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Catalogue 257 The Streeter Sale Revisited |
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Section V: Hawkesworth to Kester |
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Papers
on Book Collecting by William S. Reese
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First American Edition of Cook: 130. Hawkesworth,
John: A NEW VOYAGE, ROUND THE WORLD, IN THE YEARS 1768, 1769, 1770, AND
1771; UNDERTAKEN BY ORDER OF HIS PRESENT MAJESTY, PERFORMED BY CAPTAIN
JAMES COOKE, IN THE SHIP ENDEAVOR...IN TWO VOLUMES, WITH CUTTS AND A MAP
OF THE WHOLE NAVIGATION. New York: James Rivington, 1774. Two volumes.
[2],17,4,[2],260pp. plus frontispiece and folding engraved map; [2],250pp.
plus folding frontispiece. Contemporary calf, rebacked with original
backstrips laid down. Modern leather label, gilt, on spine of first
volume; contemporary label and “2” stamped in gilt on spine of second
volume. Frontispiece in first volume with clean tears along folds, just
touching image (no loss). Contemporary ownership inscription on titlepage
of first volume: “Joseph Alston, Junior.” Folding map with clean tear
along fold, just touching printed image (no loss). Contemporary
inscription (“Darby”) on front pastedown; another contemporary
inscription abraded and partially erased. Frontispiece in second volume
with clean two-inch tear at bottom, just touching printed image and text
(no loss). Both volumes age-toned, with occasional foxing and soiling. A
very good set. The
first American edition of any of Cook’s voyages, issued in New York on
the eve of the American Revolution by the Loyalist printer, James
Rivington. The work contains
one of Paul Revere’s more exotic copper plate engravings and the first
world map printed in the Americas. Hawkesworth’s
account of Capt. James Cook’s first voyage to the Pacific first appeared
in 1773. One of the most
important publications in all of the literature of exploration and
voyages, it describes Cook’s important explorations of Australia,
discovery of New Zealand, adventures on Tahiti, and a wealth of other
material. The tremendous
interest in the voyage is reflected in this American edition, only the
second work devoted to Pacific exploration to be published in an American
edition. “The frontispiece
by Paul Revere and the Romans map make this a distinguished book” –
Streeter. The publisher, Rivington, later famous as the New York Loyalist printer
of the Revolution, made every effort to make this product of the British
colonial press as elegant as possible.
The frontispiece of the first volume was engraved by Paul Revere.
Brigham records the correspondence between Rivington and the
bookseller (and later general) Henry Knox, commissioning Revere to execute
the plate entitled “Dramatic Interlude & Dance Given by the Indians
of Ulietea....” In his
records Revere notes billing Rivington for the plate on May 3, 1774.
The plate is thus the conjunction of three famous Revolutionary
figures, as well as the first visual image of the South Seas to be printed
in America. The untitled map is the first map of the world to be published in the
Americas. A Mercator
projection designed to show the track of Cook’s voyage, it also shows
the course charted by Bougainville as well.
It was designed and engraved by the famous American map-maker,
Bernard Romans, best known for his work as a naturalist and cartographer
in Florida, as well as his sailing directions of the East Coast and an
engraved map of Connecticut. A
rare American cartographic landmark, found as originally published in the
first American edition of any of Cook’s voyages, itself a significant
issue of the late British colonial press. San Francisco bookseller David Magee paid $1150 for the Streeter copy. A Legendary Rarity 131. Haywood,
John: THE NATURAL AND ABORIGINAL HISTORY OF TENNESSEE, UP TO THE FIRST
SETTLEMENTS THEREIN BY THE WHITE PEOPLE, IN THE YEAR 1768. Nashville:
Printed by George Wilson, 1823. viii,390,liv pp. Half title. 19th-century
three-quarter calf over marbled boards, gilt label. Covers and spine worn,
marbled paper on front board partially removed. Ownership inscriptions
dated 1922 on front free endpaper and titlepage, additional ownership
inscription (partially erased) on half title. Minor foxing. A very good
copy. In a half morocco box. First
edition of Haywood’s substantial account of the natural and aboriginal
history of Tennessee. A judge
in Davidson County and one of the pioneering historians of Tennessee,
Haywood wrote the companion volume entitled The Civil and Political
History of the State of Tennessee, from Its Earliest Settlement Up to the
Year 1796, also published in 1823.
In addition to providing much information about the Indians of
Tennessee, the author attempts to demonstrate the relationship of American
Indians to the Caucasian race. He
also includes details regarding Mexicans, Hindus, Persians, Peruvians,
Cherokees, Chickasaws, and Natchez Indians.
“In this book, now exceedingly rare and highly prized, the author
has brought together a very large number of curious facts, relating to the
origin and character of the natives of his State, prior to the settlement
by the whites. He does not
favor the hypothesis of great antiquity in the Indian nations of America,
and believes in their common origin with the Caucasian race.
He describes with great minuteness and care the relics of the race
which once inhabited the territory, its utensils, skeletons, crania, and
fortifications, most of which he appears to have personally inspected”
– Field. This is one of the most difficult Tennessee books to acquire.
The only copy to appear at auction in recent years was the Siebert
copy (bought by this firm for a private collector in 1999 for $13,800). Seven Gables Book Shop paid $450 for the Streeter copy. With the Elusive Map 132. Heap,
Gwin Harris: CENTRAL ROUTE TO THE PACIFIC, FROM THE VALLEY OF THE
MISSISSIPPI TO CALIFORNIA: JOURNAL OF THE EXPEDITION OF E.F. BEALE...IN
1853. Philadelphia. 1854. 136pp. plus thirteen handsome tinted
lithographic plates (including frontispiece), 32pp. of advertisements, and
folding map. Half title. Original blindstamped green cloth, spine gilt.
Worn at foot of spine. Endpapers slightly discolored, a bit of light
scattered foxing. Map neatly repaired on one vertical fold. Very good
overall. Beale
and Heap were greatly influenced by Senator Benton in their choice of a
route across Colorado and Nevada. The
party travelled from Westport (Kansas City) southwest on the Santa Fe
trail to Bent’s Fort, then to the short-lived Fort Massachusetts, the
Rio Grande Valley, the Grand River, and then to the Uncompahgre.
They returned to Taos for supplies, and then continued southwest
via Utah to California. The
map, which is present here, was issued with only a few copies.
Wheat lauds the map and spends several pages discussing the
journey, saying that it has received less attention than it deserves.
He notes that it is the earliest published map to show the middle
Rocky Mountain region, through what is now southern Colorado; the first to
depict several streams and rivers; and the first attempt to chart a route
through Death Valley. This
book provides one of the earliest detailed examinations of the “Central
Route” from Missouri to the Pacific, and is a basic piece of Western
Americana. Ximenes paid $110 for the Streeter copy. The First White Man to Reach 133. Hearne,
Samuel: A JOURNEY FROM PRINCE OF WALES’S FORT IN HUDSON’S BAY, TO THE
NORTHERN OCEAN. UNDERTAKEN BY ORDER OF THE HUDSON’S BAY COMPANY, FOR THE
DISCOVERY OF COPPER MINES, A NORTH WEST PASSAGE, &c. IN THE YEARS
1760, 1770, 1771, & 1772. London: Printed for A. Strahan and T.
Cadell, 1795. xliv,458,[2]pp. plus five folding maps and four folding
plates. Quarto. Contemporary tree calf, expertly rebacked in modern calf,
tooled in gilt, red gilt morocco label. Neat repairs to extremities,
internally bright and clean. Contemporary ownership signature of a
Brooklyn resident on front fly leaf noting purchase price of $2.50 in
1856. Very good. Hearne
was sent by the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1769 to find a northwest passage
via Hudson Bay and to explore the country for copper mines which had been
reported by the Indians. After
two initial failures, Hearne reached the Coppermine River in December of
1770 and followed it to its mouth on the Arctic coast.
On his return he discovered Great Slave Lake.
As a result of Hearne’s explorations, any theory of a western
exit was disproved, and much was learned and reported about the natural
history and Indian tribes of the region.
Curiously, it is to the great French explorer, La Perouse, that we
owe the publication of Hearne’s narrative, for it was La Perouse who
discovered the manuscript when he captured Fort Albany on Hudson Bay.
After the British recaptured the fort, La Perouse insisted on the
publication of the manuscript by the Hudson’s Bay Company, which honored
his request with this handsome quarto volume and its marvelous maps and
plates. A classic of American travel, by “the first white man to gaze on the
Arctic or Frozen Ocean from the northern shores of the continent of
America” (Lande). Goodspeed’s paid $600 for the Streeter copy. 134. [Hewatt,
Alexander]: AN HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF THE COLONIES
OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA.... London. 1779. Two volumes. Half
antique calf and marbled boards. Old library stamp on titlepage, else very
good. Hewatt,
an Englishman, lived in Charleston at one time, and Streeter describes him
as “a keen collector of historical documents.”
“Earliest history of this region” – Howes.
Published during the American Revolution, this was one of the few
primary sources on the southern colonies available in England at the time.
A basic South Carolina and Georgia book. Seven Gables Bookshop paid $175 for the Streeter copy. 135. Hind,
Henry Youle: NARRATIVE OF THE CANADIAN RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION OF
1857 AND OF THE ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPLORING EXPEDITION OF
1858. London: Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts, 1860. Two volumes.
xx,494; xvi,472pp. plus seven maps (two folding) and folding profile, all
partially colored; and twenty plates, fifteen of them colored. Later
three-quarter red morocco and cloth, leather labels. Small cancelled
institutional stamp on titlepages, bookplate on front pastedown of each
volume. A very good, clean set. The
expedition started from Toronto in order to ascertain the practicability
of an emigrant route between Lake Superior and the Selkirk settlement, and
to establish a new colony at Lake Winnepeg.
During the course of his travels, Hind lived almost continuously
among the Chippewa. He gives
a good account of their customs and manners, with notes on their language.
The magnificent plates were executed by Spottiswoode & Company,
after sketches made by Fleming or photographs taken by H.L. Hime.
The expedition added greatly to the knowledge of the region and
facilitated the movement of prospectors to the gold fields of British
Columbia. It also contributed
data toward the establishment of a railroad route to the West. Henry Stevens paid $170 for the Streeter copy. A Wagner-Camp Rarity 136. Holdredge,
Sterling M.: STATE, TERRITORIAL AND OCEAN GUIDE BOOK OF THE PACIFIC:
CONTAINING THE TIME AND DISTANCE TABLES, RATES, FARES AND FREIGHT TARIFF,
OF ALL STEAMSHIP, STEAMBOAT, RAILWAY, STAGE AND EXPRESS LINES, ON OR
CONNECTING WITH THE PACIFIC COAST AND THE INTERIOR...TO WHICH IS ADDED
NINE LARGE AND ACCURATE MAPS.... San Francisco: Sterling M. Holdredge,
1865. xvi,182pp., plus 48pp. of advertisements printed on colored paper,
and nine double-page maps. Chromolithographic and printed letterpress
titlepages. Original half sheep and cloth boards, spine gilt. Extremities
lightly shelfworn. Some light spotting to the preliminary leaves, else a
near fine copy. A
rare and little-known – but very important – travel guide to the
American West, featuring nine double-page maps of western states and
territories. The text gives
rules, regulations, and freight charges for shipping goods and materials
all over the West, and describes wagon roads, and stage and steamboat
lines. The maps, lithographed
by G.T. Brown, show California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Utah,
and New Mexico, and are discussed at great length by Wheat.
The maps show water transportation routes, settlements, passes,
roads, trails, and proposed railroad lines.
“Mullan’s Wagon Road” is shown in Washington, “DeGroot’s
Trail” is traced in Nevada, Mormon settlements are shown in Utah, and
Lake Tahoe is named on the California and Nevada maps.
“The maps show a remarkably detailed picture of the stage routes,
stations, trails, and mining camps” – Wagner-Camp.
The attractive chromolithographic titlepage shows a globe
surrounded by ships, a railroad, and stagecoach lines.
The plentiful advertisements give a wealth of information on the
economic life of the Far West. The Streeter copy sold to Howell for $750. Among the Rarest Western 137. Holliday,
George H.: ON THE PLAINS IN ’65...TWELVE MONTHS IN THE VOLUNTEER CAVALRY
SERVICE, AMONG THE INDIANS OF NEBRASKA, COLORADO, DAKOTA, WYOMING, AND
MONTANA. THRILLING ADVENTURES, FINE SCENERY, AND HOW THE BOYS PUT IN THE
TIME IN THE FAR WEST. [Wheeling, W.V.]. 1883. 97pp. Original pictorial
front wrapper bound in later cloth, spine gilt. Boards and spine slightly
soiled, old library shelf label on bottom inner portion of front board.
Institutional bookplate of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the
United States on front pastedown. A very good copy. This
is perhaps the most interesting of all the post-Civil War narratives,
privately printed and of great rarity.
Holliday enlisted in the Union Army at the age of fifteen.
He served in the 6th West Virginia Cavalry and was mustered out in
Washington. After the Civil
War he re-enlisted and his regiment was sent to the Rocky Mountains “to
assist in protecting the frontier, guarding the overland stage line,
running the mails through the remote Northwest, and in protecting the
Government posts along the North Platte river.”
The regiment travelled from Washington, D.C. to St. Louis, thence
by steamer to Fort Leavenworth, and up the Missouri River to Fort Kearney.
Holliday’s unit served in Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana from the
summer of 1865 to the following spring, mainly based in Fort Laramie.
There is some account of the Sioux Wars, hunting on the Powder
River, fighting at Horseshoe Station, chasing wild horses, hunting buffalo
in Wind River Valley, etc. Illustrated
with a full-page wood-engraved standing portrait of the author (sporting
shoulder-length hair and an army uniform), and many other illustrations in
the text. “An extremely
interesting story” – Graff. One of the steals of the sale, Scribner’s paid only $30 for the
Streeter copy. 138. Hoppe,
Janus: CALIFORNIENS GEGENWART UND ZUKUNFT.... Berlin. 1849.
viii,151,[1]pp. plus two folding maps. Original printed wrappers. Front
wrapper detached and slightly chipped, with a bit of foxing. Scattered
light foxing, almost entirely in the margins, else internally very nice,
untrimmed, and largely unopened. In a half morocco box. “Like
many such publications, the author drew heavily upon previous works,
including Duflot de Mofras, Fremont, Robinson, and Forbes.
This introduction to California consists mainly of a geographical
and historical discussion together with a climatography by Professor Erman.
Erman also wrote on the discovery and importance of gold, based on
information gathered during an 1829 visit to San Francisco while
circumnavigating the globe. Hoppe
believed that the primary interest in California was for the European
colonization of the West Coast of North America” – Kurutz.
“One of the more important of the many early German publications
on the gold discoveries, with data from various reports and studies by
George A. Erman” – Wheat. One
map shows California and the other shows the gold regions of the world. Henry Stevens paid $110 for the Streeter copy. “Best handbook...[of] the time” – Howes 139. Horn,
Hosea B.: HORN’S OVERLAND GUIDE, FROM THE U.S. INDIAN SUB-AGENCY,
COUNCIL BLUFFS, ON THE MISSOURI RIVER, TO THE CITY OF SACRAMENTO, IN
CALIFORNIA.... New York. 1852. 83,[1],18pp. plus large folding map.
16mo. Original cloth, stamped in blind and gilt. Cloth very lightly
sunned. A few slight fox marks at the left edge of the map. Very clean and
bright internally. Overall, a fine copy. In a half morocco box. One of two issues of the first edition of the “best handbook for the
central route available at the time” (Howes).
This is the issue with the “opinions of the press” on page
five, and the longer pagination of the main text.
Hosea Horn was an Iowa lawyer who travelled the routes himself and
produced this detailed overland guide, the most popular and best known of
its day. The text consists of
a lengthy list of “Notable Places, Objects and Remarks,” and follows
the trail in a detailed, step-by-step fashion, with mileage charts,
distance between places, etc. The
map was executed by Colton and shows the entire central route, with all
the cutoffs, marked in red. “Especial
importance attaches to this work from the fact that it was one of the few
guides which actually measured and described much of the route traversed.
Horn had personally been over all the ‘cut-offs’ and he
prepared what is possibly the most exact account of the ‘Overland
Trail’ which has come down to us” – Eberstadt.
“One of the best of the guides, as it is one of the few where the
distances were closely measured” – Streeter. Nebenzahl paid $200 for the Streeter copy. A Crucial Event in the Fur Trade 141. [Hudson’s
Bay Company]: ANNO PRIMO & SECUNDO GEORGII IV. REGIS...AN ACT FOR
REGULATING THE FUR TRADE, AND ESTABLISHING A CRIMINAL AND CIVIL
JURISDICTION WITHIN CERTAIN PARTS OF NORTH AMERICA. [2d JULY 1821.].
[Dublin: Printed by George Grierson and Martin Keene, 1821]. pp.[569]-575.
Dbd. Internally clean. Very good. In a half morocco box. “Behind
this act lies the history of the struggle between the Hudson’s Bay Co.
and the Northwest Company of Montreal. From
the year 1803 the struggle between the two companies for supremacy in the
west and on the Pacific had been a series of murders and robbery.
This act gave the jurisdiction in all the territories west to the
Pacific to the Hudson’s Bay Co., which means that all the vast territory
from New York to the Pacific, and from the Arctic Sea down to Oregon and
North California became the possession of that company.
Further, the act made all free traders and members of the Northwest
company outlaws” – Decker. An
excellent fur trade item. Extremely
rare. This edition is not on
OCLC. The Streeter copy sold to someone named Welch for $50. “...one of the most valuable sources on the west 142. Hutchins,
Thomas: A TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION OF VIRGINIA, PENNSYLVANIA, MARYLAND,
AND NORTH CAROLINA, COMPREHENDING THE RIVERS OHIO, KENHAWA, SIOTO,
CHEROKEE, WABASH, ILLINOIS, MISSISSIPPI, &c. THE CLIMATE, SOIL,
PRODUCE, WHETHER ANIMAL, VEGETABLE, OR MINERAL; THE MOUNTAINS, CREEKS,
ROADS, DISTANCES, LATITUDES, &c..... London. 1778. [4],67,[1]pp.
plus two folding maps and folding table. 19th-century three-quarter gilt
calf and marbled boards, spine gilt. Titlepage bit soiled, else very good,
untrimmed. Henry
Stevens’ copy, with his bookplate. “Hutchins’
work is one of the most valuable sources on the West during the British
period. It is of particular
interest for the Illinois country. The
appended journal by Capt. Kennedy describes his voyage up the Illinois
River to its headwaters during July and August of 1773" – Streeter.
Hutchins was the most accomplished geographer in America at the
time, and his exact description of the regions west of the Alleghenies
were the best available at the time of the Revolution.
He produced a large map of the West at the same time he published
this book, although they were not issued together.
The two smaller maps that do appear herein show a stretch of the
Mississippi along the Illinois line and the falls of the Ohio. The Streeter copy sold for $550. With an Edition of the Filson Map 143. Imlay,
Gilbert: A TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE WESTERN TERRITORY OF NORTH
AMERICA...TO WHICH ARE ADDED THE DISCOVERY, SETTLEMENT AND PRESENT STATE
OF KENTUCKY. AND AN ESSAY TOWARDS THE TOPOGRAPHY AND NATURAL HISTORY OF
THAT IMPORTANT COUNTRY.... London. 1793. xvi,433pp. plus three folding
maps, folding tables, and [20]pp. index. Contemporary marbled boards,
antique style spine. Old library stamp on titlepage, stamp on verso of one
of the maps, else quite clean and good. The
second edition, so described on the title.
One of the most complete descriptions of the western country,
especially Ohio and Kentucky, published in the 18th century, with
excellent maps. This is the
second edition, revised and expanded over the first.
Included is a printing of Filson’s Kentucke..., first
published in 1784, and the Filson map, which did not appear in the first
edition of Imlay. Besides the
map of Kentucky and a chart of the Falls of the Ohio, there is a general
map of the northern part of the United States to west of the Mississippi. Scribner’s bought the Streeter copy for $130. The Streeter Copy 144. [Iowa]:
DE HOLLANDERS IN JOWA. BRIEVEN UIT PELLA, VAN EEN GENDERSCHMAN. Arnhem.
1858. 189pp. plus plate. Half title. Folding tinted frontis. Original
printed boards. Spine cracked and flaked, front board detached and rear
nearly so. Some tanning, but internally very good. In half morocco
slipcase. Thomas
W. Streeter’s copy, with his book label.
A history of Dutch emigration to Iowa, with an extraordinary
folding colored frontispiece of the town of Pella in 1858, and a smaller
view of the town a decade earlier. Graff
notes that the author was a native of Gelderland in the Netherlands. This copy sold to Scribner for $70 at the Streeter sale. 145. [Iowa]:
LYONS CITY, IOWA; ITS POSITION AND RESOURCES AND ITS NATURAL ADVANTAGES.
Lyons City: Hawes & Stow, Mirror Office, 1858. 26pp. plus seven
woodcut plates and one engraving. Frontis. Dbd. Advertisement leaves
(pp.27-32) supplied in facsimile, else very good and clean. Duplicate
withdrawn from the Newberry Library, with the book label of Everett D.
Graff. An
early promotional pamphlet for this Iowa city of about five thousand
souls, located on the west bank of the Mississippi.
The text describes inducements for emigration, including a
healthful climate, the high moral caliber of the inhabitants
(“principally eastern people – men and women educated in the New
England and Middle States”), business opportunities, and abundant
natural resources of the region in general.
The plates depict public buildings, prominent residences, schools,
and the like. Nebenzahl paid $175 for the Streeter copy. 146. [Iowa]:
NORTHERN IOWA: CONTAINING HINTS AND INFORMATION OF VALUE TO EMIGRANTS. By
a Pioneer. Dubuque: W.A. Adams, Printer, 1858. 39,[1]pp. Frontispiece
and two other illustrations. Original printed wrappers. Leaves a bit
tanned. Some minor dust soiling. Overall very good. One
of several versions of this pamphlet, all issued in 1858.
This issue has a handsome view of Dubuque as its frontispiece
instead of the folding map found in another issue.
The engraved illustrations include the Ward School House and the
Dubuque Female Seminary. With
advice on acquiring lands in northern Iowa, homesteading, stock raising,
fruit growing, value of lands, railroads, etc. Ginsberg paid $50 for the Streeter copy. 147. Irving,
Washington: THE CRAYON MISCELLANY. BY THE AUTHOR OF THE SKETCH BOOK. No. 1
CONTAINING A TOUR ON THE PRAIRIES. [with:] ...No. 2. ABBOTSFORD AND
NEWSTEAD ABBEY. [with:] ...No. 3. LEGENDS OF THE CONQUEST OF SPAIN.
Philadelphia. 1835. Three volumes. 274pp. plus [36]pp. of advertisements;
230pp. plus advertisements; 276pp. plus advertisements. Original green
cloth, first volume (A Tour on the Prairies) rebacked with most of
original backstrip laid down and original (chipped) printed label. Other
volumes in original bindings, very good. Scattered tanning and foxing.
Overall a good plus set. First
American edition, first issue, of this narrative of Irving’s trip to the
Indian Territory in 1832. Irving
was travelling with his nephew, John Treat Irving, and Indian Commissioner
Henry Ellsworth. Accompanied
with the two additional volumes which complete the “Crayon
Miscellany.” An important
set by America’s leading author of the period. Sessler paid $50 for the Streeter copy. Classic Work on the Fur Trade 148. Irving,
Washington: ASTORIA, OR ANECDOTES OF AN ENTERPRISE BEYOND THE ROCKY
MOUNTAINS. Philadelphia: Carey, Lea & Blanchard, 1836. Two
volumes. 285; 279pp. plus folding map and 8pp. of advertisements. Original
patterned cloth. Spine sunned, slight wear at extremities. Overall a good
set. A
mixed issue, comprised of the first volume in the first edition,
Blanck’s first state, with the copyright notice and imprint on the verso
of the titlepage; and the second volume in Blanck’s second state,
without the footnote on page 239. The
classic early work on John Astor’s Pacific Coast fur trading enterprise,
based in part on the journals of Robert Stuart, Wilson Price Hunt, and
Ramsay Crooks, along with extracts from Capt. Bonneville’s notes on the
western Indians. The map,
“Sketch of the routes of Hunt and Stuart,” is not detailed, but as
Wheat says, “for what it purports to be it is an excellent map.” The Streeter copy sold for $130. 149. [Jackson,
Andrew]: MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT...IN ANSWER TO A RESOLUTION OF THE
SENATE RELATIVE TO THE BRITISH ESTABLISHMENTS ON THE COLUMBIA, AND THE
STATE OF THE FUR TRADE, &c. [Washington. 1831]. 36pp. Gathered
signatures, later stitching. Soiled, some foxing, dampstains. Last two
leaves torn, not affecting text, professionally repaired. Else good. Includes
Gen. Ashley’s letter to Gen. Macomb outlining the proposed military
protection for trade in Santa Fe and the Upper Missouri region; Joshua
Pilcher’s account of his journey from Council Bluffs to the Red River
settlement and return to St. Louis in 1827-30; the report of David
Jackson, Jedediah Smith, and William Sublette on their trip to “The head
of wind River, where it issues from the mountains”; and the letter of
William Clark and Lewis Cass to Sen. Benton concerning the British system
of fur trade with the Indians and its effect on the trade in the U.S.
As well, there is a table listing the prices of furs on the London
market. The Streeter copy brought $175. It
is now at the New York State Library. 150. [Jackson,
Andrew]: MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT...IN COMPLIANCE WITH A RESOLUTION OF
THE SENATE CONCERNING THE FUR TRADE, AND INLAND TRADE TO MEXICO.
[Washington. 1832]. 86pp. Modern half morocco and marbled boards. Minor
tanning, else fine. A
report, with many statements by officials and others in the fur trade, on
robberies and murders suffered, as well as statistics regarding capital in
the trade. Among those whose
reports are included are William Clark, Alphonso Wetmore, Joshua Pilcher,
Henry Schoolcraft, Chouteau, and Astor.
The tables include information on prices paid for Indian goods in
England, and the names of dozens of Americans killed while engaged in the
fur trade, along with details of their work, their killers, and where they
died. The Streeter copy went to a private collector for $35. Not Quite The
Federalist, 151. [Jackson,
Jonathan]: THOUGHTS UPON THE POLITICAL SITUATION OF THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA, IN WHICH THAT OF MASSACHUSETTS IS MORE PARTICULARLY CONSIDERED.
WITH SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE CONSTITUTION FOR A FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
ADDRESSED TO THE PEOPLE OF THE UNION. By a Native of Boston.
Worcester: Isaiah Thomas, 1788. 209pp. Early 20th-century half calf over
marbled boards. Annotations on titlepage and occasionally in text. Very
light browning in text, occasional light foxing and dampstains. A very
good copy. Ownership
inscription, dated 1930, on front free endpaper of Nobel laureate George
R. Minot, great great grandson of noted federal-era historian George
Richards Minot and great grandson of the author, Jackson.
Annotation by Minot in pencil on the front fly leaf concerning the
purchase of a volume at Goodspeeds in 1927 and his family’s relationship
to the author. An important argument in favor of adopting the Constitution.
“Jackson arrives in a most leisurely manner at his conclusion
that the Constitution should be ratified...he condemns opulence and
drunkenness as unbecoming to a republic, and warns the country to be on
guard against European influence in either politics or fashion” –
Streeter. Jackson (1743-1810)
was a Harvard graduate, member of Congress, state senator, and in 1789 was
made a United States marshal. His
arguments are a classic example of a New England Federalist. Goodspeed’s paid $80 for the Streeter copy. 152. [Jacob,
John J.]: A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF THE LATE CAPT. MICHAEL
CRESAP. Cumberland, Md.: Printed for the Author, by J.M. Buchanan,
1826. 123,[1]pp. 12mo. Contemporary three-quarter roan over marbled
boards, spine gilt. Covers worn, top outer corner abraded. 19th-century
ownership inscription on front pastedown, 19th-century gift inscription
and authorship attribution on titlepage, 19th-century inscription on rear
pastedown. Top outer edge of
text block abraded, affecting only page numbers of first ten leaves. A few
contemporary manuscript annotations in the text. Minor age-toning and a
few minor dampstains. A good copy. In a half morocco box. First
edition of this biography of Captain Cresap, defending him against charges
that he slaughtered Indians before the beginning of the Revolutionary War.
In particular, Cresap became infamous in the case of the Indian,
Logan, and the murder of his defenseless family in 1774.
“This biography of Cresap was written to refute Jefferson’s
account in Notes on Virginia...The immediate occasion for this now
rare book, written by the revolutionary officer, later clergyman, who had
married Cresap’s widow, was the reopening of old sores by [Joseph]
Doddridge in his then recently published Notes [on the
Settlement and Indian Wars, of the Western Parts of Virginia &
Pennsylvania, from the Year 1763 Until the Year 1783 Inclusive] of
1824. The defense is complete
and the biography is of absorbing interest” – Streeter. Sessler paid $650 for the Streeter copy. 153. [Jefferson,
Thomas]: AN ACCOUNT OF LOUISIANA, BEING AN ABSTRACT OF DOCUMENTS, IN THE
OFFICES OF THE DEPARTMENTS OF STATE, AND OF THE TREASURY.
Philadelphia. 1803. 50pp. Dbd. Significant foxing on titlepage, light
scattered foxing elsewhere, else very good. Second
edition, following the very rare Washington edition of the same year.
One of the most important documents of the post-Louisiana Purchase
period. Based on material
assembled by Thomas Jefferson, this publication provided basic knowledge
of Louisiana to a country hungry to hear about it.
It was the first real account of the vast new western territory to
become available to the American people, and as such, the magnitude of its
importance is obvious. It
gives details of geography, inhabitants, Indians, laws, agriculture, and
navigation. Howes erroneously
lists an earlier edition of 1800. Fleming bought the Streeter copy for $275. 154. Jefferys,
Thomas: THE AMERICAN ATLAS; OR, A GEOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE WHOLE
CONTINENT OF AMERICA; WHEREIN ARE DELINEATED AT LARGE ITS SEVERAL REGIONS,
COUNTRIES, STATES, AND ISLANDS; AND CHIEFLY THE BRITISH COLONIES....
London: Printed and sold by R. Sayer and J. Bennett, 1778. Twenty-three
engraved maps on thirty sheets, handcolored in outline. Folio, 21¾ x 15½.
Expertly bound to style in 18th-century half russia over original marbled
paper boards, spine gilt in seven compartments with raised bands, red
morocco lettering piece. In a black morocco backed box, lettered in gilt.
Provenance: Henry Tomkinson (armorial bookplate). In a half morocco box. The
very rare 1778 issue of The American Atlas, the most important
18th-century atlas for America, and an irreplaceable snapshot of the land
as it was during the birth of the United States.
Walter Ristow characterizes it as a “geographical description of
the whole continent of America, as portrayed in the best available maps in
the latter half of the eighteenth century ...as a major cartographic
reference work it was, very likely, consulted by American, English, and
French civilian administrators and military officers during the
Revolution.” As a collection, The American Atlas stands as the most
comprehensive, detailed, and accurate survey of the American colonies at
the beginning of the Revolution. Many
of the elements that make up The American Atlas came into being as
a result of the British need to understand the geographic and social
layout of their colonies after their victory in the French and Indian War
of 1756-63. The maps that
resulted from the numerous surveys proved to be by far the best
contemporary records of the region. Among these distinguished maps are Braddock Meade’s “A Map of the
Most Inhabited Parts of New England,” the largest and most detailed map
of New England that had yet been published; a map of “The Provinces of
New York and New Jersey” by Samuel Holland, the surveyor general for the
northern American colonies; William Scull’s “A Map of Pennsylvania,”
the first map of that colony to include its western frontier; Joshua Fry
and Peter Jefferson’s “A Map of the Most Inhabited part of
Virginia,” the best colonial map for the Chesapeake region; and Lieut.
Ross’ “Course of the Mississipi,” the first map of that river based
on British sources. Jefferys was the leading British cartographer of
the 18th century. From
about 1750 he published a series of maps of the British American colonies.
As geographer to the Prince of Wales, and after 1761, geographer to
the King, Jefferys was well placed to have access to the best surveys
conducted in America, and many of his maps held the status of “official
work.” Jefferys died on Nov.
20, 1771, and in 1775 his successors, Robert Sayer and John Bennett,
gathered these separately issued maps together and republished them in
book form as The American Atlas.
The first edition with only twenty-two maps on twenty-nine sheets
appeared in 1775, and there were subsequent editions in 1776 and 1778. The maps are as follow (many of the maps are on several sheets, and in
the Index each individual sheet is numbered; the measurements refer to the
image size): 1-3)
Braddock Meade (alias John Green): “A Chart of North and South America,
including the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Published 10 June 1775.” Six
sheets joined into three, 43½ x 49½ inches.
This great wall map of the Western Hemisphere was chiefly issued to
expose the errors in Delisle and Buache’s map of the Pacific Northwest,
published in Paris in 1752. STEVENS & TREE 4(d). 4)
Imperial Academy of St. Petersburg: “The Russian Discoveries. Published
March 2nd 1775.” One sheet, 18 x 24 1/8 inches.
The first official mapping results of the explorations of Bering
and Chirikof in Siberia and the Pacific Northwest were issued by the
Russian Imperial Academy in 1758. These
corrected the earlier incorrect maps including the mythical discoveries of
Admiral Fonte. This is a
British version of that map. 5-6)
Thomas Pownall after E. Bowen: “A New and Correct Map of North America,
with the West India Islands. Published 15 February 1777.” Four sheets
joined into two, 45¼ inches.
Thomas Pownall updated Bowen’s North America map of 1755.
Pownall’s version included the results of the first Treaty of
Paris drawn up after the end of the French and Indian War. STEVENS &
TREE 49(f). 7)
Thomas Jefferys: “North America from the French of Mr. D’Anville,
Improved with the English Surveys Made since the Peace. Published 10 June
1775.” One sheet, 18 x 20 inches. STEVENS & TREE 51(c). 8)
Samuel Dunn: “A Map of the British Empire in North America. Published 17
August 1776.” Half sheet, 18¾ x 12 inches. STEVENS & TREE 53(b). 9)
Thomas Jefferys: “An Exact Chart of the River St. Laurence from Fort
Frontenac to the Island of Anticosti...Published 25 May 1775.” Two
sheets joined into one, 23½ x 37 inches. STEVENS & TREE 76(d). 10)
Sayer & Bennett: “A Chart of the Gulf of St. Laurence...Published
25th March 1775.” One sheet, 19½ x 24 inches. 11)
“A Map of the Island of St. John in the Gulf of St. Laurence...Published
6 April 1775.” One sheet, 15 x 27¼ inches. 12)
James Cook and Michael Lane: “A General Chart of the Island of
Newfoundland...Published 10th May 1775.” One sheet, 21½ x 22 inches.
James Cook went on to gain renown for his
Pacific exploration. 13)
“A Chart of the Banks of Newfoundland...Published 25 March 1775.” One
sheet, 19½ x 26 inches. Based
on the surveys of James Cook (see above), Chabert, and Fleurieu. 14)
Thomas Jefferys: “A New Map of Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island with
the Adjacent Parts of New England and Canada...Published 15 June 1775.”
One sheet, 18½ x 24 inches. Originally
published in 1755, at the beginning of the French and Indian War, this map
“proved to be important in evaluating respective French and British
claims to this part of North America” (Ristow).
England gained sole possession of the region by the Treaty of
Paris, 1763. STEVENS & TREE 66(c). 15-16)
Braddock Meade (alias John Green): “A Map of the Most Inhabited Part of
New England. Published November 29, 1774.” Four sheets joined into two,
38¾ x 40¾ inches. The first
large-scale map of New England. “The
most detailed and informative pre-Revolutionary map of New England...not
really supplanted until the nineteenth century” (New England Prospect
13). STEVENS & TREE 33(e). 17)
Capt. [Samuel] Holland: “The Provinces of New York and New Jersey, with
Part of Pensilvania...Published 17 Aug. 1776.” Three insets: “A plan
of the City of New York,” “A chart of the Mouth of Hudson’s
River,” and “A Plan of Amboy.” Two sheets joined, 26½ x 52¾
inches. An important
large-scale map of the Provinces of New York and New Jersey, by Samuel
Holland, surveyor general for the Northern English colonies.
With fine insets including a street plan of colonial New York City.
STEVENS & TREE 44(d). 18)
William Brassier: “A Survey of Lake Champlain, including Lake George,
Crown Point and St. John. 5 August 1776.” Single sheet, 26¾ x 18¾
inches. Second state including
naval activity on the lake up until Oct. 13, 1776. STEVENS & TREE
25(b). 19)
“A New Map of the Province of Quebec, according to the Royal
Proclamation, of the 7th of October 1763. From the French Surveys
Connected with those made after the War, by Captain Carver, and Other
Officers. 16 February 1776.” One sheet, 19¼ x 26¼ inches. STEVENS
& TREE 73(a). 20)
William Scull: “A Map of Pennsylvania Exhibiting not only the Improved
Parts of the Province but also its Extensive Frontiers. Published 10 June
1775.” Two sheets joined, 27 x 51½ inches.
The first map of the Province of Pennsylvania to include its
western frontier. All earlier
maps had focused solely on the settled eastern parts of the colony. 21-22)
Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson: “A Map of the Most Inhabited Part of
Virginia, containing the Whole Province of Maryland...1775.” [nd]. Four
sheets joined into two, 32 x 48 inches.
“The basic cartographical document of Virginia in the eighteenth
century...the first to depict accurately the interior regions of Virginia
beyond the Tidewater. [It]
dominated the cartographical representation of Virginia until the
nineteenth century” – Verner. STEVENS & TREE 87(f). 23-24)
Henry Mouzon: “An Accurate Map of North and South Carolina with their
Indian Frontiers. Published May 30, 1775.” Four sheets joined into two,
40 x 54 inches. “The chief
type map for [the Carolinas] during the forty or fifty years following its
publication. It was used by
both British and American forces during the Revolutionary War” –
Cumming. STEVENS & TREE 11(a). CUMMING 450. 25)
Thomas Jefferys: “The Coast of West Florida and Louisiana...The
Peninsula and Gulf of Florida. Published 20 Feby. 1775.” Two sheets
joined into one, 19½ x 48 inches. Stevens & Tree 26(b).
A large-scale map of Florida, based upon the extensive surveys
conducted since the region became a British possession by the Treaty of
Paris, 1763. 26)
Lieut. Ross: “Course of the Mississipi...Taken on an Expedition to the
Illinois, in the latter end of the Year 1765. Published 1 June 1775.”
Two sheets joined into one, 14 x 44 inches.
The first large-scale map of the Mississippi River, and the first
based in whole or part upon British surveys. STEVENS & TREE 31(b). 27)
Thomas Jefferys: “The Bay of Honduras. Published 20 February 1775.”
One sheet, 18½ x 24½ inches. 28-29)
J.B.B. D’Anville: “A Map of South America...Published 20 September
1775.” Four sheets joined into two, 20 x 46 inches. 30)
Juan de la Cruz Cano y Olmedilla and others: “A Chart of the Straits of
Magellan. Published 1 July 1775.” One sheet, 20½ x 27 inches. Not
an exact comparison, as Streeter had the 1775 issue of this atlas, which
sold for $1800. 155. Johnson,
Theodore T.: SIGHTS IN THE GOLD REGION AND SCENES BY THE WAY. New
York. 1849. xii,278pp. Original cloth. Careful repairs to head and toe of
spine. Scattered foxing. Old inscription on fly leaf. Very good. One
of the earliest published accounts of the gold fields, reprinted numerous
times in subsequent years. “Johnson
arrived at San Francisco by steamer on April 1, 1849 and left there by
steamer for Panama May 1. The
month of April was spent in a trip to Sacramento and the mining camps”
– Streeter. The Streeter copy, which was really beautiful, went for $60.
We bought it with a private collection at a later date and sold it
for $600 in 1992. Our present
copy, though perfectly nice, is
not in comparable mint condition. Yankee Revolutionary in Chile: 156. Johnston,
Samuel B.: LETTERS WRITTEN DURING A RESIDENCE OF THREE YEARS IN CHILI,
CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF THE MOST REMARKABLE EVENTS IN THE REVOLUTIONARY
STRUGGLES OF THAT PROVINCE WITH AN INTERESTING ACCOUNT OF THE LOSS OF A
CHILIAN SHIP, AND BRIG OF WAR, BY MUTINY, AND THE CONSEQUENT IMPRISONMENT
AND SUFFERINGS OF SEVERAL CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES, FOR SIX MONTHS,
IN THE DUNGEONS OF CALLAO. Erie, Pa.: Printed and Published by R.I.
Curtis, 1816. [9]-205pp. Original plain boards. Spine partially perished.
Each board attached by a single cord. Scattered fox marks. Else a very
good copy in original state, untrimmed, with contemporary ownership
inscription of John Leymour on titlepage. In a half morocco box, spine
gilt. An
extremely rare account by a Yankee revolutionary in South America, this
copy owned by both Thomas W. Streeter and Frank S. Streeter, with the
former’s pencil notes on the front pastedown.
After briefly describing the voyage from New York to Valparaiso,
the author details his involvement with the Chilean Revolution against
Spain during 1812-14. While in
Chile he established the first newspaper there, La Aurora.
Henry Wagner relates in his memoirs how he almost bought a copy of
this rarity at a Chilean auction (“...there was one [book], however,
which almost made my heart stop beating...”), but he was outbid by a
prominent local publisher who happened to be a good friend as well. “...Johnston had taken part in the revolution against Spain, and in all
had a most exciting time. Johnston
arrived at Chile in a voyage around the Horn in the fall of 1811 and in
due course travelled from Valparaiso to the capital at Santiago where J.R.
Poinsett was Consul-General and the Carreras in charge of the government.
There is much authentic material about the Chilean revolution”
– Streeter. Not listed by
Shaw & Shoemaker or Hill. This copy sold for $500 at the Streeter sale.
I bought it in 1996 and sold it to Frank Streeter, and now after
Frank’s death it reappears on the market. With the Blueprint Map 157. Johnston,
William G.: EXPERIENCES OF A FORTY-NINER, BY...A MEMBER OF THE WAGON TRAIN
FIRST TO ENTER CALIFORNIA IN THE MEMORABLE YEAR 1849. Pittsburgh.
1892. 390pp. plus plates and the folding blueprint map. Frontispiece
portrait. Original gilt cloth. Expert repair to the spine ends, otherwise
a beautiful copy, in fine condition, with the bookplate of noted collector
Dan Volkmann on the front pastedown. In a cloth slipcase. A
presentation copy, with a laid-in printed presentation slip signed in
manuscript by Johnston. From
an edition limited to fifty copies, according to Mintz.
This copy contains the scarce folding blueprint map, showing the
route of the ’49ers from Independence, Missouri to Sacramento,
California, and the political subdivisions of the West in the mid-19th
century. It also contains the
extra portrait after page 386, found in only a few copies.
One of the most important and readable of all the ’49er overland
narratives. Jim Stewart served
as the guide for the author’s party.
They left Independence in April and travelled through Fort Bridger
and Salt Lake City, arriving in Sacramento in late July.
Johnston gives an excellent account of his life in the mines, early
Sacramento, and San Francisco, and of his return journey by sea.
This work is high on the list of desirable post-Wagner-Camp
overland narratives. Streeter’s copy went for $200. Both
his and ours have the rare blueprint map, which is often lacking. 158. Josselyn,
John: AN ACCOUNT OF TWO VOYAGES TO NEW-ENGLAND.... London: Printed for
G. Widdowes, 1675. [8],279,[3]pp., including woodcut printer’s device.
16mo. Handsomely bound in modern paneled calf, tooled and with gilt
ornaments, spine gilt, morocco label. License sheet reinforced with tissue
at edges. A few instances of light foxing. A very good copy. Styled
the “Second Addition [sic]” on the titlepage, following the first
edition of the previous year, this edition actually contains the same
sheets as those printed for the first edition, but with a new titlepage
dated 1675. Both editions are
very rare. This copy also
contains the rare printer’s device of a dragon on the recto of the
licensing leaf and the errata leaf, not found with all copies. Josselyn visited America in 1638-39, and again from 1663 to 1671.
Though his history is based on inaccurate references, the book is
renowned for its observations of the natural history of New England, its
curious language, and a description of the situation with the Indians
prior to King Philip’s War in 1675.
“The first complete description of the flora and fauna of the
Middle Atlantic and New England States” (Winsor), Josselyn’s work
includes a herbal, with numerous botanical as well as medical and surgical
descriptions. The “earliest
work on the Natural History of New England” (Rich).
It also gives one of the best contemporary English accounts of New
Netherland. Rare and
important. Kraus paid $4250 for the Streeter copy. The Rare English Edition 159. Joutel,
Henri: A JOURNAL OF THE LAST VOYAGE PERFORM’D BY MONSR. DE LA SALE, TO
THE GULPH OF MEXICO TO FIND OUT THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISIPI RIVER....
London: Printed for A. Bell, et al, 1714. [2],xxi,[9],205,[5]pp. plus
folding map. Contemporary paneled calf, expertly rebacked with original
backstrip preserved. Armorial bookplate. Map clean and bright. Fine. The
first translation into English of the version of Joutel’s narrative
edited by De Michel, originally published in Paris the previous year,
including the account of La Salle’s Texas colony and the return of the
remainder of his party to Canada via the Mississippi and Arkansas rivers.
Of the three major narratives of the journey, this record, by La
Salle’s closest subordinate, is the most valuable.
The party embarked in 1684, ostensibly to establish a French base
at the mouth of the Mississippi as a headquarters for operations, but also
to push as far as possible into the region in order to gain a foothold
against the Spanish. In fact,
through a conscious deceit, the base was established at Espiritu Santo
Bay, in Texas, from whence the party spent two years making excursions
into the surrounding territory. When
promised reinforcements failed to appear, La Salle and his men determined
to return to Canada via the Mississippi; however, one of the company
assassinated La Salle when they reached the Trinity River, and the party
split up. Some of the
survivors, including Joutel, pressed on, reaching Canada by way of the
Mississippi and Arkansas rivers. Joutel’s
account is highlighted by the splendid map based on his own observations.
This is the first map showing the results of La Salle’s journeys,
and for its era it gives very accurate delineations of the course of the
Mississippi from its northern headwaters to its mouth, and of the Great
Lakes and the St. Lawrence, complete with a beautiful engraved vignette of
Niagara Falls. Joutel’s Journal...
is one of the major works of the period on the region, and “of the three
narratives of this journey, those of Joutel, Cavelier, and Douay, the
first is by far the best” (Francis Parkman). Fleming paid $550 for the Streeter copy. Classic of American Travel and Natural History 160. Kalm,
Peter: TRAVELS INTO NORTH AMERICA. CONTAINING ITS NATURAL HISTORY, AND A
CIRCUMSTANTIAL ACCOUNT OF ITS PLANTATIONS AND AGRICULTURE IN GENERAL...THE
CIVIL, ECCLESIASTICAL AND COMMERCIAL STATE OF THE COUNTRY. Warrington.
1770-71. Three volumes. xvi,400,[1]; [title-leaf],[8] (subscribers
list),[3]-352; viii,310,[14] (index) pp. folding map and six plates.
Modern three-quarter calf and marbled boards. Map soiled and lightly
foxed, backed on linen with some slight loss at folds and near the
cartouche. Scattered foxing and tanning. One leaf with closed tear, but no
loss of text. About very good. The
first English edition, translated by John Reinhold Forster, after the
original Swedish edition published in Stockholm in 1753-61.
Kalm was in America in 1748-49, using Philadelphia as his base of
operations. Much of the first
volume is devoted to his observations on the country around that city;
much of the second volume relates to his sojourn in the Swedish
settlements in southern New Jersey; and the remaining volume concerns his
journey north through New York to Montreal and Quebec, and his experiences
there in 1749. “One of the
most reliable eighteenth-century accounts of American natural history,
social organization, and political situation.
Kalm gives an especially important account of the American Swedish
settlements” – Streeter. This is also an important work of natural history and botany.
Kalm was a student of Linnaeus, and he gathered impressive
collections during his American travels.
He was also a close friend of the American naturalist, John
Bartram, and travelled with him into New York State.
The text is accompanied by an excellent and large map, “A New and
Accurate Map of Part of North America...,” which shows the northeastern
section of North America from Virginia north and west to Ohio. The Streeter copy went for $600. 161. [Kansas]:
THE KANSAS MAGAZINE. Topeka. Jan. 1872 – Oct. 1873. Eighteen issues.
Original printed wrappers. Some moderate edge chipping. A few issues with
covers nearly detached. Overall, considering the nature of the
publication, a very good set. An
interesting periodical, mixing fictional pieces, discussions of local
problems, and larger national issues, in a more sophisticated venue than
is usually associated with Kansas at this date.
This set is almost complete, lacking only four issues: numbers 5
and 6 from Volume 1 (May and June 1872) and numbers 4 and 5 from Volume 3
(April and May 1873). Streeter’s set, also lacking a few parts, went to the Nebraska Book
Company for $200. Hall Kelley’s Call for Oregon Emigration 162. Kelley,
Hall J.: A GENERAL CIRCULAR TO ALL PERSONS OF GOOD CHARACTER, WHO WISH TO
EMIGRATE TO THE OREGON TERRITORY, EMBRACING SOME ACCOUNT OF THE CHARACTER
AND ADVANTAGES OF THE COUNTRY; THE RIGHT AND THE MEANS AND OPERATIONS BY
WHICH IT WILL BE SETTLED.... Charlestown. 1831. 27,[1]pp. Original
printed wrappers, stitched. Old faint stain in lower portion of front
wrapper, wrappers torn along spine. Ex-American Antiquarian Society,
properly deaccessioned, with their blindstamp on the titlepage. Internally
very clean and fresh. Near fine, untrimmed. In a half morocco box. This
is the first major proposal by visionary promoter Kelley, all of whose
schemes came to nothing, but whose ideas encouraged many others.
This pamphlet outlines his well reasoned plan for settlements in
Oregon near the mouth of the Columbia River, with a woodcut plan of one of
the proposed settlements printed on the last page.
Kelley tried to obtain the assistance of the ministry in promoting
his plan, with assurance of converting the Indians.
This copy retains the original wrappers, noting a price of 12½
cents on the front wrapper, and giving a list of agents on the verso.
At the end of the text Kelley calls on newspaper publishers to
print his circular in their papers as a public service. The Streeter copy went to Goodspeed’s for $325. 163. Kelly,
William: AN EXCURSION TO CALIFORNIA OVER THE PRAIRIE, ROCKY MOUNTAINS, AND
GREAT SIERRA NEVADA. WITH A STROLL THROUGH THE DIGGINGS AND RANCHES OF
THAT COUNTRY. London. 1851. Two volumes. 342; 334pp. plus leaf of ads.
Late 19th-century three-quarter morocco and cloth, spines lettered in
gilt. Backstrips lightly scuffed. Ex-lib. with bookplate on front
pastedowns, and stamps on titlepages and a few internal margins. Three
instances of early, disputatious marginalia. An attractive, very good
copy. The
present copy has an interesting provenance, having been presented by
Pierre Bergerot to the Bibliotheque of the Ligue Nationale Française in
San Francisco. The Ligue
Nationale Française aided French immigrants in San Francisco.
Bergerot was born in San Francisco in 1867 of French parents and
studied in France before returning to San Francisco to attend Hastings
College of Law. He practiced
law, was active in Republican politics, and became president of the San
Francisco Board of Education. He
amassed a substantial library, which was acquired by the California
Historical Society. Like so many Englishmen of his era, Kelly took a dim view of the
civilization in the United States. Nonetheless,
his narrative is a rich and detailed account of his journey overland to
the gold fields in 1849, and his subsequent account of life in California
has been called “lively and interesting.”
The first volume is devoted to the author’s trip from Liverpool
to New York and overland to California. The Streeter set went to Ginsberg for $120. The Best Edition: An Association Copy 164. Kendall,
George W.: NARRATIVE OF THE TEXAN SANTA FE EXPEDITION. COMPRISING A
DESCRIPTION OF A TOUR THROUGH TEXAS, AND ACROSS THE GREAT SOUTHWESTERN
PRAIRIES, THE CAMANCHE AND CAYUGA HUNTING GROUNDS, WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE
SUFFERINGS FROM WANT OF FOOD, LOSSES FROM HOSTILE INDIANS, AND FINAL
CAPTURE OF THE TEXANS, AND THEIR MARCH, AS PRISONERS TO THE CITY OF
MEXICO. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1856. Two volumes. Map.
Plates. Later three-quarter morocco and cloth. Joints starting, especially
in the first volume. Foxing, occasional marginal dampstain. Good. A
presentation copy, inscribed by the author’s wife: “Mr. L.B. Clegg I
am pleased to inscribe my name on the fly leaf of my talented husband’s
book and proud of your appreciation Adeline
de V. Kendall.” There is
also a presentation inscription from the Kendalls’ daughter: “As the
daughter of George Wilkins and Adeline (de Valcourt) Kendall, is the sole
distinction I can offer my dear friends Mr. & Mrs. L.B. Clegg for
adding my signature Georgina
Kendall Fellowes.” The
second volume contains identical inscriptions, and the first volume bears
the recipient’s bookplate. This
is the important seventh and best edition of the most significant work on
a decisive event in Texas and southwestern history.
The Texan Santa Fe expedition was conceived by Mirabeau B. Lamar in
an attempt to open a trade route which would lure away some of the traffic
hitherto utilizing the Santa Fe Trail, and also to extend his greetings to
residents of New Mexico, whom he wished to participate in Texas government
as residents of territory claimed by Texas in an act of 1836.
Due to poor navigation, faulty planning, and harassment by Indians,
the expedition lost most of its momentum.
Upon arrival in New Mexico, the entire force was taken captive
under orders of Gov. Manuel Armijo. The
prisoners were forcibly marched to Mexico City, and the affair brought
relations between Texas, the United States, and Mexico to a boiling point.
Those who survived the march and imprisonment were released in
April 1842, six and one-half months after their capture. Kendall, editor of the New Orleans Picayune, accompanied the
expedition as an observer. With
him was Thomas Falconer, who was acting in secret as an agent for the
British government. Because of
Falconer’s British citizenship, he was among the first prisoners
released. This extremely
important seventh edition incorporates for the first time an appendix
containing excerpts from Falconer’s diary, as well as two additional
chapters of text. For this
reason, this edition is eminently more desirable than the first edition,
and it is much more difficult to acquire.
The map, although not a notably accurate one, shows various routes
across West Texas. Streeter’s copy, which was sold to Wilson of Dallas for $525, was a
presentation copy, but from Thomas Falconer, the author of the appendix. Classic of American Sporting Books 165. [Kester,
Jess Y.?]: THE AMERICAN SHOOTER’S MANUAL, COMPRISING, SUCH PLAIN AND
SIMPLE RULES, AS ARE NECESSARY TO INTRODUCE THE INEXPERIENCED INTO A FULL
KNOWLEDGE OF ALL THAT RELATES TO THE DOG, AND THE CORRECT USE OF THE GUN;
ALSO A DESCRIPTION OF THE GAME IN THIS COUNTRY.... Philadelphia. 1827.
[250]pp. plus three plates including frontispiece, errata leaf, and [3]
leaves of ads. Half title. Original cloth backed boards. Front cover
detached. Browned, some foxing and late dampstaining, tear in one leaf
expertly repaired. Else good, untrimmed and largely unopened. One
of the earliest American sporting books written in the United States.
The supposed author, Dr. Kester, mainly devotes his narrative to
shooting birds, describing dogs and their training, firearms, and the
particular game birds found around Philadelphia, including partridge,
woodcock, snipe, quail, grouse, duck, curlew, and wild turkey.
This is the second issue of the first edition, with “ribbon”
spelled correctly on page 235. Streeter’s copy went to Goodspeed’s for $150. |
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Papers
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