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Catalogue 255 The |
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Section III: Cornwallis to Galloway |
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Papers
on Book Collecting by William S. Reese
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50. [Cornwallis, Charles]: CHARLES MARQUIS CORNWALLIS. London. 1793. Large mezzotint, 24 x 15 inches. Very good. Cornwallis is best known in the United States as a British commander in the South during the Revolution. His surrender to Washington at Yorktown concluded the final decisive battle of the war and effectively ended the military struggle, although a peace treaty took two more years to evolve. Cornwallis served in America from 1776 until his capitulation. He was not blamed in England for the defeat, and by the time this portrait was made he had served as governor general of India and been raised to marquis from the earldom he inherited. In this portrait Cornwallis is shown standing and leaning on his sword, with British troops marching in the background. $1000. Dedicated to George Washington 51. Coste, Jean-François: ORATIO HABITA IN CAPITOLIO GULIELMOPOLITANO IN COMITIIS UNIVERSITATIS VIRGINIÆ.... Lugdoni Batavorum. 1783. [4],103pp. in Latin. Half title. Modern half calf and boards, gilt-stamped spine. Internally bright and clean. Very good. Dedicated to George Washington, this is the text of an oration on medicine that Coste delivered at William & Mary College in Williamsburg at the close of the Revolutionary War. Coste came to the United States and served as surgeon in chief to the French forces stationed in America. At the war’s end he returned to France and later occupied the same position in Napoleon’s army. One of the earliest books dedicated to Washington, and an interesting work related to the French Army in the United States during the Revolution. SABIN 17021. SOWERBY 4675. QUÉRARD II:299. STEVENS, HISTORICAL NUGGETS I, p.190. OCLC 30549954, 6594476. $1500.With Maps of Nantucket 52. [Crèvecoeur, Michel Guillaume St. Jean]: LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN FARMER; DESCRIBING CERTAIN PROVINCIAL SITUATIONS, MANNERS, AND CUSTOMS, NOT GENERALLY KNOWN; AND CONVEYING SOME IDEA OF THE LATE AND PRESENT INTERIOR CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE BRITISH COLONIES IN NORTH AMERICA.... London. 1782. [16],318pp. plus two folding maps and [2]pp. of ads. Half title. Antique-style three-quarter calf and marbled boards, spine gilt, leather label. Blindstamp on titlepage and an internal text page. Titlepage repaired around upper portion of title, not affecting text, else internally clean and in overall very good condition. First printing of this important and greatly influential work. Crèvecoeur came to America during the French and Indian War and served with the French forces. Afterwards, he settled in the British colonies, becoming a farmer. This work, which describes his experiences in America, is justly famous for its vivid picture of a colonial world slipping into the chaos of war, revolution, and nationhood. Two of the essays, "What is an American?" and "Distresses of a Frontier Man," particularly address the confusion of the times. Crèvecoeur gives a negative assessment of slavery in his section on South Carolina, and one of the "letters" is written from Culpeper County, Virginia. There is also much on the natural history of British North America, and ethnographic information on American Indians. Also notable are Crèvecoeur’s account of Nantucket, and the excellent maps of that island and Martha’s Vineyard. "As literature unexcelled by any American work of the eighteenth century" – Howes. Certainly one of the chief works of literature, and one of the most important observations on America during the era of the Revolution, here in the first edition. HOWES C883, "b." CLARK I:218. STREETER SALE 711. SABIN 17496. MONAGHAN 497. MEISEL III, p.352. $5400.53. [Crèvecoeur, Michel Guillaume St. Jean]: LETTRES D’UN CULTIVATEUR AMERICAIN...DEPUIS L’ANNEE 1770, JUSQU’A 1781. [Np, but likely Paris]. 1785. Two volumes. [2],xxiv,422,[2]; [6],400pp. Half title in both volumes. 12mo. Original blue-grey wrappers with paper spine labels, covered by contemporary marbled paper wrappers. Labels chipped. A beautiful copy, untrimmed and in pristine original condition. A mind-bogglingly beautiful copy of this rare and little-known edition of Crèvecoeur’s classic study. Crèvecoeur came to America during the French and Indian War and served with the French forces. Afterwards, he settled in the British colonies, becoming a farmer. This work, which describes his experiences in America, is justly famous for its vivid picture of a colonial world slipping into the chaos of war, revolution, and nationhood. Two of the essays, "What is an American?" and "Distresses of a Frontier Man," particularly address the confusion of the times. Crèvecoeur gives a negative assessment of slavery in his section on South Carolina, and one of the "letters" is written from Culpeper County, Virginia. There is also much on the natural history of British North America, and ethnographic information on American Indians. "As literature unexcelled by any American work of the eighteenth century" – Howes. Certainly one of the chief works of literature, and one of the most important observations on America during the era of the Revolution. This would appear to be a pirated edition from the first French edition, done in Paris in 1784. It was likely printed in Paris as well, but with 1785 printed on the titlepage. The layout of the text in this edition closely mirrors that of the Paris 1784 edition, with almost identical pagination (though not containing the errata pages of the 1784 edition), but it was clearly done from a different setting of type. The present edition would therefore be contemporaneous with the second French language edition, published in Maestricht in 1785. Other than Sabin, who gives a brief mention, this edition is not noted in any of the bibliographies listed below, and NUC and OCLC together locate only a total of ten copies. Quite rare, and very lovely. SABIN 17494. Other 1784/1785 editions: HOWES C883. CLARK I:218. MONAGHAN 502. DAB IV, pp.542-44. MEISEL III, p.352. $2000.54. Daboll, Nathan: DABOLL’S NEW-ENGLAND ALMANACK, FOR THE YEAR 1775. CALCULATED FOR THE MERIDIAN OF NEW-LONDON, IN LAT. 41 DEG. 25 MIN. NORTH, AND 4 HOURS 45 MIN. WEST OF THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY AT GREENWICH. New London: Printed and sold by T. Green, [1774]. [32]pp. including a woodcut portrait of Jonathan Shipley on the titlepage and a woodcut of a lunar eclipse on p.[32]. Later stitching. Original stab holes in inner margin. Titlepage and last page age-toned and soiled. Moderate age-toning and soiling internally. A good copy. A Revolutionary-era Connecticut almanac with a white-line woodcut portrait of Dr. Jonathan Shipley entitled "The Patriotic Bishop." Twelve pages in this almanac reprint Shipley’s famous speech criticizing Britain’s uncompromising colonial measures which was "intended to have been spoken on the bill for altering the charter of the province of the Massachusetts Bay." First delivered in 1774, the speech was printed in numerous editions both in London and the colonies in that same year. In addition to the speech, this almanac includes the calendar year (with each month accompanied by a short poem), predictions for the year’s eclipses (illustrated with a lunar eclipse), distances from New London to the principal towns on the continent, and a schedule of courts in New England. EVANS 13235. TRUMBULL 242. JOHNSON, NEW LONDON IMPRINTS 976. DRAKE 298. NAIP w035258. HOWES S420 (ref). $1500.With an Extraordinary Woodcut 55. [Daboll, Nathan]: FREEBETTER’S NEW-ENGLAND ALMANACK, FOR THE YEAR 1776...CALCULATED FOR THE MERIDIAN OF NEW-LONDON, IN LAT. 41 DEG. 25 MIN. N. New London: Printed and sold by T. Green, [1775]. [26]pp. including woodcut cartoon illustration on titlepage and woodcut anatomical illustration with astrological references on p.[21], plus twelve unprinted leaves. Dbd. Contemporary inscriptions on fives of the unprinted pages. A very good copy, housed in a linen-covered clamshell case, leather spine label gilt. A Revolutionary-era Connecticut almanac with a dramatic woodcut political cartoon on the titlepage of a ravished America being forced to drink tea while Boston is under siege. The image is based on Paul Revere’s famous engraving entitled "The Able Doctor, or America Swallowing the Bitter Draught," first published in the June 1774 issue of The Royal American Magazine. Revere’s image was a faithful copy of a British political cartoon published in the April 1774 issue of the London Magazine, and the image, with slight variations, was also reproduced in the May 1774 issue of the Hibernian Magazine and issued as a separate print in Philadelphia in August 1774. It shows a partially nude America being held down and forced to drink tea by British ministers, while another looks under her skirt. On the left the figure of Justice weeps, and in the background Boston is "cannonaded." Almanacs attributed on the titlepage to Freebetter were published in New London between 1772 and 1792, but NAIP records only the 1772 almanac as actually compiled by Edmund Freebetter. All of the other yearly issues are attributed to Nathan Daboll. In addition to the calendar year (with each month accompanied by a short poem) and predictions for the year’s eclipses, this New-England Almanack includes an account of the bread-fruit tree (extracted from Sydney Parkinson’s Journal of a Voyage to the South-Seas) and short prose pieces on "the folly of those who vex themselves with fruitless wishes, or give way to groundless and unreasonable discontent" and "Kamhi, a late emperor of China." This copy is interleaved with twelve blank leaves. Five of the unprinted pages are inscribed in a contemporary hand. While many of the annotations concern the weather and crops, three notes in March record actions of the Revolutionary War, including Gen. Howe’s evacuation of Boston. A very good copy with contemporary manuscript annotations of this famously illustrated Revolutionary-era almanac. EVANS 14001. TRUMBULL 223. JOHNSON, NEW LONDON IMPRINTS 998. DRAKE 305. HAMILTON 75. NAIP w022605. BRIGHAM, PAUL REVERE’S ENGRAVINGS, pp.117-19 (ref). $5000.56. [Daboll, Nathan]: THE NEW-ENGLAND ALMANACK, AND GENTLEMAN’S AND LADY’S DIARY, FOR THE YEAR OF OUR LORD CHRIST 1777...CALCULATED FOR THE MERIDIAN OF NEW-LONDON, IN LAT. 41 DEG. 25 MIN. NORTH... BY EDMUND FREEBETTER. New London: Printed and sold by T. Green, [1776]. [24]pp. including woodcut celestial illustration on titlepage. Dbd. Contemporary manuscript inscriptions on each of the twelve calendar pages plus one additional page of text. A very good copy. A Revolutionary-era Connecticut almanac attributed to Nathan Daboll. Almanacs attributed on the titlepage to Edmund Freebetter were published in New London between 1772 and 1792, but NAIP records only the 1772 almanac as actually compiled by him. In addition to the calendar year (with each month accompanied by a short poem) and predictions for the year’s eclipses, this New-England Almanack includes a recipe for making mortar, descriptions of the ancient Tories and the ancient Whigs, and a dialogue entitled "The Politicians" between a countryman and a newsmonger and politician. This copy includes contemporary inscriptions on each of the twelve pages devoted to the months of the year. While the notes in the side margins primarily document the weather, numerous annotations in the top and bottom margins record Revolutionary War battles at Bennington, Brandywine, Lake George, Still Water, and Germantown. EVANS 14724. TRUMBULL 224. JOHNSON, NEW LONDON IMPRINTS 1026. DRAKE 310. NAIP w010401. $1250.57. [Daboll, Nathan]: THE NEW-ENGLAND ALMANACK; AND GENTLEMAN’S AND LADY’S DIARY, FOR THE YEAR OF OUR LORD CHRIST 1778. CALCULATED FOR THE MERIDIAN OF NEW-LONDON, IN LAT. 41 DEG. 25 MIN. NORTH. New London: Printed and sold by T. Green, [1777]. [20]pp. including woodcuts of solar and lunar eclipses on titlepage and woodcut anatomical illustration with astrological references on p.[2]. Dbd. Moderately age-toned, foredge slightly worn (just touching printed area of titlepage). Contemporary inscriptions on titlepage and each of the twelve calendar pages, some ink inscriptions with bleeding. A good copy, housed in a half calf clamshell box, spine gilt. A Revolutionary-era Connecticut almanac containing two American Revolutionary War poems, each one-page in length. "A Poem on that worthy Commander in Chief of the army of the United States. By a Friend to his Country" consists of seven stanzas and "A Song (To the Tune of ‘Lexington March’)" has eleven stanzas. The "Lexington March" was the tune used by Americans to sing "Yankee Doodle," the words and music of which were first published in London in 1775. The words to this version concern themselves with General Burgoyne and his defeat at Saratoga. Almanacs attributed on the titlepage to Edmund Freebetter were published in New London between 1772 and 1792, but NAIP records only the 1772 almanac as compiled by Freebetter. All of the other yearly issues are attributed to Nathan Daboll. In addition to the poems, this almanac includes the calendar year (with each month accompanied by a short poem), predictions for the year’s eclipses, and distances of the principal towns in New England from New London ("with the most noted houses of entertainment on the road"). This copy includes contemporary inscriptions on each of the twelve pages devoted to the months of the year. The notes, primarily in the side margins, document the weather for the individual days. An annotation in the upper margin of the page for June records a battle in the Revolutionary War: "28 June, A fight at Monmouth; Clinton beat." EVANS 15280. TRUMBULL 225. JOHNSON, NEW LONDON IMPRINTS 1050. DRAKE 317. NAIP w022674. $3000.58. [Dallas, Robert, or Joseph Galloway]: CONSIDERATIONS UPON THE AMERICAN ENQUIRY. London. 1779. 55pp. Half title. Antique half calf. Very good. A very critical study of the British army under Gen. Howe’s command, and of the commanders themselves. "Jonathan Boucher attributed this to Joseph Galloway on his copy of the third edition, now in the Bodleian Library. The attribution to Sir Robert Dallas (1756-1824), who was twenty-three years of age at the time, seems less likely. He had been admitted as a student at Lincoln’s Inn only two years before and was not called to the bar until 1783. On the other hand, the author of this tract displays a familiarity with both political and military affairs in America going back to the early stages of the dispute, and he takes a position that is consistent with the one known to be held by Galloway" – Adams. Howes attributes the work to Robert Dallas. SABIN 18321. HOWES D28. AMERICAN CONTROVERSY 79-42a. $850.59. [Davis, Mary Elizabeth]: THE BRITISH PARTIZAN: A TALE OF THE OLDEN TIME. Macon: Burke, Boykin & Company, 1864. 157pp. Original printed wrappers. Slight wear and chipping along spine. Minor toning and foxing. Very good. First Confederate edition, after the first appearance in book form in 1839 published under the author’s maiden name, M.E. Moragne. Most copies of the 1839 edition were purportedly destroyed in a flood. This romantic tale, set against the backdrop of the American Revolution, originally appeared as a serial in the Augusta Mirror. A lovely sample of Confederate literature, in the original wrappers. DE RENNE II, p.664. PARRISH & WILLINGHAM 6293. OCLC 6118554. $1750.Extra-illustrated 60. DeCosta, Benjamin Franklin: NOTES ON THE HISTORY OF FORT GEORGE DURING THE COLONIAL AND REVOLUTIONARY PERIODS.... New York: J. Sabin & Sons, 1871. [4],78pp. plus numerous extra illustrations. Half title. Frontispiece. Modern three-quarter blue morocco and blue cloth boards by Sangorski & Sutcliffe, gilt-lettered spine, t.e.g. Minor browning. Very good. The Frank Cutter Deering copy, with his gilt morocco bookplate on the front pastedown. A straightforward history of the Fort George region, published by the great American bibliographer, Joseph Sabin. The appendix includes the orderly book of James McGee, kept at Fort George in July and August of 1776, and taken from the original manuscript at the New York State Library. Scarce. SABIN 19196. $1000.A Cartographic Landmark 61. Des Barres, J.F.W. [publisher]: Samuel Holland and George Callendar [surveyors]: [CHART OF THE HARBOR OF BOSTON. COMPOSED FROM DIFFERENT SURVEYS; BUT PRINCIPALLY FROM THAT TAKEN IN 1769, BY MR. GEORGE CALLENDAR, LATE MASTER OF HIS MAJESTY’S SHIP THE ROMNEY]. London: Published by J.F.W. Des Barres in The Atlantic Neptune, Aug. 5, 1775. Etching with roulette-work, on two joined sheets. Overall joined sheet size: 30 1/4 x 42 5/8 inches. Printed on laid paper with "J Bates" watermark and "JB" countermark. Very good. An important and detailed chart of Boston Harbor immediately before the American Revolution, based largely on the 1769 surveys of George Callendar. The Atlantic Neptune was the first great marine atlas, and one of the greatest achievements of 18th-century cartography. Published in England in 1774, it contained over 250 charts and views of the North American and Canadian coasts. The charts were intensely detailed and contained both hydrographical and topographical details. The Atlantic Neptune was compiled and published for the Royal Navy by Joseph F.W. Des Barres, a Swiss cartographer who joined the Royal American Regiment as a surveyor. Des Barres fought in the French and Indian wars and was enlisted to survey the Canadian coastline. While his fellow surveyor, Samuel Holland charted the New England coast, Des Barres mapped the shoreline of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and the St. Lawrence River regions. In 1774, Des Barres returned to England where he compiled and published his monumental atlas; his dedication to the project was so strong that he published an updated version of the work every year until 1784. Des Barres’ work was so superior to any other contemporary atlas, that the maps were used as the standard charts of the east coast for over fifty years. The Atlantic Neptune remains one of the most important atlases ever printed, its views and maps chart the history of North America and allow us to glimpse a forgotten land long changed by the passage of time. A. Krieger & D. Cobb, Mapping Boston, p.107 (image of the 1781 issue of the same chart). R. Lingel, "The Atlantic Neptune" in Bulletin of the New York Public Library, Vol. 40, No. 7 (July 1936), N91.2. NEBENZAHL 3. NMM III, p.383 (ref). $35,000.Extra-illustrated 62. Deux-Ponts, William de, Count: MY CAMPAIGNS IN AMERICA: A JOURNAL KEPT BY COUNT WILLIAM DE DEUX-PONTS, 1780-81. Translated from the French manuscript, with an introduction and notes, by Samuel Abbott Green. Boston. 1868. xvi,[2],176pp. Extra-illustrated by the insertion of more than thirty plates. Half title. Blue crushed morocco, elaborately paneled in gilt, spine richly gilt, raised bands, a.e.g. Fine, in an outstanding binding by Stikeman. In a marbled slipcase. From an edition limited to 150 copies. A presentation copy, inscribed by Green to Jeremiah Colburn on the half title, and with a manuscript note from Green to Colburn inlaid in a preliminary leaf. Later the Frank Cutter Deering copy, with his morocco bookplate. Count William Deux-Ponts served with Rochambeau, commanded French regiments in the American Revolution, and distinguished himself at the battle of Yorktown. The text of Deux-Ponts’ memoirs is given in French and English. HOWES D291a. SABIN 19801. $1500.63. [Dickinson, John]: A NEW ESSAY [BY THE PENNSYLVANIA FARMER] ON THE CONSTITUTIONAL POWER OF GREAT-BRITAIN OVER THE COLONIES IN AMERICA; WITH THE RESOLVES OF THE COMMITTEE FROM THE PROVINCE OF PENNSYLVANIA. London: J. Almon, 1774. vii,126,[2]pp. Half title. Modern paper boards. Contemporary ownership signature at head of half title. Internally quite clean. Very good. First British edition, after the Philadelphia edition of the same year. An important political pamphlet by the influential author. Dickinson established his reputation as a brilliant lawyer in 1765, when he wrote his first tract against the Stamp Act, and his Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania... became one of his most important patriotic tracts prior to the American Revolution. In 1774 he was elected chairman of the Philadelphia Committee of Correspondence, and this pamphlet consists of three papers he drew up which were adopted by the Committee in July of that year. "They state the principles upon which the colonies based their claim to redress; instructions to the Congressional delegates to be chosen by the Assembly; and a treatise on the constitutional power of Great Britain to tax the colonies" – DAB. Over the crucial next two years, Dickinson would grow gradually more conservative, eventually becoming opposed to the independence movement. AMERICAN CONTROVERSY 74-28b. HOWES D326. SABIN 20046. COHEN 6508. DAB V, pp.299-300. $2000.Extra-illustrated: 64. Drake, Francis S.: LIFE AND CORRESPONDENCE OF HENRY KNOX, MAJOR-GENERAL IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY ARMY. Boston. 1873. 160pp. Extra-illustrated by the insertion of nearly 150 plates. Portrait. Crushed blue morocco, paneled in gilt, spine gilt, raised bands, t.e.g., gilt inner dentelles. A touch of offsetting from a few plates, else near fine. In a straight-grained morocco solander case, gilt. One of 300 copies printed for subscribers only. The Frank Cutter Deering copy, with his morocco bookplate. Deering has laid in an autograph receipt, signed, by Knox and dated Jan. 4, 1793, as well as inserting plates with two of Knox’s calling cards, and scores of illustrations of the important military and political figures of the era, and depictions of crucial battles and events. This biography of the important American commander details his service during the Revolutionary War, and includes an account of his postwar service as Secretary of War and head of Indian Affairs in the 1780s. A lovely copy, enlarged by scores of illustrations and handsomely bound. $3500. 65. Du Calvet, Pierre: APPEL À LA JUSTICE DE L’ETAT; OU RECUEIL DE LETTRES, AU ROI, AU PRINCE DE GALLES, ET AUX MINISTRES; AVEC UNE LETTRE A MESSIEURS LES CANADIENS...UNE LETTRE AU GENERAL HALDIMAND LUI-MEME. EN FIN UNE DERNIERE LETTRE A MILORD SIDNEY.... Londres. 1784. [4],xiv,320,viii pp. Early 19th-century marbled boards, leather label. Some minor edge wear. Unobtrusive old library stamp on recto and verso of title-leaf. Bookplate. Else very good. An account of the trepidations experienced by a French Protestant in Canada at the hands of the British. "During the American Revolution the British in Canada were suspicious of the loyalty of the French inhabitants. Du Calvet was one of those who were harassed by the authorities. This is his personal story of the unhappy affair. It is recorded that Francis Maseres helped Du Calvet write this book" – Lande. Du Calvet had remained in Canada after the cession of the country to the British in 1763, and was chosen as a magistrate for the city of Montreal under the British government. An important work for a collection of French Canadiana. SABIN 21044. LANDE 197. TPL 569. DIONNE II:856. $1350.Du Simitiere’s Portraits 66. Du Simitiere, Pierre Eugene: PORTRAITS OF THE GENERALS, MINISTERS, MAGISTRATES, MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, AND OTHERS, WHO HAVE RENDERED THEMSELVES ILLUSTRIOUS IN THE REVOLUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Drawn from life by M. Dusimitier [sic].... London: R. Wilkinson and J. Debrett, 1783. 2 leaves of letterpress, plus twelve engraved portraits on heavy paper. Slim quarto. Modern calf, gilt-lettered spine, gilt inner dentelles. One portrait with slight marginal dampstain and paper overslip. Overall internally bright and clean. Near fine. A famous series of portraits of American Revolutionary leaders. Du Simitiere was a native of Switzerland who emigrated to America in 1766. He was an ardent supporter of the Revolution and was among the first to collect material on the history of the war. He furthered his collection by producing a series of portraits of American leaders. Thirteen of these were published in Paris in 1781 and were also issued separately. English language editions of the Paris series were issued in London in 1783, the subject of much bibliographical confusion. The sequence would seem to be that the French series of thirteen was re-engraved and issued by the publisher, W. Richardson, on May 10, 1783 under the title, Thirteen Portraits of American Legislators, Patriots, and Soldiers.... Some probably viewed it as odd that Benedict Arnold was still included as a patriot (he had not defected at the time Du Simitiere sent the originals to Paris). The present title, issued by the publishers, Wilkinson and Debrett, is not a reissue of the Richardson edition, but an entirely new edition, with the plates noted as engraved by Wilkinson on May 15, 1783. This series of portraits appears in a different order than that in the Richardson edition, and excludes Arnold, reducing the number to twelve. The portraits are of Washington, Henry Laurens, John Jay, Samuel Huntington, Charles Thomson, W.H. Drayton, Silas Deane, Joseph Reed, Gouverneur Morris, Baron Steuben, John Dickenson, and Horatio Gates. Wilkinson and Debrett evidently reissued this series at a later time and with a new title, Heads of Illustrious Americans..., without a date. As far as we can determine, this is the extent of the Du Simitiere appearances. Howes, in a moment of bibliographical hallucination, asserts there are three series of British engravings after him, with a total of sixty plates. This is evidently the result of the three different issue titles combined with bourbon on the rocks. A rare and important series of portraits. None of the standard bibliographies name this edition by title, and OCLC locates only three copies. OCLC 30553762. SABIN 21446 (Richardson ed). HOWES D599 (Richardson ed). $6500.67. Duer, William Alexander: THE LIFE OF WILLIAM ALEXANDER, EARL OF STIRLING; MAJOR GENERAL IN THE ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES, DURING THE REVOLUTION: WITH SELECTIONS FROM HIS CORRESPONDENCE. BY HIS GRANDSON.... New York: Published for the New Jersey Historical Society by Wiley & Putnam, 1847. [iii]-xv,[1],272pp. plus six publisher’s plates (portrait frontispiece and five maps of battle); extra-illustrated with numerous additional plates. Half title. Contemporary three-quarter red morocco and marbled boards. Spine gilt, raised bands, t.e.g. Some toning and minor foxing on a few inserted plates, else fine. A beautifully bound copy of the life of William Alexander, extra-illustrated with over thirty contemporary steel-engraved portraits and views. William Alexander, "Lord Stirling," was a prominent American general in the Revolutionary War, highly esteemed by both Washington and British commanders for his military leadership and bravery in battle. The present biography was authored by Alexander’s grandson, William Alexander Duer, a noted jurist and President of Columbia University from 1822 to 1842. SABIN 21113. FELCONE 607. DAB I, pp.175-76. $1250.68. [Dutch West Indies]: STAATKUNDIGE AANMERKINGEN OVER HET GEHOUDEN GEDRAG DER ENGELSCHEN, OP DEN 9 AUGUSTUS 1780. IN DE GROOTE BAY VAN HET EILAND ST. MARTIN. [Np, but possibly Amsterdam]. 1780. 27pp. Original plain wrappers, stitched as issued. Worn along spine. Slight foxing on titlepage. A very good copy. From the Revolution through the War of 1812, issues concerning harassment of American shipping were a major flash point in relations between Great Britain and the United States. The present pamphlet, almost certainly Dutch in origin, examines an instance in 1780 when British Admiral George Rodney seized an American ship at the island of St. Martin. The author discusses the incident and applies international law to the case, quoting from Grotius and other authorities. The likely aim was to provide advice and warning to Dutch shipping in their Caribbean possessions during the American Revolution. "A discussion of the right of seizure of commercial ships growing out of the English seizure of an American ship at St. Martin" – Bell. Sabin’s listing was supplied by Ernest Kletsch. No copies listed on OCLC, and the NUC locates three copies only, at the Library of Congress, University of Minnesota, and Indiana University. Rare. BELL S582. SABIN 90018. $1250.69. [Estaing, Charles Henri, Comte d’]: EXTRAIT DU JOURNAL D’UN OFFICIER DE LA MARINE DE L’ESCADRE DE M. LE COMTE D’ESTAING. [Paris. 1782]. 158pp. Engraved frontispiece. Contemporary green vellum, leather label. Slight chip at head of spine, front hinge cracked but sound. Overall a near fine copy. Authorship of this work is uncertain, but Howes theorizes that one Captain Walsh is the author. Whoever wrote it served as an officer in the Comte d’Estaing’s squadron and is highly critical of his conduct. This work describes the operations of the French fleet in 1778-79, beginning with the departure from Toulon and covering the blockade of the British at New York; the planned but aborted naval battle off Newport; the encounter with the British fleet under Admiral John Byron; and finally, the attack on Savannah, Georgia. This is one of the best sources for the Savannah attack. An important Revolutionary naval item, here present in the first edition, first issue of the text. CLARK I:234. HOWES E198. SABIN 23033. DE RENNE I:224. $1500."The troops here are on 70. [Fitch, John]: [AUTOGRAPH LETTER, SIGNED, FROM STEAM BOAT PIONEER JOHN FITCH TO HIS FRIEND, ROYAL FLINT, ON THE SITUATION OF THE CONTINENTAL ARMY IN NEW YORK]. Fishkill, N.Y. Dec. 14, 1779. [2]pp. written on recto and verso of first leaf, and docketed on verso of integral blank leaf. Faint fold lines. Near fine. A letter from the enterprising John Fitch, future steamboat pioneer, during his checkered service in the Continental Army. Having entered into an unhappy marriage, Fitch abandoned his wife and young son in Windham, Connecticut, and journeyed south to New York and New Jersey. He eked his way by performing small tasks requiring a craftsman’s skills, finding himself near Trenton at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. Until 1780 he served as a militia lieutenant and gunsmith, in the meantime making a handsome profit by selling tobacco and other goods to the Valley Forge army. Towards the end of this service, in 1779, Fitch penned the present letter to an acquaintance named Royal Flint. It was a difficult time for the army, as Fitch relates. He writes: "Your favour by W. Whiting I received last evening. I am in hopes that Congress will move to Hartford which will make it very convenient for me to settle my acct. with the Treasury Board. I have not the least idea but what our Army will soon disband – at present it is as much as we can all do to keep them together. The Article of Bread is exceedingly scarce. The troops here are on the point of disbanding – but if this is the case, what may we expect when the leading & best men in the Purchasing Department quit the service. I think our present situation is too alarming to be easily expressed. I have no news from Windham – friends Ripley & Grow went from Danbury the day after Thanksgiving for the Capitol. Yours of the 1st. Instant by Majr. Starr I have just received. I rejoice to hear of my friends taking some comfort by which they can promise themselves future happiness. I dare say when you wrote that letter you was not much concerned about any kind of misfortunes ever happening to you, which I hope will be the case...." Despite Fitch’s pessimism, the army did not disband, though personality conflicts between himself and his superiors occasioned his prompt dismissal from it. From New Jersey he set off down the Ohio, was captured and released by the British, and ultimately established himself in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where he began his experimentation with steam propulsion. Though he made some advances, most notably his ship, Enterprise, which purportedly achieved a speed of eight miles an hour on the Delaware River, his efforts were a financial failure. Despondent, he committed suicide in 1798 in Bardstown, Kentucky. Despite his failures, Fitch greatly advanced the development of steam power in the United States. Unfortunately, the sort of hopelessness that drove him from his unhappy marriage and is displayed here would plague most of his endeavors and contribute to his hapless end. Thomas Boyd, Poor John Fitch (New York: Putnam, 1935). ANB 8, pp.40-42. $7500.71. Franklin, Benjamin: POLITICAL, MISCELLANEOUS, AND PHILOSOPHICAL PIECES; ARRANGED UNDER THE FOLLOWING HEADS...GENERAL POLITICS...AMERICAN POLITICS BEFORE THE TROUBLES...AMERICAN POLITICS DURING THE TROUBLES...PROVINCIAL OR COLONY POLITICS...MISCELLANEOUS AND PHILOSOPHICAL PIECES.... London: Printed for J. Johnson, 1779. xi,[1],567,[7]pp. plus engraved portrait frontispiece, three plates (one folding), and folding table. 19th-century three-quarter morocco and marbled boards. A very good, internally clean copy. The only edition of Franklin’s works published in the author’s lifetime, with his knowledge and consent, and with an errata prepared by him. It is a tribute to the esteem in which Franklin was held that this was published in London while he was American ambassador to a hostile power during the Revolution. The work was edited by his close friend, Benjamin Vaughan. HOWES F330. SABIN 25565. FORD 342. $7500.Why France Went to War in 1778 72. [French-English Relations]: EXPOSÉ DES MOTIFS DE LA CONDUITE DU ROI, RELATIVEMENT À L’ANGLETERRE [caption title]. Paris: de l’Imprimerie Royale, 1779. 14pp. Quarto. Sheets folded and gathered as issued, including final integral blank leaf. A few instances of extremely minor foxing, otherwise very clean and fresh. A near fine copy. First edition of this extremely popular account of French-English relations during the Revolutionary War. According to Echeverria and Wilkie, the work includes a "recital of French grievances against Great Britain and justifications of French trade with U.S., recognition of U.S. independence, and a declaration of war." Two additional editions with this title were also printed in 1779, followed by six additional works the same year with similar title but varying content (including three with French and Spanish in parallel columns, and at least two with additional text by Edward Gibbon). English and Spanish translations of the Exposé des Motifs were also published in 1779. MAGGS, FRENCH COLONISATION OF AMERICA 602 (this copy). ECHEVERRIA & WILKIE 779/38. $2250.Map of New York in 1775 73. [Gaine, Hugh]: GAINE’S UNIVERSAL REGISTER, OR AMERICAN AND BRITISH KALENDAR, FOR THE YEAR 1776. New York: Printed by H. Gaine, [1775]. 168pp. plus folding map. Interleaved with blank pages with contemporary ink notes. 18mo. Original calf. Spine perished but held by cords. Worm hole in front board through to front endpapers, not affecting text or map. Internally very clean and very good. In a half morocco box. Apparently the second annual edition of this popular almanac, first published for 1775. Gaine published it with blank leaves interleaved at the beginning. The present copy contains contemporary notes, apparently kept by a customs officer, and is filled with notations regarding counterfeit currency, its place of origin and identifying characteristics, and the contents of various shipping trunks. Gaine continued publication of the ...Universal Register... into the 1790s. It is filled with useful information, including population estimates for the American colonies, comparisons of various coins and monies, and lists of civic, military, and religious officers. The accomplished folding map shows the "Plan of the City of New York," with a street grid of the tip of Manhattan Island and farmland, the "Road to Boston" leading north, and the tip of Brooklyn at the bottom. The scale is one mile per three inches. OCLC locates only seven copies. A unique copy of a scarce title. EVANS 14057. DRAKE 5858. SABIN 26332 (note). OCLC 9875596. $6000.A Loyalist Hugh Gaine Imprint 74. [Gaine, Hugh]: GAINE’S UNIVERSAL REGISTER: OR, AMERICAN AND BRITISH KALENDAR, FOR THE YEAR 1782. New York: Printed by Hugh Gaine, [1781]. 179,[1]pp., lacking the terminal leaf of advertisements, never bound in. 16mo. Contemporary red morocco wallet binding with engraved silver locking clasp. Interleaved with 19th-century manuscript notes and family records of the Rev. James Armstrong and descendants; additional 19th-century manuscript notes in pockets of binding. Binding lightly worn, else fine. A fine copy of a scarce Hugh Gaine Loyalist imprint, for which only three copies are recorded between Drake and NAIP. The Kalendar includes the usual almanac fare together with lists of British officials in America, former royal governors, British and Hessian army officers, and American Loyalist officers. this includes a detailed listing of the English order of battle in North America as of the end of 1781. The extensive genealogical and historical notes and records inscribed in the interleaves of the volume and contained in the pockets of the binding refer to Rev. John F. Armstrong (1750-1816) and his family. Armstrong (1750-1816) graduated from the College of New Jersey (Princeton) and studied theology with John Witherspoon, who granted Armstrong his license to preach (an event the present notes mention as being delayed by the British invasion of New Jersey), officiated at his wedding, and baptized his children. Armstrong served as chaplain during most of the Revolutionary War and later as pastor of the Presbyterian church in Trenton until his death. The notes include records of births, marriages, and deaths for several later generations of Armstrong’s family, ending in 1882, as well as records of slaves and diseases and inoculations. DRAKE 5895. EVANS 17168. BRISTOL B5284. SHIPTON & MOONEY 43975. NAIP w023076. $4000.75. [Galloway, Joseph]: COOL THOUGHTS ON THE CONSEQUENCES TO GREAT BRITAIN OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE. ON THE EXPENCE OF GREAT BRITAIN IN THE SETTLEMENT AND DEFENCE OF THE AMERICAN COLONIES. ON THE VALUE AND IMPORTANCE OF THE AMERICAN COLONIES AND THE WEST INDIES TO THE BRITISH EMPIRE. London: Printed for J. Wilkie, 1780 [i.e. 1779]. [4],70,[1]pp. Modern three-quarter calf and cloth, raised bands. Very good and clean. An important pamphlet by the Pennsylvania Tory, pointing out why Great Britain should hold onto the colonies. Galloway was the most prominent Loyalist in America during the Revolution. HOWES G36. AMERICAN CONTROVERSY 79-42:1a. SABIN 26425. BEINECKE LESSER ANTILLES COLLECTION 326. $900.76. [Galloway, Joseph]: A LETTER TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE LORD VISCOUNT H-E, ON HIS NAVAL CONDUCT IN THE AMERICAN WAR. London. 1779. 50,[1]pp. Half title. Modern three-quarter morocco and marbled boards. Some tanning and light foxing, else very good. Galloway, a leading Loyalist, criticizes the actions of Admiral Viscount Richard Howe, brother of Gen. William Howe, during the American Revolution. In 1780-81, Galloway printed a series of eight letters which appeared in the London Chronicle, signed "Cicero," charging the Admiral with gross misconduct in his failed operations during the war. This pamphlet addresses Howe’s conduct during the 1776-79 period, when Howe was battling the French fleet and the smaller American forces. AMERICAN CONTROVERSY 79-43a. HOWES G42. $750.77. [Galloway, Joseph]: A CANDID EXAMINATION OF THE MUTUAL CLAIMS OF GREAT-BRITAIN, AND THE COLONIES: WITH A PLAN OF ACCOMMODATION, ON CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLES. [London]: G. Wilkie, 1780. 116,[1]pp. Modern half morocco and marbled boards, spine stamped in gilt. New endpapers. Internally fresh and near fine. First British edition of this influential Tory pamphlet. "One of the most famous Tory tracts, upholding unlimited parliamentary supremacy" – Howes. This British edition includes Galloway’s A Reply to an Address to the Author of..."A Candid Examination...," of which practically all copies of the original edition were destroyed by a New York mob. HOWES G34. AMERICAN CONTROVERSY 75-51b. SABIN 26422. $750.78. Galloway, Joseph: THE EXAMINATION OF...LATE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA. BEFORE THE HOUSE OF COMMONS, IN A COMMITTEE ON THE AMERICAN PAPERS. WITH EXPLANATORY NOTES. London. 1780. [2],85,[1]pp. Handsome 19th-century tree calf, leather label. A fine copy, with the bookplate of William L. Clements. Second edition, after the first of the previous year. Galloway, one of the most outspoken prominent Loyalists, had been very critical of Gen. Howe and the British ministry regarding their conduct of the war following the evacuation of Philadelphia. In the present hearing, Lord Germain in part retaliated, grilling Galloway for several hours and attempting to discredit him – which he succeeded in doing to some extent. Galloway himself saw his testimony as a triumph and purchased hundreds of copies. This second edition is quite scarce, with Adams locating only eight copies. AMERICAN CONTROVERSY 79-49c. HOWES G37. SABIN 26427. $1000.79. [Galloway, Joseph]: HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL REFLECTIONS ON THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF THE AMERICAN REBELLION. IN WHICH THE CAUSES OF THAT REBELLION ARE POINTED OUT, AND THE POLICY AND NECESSITY OF OFFERING TO THE AMERICANS A SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT FOUNDED IN THE PRINCIPLES OF THE BRITISH CONSTITUTION, ARE CLEARLY DEMONSTRATED. London. 1780. [8],135,[1]pp. Modern blue buckram. Six words crossed out in ink on p.107, with similar deletions to final three words on p.38 and first five words on p.39. Some minor foxing. Else very good. Galloway was the most prominent Loyalist in America during the Revolution. The present pamphlet sets forth his wish that the colonies remain with Great Britain, and how this might be achieved. HOWES G39. SABIN 26431. AMERICAN CONTROVERSY 80-32. $750.80. [Galloway, Joseph]: LETTERS TO A NOBLEMAN ON THE CONDUCT OF THE WAR IN THE MIDDLE COLONIES. London: J. Wilkie, 1780. viii,101pp. plus folding map. Later 19th-century three-quarter polished calf and boards, gilt-stamped spine. A bit rubbed. Scattered foxing on map and small, neat repairs in upper outer corner and along one inch of fold. Internally clean. Very good. Self-styled third edition of this important work on the campaign of Gen. Howe, 1777-78, by the most prominent Loyalist in America during the Revolution. "Written to demonstrate the shameful misconduct of the English generals in the American war" – Sabin. The map, "A Plan of the Operations of the British & Rebel Army, in the Campaign, 1777," shows the region around the Schuylkill, Delaware, and Brandywine rivers, with an inset of Mud Island Fort. HOWES G43. SABIN 26436. AMERICAN CONTROVERSY 79-44d. $1500.81. [Galloway, Joseph]: A REPLY TO THE OBSERVATIONS OF LIEUT. GEN. SIR WILLIAM HOWE, ON A PAMPHLET, ENTITLED LETTERS TO A NOBLEMAN: IN WHICH HIS MISREPRESENTATIONS ARE DETECTED, AND THOSE LETTERS ARE SUPPORTED, BY A VARIETY OF NEW MATTER AND ARGUMENT. London. 1780. [2],149,[2]pp. 19th century three-quarter morocco and marbled boards, spine gilt. Boards rubbed at extremities. Very good. First London edition, after the very rare New York printing of 1777 (most copies of that edition were destroyed by a New York mob) and another of 1780. Galloway, former Loyalist "Superintendent" of Philadelphia during the British occupation of 1777-78, herein replies to Gen. Howe’s Observations..., preaching to him on how he could have won the war. In spite of its combative tone, the pamphlet does provide important details on the Revolution in 1777-78, the nature of the countryside, etc. Galloway attacks Howe’s defense that he was forced to fight in forests by stating that at least two-thirds and in many places five-sixths of the area in question was cleared farmland. The appendix includes a letter from Henry Laurens describing the want of supplies and food by the American army at Valley Forge. HOWES G48, "aa." AMERICAN CONTROVERSY 80-35a. SABIN 26443. $1500.82. [Galloway, Joseph]: LETTERS FROM CICERO TO CATILINE THE SECOND. WITH CORRECTIONS AND EXPLANATORY NOTES. London. 1781. vii,[1],104pp. Half title. Modern plain wrappers. Internally fresh and near fine. Galloway, an American Tory from Pennsylvania, herein attacks Charles James Fox and the leaders of the Opposition in Parliament for their American policies. He also attacks Sir William Howe and Admiral Lord Howe for their ineffectual leadership in military and naval actions against the Americans. This copy bears a contemporary manuscript note on the half title indicating the date of acquisition. SABIN 26433. AMERICAN CONTROVERSY 81-26. $750. |
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