gatherings. A good copy. 4) Findley, William: History of the Insurrection in the Four Western Counties of Pennsylvania: in the Year M.DCC.XCIV. Philadelphia: Samuel Harrison Smith, 1796. 328pp. Contemporary calf, spine gilt, gilt leather label. Binding worn and soiled. Ownership inscription on front free endpaper of Lawrence Washington dated Nov. 10, 1810. Browning and dampstaining throughout. A fair copy. 5) Freneau, Philip: Poems Written and Published During the American Revolutionary War...the Third Edition. Philadelphia: Lydia R. Bailey, 1809. Second volume only of two. 302,xii pp. plus engraved frontispiece. Contemporary sheep, spine gilt, label lacking. Binding extremely worn, boards detached. Ownership inscription (faded) of Lawrence Washington on front free endpaper, March 24, 1815. Browning and dampstaining throughout. A fair copy. 6) Glasse, Hannah: The Art of Cookery, Made Easy; Which Far Excels Any Thing of the Kind Yet Published...a New Edition, with All the Modern Improvements.... London: Printed for T. Longman, [et al], 1796. xl,419,[1]pp. Contemporary calf, spine gilt, gilt leather label. Binding extremely worn, boards detached. Later ownership inscription on front pastedown: "Jennie Adkins, 1904." Contemporary ownership inscription of Mary Washington on front free endpaper (detached), dated Aug. 7, 1804. Additional contemporary ink inscription on p.[1]: "H. Glasse." Browning and dampstaining. A fair copy. 7) Guthrie, William: A New System of Modern Geography: or, a Geographical, Historical, and Commercial Grammar; and Present State of the Several Nations of the World...the First American Edition, Corrected, Improved, and Greatly Enlarged. Philadelphia: Printed for Mathew Carey, 1795. Second volume only of two. xi,[1],704,43pp. plus one folding table. Contemporary calf, gilt leather labels gilt. Binding worn, outer joints cracked. Modern ownership stamp on front pastedown. Ownership inscription of Lawrence Washington on front free endpaper, dated May 15, 1795. Ownership inscription on titlepage: "L. Washington." A few contemporary ink inscriptions in margin of text. Browning and dampstaining. Table between p.310 and p.311 torn, lacking half of text. Clean tear in folding table. A good copy. 8) Harris, William: Outlines of Geography, Natural, Civil, and Political: Concisely Stating the Natural Divisions of the Terraqueous Globe.... Carlisle, Pa: Alexander & Phillips, 1808. 161,[2]pp. plus engraved frontispiece. Contemporary calf, spine gilt, gilt leather label. Binding worn. Ownership inscription on front free endpaper of Mary. D. Washington dated Jan. 17, 1810. Twenty pages with extensive contemporary annotations in lower margin, some ink corrosion with slight loss of paper. Moderate browning and dampstaining. A good copy. 9) Jefferson, Thomas: Notes on the State of Virginia. First Hot-pressed Edition. Philadelphia: R.T. Rawle Publisher, John Thompson, Printer, 1801. [4],436,56pp. plus one engraved portrait (detached), one folding table, and two folding maps. Lacking two [?] leaves of plates. Contemporary calf, spine gilt, gilt leather label. Binding worn, spine cracked, front board detached, rear board lacking. Ownership inscription on front pastedown: "To. Mrs. Jennie B. Adkins from her father Dr. [?] John H. Bowers. 1904." Ownership inscription of Lawrence Washington on front free endpaper (detached), dated March 22, 1822. Engraved portrait of Jefferson detached, right margin torn (not affecting image or text). Age-toning and dampstaining. A fair copy. 10) Johnson, Robert Wallace: Friendly Cautions to the Heads of Families and Others, Very Necessary to be Observed in Order to Preserve Health and Long Life...Third Edition with Additions. The First American Edition, with Notes and Additions. Philadelphia: Printed and sold by James Humphreys, 1804. xii,163,[5]pp. including five pages of booksellers’ ads plus errata slip. Contemporary calf, spine gilt, gilt leather label. Binding worn, front board detached, rear outer joint cracked and separating. Modern ownership stamp on front pastedown. Ownership inscription of Lawrence Washington on front free endpaper (detached, chipped with some loss to inscription), dated Sept. 23, 1811; and inscribed on errata slip tipped onto front pastedown: "Presented to Mary D. Washington." Age-toning, dampstaining. A good copy. 11) Marmontel, Jean François: The Incas: or, the Destruction of the Empire of Peru. Dublin: Printed by A. Stewart, for P. Wogan, 1797. First volume only of two. 12mo. xxxiii,[2],260,[2]pp. including two pages of booksellers’ ads, plus three leaves (printed on recto only) of contemporary annotations following the printed text. Lacking pp.[iii ?]-xxii of preface. Contemporary calf, spine gilt, gilt leather labels. Binding worn and soiled. Contemporary engraved bookplate of Somerville’s Circulating Library on front pastedown. Contemporary inscription (page numbers) on rear pastedown. Ownership inscription of Lawrence Washington on front free endpaper, dated Jan. 22, 1815, with addition note: "Sent to L.A.W. by...Humphreys in 1811, who were then booksellers in Phila[delphia] from whom this, amongst other books, was ordered by L.A.W." Additional contemporary ownership inscription in another hand (partially illegible) on front pastedown. Contemporary reading marks and lines in text and in margins of approximately a dozen pages. Lawrence Washington’s signature also found across text on p.22. Modern ownership stamps on pp.100-101. Recto of three blank leaves following text completely filled with reader’s notes. Moderate age-toning and dampstaining. A fair copy, with extensive annotations by Lawrence Washington. 12) Robertson, David: Debates and Other Proceedings of the Convention of Virginia...to Which is Prefixed the Federal Constitution. Second Edition. Richmond: Printed at the Enquirer Press, for Ritchie & Worsley and Augustine Davis, 1805. viii,477pp. Contemporary calf, spine gilt, leather label gilt. Binding worn and soiled. Modern ownership stamp on front pastedown and p.100. Ownership inscription of Lawrence Washington on front free endpaper, dated May 10, 1810. Browning and dampstaining. A fair copy. 13) Voltaire, [F.M. Arouet de]: The Dramatic Works of Mr. de Voltaire. Translated by the Rev. Mr. Francklin. London: Printed for J. Newberry [et al], 1761-63. Five volumes of seven (volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 present). Uniformly bound in contemporary polished calf, boards and spine finely gilt, gilt leather labels. Bindings moderately worn, some outer joints cracked, some board detached or separating, fourth volume lacking rear board. Later ownership inscription on front free endpaper of all five volumes: "To Mrs. Jennie. B. Adkins from her father Dr. John H. Blowers 1904." Ownership inscription of Lawrence Washington on front free endpaper (or verso of frontispiece in second volume), dated July 27, 1815. Engraved frontispiece in volumes 1, 2, 3, and 4. Moderate age-toning and dampstaining. A fair set, lacking volumes 5 and 7. 14) [Various authors]: [Bound Volume of Six Pamphlets, Primarily Political in Nature Published in the United States in the Early 19th Century]. [Various places and printers. 1809-14]. Contemporary sheep, spine gilt, gilt leather label. Modern ownership stamp on front pastedown. Ownership inscription (slightly faded) of Lawrence Washington on front free endpaper, dated March 24, 1815. Additional ownership inscription of Lawrence Washington dated March 24, 1814 on titlepage of second title. Age-toning and dampstain throughout. One titlepage soiled. Overall in good condition. Six early 19th-century American imprints bound together as follow: a) [Hay, George]: A Treatise on Expatriation. Washington: A. & G. Way, 1814. [2],90pp. b) [War of 1812]: Message from the President...Requesting Such Information as May Tend to Explain the Causes of the Failure of the Arms of the United States on the Northern Frontier. Baltimore: Re-printed from the official copy, 1814. 131pp. Ownership inscription of Lawrence Washington on titlepage, dated March 24, 1814. c) Wood, John: A New Theory of the Diurnal Rotation of the Earth; Demonstrated upon Mathematical Principles, from the Properties of the Cycloid and Epi-cycloid. Richmond: Printed at the Enquirer Office, 1809. [2],iv,89pp. plus three folding engraved plates. Ownership stamp on p.22 over text: "L.A.Washington." An unusually early Richmond, Virginia scientific imprint with illustrated diagrams. d) [Commerce]: An Abstract of the Evidence Lately Taken in the House of Commons, Against the Orders in Council, Being a Summary of the Facts There Proved, Respecting the Present State of the Commerce and Manufactures of the Country. New York: Printed and published by Wm. Elliot, 1812. 36pp. Contemporary annotation at top of titlepage, soiling and some loss of paper (affecting imprint) at bottom of titlepage. e) Hopkinson, Joseph: Annual Discourse, Delivered Before the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. On the 13th of November, 1810. Philadelphia: Published by Bradford and Inskeep, [et al], 1810. 36pp. f) Williams, David Rogerson: The Substance of a Speech, Delivered in the House of Representatives on the 6th January, 1812. On the Passage of a Bill from the Senate to Raise Twenty-five Thousand Men [caption title]. [Np. nd, but 1812]. 7pp. Contemporary ownership inscription of "Mr. J. Smith" at top of titlepage. Foredge and bottom edge folded over in order for pamphlet to fit in volume. 15) [Various illustrators]: [Bound Volume of 126 Engraved Plates from Dobson’s ENCYCLOPEDIA]. [Philadelphia: Dobson, 1790-96.] 126 engraved plates. Reverse calf, gilt leather labels. Binding and internal sewing structure worn. Modern ownership stamp on front and rear pastedowns. Ownership inscription on front free endpaper of Lawrence Washington dated May 27, 1818. Plates dampstained with some wear at edges, some plates torn (some with loss of images). Overall in fair condition. A remarkable gathering of engraved plates from Dobson’s Encyclopedia, a federal-era encyclopedia published in Philadelphia which included 542 engravings. Arranged almost exclusively in alphabetical order from A to Z, or in the present volume from Aerostation to Wind Mill, the plates provide a fascinating range of illustrated material available in the United States in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. A fine selection of volumes from the early 19th-century private library of Lawrence Washington, a nephew of George Washington. $10,000. A Very Early Land Document 202. [Washington, William Augustine]: [MANUSCRIPT DEED TO WILLIAM AUGUSTINE WASHINGTON, A KINSMAN OF GEORGE WASHINGTON, FROM THOMAS RINGGOLD FOR LAND PURCHASED IN THE AREA OF THE NATION’S FUTURE CAPITOL]. Baltimore County. Nov. 30, 1791. [4]pp. manuscript deed plus [1]p. circuit court confirmation document. Folio. Moderate age-toning, occasional minor foxing and dampstaining. Remnants of two wax seals evident on manuscript deed; blindstamp of District of Columbia, County of Washington on confirmation document. Old folds, clean tears along fold of manuscript deed. Both documents in very good condition. A manuscript deed recording the sale of land on Nov. 30, 1791 to William Augustine Washington, a kinsman of the nation’s first President, in the area soon to be the nation’s capitol. In this extremely early Washington, D.C. deed, Thomas Ringgold affirms that he has received £122 10s for eight lots of ground in the town of Carrollsburg in Prince George’s County in the state of Maryland. Included in the sale were any pre-existing "houses, edifices, buildings, gardens, ways, waters, and water courses" on the land. The transaction was approved on the same day by Samuel Shaw, Chief Justice of the General Court for the state of Maryland, presiding in Baltimore County. Beneath Shaw’s declaration is a later written deed of April 12, 1804 which was to be recorded the same day in the official plot books for the land records of Washington County in the District of Columbia. Accompanying this four-page manuscript deed is an one-page additional document dated May 8, 1810. Written by the Clerk of the Circuit Court of the District of Columbia for Washington County, the official notice confirms the validity of the earlier transaction. An extremely early deed recording the sale of land to a member of the extended first family in what was soon to become Washington, D.C. Following the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1789, an act was passed by Congress to establish the District of Columbia the following year. This deed from 1791 coincides with the beginning of Pierre Charles L’Enfant’s planning for the federal district. $900. A Wall of Watergate in Custom Slipcases 203. [Watergate]: HEARINGS BEFORE THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE. NINETY-THIRD CONGRESS. FIRST SESSION. WATERGATE AND RELATED ACTIVITIES .... Washington. 1973-1974. Twenty-five (of twenty-six) volumes. Plus the two-volume Appendix and the Final Report of the House Judiciary Committee. Total of twenty-eight volumes. Lacks the appendix to the Hughes-Rebozo investigation and the index. Original printed wrappers. Fine. Each volume in a cloth chemise and cloth slipcase, gilt leather labels. From the collection of Mrs. Jane Engelhard, a prominent book collector and close friend and supporter of Lyndon Johnson. A pristine set of one of the most important government reports of all time, documenting the many attempts of the Nixon administration to subvert the Constitution. It’s all here: the Watergate break-in, abuse of presidential power, the "milk fund" scandal, Bebe Rebozo, and much more. Nixon resigned on Aug. 8, 1974, less than two weeks before the House Judiciary Committee issued its final report (included in this set). Mrs. Engelhard had this set placed in beautiful custom slipcases, making an otherwise standard government imprint eminently displayable. $3500. 204. Webster, James: MAP OF THE UNITED STATES. New York: Webster, 1835. Folding pocket map, 16½ x 19¼ inches, with period outline color, with an 1830 population table and a portrait of George Washington. With a second sheet, 17¾ x 22 inches, of accompanying text entitled, "Travellers Guide and Statistical View of the United States." Bound into original 16mo. stiff paper covers, rebacked in matching style. Very good. First edition of a rare early travellers’ guide to the United States. Rumsey 3450 lists only an 1836 edition and believes it to be a "very scarce work...probably a one shot issue...The map is from a discarded plate of H. Phelps’ U.S. [1832]...The index is largely stolen from Mitchell’s Traveller’s Guide index sheet for 1832, however the information on roads and distances is taken from someone else." The map still bears Henry Phelps’ copyright date of 1832 (see Rumsey 2442). $1500. West Designs Coinage 205. West, Benjamin: [AUTOGRAPH LETTER, SIGNED, FROM PAINTER BENJAMIN WEST TO SIR STEPHEN COTTRELL REGARDING A MEETING WITH A COMMITTEE OF LORDS AND MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY TO REVIEW DRAWINGS AND MODELS FOR BRITISH COINAGE]. [London]. Dec. 18, 1798. [1]p. manuscript letter on a quarto sheet. Old folds. Slightly later two-line note on verso. Two tiny holes in upper blank margin, not affecting text. Fine. An interesting letter from the great American-born artist, Benjamin West, regarding drawings and models created for British coins. Benjamin West (1738-1820) was born in Springfield, Pennsylvania, and studied art in America and Italy before moving to England permanently in 1763. West was a founder of the Royal Academy and its second president (following Sir Joshua Reynolds, and serving in that capacity from 1792 until his death), became "History Painter to the King" in 1772, and was commissioned by George III to execute some sixty paintings between 1768 and 1801. The text of the letter reads: "Sir, I take the first opportunity to make known to you that I am in town, and will (agreeable to the wishes expressed in your letter of the 13th instant) wait on the committee of Lords at their office tomorrow, with the committee of the Royal Academy at 12 o’clock, and lay before their Lordships the several drawings, and models, placed in my hands for that purpose, and for fashioning the future coinage. I have the honour to be, sir, your most obedient, and obliged Benj. West." Not much is known of Sir Stephen Cottrell, but he appears to have been a member of the British Board of Trade and also involved in British naval and commercial affairs, especially English fishing interests in Newfoundland, later in his life. Manuscript letters from Benjamin West are rare. $2500. Original West Point Drawings, 206. [West Point]: Beardsley, John: [GROUP OF THREE ENGINEERING DRAWINGS BY A WEST POINT CADET SHOWING ARCHITECTURE, FORTIFICATIONS, AND MASONRY, APPROVED IN MANUSCRIPT BY INSTRUCTOR DENNIS HART MAHAN]. West Point. 1841. Ink and wash drawings, framed. "Architecture," 17½ x 21½ inches; "Masonry," 17¾ x 23½ inches; "Permanent Fortification," 20¾ x 24¼ inches. All measurements within the frames. Slight toning, spotting, or staining. Closed tear in upper right corner of "Permanent Fortifications" drawing. Very good. A historically important and handsome suite of engineering drawings, executed by West Point cadet John Beardsley, and approved in manuscript by the famed instructor, Dennis Hart Mahan. The three renderings are labeled "Architecture," "Permanent Fortification," and "Masonry." Each is signed and dated in manuscript by Beardsley in the lower left, and approved and signed by Mahan in the lower right. The architecture drawings are especially significant, containing some of the earliest, if not the earliest, drawings of the "Old Library" at West Point executed by a cadet. It is of further significance in that it is an engineering drawing of a West Point building by a West Point cadet, since the usual means of engineering instruction was for cadets to copy standard drawings of buildings instead of reproducing their surroundings on the academy grounds. Cadet John Beardsley graduated from West Point in 1841, thirty-sixth in a class of fifty-two. He would have studied engineering in the fall term of 1840. It is interesting that Mahan signed Beardsley’s drawings, since Mahan regularly taught the highest ranking cadets, with assistant professors in charge of lower ranking students. At the time, engineering students trained by copying standard drawings such as masonry bridges, batteries, fortifications, and other buildings. They were done in a style popularized at the École des Beaux-Arts in France, using a pink or brown wash to finish the illustrations. All of the illustrations drawn by John Beardsley feature this same pink and brown wash. There are five different drawings in Beardsley’s "Masonry" illustration: three showing a stone bridge, including an elevation, a cross-section and projection, and a plan. The other two drawings are of a plan for the foundation of a pier, and a plan for the foundation of an abutment. The scale of these drawings is one inch to sixteen feet. The "Permanent Fortification" illustration contains three drawings of a casement battery: an interior elevation, a plan, and a section. The scale is one inch to six yards. However, the most interesting of the three drawings in this group is that labeled "Architecture," and features three drawings of the West Point Library, itself still under construction in 1840. The drawings show the library elevation, a plan, and a section, and the scale is one inch to ten feet. The so-called "Old Library" was designed in a Tudor Gothic style by Superintendent Richard Delafield in 1839, and completed in 1841. It was demolished in 1961. Someone, perhaps Delafield himself, must have provided Beardsley and other students with his plans for the library, or perhaps Beardsley drew the plan and section from his own observations. Architectural historian Marvin J. Anderson of the University of Washington notes that Beardsley’s drawing is the earliest drawing of a West Point building by a student that he has seen, predating by a year similar library drawings by Cadet Edward Beckwith. In fact, it did not become a regular practice for cadets in engineering classes to draw West Point buildings at all until the 1880s. Dennis Hart Mahan, who, as Professor of Engineering, approved these drawings, was a West Point graduate of the class of 1824 and taught mathematics to underclassmen as an undergraduate. Mahan continued his engineering studies at the French military academy at Metz, where he also observed the use of a lithographic printing press. He taught engineering at West Point for more than forty years, and supervised the first lithographic press at the Academy. He was an influential and innovative instructor, and father of the famed naval theorist, Alfred Thayer Mahan. It is interesting that D.H. Mahan would have approved Beardsley’s rendering of the Gothic library at West Point, since in his textbook, Notes on Architecture, Mahan writes that the Gothic style "is totally unsuited to the style of building required by the habits of civilized nations in the present day, and can only be fitly applied to sacred edifices similar to the lofty piles which compose the cathedrals and the monastic edifices found in Europe." We are grateful to Marvin J. Anderson, Ph.D., student in architectural history at the University of Washington, for his assistance in the preparation of this description. $3000. 207. Westcott, Thompson: CENTENNIAL PORTFOLIO: A SOUVENIR OF THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION AT PHILADELPHIA, COMPRISING LITHOGRAPHIC VIEWS OF FIFTY OF ITS PRINCIPAL BUILDINGS, WITH LETTER-PRESS DESCRIPTION. Philadelphia: Thomas Hunter, 1876. viii,52pp. plus map and fifty-two tinted lithographic plates. Oblong quarto. Original pebbled morocco, gilt title on both boards, spine gilt. Some wear at edges and corners, dent at foot of spine, light scuff on rear board. Light foxing. Overall, very good. A handsome, large paper copy in the publisher’s deluxe binding of this lovely souvenir of the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. The tinted lithographic plates are of the ornate Victorian exhibition buildings. Among the illustrations are several of the buildings devoted to individual states, exhibits from several European nations, the cheese and butter building, the brewer’s exhibit, the Singer Sewing Machine building, and Independence Hall. Also included are a map of the fairgrounds and floor plans for many of the buildings. "Has been called the best known and most useful of the books describing the fair" – Hitchcock. Lithography by Hunter. HITCHCOCK 1365 (note). $1500. 208. [Wheelwright, Edmund March]: Chandler, Francis W., ed: PART I. MUNICIPAL ARCHITECTURE IN BOSTON FROM DESIGNS BY EDMUND M. WHEELWRIGHT, CITY ARCHITECT. Boston: Bates & Guild Company, 1898. Two volumes. [6],80pp. plus fifty photographic plates; [4],52,[8]pp., including numerous in-text illustrations and plans, plus 100 loose photographic plates. Each plate is 9½ x 12 inches and mounted on a heavy card, 15½ x 19 inches. Half titles. Folio. Gathered signatures, laid into original half cloth and paper board portfolios, paper labels on covers. Portfolios shaken and worn, particularly along spines. Minor dust soiling in margins. A few plates with slightly greater edge wear. Contemporary ownership inscription on paper labels. Overall, images bright and clean. From an edition limited to 500 copies. An impressive tour of Boston municipal architecture, divided into two parts. The first part features "schoolhouse architecture" almost entirely, while the second part features hospitals, institutions, and miscellaneous buildings. The text accompanying each portfolio offers a detailed description of the buildings illustrated in the large plates. In the plates, the buildings are usually shown from the front; but these views are often supplemented by side, detail, or interior shots. Some of the plates are photographic reproductions of relevant architectural plans. "Wheelwright’s architectural imagination was wide; he sought the monumental, the classic solution. Stylistically he was catholic, even erratic. Some of his schools are Italianate, some Georgian, some rather nondescript; the half-timber of the hospitals and the Marine Park Bath House [illustrated here] is blatant...Yet in all the work there is counter-trend apparent, based on strict practicality and basic simplicity; and some of the municipal work, like the Hook and Ladder House No. 1 and the Eustic School [both also shown here], has a colonial style remarkably pure and charming for its date" – DAB. An unparalleled visual exhibition of Boston civic infrastructure at the close of the 19th century, and an important American architectural work. Wheelwright is perhaps best known for being a founding member of the Harvard Lampoon. He later designed the publication’s enigmatic Lampoon Castle in 1909. DAB XX, pp.61-62. $1000. With the Rare Panorama Plates 209. Wild, J.C.: PANORAMA AND VIEWS OF PHILADELPHIA, AND ITS VICINITY. EMBRACING A COLLECTION OF TWENTY VIEWS, FROM PAINTINGS BY J.C. WILD. WITH POETICAL ILLUSTRATIONS OF EACH SUBJECT, BY ANDREW M’MAKIN. Philadelphia. 1838. [22]pp. plus twenty-four black and white lithographs. Quarto. Original patterned green cloth, gilt morocco label on front board, nicely rebacked in matching style. Corners and edges worn, cloth stained and faded. Closed tear in titlepage expertly repaired. Some minor soiling or foxing on the outer edges of the plates and text, otherwise quite clean and fresh internally. A very good copy overall. An important and very rare American view book, showing scenes in and around Philadelphia, primarily notable public works and major public buildings, ranging from the University of Pennsylvania to the Eastern Penitentiary, U.S. Mint, Naval Asylum, U.S. Bank, Merchants’ Exchange, and more. This issue also includes four additional plates, being north, south, east, and west views from City Hall, forming a panorama. The panorama plates are perhaps the most interesting in the work, and are often lacking. Wild was well known as a landscape artist and panorama painter. Shortly after this volume was published he moved to St. Louis, where he produced the first lithographically illustrated work issued there, The Valley of the Mississippi Illustrated. The handsome views in this volume are some of the nicest American city views of the period. There are two issues of this book, the present issue and another with the title, Views of Philadelphia.... The other issue has only twenty plates, omitting the four panorama plates present here. Howes accords the Panorama and Views of Philadelphia... a "c" rating, while the other issue rates a "b." The twenty-plate issue is quite scarce; the present issue, with the panorama plates, is extremely rare. HOWES W410, "c." SABIN 103971. $9750. Building the Bunker Hill Monument 210. Willard, Solomon: PLANS AND SECTIONS, OF THE OBELISK ON BUNKER’S HILL. WITH THE DETAILS OF EXPERIMENTS MADE IN QUARRYING THE GRANITE. Boston: [Samuel N. Dickinson], 1843. 31pp. plus fourteen lithographic plates (one folding), including frontispiece. Quarto. Contemporary plain boards, paper label on cover, rebacked in buckram. Boards dampstained. Slight foxing. One plate shaved. Good. A detailed account of the construction of the second, and permanent, Bunker Hill Monument, amply illustrated with fourteen lithographic plates. King Solomon’s lodge of Masons erected the first monument on the site in 1794 to honor Dr. Joseph Warren, the prominent early patriot leader killed during the battle. The Bunker Hill Monument Association sponsored the present structure. It was begun in 1825, completed in 1842, and dedicated with grand ceremony on June 17, 1843. Willard’s text discusses the project’s origins, its cost, its revolutionary construction methods, and its materials, especially the difficult-to-quarry granite. Willard also includes an account of his discovery of the Quincy granite quarries, and his experiments in quarrying, working, and transporting the granite used in the monument’s construction. The plates, lithographed by the firm of Charles Cook, show the monument during several stages of its construction, offering a useful cross-section of its unique architecture. In all, the paramount profile of one of Boston’s most recognizable tributes to the American Revolution. HITCHCOCK 1409. ROOS 982. $1250. 211. Williams, William: THE TOURIST’S MAP OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COMPILED FROM THE LATEST AUTHORITIES. Utica: Published by William Williams, 1828. Folding pocket map, 19¾ x 20¼ inches, with period outline color, on a 19¾ x 28¼-inch sheet with nine columns of text entitled "Stage, Canal and Steam-Boat Register" at right, plus three columns of descriptive text entitled "Erie Canal." "Engraved by V. Balch & Stiles." Bound into contemporary 16mo. tan morocco wrappers, stamped in gilt. Fine condition. Second edition, with changes to the text from the first edition of 1827. With two insets: "Profile of the Grand Erie Canal" and "Profile of the Champlain Canal." PHILLIPS, p.510. RUMSEY 4970. $1250. 212. [Wisconsin]: REPORT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE TO WHOM WAS REFERRED ALL THE PAPERS IN RELATION TO THE NEGOTIATION OF A LOAN FOR AIDING IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE MILWAUKEE AND ROCK RIVER CANAL. [Madison. 1841]. 36pp. Gathered signatures, stitched as issued. Soiled and dampstained, some pencil notes in margins, slight insect damage in outer leaves. Good only, untrimmed. An important Wisconsin territorial imprint relating to the construction of a canal between the Milwaukee and Rock rivers. This report deals with issuance of illegitimate bonds to pay for the canal. The canal was eventually constructed, but was filled in 1884 to build Commerce Street. OCLC locates only one copy, at the Wisconsin State Historical Society (American Imprints Inventory notes two copies at that institution). Rare. OCLC 3745542. AII (WISCONSIN) 97. $850. 213. Woods, John: TWO YEARS’ RESIDENCE IN THE SETTLEMENT ON THE ENGLISH PRAIRIE, IN THE ILLINOIS COUNTRY, UNITED STATES.... London. 1822. 310pp. plus three maps (two folding) and errata slip. Half title. Original paper boards, printed paper label. Spine chipped and splitting, boards a bit rubbed. Neat bookplate. Corners of two leaves torn, not affecting text. An occasional very light fox mark. Overall, a good plus copy, in original condition, untrimmed. In a cloth chemise and slipcase, leather label. This important work was written by a prosperous British farmer who travelled with his family from the Isle of Wight in 1819. After landing in Baltimore and trekking across the South, he settled in one of the British colonies in southeastern Illinois, of which he gives an excellent account. Included herein are extracts from his journal of the trip to his new home. Copies with all maps, as in the present copy, are uncommon. The maps show the settlement of English Prairie, the Illinois country, and the range of townships in southeastern Illinois. STREETER SALE 1437. CLARK II:71. SABIN 105125. HOWES W654, "aa." BUCK 153. RUSK II:129. $1500. 214. Woolworth, Solomon: THE MISSISSIPPI SCOUT; OR, A DETAIL OF WHAT THE WRITER SAW, IN A SCOUT, INSIDE THE REBEL LINES AROUND VICKSBURG, IN 1863. Chicago. 1868. 15pp. Original printed blue wrappers. Wrappers chipped along edges. Rear wrapper stained, with faint stain in last few leaves. Old vertical fold. Very good. A rare account of Union operations in Vicksburg by a member of the 113th Illinois. Despite its brevity, Woolworth gives much detail of the tenuous situation, as Union troops were surrounded by Rebel soldiers, and the Mississippi was steadily rising. The Eberstadts offered a copy of this pamphlet in 1954, priced $45, and surmised that theirs was "perhaps the only recorded copy of this narrative of a ticklish assignment undertaken while the army along the Mississippi was at the mercy of a vulnerable levee." Not in Nevins or in the American Imprints Inventory list of Chicago Ante-Fire Imprints. OCLC lists six locations for this title with a Chicago, 1867 date and sixteen pages of text; but there are no listings for a Chicago, 1868 edition of fifteen pages, as here. Woolworth apparently intended this brief work to be a prospectus of sorts for a longer book, which he said would ultimately contain six hundred pages of text, plus illustrations, and would be sumptuously bound. Ultimately, all that ever followed was a seventy-nine-page volume called Experiences in the Civil War, published in 1903. Mysterious, and certainly rare. EBERSTADT 133:291. OCLC 16014573 (for 1867 ed). $1250. |
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