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Catalogue 257 The Streeter Sale Revisited |
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Section X: Tailfer to Young |
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Papers
on Book Collecting by William S. Reese
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A Landmark Georgia Book 279. Tailfer,
Patrick: A TRUE AND HISTORICAL NARRATIVE OF THE COLONY OF GEORGIA IN
AMERICA, FROM THE FIRST SETTLEMENT THEREOF UNTIL THIS PRESENT PERIOD:
CONTAINING THE MOST AUTHENTICK FACTS, MATTERS AND TRANSACTIONS THEREIN;
TOGETHER WITH HIS MAJESTY’S CHARTER, REPRESENTATIONS OF THE PEOPLE,
LETTERS. &c. AND A DEDICATION TO HIS EXCELLENCY GENERAL OGLETHORPE.
Charles-town, S.C.: Printed by P. Timothy, for the authors, 1741.
xviii,118pp. [i.e. 110 (pp.79-86 omitted in the pagination)]. Antique half
calf and marbled boards. Very good. The
second edition, with the Charles-town imprint of the same year as the
first, but with a different collation.
Both Howes and Sabin suggest this is probably a London imprint,
although the Church catalogue considers it to be a genuine Charleston
imprint and of great typographical importance and rarity.
The pamphlet constitutes a forceful critique of Gen. James
Oglethorpe and the Georgia government.
The author demands the removal of prohibitions on black slavery and
the importation of liquor, and the establishment of private land
ownership. Tailfer was the
leader of an outspoken group of malcontents in Savannah who were driven
out of the colony by Oglethorpe in September of 1740 and who took refuge
in Charleston. “The most
interesting of all books about Georgia in the colonial period, for attack
is almost always more interesting than praise...The work is a masterpiece
of invective and one of the cornerstones of the historical literature of
Georgia” – Streeter. The Streeter copy went to an order bidder for $200. A Landmark Map of Texas and California 280. [Tanner,
Henry S.]: A MAP OF THE UNITED STATES OF MEXICO, AS ORGANIZED AND DEFINED
BY THE SEVERAL ACTS OF THE CONGRESS OF THAT REPUBLIC [caption title].
New York: Henry S. Tanner, 1846. Folding handcolored pocket map, 31 x 24¾
inches, Original 12mo. front board, stamped in blind and gilt, detached
but present. Tear in the left portion of the map (Pacific Ocean region,
near the border) expertly repaired. A few small splits at folds expertly
repaired on verso. Overall, a very good, attractive copy. In a half
morocco box. The
Streeter copy of the third edition of the Tanner treaty sequence map, the
first with the Frémont discoveries. Hailing it as a much superior production to the second edition, Wheat
speculates that Tanner’s conscience must have been “pricked” by his
earlier production. Texas and
New Mexico are unaltered, but Tanner has incorporated Charles Fremont’s
1845 map, thereby rendering inland portions and the coast of California in
a much more accurate manner, even though the coast line still leaves
something to be desired. More
significantly, in the latter’s case, he has engraved a prophetic
boundary line between Upper and Lower California, which, as Wheat points
out, “had Disturnell done likewise, that southern boundary might well
have been drawn differently in the treaty” (Wheat, Transmississippi
West, p.38). No doubt
published with the same motivations as his second edition, Tanner has here
made a more sophisticated attempt to separate the public from their money. Walter Ristow noted that Tanner produced the first edition of the United
States of Mexico map in 1825, and furthermore cited that he “issued
10 variants of one or another of five states” of the map up to 1847.
The present map is officially termed as the “1846, third
edition,” although it is actually the eighth variant of the map to be
issued, according to Ristow’s classification.
Tanner’s maps of Mexico, based on the work of Humboldt, Pike,
Darby, and others, were primary sources for cartographic intelligence on
Mexico and the emerging western territories of the United States for three
decades. For instance,
Tanner’s 1834 map was one of the few sources to include Stephen F.
Austin’s recent surveys (Tanner also published Austin’s maps).
Other mapmakers, such as Rosa, selected Tanner’s map of Mexico,
indicating the importance placed on Tanner’s map as the ultimate
authority on the region. As
Wheat concludes, it was probably issued in great haste to take advantage
of the populace’s unending appetite for news of the Mexican-American
War. This map’s influence
proved to be so great that it led Disturnell and Bartlett to incorporate a
misconception in their maps that, upon the conclusion of the
Mexican-American War, caused the United States to leave Mexico in
possession of the territory that held the only viable southern route for
U.S. transcontinental rail service. The
United States was only able to recover from this misstep upon completion
of the Gadsden Purchase of 1853. This copy sold for $40 at the Streeter sale, to Nebenzahl.
In the current state of the map market, 1000 times increases on the
Streeter pocket map prices from volume six of the auction have become
quite common. 281. Taylor,
James W.: THE SIOUX WAR: WHAT HAS BEEN DONE BY THE MINNESOTA CAMPAIGN OF
1863: WHAT SHOULD BE DONE DURING A DAKOTA CAMPAIGN OF 1864, WITH SOME
GENERAL REMARKS UPON THE INDIAN POLICY, PAST AND FUTURE, OF THE UNITED
STATES. St. Paul: Office of the Press Printing Company, 1863. 16pp.
printed in double-column format. Original printed wrappers. Wrappers a bit
dust soiled. Very good. “The
title of this pamphlet would indicate that it related primarily to
Minnesota, but it also has much about the Black Hills, and it is perhaps
the earliest separate printing of a project for the creation of a
territory, the Territory of Upsaroka, for the region out of which later
Montana and Wyoming Territories were formed” – Streeter.
Taylor had printed a similar pamphlet the previous year in which he
called for offensive measures against the Sioux in order to remove them
from their threatening positions on the Minnesota frontier.
Taylor was secretary of the Minnesota and Pacific Railroad, but he
also worked as a journalist. In
1870 he became American consul at Winnipeg. Goodspeed’s paid $275 for the Streeter copy. The First Printed Map of the Upper Mississippi, 282. Thevenot, Melchisedech: RECUEIL DE VOYAGES DE MR. THEVENOT.... Paris: Estienne Michallet, 1681. [2],16,43,[1],18,[2],32,[4],20,14,8,16pp. including six plates and errata leaf, plus two folding maps (of three, lacking the equipolar projection map, “Explication de la carte de la Decouverte de la Terre d’Ielmer”) and three plates (two folding), with eleven engravings in the text. Contemporary calf, spine gilt, raised bands. Chipped at spine ends, a bit of wear along upper and lower portions of front hinge, bottom edge of rear board slightly worn. A few neat corrections in a contemporary hand. Tasman map and the two folding plates with closed tears along the bound-in edge, but with no loss. Small closed tear along one fold of the Mississippi map, but with no loss. Overall, a very good copy, lacking only the equipolar projection map. In a half morocco box. The
very rare first edition of Thevenot’s collection of travels, and an
essential document in the exploration of the interior of North America.
This is a very complex book bibliographically, and there are many
variant issues, especially in the part of the work devoted to natural
history discoveries of Swammerdam and others.
Many copies lack some of the natural history components.
Its importance and value, however, derive from the section and
accompanying map devoted to the travels of Marquette and Joliet and the
map showing the discoveries of Abel Tasman, and these are identical in
both editions. The most notable aspect of Thevenot is that it contains the first
publication of Father Marquette’s relation of his discovery, with
Joliet, of the upper Mississippi River and their exploration as far as the
Arkansas River in 1673. This
remarkable expedition established the basic structure of the Mississippi
headwaters for the first time, and opened the way for the dominance of the
French in the Mississippi Valley over the next century.
Their account begins on May 17, 1673, when the party set out in two
canoes from Mackinac. They
reached the Mississippi via Green Bay and the Fox River on June 17,
floated as far south as Arkansas, and returned north by way of the
Illinois and Des Plaines rivers and the later site of Chicago.
The accompanying map is a major landmark of American cartography,
“Carte de la decouverte faite l’an 1673, dans l’Amerique
Septentrionale.” The map is
the first to bear the word “Michigan,” and shows the lake of that name
and the Mississippi River from its headwaters to the sea.
A figure appears in the center of the map, identified as
“Manit8,” representing an Indian god.
The map appears here in its third state, as usual, with the date of
1673 in the title of the map. Burden
convincingly asserts that the first and second states (known in only one
copy each) were almost certainly proofs.
This is one of the most important American frontier exploration
narratives. Howes says: “The
first edition of Thevenot’s Recueil, while less rare than Le
Clerq’s Premier etablissement de la foi, 1691, is of equal
importance....” “The first
printed representation of the Mississippi based on actual observation”
– Streeter. The other sections of Thevenot’s work are of considerable interest as
well. The Tasman map is one of
the first to show parts of the Australian coastline in detail, based on
his 1644 voyage. It shows part
of the coast of New Guinea, Tasmania, and much of the east coast of
Australia, and is a basic work of Australian cartography.
It is present here in its third issue, with the Tropic of Capricorn
inserted and with the rhumblines. “In
any state the map is a great rarity. It
is one of the earliest charts devoted entirely to Australia, and is the
first French map of Australia” – Davidson.
There is also an account of explorations in polar regions by the
Dutch in 1680, which is usually accompanied by a third map, an equipolar
projection, which is lacking from this copy.
The third exploration piece is an account of a trip overland from
Russia to China in 1653. Finally,
there is a discourse on navigation, and the natural history sections
discussing the illustration of insects. A major work of Americana, with one of the landmark accounts and maps of
the discovery of the Mississippi Valley. Ralph Newman paid $2500 for the Streeter copy. 283. Thomas,
David: TRAVELS THROUGH THE WESTERN COUNTRY IN THE SUMMER OF 1816....
Auburn, N.Y. 1819. [4],320pp. plus folding map, and errata, with
additional errata slip adhered to final fly leaf. Contemporary calf,
leather label. Front cover detached. Three-inch tear in map. Some light
foxing. Overall just about very good. One
of the classic narratives of midwestern travel.
“It is a work of sterling merit...the route of the author was
down the Ohio, stopping at all towns and places of interest on both sides
of the Ohio...” – Thomson. Thomas
proclaims the merits of the Wabash Valley above all else.
The map illustrates the Vincennes District.
For some reason most copies of this book lack the map or have had
it torn out. Ximenes paid $60 for the Streeter copy, selling it shortly after the sale
to Henry Stevens for $108. 284. Thomas,
Isaiah: THE HISTORY OF PRINTING IN AMERICA. WITH A BIOGRAPHY OF PRINTERS,
AND AN ACCOUNT OF NEWSPAPERS. TO WHICH IS PREFIXED A CONCISE VIEW OF THE
DISCOVERY AND PROGRESS OF THE ART IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD.
Worcester: Press of Isaiah Thomas, Jun...., 1810. Two volumes. vi,487;
576pp. plus five plates, two of them folding. Portrait. Rebound in
handsome half calf and marbled boards, leather label. Some foxing of
plates and a few leaves, offsetting from plates. Ex-lib. with small
rubberstamp and contemporary ownership signature on each titlepage.
Overall a very nice set. First
edition of the first history of printing in America, by the noted printer,
newspaper man, and founder of the American Antiquarian Society.
This is a landmark book which never sold well in Thomas’
lifetime, the remainder being sold to New York dealer William Gowans.
Prints “The Lord’s Prayer” from Eliot’s Bible, and includes
detailed biographical accounts of many printers. The Streeter copy went to Duschnes for $350, but it included a nice
Thomas letter which was laid in. The Ohio Country 285. [Thomson,
Charles]: AN ENQUIRY INTO THE CAUSES OF THE ALIENATION OF THE DELAWARE AND
SHAWANESE INDIANS FROM THE BRITISH INTEREST, AND INTO THE MEASURES TAKEN
FOR RECOVERING THEIR FRIENDSHIP...TOGETHER WITH THE REMARKABLE JOURNAL OF
CHRISTIAN FREDERIC POST...WITH NOTES BY THE EDITOR EXPLAINING SUNDRY
INDIAN CUSTOMS, &c. WRITTEN IN PENNSYLVANIA. London: Printed for
J. Wilkie, 1759. 184pp. plus folding map. Modern calf, leather label.
Folding map, neatly backed; loss to a few letters of explanatory text, but
not affecting image. Occasional stains and light browning. A very good
copy. A
work of the greatest importance for the history of the French and Indian
War. Thomson argues that the
arrogance and greed of the colonial government of Pennsylvania caused the
rupture between the Pennsylvania Indians and the British, and temporarily
forced the natives to the French side of the fight in the Ohio country.
“Apparently printed at Benjamin Franklin’s expense as part of
his campaign to discredit the Proprietary government of Pennsylvania”
– Streeter. “It was one of
the most important works on relations with the Indians that had been
published up to that time” – Graff.
Christian Post, a Moravian missionary, travelled to the Ohio
country in 1758 to negotiate with the Indians, and won them back to the
British side. His journal of
that trip makes up the second part of this book.
The map shows Pennsylvania, with various important western points
located. Streeter’s copy was bound with Post’s Second Journal, which we
offer separately in this catalogue. Fleming
paid $1300 for the pair, and sold them to John Roebling.
They reappeared at his sale in 1981, where D&E Lake bought
them, later reselling them to the Fisher Library at the University of
Toronto. As a matter of
interest, the Streeter copy was the Herman LeRoy Edgar copy, bought at his
sale in 1920 by Guthrie Y. Barber, and bought by Streeter at his sale in
1941 for $95 via Eberstadt. Presentation Copy from the Author 286. Tixier,
Victor: VOYAGE AUX PRAIRIES OSAGES, LOUISIANE ET MISSOURI, 1839 – 1840.
Paris. 1844. 264pp. plus five plates including frontispiece. Original
printed wrappers. Spine bit cocked and chipped. Some light scattered
foxing. Overall just about very good. In a half morocco box. A
presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front wrapper: “À
Monsieur Vignancourt Souvenir affectueux, Victor Tixier.”
Tixier arrived in New Orleans in January 1840, “where he received
an invitation from Major Chouteau to visit the Osages and to hunt buffalo.
He arrived in St. Louis on May 12, travelled to Independence and
from there to Papin’s trading post, called Nion-Chou.
He accompanied the Osages on a buffalo hunt to the Grand Saline”
(Wagner-Camp). According to
John Francis McDermott, who edited the English translation of the work
(University of Oklahoma Press, 1940, a copy of which accompanies the
present copy of the original), Tixier’s is a fine account of Osage life
on the Plains at the time of his visit in 1840.
The text of the book focuses almost entirely on his trip to the
Plains, and describes only briefly his trip to New Orleans and up the
Mississippi. Also according to
McDermott, Tixier’s narrative “has remained one of the rarest pieces
of Western Americana.” This
would seem to be born out by its scarcity in the marketplace. A nice presentation copy of a great western rarity. Fleming bought the Streeter copy for $800, later selling it to a private
collector, from whom we purchased it in 1991, and sold it shortly
thereafter. First Mexican Printing 287. [Treaty
of Guadalupe Hidalgo]: TRATADO DE PAZ, AMISTAD, LIMITES Y ARREGLO
DEFINITIVO ENTRE LA REPUBLICA MEXICANA Y LOS ESTADOS-UNIDOS DE AMERICA,
FIRMADO EN GUADALUPE HIDALGO EL 2 DE FEBRERO DE 1848.... Queretaro:
Imprenta de J.M. Lara, 1848. 28pp. printed in Spanish and English in
double columns. [bound with:] ESPOSICION DIRIGIDA AL SUPREMO GOBIERNO
POR LOS COMISIONADOS QUE FIRMARON EL TRATADO DE PAZ CON LOS ESTADOS-UNIDOS.
Querearo [sic]: Imprenta de Jose M. Lara, 1848. 27pp. Modern calf, spine
gilt. Trimmed a bit close at top, affecting a few page numbers but no
text. Signature 6 tanned. Overall, very good. The
first Mexican printing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo – a landmark
American treaty and the document that gave the United States the Southwest
and California. This printing
was issued in the wake of the treaty signing, which took place in the town
of Guadalupe Hidalgo, where the Mexican government had retreated in the
face of advancing American troops. It
is bound here, as is usual and proper, with the Esposicion..., in
which the Mexican signatories to the treaty defend their cession of New
Mexico and California to the United States.
The two items are interesting from a printing standpoint, as the
two titles have separate titlepages and are separately paginated, yet the
signature markings on the gatherings are continuous, and the second
titlepage is the third leaf in signature 4. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the war between the United
States and Mexico, resulted in the formal cession of the entire Southwest
and California to the United States. Agreements
were reached for the withdrawal of American troops from Mexico, the
payment of Mexican claims, and the formal cession of territory (the U.S.
had already occupied all of the land).
The theoretical boundaries were set out and arrangements for
boundary commissioners were made. By
this treaty the U.S. obtained an addition of land equalled in size only by
the Louisiana and Alaska purchases. “A
document of resounding consequence” – Eberstadt.
A fundamental piece of Western Americana, here in its earliest
Mexican printing, and scarce on the market. Quaritch paid $325 for the Streeter copy. First Directory of Laramie City 288. Triggs,
J.H.: HISTORY AND DIRECTORY OF LARAMIE CITY, WYOMING TERRITORY, COMPRISING
A BRIEF HISTORY OF LARAMIE CITY FROM ITS FIRST SETTLEMENT TO THE PRESENT
TIME, TOGETHER WITH SKETCHES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SURROUNDING
COUNTRY.... Laramie City. 1875. 91pp. Original blue printed wrappers.
Minor wear to spine ends, a closed split one-third of the way up the front
hinge. Internally clean and crisp. A near fine copy. In a cloth chemise
and slipcase. A
history of the city and promotion for the surrounding country, with much
information about its virtues, attributes, etc.
The last third of the pamphlet is devoted to a directory of the
city. There are also
advertisements for many local merchants throughout.
This is the first directory for any part of Wyoming, and one of the
first book-length works published there.
Triggs’ publications are the outstanding early Wyoming
promotional pieces. “A
history of the region from the day of first settlement, in April of 1868.
Recognized by students of Western History as probably the best,
most honest and outspoken, most bluntly written and vivid description
extant of the early and turbulent days” – Eberstadt.
Very rare. Nebraska Book Company bought the Streeter copy for $225.
We later handled it, selling it for $4500 in 1999. 289. Trumbull,
Benjamin: A PLEA, IN VINDICATION OF THE CONNECTICUT TITLE TO THE CONTESTED
LANDS, LYING WEST OF THE PROVINCE OF NEW-YORK, ADDRESSED TO THE PUBLIC.
New Haven: Printed by Thomas and Samuel Green, 1774. 160pp. plus errata.
Gathered signatures, stitched as issued. A bit tanned. A couple light
spots on titlepage. Otherwise a fine copy, in original state, untrimmed. Trumbull
addresses the conflicting claims to the territory in the Wyoming Valley,
finally ceded to Pennsylvania in 1800.
“This tract...urges that the dispute be resolved by a trial of
the issues” – Cohen. This
is the second, enlarged issue, having first appeared in the Connecticut
Journal in 1774. “To
this, more than to any other single influence, is said to have been due
the allowance of the claim of Connecticut to the Western-Reserve lands”
– Sabin. The University of Vermont secured the Streeter copy for $80. 290. [United
States-Mexico Treaty]: PRIMERA SECRETARIA DE ESTADO. DEPARTAMENTO DEL
ESTERIOR. EL ESCMO. SR. PRESIDENTE...EL DECRETO...UN TRATADO DE AMISTAD,
COMERCIO Y NAVEGACION ENTRE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS Y LOS ESTADOS
UNIDOS DE AMERICA.... [Mexico. 1832]. 21pp., printed in double columns
in parallel English and Spanish. Folio. Gathered signatures, stitched. A
couple tears slightly affecting text, bit spotted, a couple worm holes in
blank margin. Else good. This
is the second treaty between Mexico and the United States, negotiated in
1831 and ratified in Mexico on Dec. 1, 1832.
The Mexican government refused to conclude a treaty of amity and
commerce until a boundary treaty was concluded, and that treaty,
negotiated in 1828, was ratified the same day.
The clauses are fairly standard for such a commercial treaty, with
the interesting addition of a clause by which the powers agree not to
incite hostile Indians to attack each other.
Since Texas was then a part of Mexico, this treaty applies to trade
with Texas as well, but Streeter fails to note a Mexican printing of the
treaty, only listing the Congressional printing. The Streeter copy went to Bromsen for $50. The Earliest Utah Printing: 291. [Utah]:
Young, Brigham: [PRINTED “VALLEY NOTE” CURRENCY IN DENOMINATION OF
$2.00, SIGNED BY BRIGHAM YOUNG WITH PRINTED HEADING: “G.S.L. CITY, JAN,
20, 1849”]. [Salt Lake City. 1849]. Small printed paper slip, about
2 x 3¾ inches. Overall condition is excellent. Blind-stamped with the
official seal of the Twelve Apostles, and signed in manuscript by Brigham
Young, Thomas Bullock, and Heber C. Kimball. N.K Whitney is named as payee
in manuscript. No serial number. This
small piece of paper money printed by the Mormon Church in Salt Lake City
is an example of the earliest recorded printing done in Utah.
Called a “Valley Note” by Alvin E. Rust, this form of paper
currency was printed in several denominations using a font of script type
of the style used for calling cards. McMurtrie
quotes a passage from a manuscript history of Brigham Young which
describes the interesting circumstances under which this paper money was
printed: “They had gold dust, but many refused to take it, as there was
a waste in weighing it for exchange. To
meet this want, we employed brother John Kay to coin the dust, but upon
trial he broke all the crucibles and could not proceed.
I then offered the gold dust back to the people, but they did not
want it. I then told them we
would issue paper till the gold dust could be coined.
The Municipal Council agreed to have such a currency, and appointed
myself and President Heber C. Kimball and bishop N.K. Whitney to issue it.
The first bill, for one dollar, was issued on the first of this
month [January 1849]. The
bills were signed by Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, & Thomas
Bullock, clerk.” “...It is
definite enough that the first use of the press by the Mormon settlers was
in January, 1849, for the production of paper currency.
Furthermore, it is gratifyingly definite that the first printer was
Brigham H. Young, with the perhaps unskilled aid of Thomas Bullock.
Brigham H. Young at that time was a young man of about 25, the
nephew of Brigham Young the governor and leader” – McMurtrie. Very rare. According to Rust,
only 204 valley notes in the two-dollar denomination were issued without a
serial number. Another inexact comparison, as Streeter had a lot with five different
pieces of Valley currency. It
went to Dawson’s for $350. Northwest Coast Narrative 292. [Van
Delure, John]: A HISTORY OF THE VOYAGES AND ADVENTURES OF JOHN VAN DELURE.
GIVING AN ACCOUNT OF HIS BEING LEFT ON THE N.W. COAST OF AMERICA....
Montpelier: Wright and Sibley, 1812. 96pp. 16mo. Contemporary half calf
and boards. Moderate to heavy wear to extremities, slight edge wear. Faint
worming in end matter. One leaf with lower outer corner torn away,
affecting text. Contemporary ownership signature on front and rear free
endpapers. Overall very good. In a half morocco box. First
Vermont printing of this entertaining, albeit apocryphal, story of Indian
captivity and travel in the Northwest, after its first appearance in
Boston in 1788. Though the
structure of the narrative changed throughout its many editions, the tale
remained the same. The author,
a Dutchman, departed Amsterdam for China in 1783 and proceeded from there
aboard a trading vessel to the northwest coast of America to participate
in the fur trade. After a
surprise attack by local Indians, Van Delure and his companion were hauled
six hundred miles overland to a large city built on an island.
Rescued from certain death by the local sachem, Van Delure married
the Indian chief’s daughter and lived among them for two years.
In 1787 he encountered three white men who had supposedly travelled
up the Mississippi from New Orleans. One
of the men was Alonso Decalves, to whom this narrative is sometimes
attributed. His meeting with
the three men rekindled a certain homesickness, prompting him to extol the
virtues of the Christian way of life to his native bride.
The narrative ends with the textbook conversion of his wife and her
father, followed by an account of his voyage home. “The fictitious account which includes the narrative of the Indian
captivity of John Vandelure, Vandeleur, Vandeluer, or Van Delure, passed
through many editions under varying titles.
In most cases these bear the pseudonym of Alonso Decalves...In
others, Vandeleur, himself, is given as the author.
The narrative is also included in the ‘Narrative of a Voyage...from Amsterdam to China and from there to...North America,’ which
purports to have been written by James Van Leason or Vanleason” –
Sabin. The present edition is among the rarest of this oft-reprinted narrative.
OCLC locates only four copies. Scribner’s paid $350 for the Streeter copy. 293. Vance,
David H.: MAP OF THE UNITED STATES OF NORTH AMERICA COMPILED FROM THE
LATEST AND MOST AUTHENTIC INFORMATION. Philadelphia: Anthony Finley,
[1825-1829]. Wall map, 51 x 61 inches, with full period color. Table of
“Comparative Heights of the Principal Mountains and Hills in the United
States,” statistical table. Expertly repaired, backed with modern linen,
trimmed in burgundy cloth, and on contemporary rollers. Very good. This
is the very scarce second edition of the finest general map of the United
States published since Melish’s map of 1816.
Rumsey describes the map as “Scarce...Contemporary with Lay’s
[map of the U.S.] but a much more ambitious production.”
Although the first edition is dated 1825, Rumsey (277) lists an
1824 broadside advertisement for the map, and it is highly likely that it
was completed in that year. The
large inset “Map of North America including all of the Recent
Geographical Discoveries” (18 x 20 inches) shows the northern Pacific
boundary of the United States at 54º “settled by Convention April 5th,
1824,” and is probably the earliest map to show the northern boundary of
the U.S. at 54º. The “Map
of North America” was published as a separate map in Finley’s A New
American Atlas (1826). In addition to the editions of 1825 and 1829, the map was republished in
1831 and 1833. Each edition
was evidently revised to show new developments.
As with most maps of the nation published before 1850, Finley
includes only that portion east of approximately the 101st meridian.
The country west of the Mississippi is based on Long’s landmark
map of 1823, with political boundaries in the west based upon the division
of 1824. The map was drawn by
D.H. Vance and engraved by J.H. Young, who worked in the same capacity on
Finley’s A New American Atlas. The map is quite rare in any edition.
It was unknown to Ristow, who thought that S.A. Mitchell’s later
reduced version was an original production (see p.309).
The map was unknown in any edition to Wheat, who notes only
Finley’s 1826 atlas maps (see Transmississippi West 368).
The 1829 edition seems to be especially scarce.
Not in Rumsey (who lists only the 1825 and 1833 editions); not in
Phillips’ Maps (listing only the 1825 edition, p.883). The Streeter copy sold for $160. 294. Vergennes,
Charles G. de: MEMOIRE HISTORIQUE ET POLITIQUE SUR LA LOUISIANE....
Paris. 1802. 315pp. Half title. Portrait of Vergennes. Contemporary
mottled calf, leather label. Outer hinges and other extremities rather
rubbed. Small chip at head of spine, two old bookplates. Otherwise
internally fine and very nice. An
important account of Louisiana, prepared by the Foreign Minister of Louis
XVI. Vergennes served as the
French Minister from 1774 until his death in 1787, and played a vital part
in bringing France into the American Revolution on the side of the
Americans. He prepared this
memoir on the history and situation of Louisiana for Louis sometime during
his term as minister, although it was not published until 1802, when the
temporary recovery of Louisiana by France awakened interest in the area. Goodspeed’s bought the Streeter copy for $100. A Remarkable California 295. Vischer,
Edward: VISCHER’S PICTORIAL OF CALIFORNIA LANDSCAPE, TREES AND FOREST
SCENES. GRAND FEATURES OF CALIFORNIA SCENERY, LIFE, TRAFFIC AND CUSTOMS.
San Francisco: Printed by Joseph Winterburn & Company, April, 1870.
[4],4,[129]-131,[i.e. six leaves],[10]pp. of text plus 163 albumen
photographs on captioned mounts (a few with two photographs per mount).
Large quarto portfolio in original morocco, elaborately stamped in gilt,
spine richly gilt, raised bands, gilt inner dentelles, a.e.g. Binder’s
ticket of Bartling & Kimball of San Francisco on front pastedown.
Binding worn around edges, some mounts warped (as usual). Light dampstain
in lower margin of first front endpapers and first two leaves, final six
mounts a bit tanned, one mount (toward rear) tanned with stain in lower
outer corner. Overall very clean inside, in near fine condition. [with:]
Text volume of identical title. [4],132pp. Quarto. Original printed
wrappers. Worn along spine, wrappers lightly soiled, stain on rear
wrapper. Internally clean. Very good. [with:] Vischer, Edward: MISSIONS
OF UPPER CALIFORNIA, 1872. NOTES ON THE CALIFORNIA MISSIONS, A SUPPLEMENT
TO VISCHER’S PICTORIAL OF CALIFORNIA, DEDICATED TO ITS PATRONS. San
Francisco: Winterburn & Co., 1872. [2],44,viii,iv,[2]pp. Original
printed wrappers. Wrappers foxed and torn. Internally clean. Very good. Bibliographer
Merrill J. Mattes’ copy, with his pencil ownership signature on a front
free endpaper. A singular work
of California art and iconography, Vischer’s Pictorial of California
Landscape... stands alone in its depiction of the state in the second
half of the 19th century. Called
by Weber “preeminently the greatest artist in the early history of our
state,” Vischer created dozens of drawings of California scenes and
scenery from on-the-spot observations, and reproduced them in albumen
photographs, with accompanying text descriptions.
“The drawings, executed in pencil and wash, cover a wide range of
subjects, including the rare commemoration of the brief introduction of
camels to California. Of
special importance are the drawings of the missions which interested
Vischer throughout his life” – Howell. Cowan notes that few copies of Vischer’s work contain precisely the
same number of plates, and that statement is born out by the present copy,
which features 163 separate mounted albumen photographs, divided into five
sections. This is among the
largest number of photographs of any Vischer album.
The first section, on landscape, is the largest, with sixty-one
photographs including scenes in forests and mining camps, the Sierra
Nevada, Lake Tahoe, Truckee, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, several California
missions (a great interest of Vischer), Donner Lake, the San Bernardino
mountains, and more. This is
followed by a section of twenty-eight photographs of trees and forest
scenes, including giant Sequoias and redwoods, the Mammoth tree grove, and
Cypress trees. Next comes a
section of fourteen photographs of “Grand Features,” depicting the
scenery of Yosemite, the Sierra Nevadas, Donner Lake, Mount Shasta, and
coastal views. A large section
follows of forty-six photographs of scenes depicting the life, traffic,
and customs of California, with views of the Napa Valley, farming scenes,
the mission at Santa Barbara, rodeos, cattle roundups, emigrant camps,
mines, and whaleships and Navy vessels in San Francisco harbor.
The final section consists of fourteen reproductions of Carleton
Watkins prints of the Industrial Fair of 1864.
Of Vischer’s work, Miles and Reese say: “there are no
contemporary publications quite comparable to them in their eccentric
combination of media; the confusion is compounded by the bewildering array
of formats, issues, and reissues the artist ultimately produced.”
Also included here is the accompanying text volume of Vischer’s
Pictorial..., as well as his text on the missions of California,
published in 1872. Edward Vischer (1809-78) migrated from Germany to Mexico at the age of
nineteen, working for commercial houses, and acting as the supercargo on
trading voyages to Pacific ports in the Americas and Asia.
In the 1840s, Vischer was visiting California regularly and began
producing paintings and sketches of California life, scenery, and
missions. He determined to
publish his artwork, and initially began doing so through lithographs,
abandoning this method in favor of photographs of his drawings, when one
of his lithographic stones broke, costing him in time and effort.
He turned to photography, and in 1862 began issuing albums
reproducing his drawings in a variety of formats and issues. “Because of his Herculean efforts, this sumptuous publication still
remains as an invaluable reference for studying the early iconography of
California” – Kurutz. A
remarkable and unique work of American art and photography. Our offering combines two items sold separately at the Streeter sale, but
which clearly belong together, as one is a supplement to the other.
The Pictorial went to Dawson’s for $180, while the Missions
went to Goodspeed’s for $35. 296. Wells,
John G.: WELLS’ HAND-BOOK OF IOWA; PAST, PRESENT, AND PROSPECTIVE.
New York: John G. Wells, Publishing Agent, 1857. 136pp. plus colored
folding map, 36.7 x 29.3 cm. Original brown embossed cloth, decoration and
title in gilt on front cover. Cloth slightly faded. Very good. Provides
excellent information on the preemption laws, forms, claims, description
of land exempted, lands subject to government surveys, inducements held
out by Iowa to emigrants, resources (soil, climate, crops, timber lands,
minerals, fruit trees, etc.), rivers, lakes, and creeks, wool growing,
stock raising, the dairy farm, etc. Information
on the railroad system, various institutions (schools, libraries,
colleges, lodges, various asylums, banking houses, land offices, etc.).
Plus a chapter on government, finance, and holding elections.
The colorful map of Iowa locates the cities, villages, railroad
lines, proposed rail lines, rivers, and creeks.
Many of the northwestern counties were still unsettled.
An excellent guide to Iowa. Eberstadt paid $120 for the Streeter copy. 297. [Wharton,
Samuel]: PLAIN FACTS: BEING AN EXAMINATION INTO THE RIGHTS OF THE INDIAN
NATIONS OF AMERICA, TO THEIR RESPECTIVE COUNTRIES; AND A VINDICATION OF
THE GRANT, FROM THE SIX UNITED NATIONS OF INDIANS, TO THE PROPRIETORS OF
INDIANA, AGAINST THE DECISION OF THE LEGISLATURE OF VIRGINIA; TOGETHER
WITH AUTHENTIC DOCUMENTS, PROVING THAT THE TERRITORY, WESTWARD OF THE
ALLEGANY MOUNTAIN[S], NEVER BELONGED TO VIRGINIA, &c.
Philadelphia: R. Aitken, 1781. 164,[2]pp. Modern morocco by H. Zucker of
Philadelphia, raised bands, spine gilt, a.e.g. Engraved bookplate of
George Bancroft. Small old “Duplicate” stamp on extreme lower
forecorner of titlepage. Bit tanned, a few fox marks. Slight paper
excisions on pp. 51 and 100, affecting a few letters of text. Otherwise a
very good, handsome copy. The
only edition. “...Declared
by all to be the ablest treatise on the tenure of the Indian claim to the
title of lands occupied by them, ever written” – Field.
Wharton was a Philadelphia merchant and land speculator who was
also one of the principal members of the Indiana Land Company.
The Company acquired a large tract of land in what is presently
West Virginia, and before the Revolution tried unsuccessfully to secure a
Royal charter. Virginia later
claimed the area and in 1779 voided the title, which the Indians had given
to the Company. In 1781,
Wharton, Benjamin Franklin, and others set out to secure a charter from
Congress. Plain Facts...
was written to rally support for their cause.
This is one of several tracts Wharton wrote in the cause of the
Indiana Company (see Vail and Howes for the others), but certainly the
most important, especially in the developing discussion on Indian rights
to lands. This fascinating
discussion covers the history of land claims in America from the papal
bulls of Alexander VI to the delegates of the Six Nations quoting the
first sentence of the Declaration of Independence to the governor of New
York. Includes a section on
“authentic documents proving that the territory westward of the Allegany
Mountain never belonged to Virginia.” Sessler paid $425 for the Streeter copy. 298. Wheelock,
Eleazar: A PLAIN AND FAITHFUL NARRATIVE OF THE ORIGINAL DESIGN, RISE,
PROGRESS AND PRESENT STATE OF THE INDIAN CHARITY-SCHOOL AT LEBANON, IN
CONNECTICUT. Boston: Printed by Richard and Samuel Draper, 1763. 55pp.
19th-century three-quarter morocco and marbled boards, spine lettered in
gilt. Binding lightly rubbed. Book-plate of Hall Park McCullough on front
pastedown. Very good. The
first installment in Wheelock’s series of publications giving the
history of the first Indian school in America.
This volume covers 1754-62, and was followed by eight more such
reports, taking the story up to 1775.
Wheelock discusses the origins of the school and defends the
missionary endeavor. The
school, founded by Wheelock, opened in 1754 under the name of Moors
Charity School. In 1772 it was
removed to Hanover, “where it formed the germ of the institution, known
as Dartmouth College” (Field). In no way an exact comparison, as the Streeter sale had all of the
Wheelock pamphlets in one lot, which realized $700. 299. [Wilcocke,
Samuel Hull]: RÉCIT DES ÉVÉNEMENS QUI ONT EU LIEU SUR LE TERRITOIRE DES
SAUVAGES, DANS L’AMÉRIQUE SEPTENTRIONALE, DEPUIS LES LIAISONS DU TRÈS
HON. COMTE DE SELKIRK AVEC LA COMPAGNIE DE LA BAIE D’HUDSON, ET LA
TENTATIVE FAITE PAR CE COMTE DE FONDER UNE COLONIE SUR LA RIVIERE
ROUGE.... Montréal. 1818. xi,137,89pp. Original stiff wrappers,
printed paper label. Old library stamps on title-leaf. A fine copy. In a
gilt suede folding box, leather label. From the collection of Louis Joseph
Papineau, the Chief of the Insurgents. Also with the ownership signature
of French patriot Francis Des Rivieres, otherwise known as “La Victime
des Donjons.” First
Montreal edition, after the first London edition of the previous year.
This pamphlet presents a brief outline of the establishment and
growth of the Selkirk Colony from 1812, and attempts to defend and justify
the North West Company’s actions as the natural consequence of the
encroachments, hostilities, and provocations of Lord Selkirk and the
Hudson’s Bay Company. Although
sometimes attributed to Simon McGillivary and Edward Ellice the elder, the
work was probably prepared by Samuel Hull Wilcocke, “a hack-writer in
the employ of the North-West Company” (TPL).
The pamphlet was issued under the direction of the London
representatives of the North West Company to counter charges of
unwarranted aggression and destruction of the Selkirk settlement on the
Red River, leveled against them by John Halkett in his Statement
Respecting the Earl of Selkirk’s Settlement (1817). The Streeter copy sold for $100. 300. Wilkes,
Charles: WESTERN AMERICA, INCLUDING CALIFORNIA AND OREGON, WITH MAPS OF
THOSE REGIONS, AND OF “THE SACRAMENTO VALLEY.” Philadelphia. 1849.
130pp. plus three folding maps, and advertisements. Original printed stiff
wrappers. Wrappers worn, soiled, and stained. “Oregon Territory” map
and advertisement leaves a bit tanned, else internally clean and very
good. In a folding cloth chemise and cloth slipcase, leather label. The
only English language edition of this important early guide to the West
Coast. Wilkes had conducted
extensive surveys in California and Oregon while commanding his famous
U.S. exploring expedition on the West Coast in 1841.
This work includes material not published with the official report,
additional geographical notes supplied by Father De Smet, and material
from the Emory and Fremont reports. “In
a sense, it constitutes the first Pacific Coast guide” – Howes.
The large map of the Sacramento Valley is one of the first
large-scale maps of the gold region. The
small maps show Upper California and Oregon, respectively.
An important addition to gold rush literature, now quite scarce,
and especially uncommon in the original wrappers. This went for $175 at the Streeter sale.
It ended up at the Clements Library. First Published Account of Going Overland 301. Wilkes,
George: THE HISTORY OF OREGON, GEOGRAPHICAL AND POLITICAL...EMBRACING AN
ANALYSIS OF THE OLD SPANISH CLAIMS, THE BRITISH PRETENSIONS, THE UNITED
STATES TITLE; AN ACCOUNT OF THE PRESENT CONDITION AND CHARACTER OF THE
COUNTRY, AND A THOROUGH EXAMINATION OF THE PROJECT OF A NATIONAL RAIL
ROAD, FROM THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. New York: William H.
Colyer, 1845. 127,[1]pp. plus folding map. Early 20th-century
three-quarter morocco and marbled boards, spine gilt. Lightly shelfworn.
Three very small tears in upper central portion of map, with minute loss,
and light old water stain. Light rust mark on titlepage. Else internally
very clean. A very good copy. The
very rare first edition of this important overland narrative and first
proposal for a transcontinental railroad.
A landmark in the history of westward expansion and Manifest
Destiny: “The Railroad is the Great
Negotiator, which alone can settle our title more conclusively than
all the diplomatists in the world...Arouse then, America, and obey the
mandate which Destiny has imposed upon you for the redemption of a
world!” Wilkes includes here
the complete account by Peter H. Burnett of the celebrated overland
emigration of 1843. “This
and the Overton Johnson narrative published a year later, in 1846, are the
only known contemporaneous accounts of the 1843 emigration published
within a few years of the event. Burnett,
whose narrative Wilkes publishes in full, was afterwards the first civil
governor of California” – Streeter.
The folding map shows the Oregon country and parts of British
Columbia. This book is very
rare, with Wagner-Camp locating only four copies.
An article in the Quarterly of the Washington Historical
Society for October 1906 describes this work as “one of the rarest and
least known books.” The Streeter copy sold to Scribner’s for $550. 302. [Wilkinson,
James]: MEMOIRS OF GENERAL WILKINSON. Volume II [all published].
Washington: Printed for the Author, 1811. [6],[3]-18,[3]-99,[1], 136pp.
Modern half morocco and marbled boards, spine gilt. Two titlepages and
advertisement leaf supplied from another copy and washed. Contemporary
gift inscription and ownership signature on front fly leaves. Evenly
tanned. A very good copy, untrimmed. Second
issue of this very rare pre-issue of Wilkinson’s Memoirs..., with
the added titlepage, “Burr’s conspiracy exposed....”
Only this “Volume II” was ever issued in this format.
According to the Advertisement for the book, Wilkinson was
compelled to print this single volume of his Memoirs... “to meet
the torrent of vilification” against him as a result of his involvement
in the Burr conspiracy. “This
book was issued by Wilkinson in his own vindication, and also as a reply
to Daniel Clark, who had endeavored to prove that Wilkinson was corrupt,
and had been concerned with Burr” – Tompkins.
This is Wilkinson’s first public statement on the Burr
Conspiracy, and is an entirely different book from what eventually
appeared as the second volume of his Memoirs... in 1816.
It is also exceedingly rare. Ralph Newman paid $150 for the Streeter copy for Sonneborn, and it resold
to Jenkins at the Sonneborn sale in 1980 for $110.
At neither auction was the great rarity of this item understood,
but Jenkins quickly resold it with proper cataloging for $1500.
In fact, I was sitting next to him when he bought it at Sonneborn,
and still remember his glee when the hammer came down. Wilkinson’s Memoirs 303. Wilkinson,
James: MEMOIRS OF MY OWN TIMES. Philadelphia. 1816. Three text volumes
plus atlas. Text: xv,855,[42]pp. plus errata leaf, three folding
facsimiles and seven folding tables; [4],578,[260]; [4],496,[62]pp. plus
three tables (two folding). Atlas: title-leaf, preliminary leaf, [2]
leaves of explanation, and nineteen maps and plans (three folding, two
colored). Uniform modern half morocco and marbled boards. Old library
marks on titlepage and some minor scattered foxing, else very good. Wilkinson’s
long and detailed memoir, full of justification of his own actions, but a
vital work for the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Burr
conspiracy. The narrative
begins in 1776 with Wilkinson’s appointment to the Continental Army and
his part in Arnold’s attack on Quebec, and concludes with the end of the
War of 1812. The atlas
illustrates battles in both conflicts. Ralph Newman paid $1000 for the Streeter copy, which was in original
boards. If it was for
Sonneborn, there was no indication of provenance in that catalogue, but it
probably was, as that copy was in original boards and all Newman’s
bidding at this stage seems to have been for him.
If so, it went for $660 at the Sonneborn sale. 304. Willey,
Samuel H.: AN HISTORICAL PAPER RELATING TO SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA....
San Francisco. 1876. 37pp. Original wrappers. Chipped at spine, else very
good. The
early history of Santa Cruz. Howell paid $55 for the Streeter copy. 305. Williams,
Jesse: A DESCRIPTION OF THE UNITED STATES LANDS IN IOWA: BEING A MINUTE
DESCRIPTION OF...QUALITY OF SOIL, GROVES OF TIMBER, PRAIRIES, LEDGES OF
ROCK, COAL BANKS, IRON AND LEAD ORES, WATER-FALLS, MILL-SEATS, etc....WITH
APPENDIX. New York. 1840. 180,[1]pp. plus large folding colored map,
21 x 32 inches. Original cloth, stamped in blind and gilt. Extremities bit
rubbed, some scattered foxing. Map neatly repaired along folds, minor
toning. Overall very good. A
rare guide to Iowa lands published by J.H. Colton, marking the opening of
Iowa, with a large, handsome map. “...Compiled
largely from the original field notes of the surveyor, and including
historical sketches on the settlement, boundaries, form of government,
officers, militia, counties and population, Indian tribes, etc.” –
Eberstadt. The map title is:
“Map of the Surveyed part of Iowa; Exhibiting the Sections, Townships
and Ranges Compiled from the United States Surveys by Jesse
Williams....” Goodspeed’s paid $250 for the Streeter copy. 306. [Wilson,
James]: A PAMPHLET RELATING TO THE CLAIM OF SENOR DON JOSE Y. LIMANTOUR,
TO FOUR LEAGUES OF LAND IN THE COUNTY ADJOINING AND NEAR THE CITY OF SAN
FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. San Francisco. 1853. 78pp., lacking the blank
leaf after p.70. Lacks wrappers. Some dust soiling, minor spotting,
scattered foxing. Good. “This
is the first of the three principal pamphlets relating to the most
celebrated of all California land claims, that of Jose Y. Limantour, to
some of the most valuable parts of San Francisco” – Streeter.
“One of the chief sources of the earliest history of Yerba Buena
and San Francisco” – Greenwood. Howell paid $100 for the Streeter copy. The Rarest Account of the Burr Treason Trial, 307. [Wirt,
William]: THE TWO PRINCIPAL ARGUMENTS OF WILLIAM WIRT, ESQUIRE, ON THE
TRIAL OF AARON BURR, FOR HIGH TREASON, AND ON THE MOTION TO COMMIT AARON
BURR AND OTHERS, FOR TRIAL IN KENTUCKY. Richmond. 1808. Title-leaf,
leaf of ads, 221pp. Engraved portrait. 16mo. Contemporary tree calf,
rebacked in matching style, spine gilt. Corners slightly worn. Early, neat
gift inscription on front fly leaf, bookplate on front pastedown. A very
good copy. In a cloth chemise and half morocco slip-case, spine gilt. Published
the same year that Wirt, then future United States attorney general, was
elected to the House of Delegates. His
prestige was increased dramatically when he appeared for the prosecution
of the case against Burr, which prompted Jefferson to suggest Wirt seek a
congressional seat, which the latter declined.
A rare Burr item. The
fine portrait of Wirt by St. Mémin is often lacking and was probably not
issued with all copies. Ralph Newman bought the Streeter copy for Harry Sonneborn for $200.
At the Sonneborn sale Jenkins bought it for $250. A 17th-century New York Imprint 308. [Woodbridge,
Timothy]: GOSPEL ORDER REVIVED, BEING AN ANSWER TO A BOOK LATELY SET FORTH
BY REVEREND MR. INCREASE MATHER...ENTITULED THE ORDER OF THE GOSPEL,
&c. DEDICATED TO THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST IN NEW-ENGLAND. [New York:
William Bradford], 1700. [11],40pp. Small quarto. Modern speckled paneled
calf, a.e.g. Advertisement leaf repaired in gutter, barely touching a
couple letters. Early manuscript note at head of titlepage. Titlepage
soiled. Very good. Laid
into this copy are the bookplates of noted collectors Anson Phelps Stokes,
Michael Zinman, and Jay Snider. First edition, first issue (with the shorter advertisement text) of this
rare and important response to Increase Mather’s Order of the Gospel.
In his book, also published in 1700, Mather criticized what he
thought were the corrupted church practices of a younger generation –
particularly the liberal and suspiciously Anglican tendencies of the new
Brattle Street Church and the ministers, John Leverett, William Brattle,
and Ebenezer Pemberton – and set forth again the old principles of New
England Congregationalism. Holmes
calls Woodbridge’s tract “the most sensational of the replies” to
Mather’s work. Woodbridge
takes on, in order, the seventeen questions posed by Mather, and attempts
to refute them with his own arguments, drawn from scripture and custom. This book is also important as one of the most substantial works printed
in New York up to its time. Bartholomew
Green, the noted Boston printer, had been approached to print Gospel
Order Revived..., but declined to do so until the book was submitted
to the local licensers of the press. Woodbridge
would not consent to this and had the book printed in New York instead.
The text of the advertisement leaf throws down the gauntlet to
Boston printers and their supposed Puritan masters: “The reader is
desired to take notice, that the press in Boston is so much under the aw
[sic] of the Reverend Author, whom we answer, and his friends that we
could not obtain of the printer there to print the following sheets, which
is the only true reason why we have sent the copy so far for its
impression.” This claim
prompted an angry response from Green and his fellow Boston printers, who
published The Printer’s Advertisement in 1701 to refute the
claim. It is entirely
appropriate that the mercurial William Bradford, the first printer in
Philadelphia, should have been the printer of Woodbridge’s controversial
text, for it was Bradford’s quarrel with the Quaker fathers of
Philadelphia (over printing seditious material) that drove him from that
city, and led him to establish the first press in New York City, in 1693. Goodspeed’s bought the Streeter copy for the Clements Library, for
$350. 309. Woods,
John: TWO YEARS’ RESIDENCE IN THE SETTLEMENT ON THE ENGLISH PRAIRIE, IN
THE ILLINOIS COUNTRY, UNITED STATES.... London. 1822. 310pp. plus
three maps (two folding) and errata slip. Modern half brown morocco and
marbled boards, modern gilt black morocco label. Small stain in lower
right corner of one map, slight scattered foxing. Overall internally clean
and bright. Very good. This
important work was written by a prosperous British farmer who travelled
with his family from the Isle of Wight in 1819.
After landing in Baltimore and trekking across the South, he
settled in one of the British colonies in southeastern Illinois, of which
he gives an excellent account. Included
herein are extracts from his journal of the trip to his new home.
Copies with all maps, as in the present copy, are uncommon.
The maps show the settlement of English Prairie, the Illinois
country, and the range of townships in southeastern Illinois. The Streeter copy, commanding a premium in original boards, was still
quite expensive at that time, selling to a private collector for $425. Thoughts of a Famous Troublemaker 310. Workman,
James: POLITICAL ESSAYS RELATIVE TO THE WAR OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION; viz.
AN ARGUMENT, AGAINST CONTINUING THE WAR, FOR THE SUBVERSION OF THE
REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENT OF FRANCE...AND, A MEMORIAL, PROPOSING A PLAN, FOR
THE CONQUEST AND EMANCIPATION OF SPANISH AMERICA, BY MEANS OF WHICH WOULD
PROMOTE THE TRANQUILITY OF IRELAND. Alexandria. 1801. 174pp. 12mo.
Contemporary calf, gilt morocco label. Binding rubbed and worn, especially
at spine ends; early repair to hinges. Ink stamp of New-York Historical
Society on titlepage. Lightly tanned, but overall internally very good. In
a half morocco and cloth box. This
copy bears an ink inscription on the titlepage (“from the author”),
with the signature of the recipient, James Pintard, dated 1802, beside it.
Pintard in turn presented this volume to the New-York Historical
Society in 1807, as noted by his inscription to that effect on the front
fly leaf. Pintard was a
powerful New York financier, and a founder of the New York Stock Exchange,
the New-York Historical Society, and the Tammany Society.
As a result of his Tammany connection, he was surely a friend and
associate of Aaron Burr, who was intimately connected with James Workman
and the goals espoused in this volume. An early document, predating the plans of Aaron Burr (with which Workman
was later implicated), proposing an attack on Florida, Louisiana, and
other Spanish possessions in the Americas.
Workman, a British lawyer of the Middle Temple, emigrated to the
United States in 1801 and had this volume published shortly thereafter.
The first two essays, on British policy toward Napoleon’s France,
had already appeared in England. The
third part, on the plan to liberate Spanish America, appears here for the
first time. Workman argues
that the British should take the opportunity posed by the Napoleonic wars
to attack and liberate “Spanish America,” by which he means not only
all of South America, but Florida and Louisiana as well.
In order to achieve this goal Workman proposes using Irishmen to do
the fighting, along with regular troops and volunteers.
He lays out specific plans for such an undertaking, discussing
logistics, manpower, and more. Workman
had this volume published in Alexandria, Virginia in November 1801 and
sent Jefferson a copy that same month.
Why he thought an American president, especially of Jefferson’s
sentiments, would be interested in helping the British conquer territory
in the Americas, is curious indeed. Workman’s goal of an attack on Louisiana and Spanish America is a dream
that died hard, for just a few years after publication of this volume he
became involved in the so-called “Burr conspiracies.”
After a stint as a newspaper editor in Charleston, Workman went to
New Orleans, where he was appointed a judge of Orleans Parish.
In that capacity he worked to frustrate the local authorities in
political and legal matters. He
took a leading role in forming the “Mexican Association of New
Orleans,” whose avowed purpose was to foment an invasion of Mexico and
set up an independent territory. Aaron
Burr joined forces with Workman when he arrived in New Orleans, the two
men sharing the same goals. Those
goals had, in fact, been stated as early as 1801 in Workman’s Political
Essays.... This copy is the only one to appear at auction since the Streeter sale.
Rare, and quite interesting. Nebenzahl paid $425 for the Streeter copy. 311. Wright,
Robert M.: DODGE CITY, THE COWBOY CAPITAL, AND THE GREAT SOUTHWEST IN THE
DAYS OF THE WILD INDIAN, THE BUFFALO, THE COWBOY, DANCE HALLS, GAMBLING
HALLS AND BAD MEN. [Wichita. 1913]. 344pp. plus plates. Color
frontispiece. Original pictorial cloth. Bookplate on front pastedown. A
near fine copy. In a cloth slipcase. The
Littell copy. It is supposed
that most of this edition was destroyed by fire.
The second issue, of the same year, does not contain the color
frontispiece. There is much
material relating to Dodge City as a cow town and on ranching in the area,
as well as the trail driving phase. Howell paid $130 for the Streeter copy. 312. Young,
David: THE WONDERFUL HISTORY OF THE MORRISTOWN GHOST: THOROUGHLY AND
CAREFULLY REVISED. Newark. 1826. 76pp. 24mo. Later three-quarter
morocco and cloth. Outer front hinge worn, some dust soiling, else very
good. “The
account of a confidence scheme by a New England school master who claimed
to have the power to lay the ghosts guarding buried Tory gold near
Morristown” – Streeter. The Streeter copy went to Sessler for $125. |
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Papers
on Book Collecting by William S. Reese
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