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Catalogue 261 Early & Exotic Imprints |
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Section III: Ohio to Alaska |
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Papers
on Book Collecting by William S. Reese
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>> Ohio A Major Shaker Rarity 66. McNemar, Richard: THE KENTUCKY REVIVAL, OR, A SHORT HISTORY OF THE LATE EXTRAORDINARY OUT-POURING OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD, IN THE WESTERN STATES OF AMERICA...WITH A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE ENTRANCE AND PROGRESS OF WHAT THE WORLD CALL SHAKERISM, AMONG THE SUBJECTS OF THE LATE REVIVAL IN OHIO AND KENTUCKY.... Cincinnati: From the press of John W. Browne, 1807. 119,[1]pp. [bound with:] OBSERVATIONS ON CHURCH GOVERNMENT...TO WHICH IS ADDED, THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF THAT REVEREND BODY.... Cincinnati: From the press of John W. Browne, 1807. 23pp. 12mo. Original floral-patterned paper over a calf backstrip. Most of the spine paper perished, boards stained and worn. Titlepage stained, carrying through in lesser fashion to the following eight leaves. Bottom inch of titlepage torn away, not affecting the imprint or any text. Small paper flaw in the leaf containing pp.87-88, costing a few letters but not affecting the sense of the text. Uniform tanning, a few signatures loosening. On the whole, still an attractive copy, in original condition. In a half morocco and cloth clamshell box. A major rarity of American religious texts, this is the first edition of the first full-length book published by the Shakers. It is of extreme importance as an eyewitness account of the rise of the Shaker movement in the West, as well as a source of Shaker doctrine. MacLean calls McNemar the "father of Shaker literature," and Bestor calls this work "the basic source on Shaker expansion to the West." McNemar was originally a Presbyterian, but later converted to Shakerism and worked hard to establish that faith on the American frontier. "This is a first-hand account by a leader of the Kentucky Revival, one of the first western Shaker converts, which has been quoted extensively by later authors. McNemar describes frontier revivals, the Presbyterian schism, beginnings of Shakerism in the West, and early Shaker relations with the Indians" – Richmond. McNemar is also the author of the second tract included here, Observations on Church Government..., but is only identified on the titlepage as the "Presbyter of Springfield." Springfield was a small community located eleven miles north of Cincinnati. It is a separate work from The Kentucky Revival..., with its own titlepage, and separate pagination and signatures. The text explains the tenets of the Shaker faith. Thomson calls The Kentucky Revival... "very scarce. This was one of the earliest books printed in Cincinnati." It is very rare on the market indeed. Streeter was only able to acquire an 1808 Pittsfield reprint, and no copies of this first edition are located in auction records over the past thirty years. Rare and important. AII (OHIO) 64, 70. THOMSON 767. MACLEAN 65. RICHMOND 929, 1333. RUSK II:251-252. WILKIE 90, 97. BESTOR, BACKWOODS UTOPIAS, p.256. COLEMAN 992. HOWES M177, "aa." SABIN 43605, 89893. SHAW & SHOEMAKER 12969, 13571. $13,500. 67. [Ohio]: Loring, Daniel, [et al]: CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS OF THE WASHINGTON BENEVOLENT GENERAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, OHIO. Marietta: Printed by T. & D.H. Buell and Royal Prentiss, 1815. 12pp. Original self-wrappers, stitched as issued. Tanned, old dampstain throughout. Worn at edges. Good. An early and rare rural Ohio imprint, giving the guiding principles of this early American benevolent society. Assistance to the needy was their goal, as is spelled out in the preamble:
Several similar benevolent societies, apparently named in honor of George Washington, were also established in the same period. Shaw & Shoemaker list similar constitutions for the Washington Benevolent Societies of Pennsylvania and Herkimer County, New York, but nothing for the Washington County society. Not in American Imprints Inventory for Ohio, nor in the Morgan Library of Ohio Imprints. OCLC lists only an 1817 Marietta imprint for the Washington Benevolent Society, and not the present item. Very rare. $500. >> Michigan A Fragment from Father Richard’s Press 68. [Michigan Printing]: [EPISTLES AND GOSPELS FOR ALL SUNDAYS AND HOLIDAYS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. New Edition...]. Detroit: Printed by T. Mettez, 1812. 25-374pp. (of [1]-396pp.) in parallel English and French. Also lacks pp.31-32. This copy lacks both titlepages and several text leaves from front and rear. 12mo. Contemporary calf, spine perished. Calf scuffed, covers detached, lacking front and rear free endpapers. Tanned. Fair. A significant fragment of the most ambitious work of this pioneering Michigan press. Printed at the Richard Press, established by Father Gabriel Richard in Detroit in 1809, the second press to operate there, and printer of the first book published there. Theophilus Mettez was the third printer at the press. He was a French Canadian who first learned his trade in Michigan. "...The most ambitious work undertaken at the Richard press" – Clements Library, One Hundred Michigan Rarities. SHAW & SHOEMAKER 24819. MICHIGAN IMPRINTS 26. GREELY, FATHER RICHARD’S PRESS 27. McMURTRIE (MICHIGAN) 51. RUSK II, p.42. $500. 69. [Michigan]: A DIGEST OF THE RULES OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE TERRITORY OF MICHIGAN. Detroit: Printed by Sheldon & Reed, 1821. 24pp. Modern cloth. Ex-University of Michigan Law Library (properly deaccessioned), with bookplate, and small perforation stamp through imprint area of titlepage. Large ink stain affecting final leaf, diminishing toward the front to only a small stain on the titlepage, text still legible. Occasional fox mark. Else quite good. An early Michigan imprint, one of the earliest books printed there. Sheldon & Reed were made the official state printers in 1817. Quite rare, the NUC locating five copies and American Imprints Inventory citing three more, for a total of eight copies, all but one in Michigan institutional collections. AII (MICHIGAN) 51. AMERICAN IMPRINTS 6036. $400. >> Texas One of the Earliest Texas Imprints 70. [Texas]: [CIRCULAR ANNOUNCING THE ARRIVAL OF LT. COLONEL D. LUCIANO GARCÍA AND HIS ASSUMPTION OF THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR]. JUNTA GUBERNATIVA DE LA PROVINCIA DE TEXAS [caption title]. San Antonio de Bexar: Ymprenta del Govierno de Texas, 1823. [1]p. printed on a [4]pp. folder. Two old stains, foxing. Tear in lower portion of center fold with some paper loss. Docketed in ink in a contemporary hand: "Circulado con esta misma Junta [?]." A good plus copy. In a half morocco and marbled paper box, spine gilt. Among the earliest Texas imprints. "The circular refers to a communication of Garza, the new Commandant General at Monterey, dated June 16, enclosing a decree of Congress of May 30 dissolving the various ‘juntas gubernativas’ of the Internal Provinces and announcing the interim appointment of García as governor...The Trespalacios printing bill has a charge of five pesos on July 8 for printing twenty copies of this circular" – Streeter. A remarkably early and rare Texas imprint. STREETER TEXAS 7 (4 copies located). $12,500. A Certificate of Admission 71. [Austin, Stephen F.]: EL CIUDADANO ESTEVAN F. AUSTIN, EMPRESARIO, PARA INTRODUCIR EMIGRADOS ESTRANGEROS, EN LAS COLONIAS QUE LE TIENE, DESIGNADAS EL SUPREMO GOBIERNO DEL ESTADO DE COAHUILA Y TEXAS, POR LOS CONTRATOS CELEBRADOS ENTRE EL DICHO GOBIERNO Y EL MISMO AUSTIN.... [San Felipe de Austin: Printed by G.B. Cotten, 1829]. Printed document, 6 x 8¼ inches, completed in manuscript. Signed by Benjamin F. Hughs. Faint tanning and creasing, ink stain affecting "i" in "Colonias" of title docketed on verso in contemporary manuscript. Very good. Cloth matted with facsimile portrait of Stephen Austin and three accompanying plaques, two of which contain explanatory text. A rare imprint from the San Felipe de Austin press of Godwin Brown Cotten, being an original certificate of admission to Austin’s colony. "These grants were the foundation of the colonization of Texas" – Streeter. This document reflects one of the four essential steps in the colonization process, being the empresario’s certification stating that the immigrant (in this case a widow named Frances Manifee) had been admitted as a member of Austin’s colony. The next step would be to present this certificate to the commissioner charged with issuing land titles in the Colony. This document is signed in manuscript by Benjamin F. Hughs and dated July 29, 1831. This is effectively the earliest obtainable Texas imprint, since any earlier ones are only surmised or exist in a few copies in institutions. It is now extremely rare in the marketplace. The only recent sale of a copy was of a much inferior one, with loss in the top margin, which sold at Sotheby’s in the Texas Independence Collection sale on June 18, 2004 for $30,000 including house premium. STREETER TEXAS 9. EBERSTADT 162:39. $25,000. One of the Greatest Texas Rarities: 72. Filisola, Vicente, Gen.: EVACUATION OF TEXAS: TRANSLATION OF THE REPRESENTATION ADDRESSED TO THE SUPREME GOVERNMENT BY GEN. VICENTE FILISOLA, IN DEFENSE OF HIS HONOR, AND EXPLANATION OF HIS OPERATIONS AS COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMY AGAINST TEXAS. Columbia, Tx: G. & T.H. Borden, 1837. [4],iv,[3]-68pp. Contemporary three-quarter calf and marbled boards, morocco label, gilt extra. Very minor foxing. A fine copy. In a morocco clamshell case. First English language edition of one of the great Texas books. "General Filisola wrote this vindication of his actions only four months after the Battle of San Jacinto. The ‘Documents’ (pp.37-68) which follow the exposition are as important as his account of Santa-Anna’s failure...one of the earliest books printed in the Republic of Texas" – Graff. "The account was, of course, of great interest to all Texans, and there is an entry in the journal of the Texas House of Representatives for November 23, 1836, announcing a message from the President ‘recommending the translation of a Spanish pamphlet in vindication of Filisola’s conduct in the campaign of Texas..." – Streeter. The English translation, printed in Columbia, Texas before the press removed to Houston, "is a desideratum of high consequence" (Eberstadt). "[It was] the first book printed in the Republic of Texas" – Jenkins. GRAFF, FIFTY TEXAS RARITIES 17. STREETER TEXAS 191. HOWES F127, "c." VANDALE 65. BASIC TEXAS BOOKS 61A. EBERSTADT TEXAS EXHIBITION, p.12. $72,500. >> Missouri 73. [Missouri]: LAWS OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI; REVISED AND DIGESTED BY AUTHORITY OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. In Two Volumes. St. Louis: E. Charless, 1825. viii,486,[2]; viii,487-974pp. Contemporary calf. Rubbed and worn. Moderate foxing throughout. Large marking in ink on rear free endpaper. Overall, a good or better, tight copy. Early Missouri laws and imprint. This is the first collected laws of the state. SABIN 49604. AII (MISSOURI) 73. $1250. 74. [Missouri]: "Curtius" [pseud]: TORCH LIGHT. AN EXAMINATION OF THE ORIGIN, POLICY, AND PRINCIPLES OF THE OPPOSITION TO THE ADMINISTRATION, AND AN EXPOSITION OF THE OFFICIAL CONDUCT OF THOMAS H. BENTON, ONE OF THE SENATORS FROM MISSOURI. [St. Louis?]: Published originally in the Missouri Republican, 1826. vi,[blank leaf],88pp. Half morocco. Old stamp on titlepage and a few other pages. Overall very good, untrimmed. A rare compilation of eight articles, apparently printed in Missouri, mostly relating to the controversy surrounding the presidential campaign of 1824 and other political debates of the day that would be of interest to Missourians. No majority was reached in the 1824 presidential election, and Henry Clay, who was running for president, was compelled to cast the deciding ballot by virtue of being House Speaker. He chose John Quincy Adams over Andrew Jackson, and much controversy ensued over an alleged "corrupt bargain" between Clay and Adams. These articles reveal something of the popular opinion in Missouri regarding these events, as well as the state of national politics at the time, especially the changing political attachments of Missouri senator Thomas Hart Benton. Benton had first supported Clay for president, then opposed Clay’s choice of Adams, and later aligned himself with Jackson, an erstwhile enemy. These articles first appeared under the pseudonym of "Curtius" in the Missouri Republican. Quite rare, Howes accords a "b" rating to this work and lists it under "Benton." The Eberstadts describe the issue offered here, of eighty-eight pages, as the "original edition of this daring and important expose...." American Imprints Inventory for Missouri describes an edition of this title, containing seventy-one pages, printed on a larger format, and with an index added. HOWES B370, "b." EBERSTADT 136:431. SABIN 96190. AII (MISSOURI) 83 (71pp. ed). $1250. >> Maryland 75. [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. HOWES J32, "b." SABIN 35488. STREETER SALE 1335. FIELD 769. THOMSON 640. AMERICAN IMPRINTS 24967. DAB IV, p.538 (Cresap). $3500. >> Alabama 76. Stewart, George N.: REPORT OF CASES ARGUED AND DETERMINED IN THE SUPREME COURT OF ALABAMA, EMBRACING THE DECISIONS MADE IN THE YEARS 1827 AND 1828.... Tuscaloosa: Published by the Author, 1830. 650pp. plus errata slip. Contemporary calf, maroon gilt morocco label. Rubbed and scuffed, front board nearly detached. Moderate foxing. Contemporary ownership signature and stamp on titlepage. Good. The first volume only (the second volume did not appear until 1832). This is one of the earliest Alabama imprints we have handled. A prime Alabama legal reference, compiled by the noted local attorney and court reporter, George N. Stewart. The lengthy appendix contains the Alabama rules of practice. A third volume appeared in 1835. Quite rare. Not on OCLC. ELLISON 131. OWEN, p.1176. AII (ALABAMA) 117. $1000. >> Indiana The New Harmony Edition 77. Say, Thomas: AMERICAN CONCHOLOGY, OR DESCRIPTIONS OF THE SHELLS OF NORTH AMERICA. ILLUSTRATED BY COLOURED FIGURES FROM ORIGINAL DRAWINGS EXECUTED FROM NATURE. New Harmony, In.: Printed at the School Press, 1830-1834-[1838?]. Seven original parts. Sixty-eight handcolored engraved plates (33 by C. Tiebout, 19 by S. Lyon, 7 by I. Walker, and 9 unsigned; 65 after Mrs. Say, 2 after C.A. Lesueur, and 1 unsigned). Original wrappers. Very good. In a single blue cloth chemise, all within a modern blue morocco-backed blue cloth box, titled in gilt. A very rare complete set of the New Harmony Edition of Say’s American Conchology in the original parts. A fine set of Thomas Say’s pioneering work devoted to American shells, issued by the School Press at the utopian colony of New Harmony, Indiana. Say began his career as a naturalist in Philadelphia before 1810. While his first published works were all entomological, he began gathering material on shells at an early date, and supplemented his knowledge with information gathered during numerous expeditions in the United States, including the Long expedition on the Great Plains in 1819-20. In 1827 he joined several other distinguished naturalists of the period in Robert Owen’s utopian experiment at New Harmony, Indiana, and helped to establish the printing office at the school there. Having completed the work on his American Entomology... before moving, he was able to devote all his time to American Conchology.... The first number appeared in 1830, followed by five additional sections through 1834. The last part, published after Say’s death, is generally dated 1838, although it may be even later and the text may be printed somewhere other than New Harmony. The rest of the text was printed at the School Press and the plates were beautifully colored by the students, nine of whom worked on the project at one time. All the products of the New Harmony press are rare, and this, the only one with color plates, is particularly so. As a piece of American natural history, it is the pioneering and major work in its field, by one of the great American naturalists. "Here are hand-colored copperplate engravings diamond fine in their precision. There was not even any varnish used to heighten the coloring. Looking at these little shells, it almost seems possible to pick them off the page" – McGrath. "A work as extraordinary for having been produced in the wilderness as for its elegance and the importance of its contribution to natural history" – Streeter. BYRD & PECKHAM, INDIANA IMPRINTS 414. STREETER SALE 1413. BENNETT, p.94. MEISEL III:405. SABIN 77368. McGRATH, pp.15-16. NISSEN (ZBI) 3614. $20,000. 78. [Indiana Imprint]: WISDOM IN MINIATURE. BEING A CHOICE COLLECTION OF MAXIMS AND PROVERBS ON VARIOUS SUBJECTS; CAREFULLY COMPILED AND SELECTED FROM THE MOST RENOWNED ANCIENT AND MODERN AUTHORS. By a Lover of the Precepts of Truth. Indianapolis: Published and Sold by John Cain, A.F. Morrison, Printer, 1831. 193,[2]pp. Contemporary half calf and boards, leather label. Parts of backstrip leather gnawed away, but binding still intact. Rubbed. Scattered foxing. Good. A rare early Indianapolis book, unknown to Byrd & Peckham. A moral instruction book for young readers. Not in the NUC. $750. >> New Mexico The Earliest New Mexico Imprint 79. [New Mexico]: LISTA DE LOS CIUDADANOS QUE DEBERAN COMPONER LOS JURADOS DE IMPRENTA POR EL AYUNTAMIENTO DE ESTA CAPITAL. Santa Fe: Imprenta de Ramon Abreu a cargo de Jesus Maria Baca, 1834. Broadside, 13 x 7½ inches, printed in double-column format. Overall clean and very good. In a half morocco box. The earliest surviving New Mexico imprint, issued while New Mexico was still a province of the Republic of Mexico. The broadside lists the names of ninety men obligated to be jurors under Mexican law in cases involving printing libels and other illegal publications. Under a Mexican law of Oct. 14, 1828, the ayuntamientos of the capital cities of each state or province were required to establish a panel of at least fifty individuals to serve as jurors over printed matter. This is the list of citizens called to serve in Santa Fe. It was issued by the ayuntamiento shortly after his establishment of the first printing press in New Mexico. "The first press of New Mexico was imported overland from the United States in 1834 [and] was operating at Santa Fe by August 1834 with Abreu as proprietor and Baca as printer, the latter having learned his trade in Durango, Mexico" – Trienens. STREETER SALE 409. GRAFF 3675. STREETER, AMERICANA BEGINNINGS 61. AII (NEW MEXICO) 3. TRIENENS, PIONEER IMPRINTS FROM FIFTY STATES, pp.58-59. WAGNER, "New Mexico Spanish Press 1834-1845" in NMHR (Jan. 1937). $7500. >> California The California Declaration of Independence: 80. [California]: EN EL PUERTO DE MONTERREY DE LA ALTA CALIFORNIA, A LOS SIETE DIAS DEL MES DE NOVIEMBRE DE MIL OCHOCIENTOS TREINTA Y SEIS...LA ALTA CALIFORNIA SE DECLARA INDEPENDIENTE DE MEJICO MIENTRAS TANTO NO RESTABLESCA EL SISTEMA FEDERAL QUE SE ADOPTO EL ANO DE 1824 [caption title and later text]. [Monterey: Santiago Aguilar, Nov. 7, 1836]. Broadside, 12¼ x 8½ inches. Old fold lines. Small hole at one fold, touching two letters, very light marginal stain, else fine. In a half morocco clamshell case. The Thomas W. Streeter copy, with his bookplate and pencil notes on the verso. A remarkably early and important California imprint, this is the official notice of California’s Declaration of Independence from the central Mexican government. Juan Alvarado and his cohorts toppled the Mexican military authorities at Monterey on Nov. 3, 1836. The new government declares itself independent from Mexico "for as long as the Federal system it adopted in 1824 remains unrestored." The California rebels were revolting against a Centralist system of government that ruled without much consideration for the outlying provinces, and they hoped that a return to the Federal system would return more autonomy to the states. The Declaration sets up a full government for California, including a system for appointing leaders, establishing a legislature, and creating a constitution. The third provision of this Declaration establishes the Roman Catholic church as the only faith that may be publicly practiced, but also notes that citizens will not be persecuted for the private practice of other faiths. Occurring in the same year as the Texas Revolution – though more conservative in nature – the actions of the Californians clearly showed the ineffectiveness of centralized Mexican control of the states. The text is signed in print at the end by Juan Albarado (i.e. Alvarado), who led the independence movement and declared himself governor, serving in that role until 1842; José Castro, who served as Alvarado’s military chief; Antonino Buelna; and José Antonio Noriega. Alvarado served as governor of California until he was removed in 1842, then staged another successful revolt against governor Manuel Micheltorena in 1844, ruling until the Bear Flag Revolt, and John C. Fremont toppled him in 1846. This broadside is also significant from a printing history standpoint, as it is the second imprint by the second printer in California, Santiago Aguilar. California’s first printer, the famed Agustin Zamorano, was forced into exile by Alvarado and Castro on Nov. 4, 1836, three days before the date of this broadside, and they installed Aguilar in his place. Aguilar himself would be thrown out of his position a few months later when he backed the wrong side in a political revolt in Monterey. Greenwood locates this Streeter copy, as well as copies at the Huntington and Bancroft libraries. This copy brought $4500 at the Streeter sale in 1968. Rare and very desirable, documenting a landmark moment in the political history of California. STREETER SALE 2482 (this copy). GREENWOOD 23. LIBROS CALIFORNIANOS (1st ed), p.26. COWAN, SPANISH PRESS, p.16. FAHEY 22. HARDING 22. AII (CALIFORNIA) 17. $125,000. An Extraordinary Collection of 81. [California]: CALIFORNIAN. Monterey & San Francisco. Aug. 29, 1846 – Sept. 15, 1847. Together, twenty-seven numbers, each 4pp. First volume in quarto format, folded sheets, unbound as issued. Second volume in folio, as issued. Sixteen numbers of the first volume are in excellent condition. Of the others, No. 3 has a large hole through both leaves, obliterating some text; No. 5 is silked and separated at fold; No. 15 is silked; No. 28 has a small hole; No. 29 is silked and separated at fold, with small hole and corner missing. Four numbers of the second volume have small sections missing, either clipped or torn out. In two half red morocco and cloth boxes. An extensive run of the first California newspaper, comprised of twenty-one issues of the first volume and six numbers of the second volume. The set offered here is likely the most complete to appear on the market since the Streeter sale in 1968. The California State Library’s set is less complete – as is every other known run of the newspaper save for a complete set handled by Howell and a run of thirty-eight numbers sold at the Streeter sale (for $17,500 in 1968). A set belonging to the California Pioneers was destroyed by fire. The Californian was edited by Walter Colton, author of Deck and Port (1850) and Three Years in California (1850), and Robert Semple, a frontier doctor from Kentucky. The first issue appeared on Aug. 15, 1846, and the newspaper continued to be published weekly in Monterey, in English and Spanish on the Zamorano Press, the first printing press in California. Paper was so scarce that a few issues had to be printed on cigar wrapping papers. Much of the news is comprised of firsthand accounts of local happenings. When there was a scarcity of news items, Colton and Semple used fillers of poetry and fiction, or culled from newspapers received in exchange. The paper was printed every Saturday until No. 36, April 24, 1847, when Colton turned the business over to Semple due to ill health. Number 37, here present, notes the change, and that number and the next issue, the last published in Monterey, appeared on Thursday rather than Saturday. Semple moved the paper almost immediately to San Francisco, where he began publication in a larger folio format on May 22, 1847. The paper bore the masthead, The Californian, until No. 15, Aug. 28, here present, when "The" was dropped. B.R. Buckelew took over as publisher on July 17, Robert Gordon on Oct. 27, and Buckelew again on Jan. 26, 1848. The Californian served as a vital source of news for the American forces during their occupation of California in the Mexican War. The paper continued in its important role after the war with its support of the new government, printing the texts of the various official proclamations, and strongly advocating a territorial relationship with the United States as a first step toward annexation. The issues included here include Part I of a review, with extracts, of Melville’s Typee (Vol. I, No. 21), a reprinting of the prospectus for the paper establishing editorial policy (Vol. I, No. 30), and an account of the rescue of the Donner party survivors (Vol. I, No. 32), among many other items of great historical interest. The only opportunity likely to present itself to acquire a fabled California rarity. FAHEY, pp.33-48. STREETER SALE 2509. GREENWOOD 99. GRAFF 550. KEMBLE (1962), pp.52-65. WAGNER, CALIFORNIA IMPRINTS 1. $75,000. Rare California Constitution 82. [California]: CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. San Francisco: Printed at the Office of the Alta California, 1849. 19pp. Gathered signatures, with only a remnant of the stitching remaining. A few small holes in the titlepage, touching eight letters of text (mostly on the Proclamation printed on the verso). Text stained and soiled. Chip in lower margin of pp.5-8, touching two letters of text. Withal, a good copy, untrimmed. In a half morocco and cloth box. The rare first separate printing of California’s first constitution. "The first appearance of the Constitution in book form and one of the earliest works printed in San Francisco" – Cowan. This copy contains the very rare final signature of leaves issued only with some copies, which comprise a three-page "Address to the People of California" (pages 17-19). The Eberstadts describe these last three pages as lacking from most copies, and it appears that many copies of the constitution were distributed before the "Address" had been printed. The text of the constitution is complete. Section 18 of Article I (the "Declaration of Rights") bans slavery. "The text was a model of advanced, liberal, and democratic social and political thought" – Howell. California became a state in 1850. One of the most important and difficult to obtain state constitutions, with the very rare three-page "Address" found in only a few copies. COWAN, p.140. SABIN 9998. WAGNER CALIFORNIA IMPRINTS 37. GREENWOOD 124. FAHEY 127. STREETER SALE 2553. EBERSTADT 112:63a. HOWELL 50:46. GRAFF 539. JONES 245. LIBROS CALIFORNIANOS (WAGNER & BLISS LISTS). AII (CALIFORNIA) 89. $13,500. The United States Asserts Its Federal 83. [San Francisco]: Riley, Bennett: PROCLAMATION TO THE PEOPLE OF THE DISTRICT OF SAN FRANCISCO: WHEREAS, PROOF HAS BEEN LAID BEFORE ME, THAT A BODY OF MEN, STYLING THEMSELVES "THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF THE DISTRICT OF SAN FRANCISCO" HAS USURPED POWERS...[caption title and introductory text]. [Monterey or San Francisco. 1849]. Broadside, 13 x 8¾ inches, printed in two columns. Staining and wear at folds, split neatly in half across the center horizontal fold. Contemporary ink numbers on verso. Overall, still very good. In a cloth chemise and slipcase, gilt leather label. The Thomas W. Streeter copy (one of only two known perfect copies), with his pencil notes at the top of the recto and his bookplate at the bottom of the verso. Streeter bought this proclamation from Edwin Grabhorn in 1936, and it sold at his sale in 1968 to the Carnegie Book Shop for $1800. It was later offered by Warren Howell. At the time of this proclamation, California was still under the rule of the United States military, a state of affairs in place since the Mexican War. In this document Bennett Riley, the military governor of California, denounces the actions of the so-called "Legislative Assembly of the District of San Francisco," which formed as a civil government and attempted to make laws, create and fill offices, and impose and collect taxes. Further, Riley notes that someone "assuming the title of Sheriff under the authority of one claiming to be a Justice of the Peace" had seized the public records of the district from the lawfully constituted Alcalde. Riley calls on all law-abiding citizens to uphold the "legally constituted [i.e. federal] authorities of the land." He urges San Franciscans to aid in restoring the records to the Alcalde and in ignoring the claims to power of the "Legislative Assembly." Riley writes:
He closes by implying that if the Alcalde has in any way misruled, federal authorities will provide a remedy. Bennett Riley (1787-1853) served as the military governor of California from April 12 to Dec. 20, 1849, and later assisted in creating the civil government of the state, calling for a constitutional convention and later a gubernatorial election. The broadside is signed in print by Riley at the end, dated at Monterey, June 4, 1849, and also signed in print by H.W. Halleck as Secretary of State. "This proclamation was undoubtedly printed as a broadside but I have not succeeded in locating a copy of it" – Wagner. Greenwood locates only this copy and a copy at the Bancroft Library. OCLC locates a copy at the University of California, San Diego, which is defective, with a large hole in the first nine lines of text. A very rare and early California imprint, vividly describing the political instability in San Francisco in the early days of the gold rush. STREETER SALE 2556 (this copy). GREENWOOD 121. WAGNER, CALIFORNIA IMPRINTS 32. AII (CALIFORNIA) 94. FAHEY 119. OCLC 19807981. $38,500. >> Iowa The Famous "Blue Book": 84. [Iowa Laws]: THE STATUTE LAWS OF THE TERRITORY OF IOWA, ENACTED AT THE FIRST SESSION OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF SAID TERRITORY, HELD AT BURLINGTON, A.D. 1838-’39. Dubuque: Russell & Reeves, Printers, 1839. [2],597,[1]pp. Modern half morocco. Occasional light foxing. Overall just about very good. This law book is essentially the first legal code for Iowa and the Nebraska, Dakota, and Montana territories. Issued as the first collected Iowa laws, it became famous as "Old Blue Book," which was adopted to serve for many years as the law of all the country west of the Missouri to the Rocky Mountains between the 42nd and 45th parallels. This prints the Northwest Ordinance, the act to establish the territorial government of Iowa, and other resolutions and acts of the Territory. This was the second book printed in Iowa Territory, preceded only by a volume of the Wisconsin legislature, printed in Burlington in 1838, when that legislature was forced to temporarily relocate. A seminal frontier American law book. SABIN 35020. FITZPATRICK, IOWA TERRITORIAL DOCUMENTS, p.19. LC, IOWA CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION 122. $2500. >> Hawaii First Edition of Pilgrim’s Progress 85. [Hawaii]: Bunyan, John: KA HELE MALIHINI ANA MAI KEIA AO AKU A HIKI I KELA AO; HE OLELONANE I HOOHALIKEIA ME HE MOEUHANE LA. Honolulu: Mea paipalapala a na Misionari, 1842. 418pp. plus seven woodcut plates. Frontis. 12mo. Mid-19th-century gilt-tooled calf, evidently a Hawaiian binding, spine gilt. Boards a bit rubbed, slight wear at extremities. Later pencil notes on endpapers and pastedowns. A few instances of light, scattered foxing. Very good. The rare first edition in Hawaiian of Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, and the first printing in Hawaiian of an English literary classic. The Hawaiian title translates as The Traveler from This World to That Which is to Come. In 1840 the American Tract Society in Honolulu hoped to publish an abridged edition of Bunyan if a translator could be found, and in 1841 Artemas Bishop took on the task, promising the Society that "it will prove one of the most popular works in the Hawaiian Language." Unfortunately for Artemas and the Society, the book flopped and the 10,000 copies that were printed were remaindered in unbound sheets, most of which were disposed of to Chinese vegetable peddlers for wrapping produce. For copies that survived this, the rate of attrition, as with all early Hawaiian works of this type, remained very high, and the book is quite scarce today. The work failed to impact the Hawaiians, as the English allusions lost all meaning when translated. The names of the extensive cast of characters became incomprehensible – Mr. Lechery became Kekowale (literally, lust + only), and Mrs. Filth became Pelapela (decayed flesh). Some of the surviving unbound sheets of this book were bound into limp suede in 1910. This copy, on the other hand, is in a contemporary Hawaiian binding of the mid-19th century, which is most unusual and notably rare. See David Forbes, Buniana (San Francisco, 1984), for an extensive discussion of the book. FORBES HAWAII 1351. JUDD, HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE IMPRINTS 237. $4500. First Hawaiian Bible Issued 86. [Hawaiian Bible]: KA PALAPALA HEMOLELE E IEHOVA KO KAKU AKUA O KE KAUOHA KAHIKO A ME KE KAUOHA HOU I UNUHIIA MAILOKO MAI O NA OLELO KAHIKO.... Oahu & Honolulu. 1843. 1451pp. Large, thick octavo. Antique-style three-quarter calf and marbled boards, spine gilt, leather label. Faint toning. Contemporary presentation inscription on front free endpaper. Very good. The first joint publication of the Old and New Testaments as an entity in the Hawaiian language, printed for the American Bible Society at the Mission Presses in Oahu (Old Testament) and Honolulu (New Testament). A number of printings of various books or groups of books of the Bible were printed as early as 1827, and the first Hawaiian printing of the New Testament appeared in 1835, with the Old Testament following in 1838. These printings are frequently found bound together, although issued separately. This is the first publication of the complete approved text as an entity, paginated continuously, and issued as one book. The New Testament has its own titlepage (page 1129) and imprint. The verso of the first titlepage bears the words, "Ka lua o ke pai ana" (the second printing), referring to the only other printing of the entire Old Testament in 1838 at the same press. A second printing of the entire Bible was made later in 1843; but curiously enough, Judd, et al, record no other complete printing of the Bible in the Hawaiian language through 1899. A lovely copy of an important Hawaiian Bible. JUDD 265. FORBES HAWAII 1416. HUNNEWELL, pp.24-25. $6500. The Hawaiian Constitution of 1852 87. [Hawaii]: CONSTITUTION AND LAWS OF HIS MAJESTY KAMEHAMEHA III., KING OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS, PASSED BY THE NOBLES AND REPRESENTATIVES AT THEIR SESSION, 1852. Honolulu. 1852. 88pp. Dbd. A few pencil notes. A very good copy. In a half morocco and cloth box. This scarce volume prints the full text of the newly-created Constitution and the laws passed in 1852 for the kingdom of Hawaii. The constitution, which was written by a three-man committee in 1851, revises the 1840 constitution and includes 105 articles, the first of which echoes the language of the American Declaration of Independence regarding human liberty. The 1852 Constitution heavily liberalized the structure of the Hawaiian government compared to the 1840 constitution, introducing new elements of democracy into the government and reducing the influence of the monarch in kingdom affairs. The text spells out the frame of government of the islands, including the powers of the King and his ministers, the legislature, governors, and the courts. Also included here are the session laws passed by the legislature in 1852, including a law removing the poll tax for women, the establishment of a fire department, several harbor and shipping regulations, a law relating to stallions, a prohibition from selling liquor on Sundays, and a law prohibiting the carrying of deadly weapons. Uncommon and quite interesting. FORBES 1868. JUDD, LAWS OF HAWAII, p.3. CARTER, p.108. $6500. First Honolulu Directory 88. [Hawaii]: Bennett, C.C: HONOLULU DIRECTORY, AND HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE HAWAIIAN OR SANDWICH ISLANDS. Honolulu: Printed by C.C. Bennett, 1869. xii,88,xiii-xxviii pp. with the Roman numeral pages being all ads. Original printed salmon-colored boards, backed by straight-grained sheep. Boards quite rubbed, worn, and soiled; backstrip insect-damaged and worn at ends. Small hole punched through center of spine and the inner blank margin of all leaves. Early ownership signatures on front pastedown and titlepage. A few instances of early pencil emendations and corrections, some editorial in nature. Lightly tanned, but generally quite clean internally. A good copy. In a half morocco box. A rarity of Hawaiiana, this is the first Honolulu city directory in the true first edition (and not the 1871 second edition that retained the 1869 titlepage), but in what appears to be a previously unknown second issue. In this copy the first paragraph of the "Historical Sketch" corrects the misspelling of the name of James Jackson Jarves, which was misspelled "Jarvis" (as noted by Forbes) in what should now be considered the first issue. The present copy is clearly not the 1871 second edition as the chronology ends with Aug. 2, 1869 and the directory portion is partly printed in double columns (see Forbes for further differences between the 1869 and 1871 editions). This copy, then, would appear to be the second issue of the first edition, not noted by Forbes, containing at least the one correction noted and possibly more. This copy also contains several pencil marks that often take the form of editorial corrections, changes which may have been worked into the 1871 second edition. This copy bears two intriguing early ownership signatures. The titlepage carries the ownership signature of "H.M. Whitney," the importer and dealer in foreign and domestic goods, and the publisher of the weekly Pacific Commercial Advertiser. An ad for Whitney’s businesses appears in the rear of the directory. See Forbes 2890 for Whitney’s scathing review of the 1871 edition of Bennett’s directory. There is also the ownership signature on the front pastedown of "A.P. Taylor, Honolulu," likely the early 20th-century commercial agent. The directory is found on pages 77-86, with additions on the final advertisement leaf. Private citizens and businesses are listed, as are the locations of a number of "vacant lots" in the "V" section of the alphabet. The advertisements contain valuable information on businesses in operation in Honolulu at the time, including grocers, importers, a pastry chef, a book binder, and support businesses for the maritime trades. A separate section lists and describes churches, educational institutions, and government offices. Most of the text is taken up by the "Historical Sketch," which begins with Cook’s discovery and concludes with events in the 1860s. There are also useful sections on manners and customs of the Hawaiian people and the phenomenon of population decrease in the islands. Forbes locates only seven copies. Rare, important, and very desirable, this copy made even more so by its "second issue" status and pencil corrections. FORBES HAWAII 2821. $12,500. >> Kansas 89. [Ioway and Sac Mission]: [Hamilton, William, and Samuel M. Irvin]: YA-WAE PA-HU-CAE E-CAE AE-TA-NAE E-TU-HCE WA-U-N A-H A...ORIGINAL HYMNS IN THE IOWAY LANGUAGE. Indian Territory [i.e. Kansas]: Ioway and Sac Mission Press, 1843. 62pp. Titlepages in Iowa and English. 12mo. Dbd. A few leaves dog-eared, else internally very clean, fresh, and near fine. A remarkable item, this is one of the first two titles issued from the Sac Mission Press (the priority is uncertain), printed in an edition of only 125 copies, and surviving in only a handful of copies. It was printed eleven years before the establishment of Kansas Territory, on the second press to operate in present-day Kansas. William Hamilton first went to live among the Iowa and Sac Indians as a Presbyterian missionary in 1837, at the age of twenty-six, and remained among them for fifteen years. It was there that he met Rev. Samuel Irvin, who had arrived earlier that year. Hamilton and Irvin were sent a printing press in April 1843, and they set about teaching themselves the craft of printing. More importantly, they had taken on the difficult task of adapting the Iowa language to the English alphabet, hoping to teach the Iowa to read their own language, and to learn English as well. This title, as well as an introductory work on the Iowa language, was issued within a few months of the arrival of the press. Priority between the two has not been established, though McMurtrie and Allen list the present title second in their bibliography of the Sac Mission Press. It is a lengthy hymn book, with the text all in the Iowa dialect. The only other copy of this title to appear on the market was at the Siebert sale in 1999, where it fetched $12,650. It is not listed in Sabin, nor was there a copy in Ayer’s collection of Indian linguistics. Allen and McMurtrie identify a total of only nine items printed on the Ioway and Sac Mission Press, a true "pioneer enterprise." A remarkable survival, and a significant, substantial, and pioneering frontier imprint. McMURTRIE & ALLEN, A FORGOTTEN PIONEER PRESS OF KANSAS 2. PILLING, SIOUAN, pp.32-33. GRAFF 1758. SIEBERT SALE 1033. $13,500. Catechism in the Iowa Language 90. [Ioway and Sac Mission]: [Hamilton, William, and Samuel M. Irvin]: WE-WV-HAE-KJU [caption title]. [Indian Territory (i.e. Kansas): Ioway and Sac Mission Press, 1844]. 29pp. 12mo. Dbd. A bit of light tanning, else internally very clean, fresh, and near fine. A remarkable item, this is the fourth title issued from the Sac Mission Press, printed in an edition of only 200 copies, and surviving in only a handful of copies. This catechism in the Iowa language was printed twelve years before the establishment of Kansas Territory, on the second press to operate in present-day Kansas. William Hamilton first went to live among the Iowa and Sac Indians as a Presbyterian missionary in 1837, at the age of twenty-six, and remained among them for fifteen years. It was there that he met Rev. Samuel Irvin, who had arrived earlier that year. Hamilton and Irvin were sent a printing press in April 1843, and they set about teaching themselves the craft of printing. More importantly, they had taken on the difficult task of adapting the Iowa language to the English alphabet, hoping to teach the Iowa to read their own language, and to learn English as well. This catechism was issued within a year of the arrival of the press. It contains no formal imprint, and only an Iowa-language caption title. McMurtrie and Allen assign it a publication date of 1844. Not in Sabin or the Graff collection. The only other copy of this title to appear for sale in recent years is the Siebert copy, which brought $6325 at his sale in 1999. Allen and McMurtrie identify a total of only nine items printed on the Ioway and Sac Mission Press, a true "pioneer enterprise." A significant and rare frontier imprint. McMURTRIE & ALLEN, A FORGOTTEN PIONEER PRESS OF KANSAS 4. PILLING, SIOUAN, pp.32-33. SIEBERT SALE 1034. AYER, INDIAN LINGUISTICS (IOWA) 3. $6500. 91. [Kansas Territory]: JOURNAL OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE TERRITORY OF KANSAS. AT THE FIRST SESSION OF THE FIRST TERRITORIAL LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY, BEGUN AND HELD AT THE TOWN OF PAWNEE, ON MONDAY, THE 2d DAY OF JULY, IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD ONE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FIVE. Shawnee, M.L.S.: John T. Brady, 1855. 382,69pp. Contemporary sheep, rebacked, leather label. Binding a bit scuffed. Scattered foxing. Overall good plus. This Kansas territorial journal records the actions of the pro-slavery faction that secured control of the legislature which ousted the Free State body, and in defiance of the governor, removed the seat of government to Shawnee. "Here in a house without roof or floor, and with more than half the members camping out in wagons and tents, midst a rainy hot season and an outbreak of Cholera they conducted the high-handed proceedings and formulated the statutes here recorded and since known to history as the ‘Bogus Laws’" – Eberstadt. "A record of the first session of House of Representatives of Kansas Territory, a body of the Pro-slavery legislature. The last 69 pages contain an appendix that includes the opinion of the Supreme Court in regard to the legality of the first session, a memorial from the territorial legislature to the President of the United States, a report of the committee on judiciary, a minority report of the judiciary committee, the resignation of Samuel D. Houston, and the rules and orders for conducting business in the House of Representatives and the joint rules for the government of the Council and House..." – Dary. A rare early Kansas imprint. DARY 10. KANSAS IMPRINTS 48. SABIN 37045. EBERSTADT 137:340. $2750. 92. [Kansas]: KANSAS FREE STATE...[caption title]. [Lawrence: Josiah Miller & R.G. Elliott, 1855]. [4]pp. Large folio newspaper. Heavily dampstained, moderate separations along folds, some tears along right edge affecting text. Good. The first issue of this uncommon Kansas newspaper, published from 1855 to 1857, dedicated to keeping Kansas free of slavery. Among the approximately sixty-nine recorded imprints for 1855, most non-governmental documents advocated a "free state." The lead article outlines the liberal mission of the newspaper. Extremely rare. Not in McMurtrie. OCLC 8807245. $1000. >> Illinois Very Rare Narrative and Early 93. Kinzie, Juliette A.: NARRATIVE OF THE MASSACRE AT CHICAGO, AUGUST 15, 1812, AND OF SOME PRECEDING EVENTS. Chicago: Ellis & Fergus, 1844. 34pp. Frontispiece map. Modern blue morocco, stamped in gilt, gilt inner dentelles, by the Scroll Club bindery of New York. Quite clean. Very good. The Littell copy, with their book label. In a blue cloth box. A presentation copy, inscribed in pencil by the author on the verso of the map (inscription partially cropped). "One of the great Chicago books. It is the earliest separately printed account of the Chicago Massacre, written originally for the grandchildren of John Kinzie, the first permanent settler of Chicago, from eyewitness accounts..." – Streeter. "Most notable historical narrative from Chicago’s pioneer press; based on conversations with Mrs. Hale and other survivors" – Howes. Mrs. Kinzie, the author, translated the oral narratives she received from her relatives into a first-person account of the tragedy. Easily the most interesting book printed in Chicago before 1850, and a legendary rarity. The last copies we are aware of having been on the market are the Streeter copy, resold at the Sonneborn sale in 1980, and one sold by this firm in 1989. HOWES K170, "c." STREETER SALE 1480. GRAFF 2339. FIELD 832. VAUGHAN 169. JONES 1090. SABIN 3790. BYRD 872. McMURTRIE (CHICAGO) 75. $11,000. 94. Hall, Wm. Moseley: SPEECH OF WM. MOSELEY HALL, OF BUFFALO, N.Y. IN SUPPORT OF HIS RESOLUTIONS, WHICH PASSED UNANIMOUSLY, IN FAVOR OF A NATIONAL R. ROAD TO THE PACIFIC, ON THE PLAN OF GEO. WILKES, DELIVERED AT THE GREAT RIVER AND HARBOR CONVENTION, AT CHICAGO, ILL..... Chicago: Journal Office Print, 1847. 22pp. Modern half morocco. Three instances of early ink highlighting margins, bleeding through onto surrounding pages. Four lines struck through by pencil but still legible. Overall very good. One of the earliest speeches on the subject of a Pacific railroad, and a scarce Chicago imprint. The River and Harbor Convention met in Chicago in 1847 (coincidentally, the first convention ever held in Chicago) to discuss the issues of commercial navigation and transportation on the lakes and rivers of the United States. Hall took the opportunity of the meeting to deliver an impassioned speech on the necessity of a railroad from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean, and the logic of government funding of its construction. Hall endorses the construction plan of George Wilkes, who proposed that the railroad be built and owned by the federal government, over the competing privately funded charter plans of Asa Whitney and Hartwell Carver. Byrd locates nine copies. An early and important analysis of the feasibility of a railroad to the Pacific. Scarce. LITERATURE RELATING TO THE UNION PACIFIC, p.11. McMURTRIE (CHICAGO) 117. BYRD 1190. HOWES H91, "aa." GRAFF 1744. SABIN 29862. OCLC 27772347. $3000. >> Oklahoma The Bible in Cherokee 95. [Cherokee Language]: Jones, Evan and John B. [trans]: [SAMMELBAND OF FIVE WORKS IN CHEROKEE LANGUAGE]. [Cherokee Nation, present-day Oklahoma]: Baptist Mission Press, 1848-1849. Five works bound in one volume, each with its own titlepage in English and Cherokee. Narrow 16mo. Old half roan and cloth. Some scattered foxing and browning. Spine ends worn. Overall quite good. First editions in Cherokee. The five works are Ephesians (1848), Galatians (1848), Philippians (1848), Corinthians (1849), and Romans (1849). Not in Ayer, Indian Linguistics. FOREMAN, pp.27-28. GILCREASE, pp.45-46. HARGRETT 118, 120, 122, 133, 134. PILLING, IROQUOIAN, p.94. $3500. 96. [Cherokee Language]: Worchester, Samuel Austin, and Stephen Foreman [trans]: ISAIAH. I-VII, XI, LII-LV [caption title]. [Park Hill: Mission Press, 1849]. 32pp. on folded sheets. Unbound. Some minor dampstaining in foremargins, which also have some gnawing, but text unaffected. Else a fresh copy, unopened, in original state. Very good. A rare Park Hill Mission imprint, with the text entirely in Cherokee and only the title in English. Five thousand copies were printed, but only a small number survive today. Hargrett locates eight copies. HARGRETT, OKLAHOMA 136. PILLING, IROQUOIAN, p.174. FOREMAN, p.8. GILCREASE, 47. $875. 97. [Cherokee Language]: THE EPISTLES OF PAUL TO TIMOTHY [caption title]. [Park Hill: Mission Press, 1853]. 24pp. printed on unbound folded sheets. Some scattered spotting. Overall very good and fresh, untrimmed and unopened. Third edition, after the first edition of 1844 and the second of 1849. A scarce Park Hill Mission imprint, entirely in Cherokee except for part of the title, which is in English. HARGRETT, OKLAHOMA 158. PILLING, IROQUOIAN, p.163. GILCREASE, p.49. $650. >> Utah The Earliest Utah Printing: 98. [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. Blindstamped 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. McMURTRIE, THE BEGINNINGS OF PRINTING IN UTAH, pp.13-20. Rust, Mormon and Utah Coin and Currency, pp.60-65. STREETER SALE 2285 (five pieces of currency). STREETER, AMERICANA BEGINNINGS 69 (ref). SAUNDERS, DESERET IMPRINTS 3. $3500. 99. [Utah Laws]: ACTS, RESOLUTIONS, AND MEMORIALS, PASSED AT THE FIRST ANNUAL, AND SPECIAL SESSIONS, OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY, OF THE TERRITORY OF UTAH...ALSO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES, AND THE ACT ORGANIZING THE TERRITORY OF UTAH. Salt Lake City: Brigham H. Young, Printer, 1852. 8,48,37-258pp. Gathered and sewn signatures, with plain end leaves. Some soiling and minor creasing, else very good. An important and very early Utah imprint. The eccentricity of pagination is due to the presence, with its own sectional title, of the Constitution of the United States...Also, "An Act to Establish a Territorial Government for Utah," which had been issued separately earlier in the year. A total of 2000 copies were ordered printed. McMURTRIE (UTAH) 15, 12. $600. The Second Year of the Utah War, 100. [Mormons]: THE DESERET NEWS BEING A WEEKLY JOURNAL FOR THE DIFFUSION OF GENERAL INTELLIGENCE AMONG THE LATTER DAY SAINTS. "TRUTH AND LIBERTY." Great Salt Lake City & Fillmore City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1858. [2]pp. followed by fifty-two issues (March 10, 1858 through March 2, 1859), approximately eight pages each. Folio. Contemporary three-quarter calf and marbled boards. Rubbed and scuffed. Occasional minute foxing and browning. Titlepage and preceding blank leaf detached. Very good. An extremely rare complete volume of this important Mormon newspaper, covering the critical second year of the Utah War and the abandonment of Salt Lake City. With Col. Albert Johnston’s Army of Utah camped on the outskirts of the city, Buchanan’s special envoy, Thomas Kane, worked furiously with the Mormon leadership to negotiate terms for the occupation of Salt Lake City. Though he convinced the Mormons to accept Buchanan’s newly appointed governor, Albert Cumming, the defiant Brigham Young declared a massive exodus southward with instructions that, should trouble with the Army develop, the Mormons were to burn all their settlements and abandon the territory. The press of the Deseret News joined what became known as "The Move," the largest of the many Mormon withdrawals. From May to September (nos. 9-26), the Deseret News was printed in Fillmore City, 148 miles south of Salt Lake. Articles from this troubled time include numerous editorials decrying the unfair treatment of Utah, especially in light of more grievous concerns in Kansas and the South. Of particular import is the June 16 issue, which reprints Buchanan’s proclamation of April 6 declaring Utah to be in rebellion. It also includes word of the creation of the Department of the Platte, established specifically to protect communications with the Army of Utah from Indian and Mormon raids. On July 7 the Deseret News printed Cumming’s June 14 proclamation of universal pardon for participants in the harassment of Johnston’s army. With a governor in power proving friendly to Mormon concerns and freedom from federal prosecution ensured, the remaining summer passed peacefully. By September the "Mormon War" was considered over and the Deseret News resumed publication in Salt Lake City. A compelling chronicle of troubles in Utah, and quite rare. Flake locates only five copies of this volume. FLAKE 2822. McMURTRIE (UTAH), pp.21-33, 86. $15,000. >> Minnesota 101. [Minnesota]: ANNALS OF THE MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY. Second Edition. St. Paul. 1850. 32pp. Original printed wrappers, disbound from a larger volume. Contemporary gift inscription to Historical Society of Pennsylvania from Hon. David Cooper on front wrapper. Ex-lib. with stamps, old crease, else internally fine. Notices of early explorations of Minnesota and accounts of early travellers. AII (MINNESOTA) 23. $200. >> Oregon Early Oregon Laws and Imprint 102. [Oregon]: STATUTES OF A GENERAL NATURE PASSED BY THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF THE TERRITORY OF OREGON.... Oregon City. 1851. 301pp. Antique-style three-quarter calf and marbled boards. Some toning and foxing throughout. Very good. This volume is known as the Hamilton Code, after its compiler, Edward Hamilton, and represents the first comprehensive volume of laws of Oregon Territory, issued during the second session of the Territorial Legislature. The laws were mostly written by Judge Matthew Deady, but compiled by Hamilton, whom President Zachary Taylor had appointed as Oregon’s territorial governor. Despite the imprint, the work was printed in New York and shipped to Oregon (see Belknap for the whole story). An important early western legal code. BELKNAP 44. $1500. >> Colorado 103. [Colorado]: GENERAL LAWS, JOINT RESOLUTIONS, MEMORIALS, AND PRIVATE ACTS, PASSED AT THE FIRST SESSION OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF THE TERRITORY OF COLORADO.... Denver: Thos. Gibson, Colorado Republican and Herald Office, 1861. 578,[2]pp. Modern half calf and marbled boards. Early ownership signature on titlepage. Trimmed a bit close, occasionally affecting a running headline. Internally clean and bright. A good plus copy. The actions of the first legislative body in Colorado and an early Colorado imprint. Included is the first "Organic Act" establishing the government of the Territory, and a thorough printing of all the laws in force. Among the laws printed are those governing Indians, the militia, cattlemen, the education system, and much more. With a useful index. The basic source for understanding the early government of Colorado. McMURTRIE (COLORADO) 26. $1000. 104. [Colorado]: COUNCIL JOURNAL OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY. TERRITORY OF COLORADO. FIRST SESSION. BEGUN AND HELD AT DENVER, SEPTEMBER 9th, A.D., 1861. Denver: Thos. Gibson, Colorado Republican and Herald Office, 1862. 198pp. Original printed wrappers. Chipping at extremities, moderate soiling to wrappers, spine partially perished. Lower outer corner curled. Overall, good or better. The record of the first legislative assembly of the territory of Colorado and an example of early Colorado printing. McMURTRIE (COLORADO) 28. $750. >> South Dakota 105. [Dakota Territory]: GENERAL LAWS, AND MEMORIALS AND RESOLUTIONS OF THE TERRITORY OF DAKOTA, PASSED AT THE FIRST SESSION OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY, COMMENCED AT THE TOWN OF YANKTON, MARCH 17, AND CONCLUDED MAY 15.... [bound with, as issued:] PRIVATE LAWS OF THE TERRITORY OF DAKOTA.... Yankton: Josiah C. Trask, 1862. xvi,[4],561,iv,[4],38pp. Modern cloth. Spine bit soiled. Occasional light fox marks, else internally clean and very good. The first substantial production from the press in Dakota, and an important legal compendium for the West at this early date. SABIN 18296. ALLEN, DAKOTA IMPRINTS 4,5. $750. >> Montana 106. [Montana Mining]: [PRINTED MINING CLAIM RECEIPT, COMPLETED IN MANUSCRIPT AND RECORDED IN THE MADISON COUNTY RECORDER’S OFFICE]. [Virginia City, Mt.]: Montana Post Print, [1864]. 7½ x 3¼ inches. Slight wear. Very good. A very early example of Montana printing, and a record of early mining in the region. According to McMurtrie, the first printing press in Montana is believed to be that brought by Francis M. Thompson to Bannack in the spring of 1863. This press was followed a year later by the arrival at Virginia City of "more consequential printing equipment." This Virginia City press was run by Marion M. Manner, and printed the Montana Post and the present mining receipts. This same press produced the first printed book in Montana, the mining Laws of Fairweather District, in 1864. The present printed receipt is signed in manuscript by R.W. Hagaman, Recorder of Madison County, and dated in early 1865. An engraved image of an Indian is in the left margin, and the type is fairly unadorned. McMURTRIE (MONTANA), p.10. $400. The Extremely Rare First Edition 107. Dimsdale, Thomas J.: THE VIGILANTES OF MONTANA, OR POPULAR JUSTICE IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. BEING A CORRECT AND IMPARTIAL NARRATIVE OF THE CHASE, TRIAL, CAPTURE AND EXECUTION OF HENRY PLUMMER’S ROAD AGENT BAND, TOGETHER WITH ACCOUNTS OF THE LIVES AND CRIMES OF MANY OF THE ROBBERS AND DESPERADOES.... Virginia City, M.T.: Montana Post Press..., 1866. 228pp. plus two leaves of ads. Later plain wrappers. Wrappers stained and chipped around edges. Titlepage chipped at outer corners, not affecting text. Small ink stamp on verso of titlepage. Final eight text leaves with small stain in outer margin, more pronounced staining on advertisement leaves, otherwise quite clean internally and in overall very good condition. In a half morocco and cloth slipcase. The very rare first edition. "Perhaps no book excells [sic] Dimsdale’s in presenting the picture of the lawless conditions that characterized the mining camps of the Rocky Mountain country. The author was editor of the Virginia City Montana Post and a participant in the extraordinary campaign against lawlessness...Exceedingly rare" – Adams. "Not only the first, but textually the most important, book ever printed in Montana" – Howes. A legendary rarity of Montana and western outlaw books. HOWES D345, "b." MONTANA IMPRINTS 2. ADAMS SIX-GUNS 596. GRAFF 1086. STREETER SALE 2221. $17,500. 108. [St. Ignatius Mission Press]: SZMIMEIE-S JESUS CHRIST. A CATECHISM OF THE CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE IN THE FLAT-HEAD OR KALISPEL LANGUAGE. COMPOSED BY THE MISSIONARIES OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS. St. Ignatius Print, Mt. 1880. 17pp. Gathered signatures. Very good. The first part only of this rare St. Ignatius Mission imprint, containing the prayers and the catechism. The second part, which printed the prayers and hymns, comprises pages 19-45 (not present here). "Missionaries of the Society of Jesus" composed this abbreviated catechism. It is entirely in the Salishan (a.k.a. Kalispel) language. Chief among those responsible were Fathers Giorda, Cataldo, and Bandini. The printing was accomplished by native boys being trained on the Jesuits’ mission press. This is one of only 225 copies issued. AYER INDIAN LINGUISTICS (KALISPEL) 1. McMURTRIE (MONTANA) 122. PILLING, SALISHAN, p.28. SCHOENBERG 7. $500. >> Arizona Very Early Arizona Imprint 109. McCormick, Richard C.: MESSAGE OF HON. RICHARD C. McCORMICK, ACTING GOVERNOR OF THE TERRITORY OF ARIZONA, TO THE SECOND LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY. Prescott: Office of the Arizona Miner, 1865. [2],13pp. Folded sheets, untrimmed and unbound. Foredges stained and a bit frayed. Overall a very good copy in original state. In a half morocco box. A very rare early Arizona imprint. McCormick gives a "state of the territory" address, including discussions of both hostile and friendly Indians, and of the burgeoning mining industry in Arizona. McMurtrie locates only two copies of this rarity. McMURTRIE (ARIZONA) 7. ARIZONA IMPRINTS 7. MUNK, p.141. $7500. Extensive Run of Arizona 110. [Arizona]: [RUN OF FOURTEEN YEARS OF THE JOURNALS OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF THE TERRITORY OF ARIZONA]. Prescott, Tucson, & Lincoln, Ne. 1865-1869, 1871, 1873, 1877, 1879, 1881, 1883, 1887, 1889, 1891. Fourteen years’ journals bound in eighteen volumes. 250,xviii; 258,[1]; 267,[2]; 261,[2]; 268,[5]; 396; 366; 404; 442; 1053; 684; 652; 451; 586pp. Uniform modern red cloth, black leather labels. Old ink and perforation stamps on titlepages and preliminary leaves, some moderate edge chipping and paper repairs in some volumes. Overall a good, clean set. An extensive run of the journals of the Arizona legislature, covering fourteen years of the important early territorial period, and including the journals for the first legislative assembly of the Territory. These volumes comprise a mine of important early political and legislative information concerning Arizona, beginning with Lincoln’s appointment of the first officials of the Territory. The journals for 1881 are bound in three volumes, as are those for 1883. All the journals were printed in Arizona (either Prescott or Tucson) except those for 1883, which were printed in Lincoln, Nebraska. As great a run of important Arizona territorial imprints as one might find. AII (ARIZONA) 11, 17, 24, 28, 30, 36, 45, 50, 59, 121, 144. McMURTRIE (ARIZONA) 11, 15, 20, 24, 26, 30, 32. STREETER SALE 508 (1865 journals only). $10,000. >> Idaho 111. [Crow Language]: PRAYERS IN THE CROW INDIAN LANGUAGE COMPOSED BY THE MISSIONARIES OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS. Idaho: De Smet Mission Print, 1891. [4],17pp. Original printed wrappers. Near fine. Scarce De Smet Mission imprint. "The Conspectus Auctorum et Librorum attributes this...to Fathers Crimont, Cataldo and Prando jointly. It is probable that the greatest portion of the work was done by Prando, recognized by the Jesuits as their great authority on the Crow language" – Schoenberg. The prayers make up the first ten pages, and the next seven pages are Father Joseph Cataldo’s "Catechismus." Not in Ayer. SCHOENBERG 74. $500. >> Alaska 112. [Alaska Gold Rush]: EXTRA! ALASKA FORUM. Rampart, Ak.: Forum Publishing Co., Sept. 1, 1901. 4pp., each page printed in four columns. Folio. Folded bifolium leaf, cleanly separated at the fold. Age-toned and brittle (as to be expected). Some chips and tears at edges. Still, a very good copy. The extremely rare extra issue of the Alaska Forum, printed entirely as a promotional publication to attract miners to Rampart, Alaska during the gold rush. The four pages of the Extra include various reports of the fabulous finds in the area of Rampart, "on the Yukon River, in American territory, about mid way between St. Michaels and Dawson City, or approximately one thousand miles from each." Headlines include news such as "A New Eldorado," "Richer than Ever," "Bench Diggings," and "Paystreak is Located." Additional articles concern areas overlooked in the past, opportunities for quartz prospectors, the need for machinery, capital, and summer mining ("Rampart No Longer A Winter Camp Exclusively – More Summer Work Than Ever Before." Clearly published to promote mining and, by extension, economic development in Rampart and the surrounding region, the column-long editorial on page 2 states:
While the exact number of copies printed of this Extra is not known, only two extant copies of this Sept. 1, 1901 special issue are recorded at the Beinecke Library and the DeGolyer Library. Printed between Sept. 27, 1900 and Aug. 4, 1906, few copies of any issue of Alaska Forum have survived. Of the nine locations listed in OCLC, four libraries (including all three Alaska institutions) hold only microfilm sets. The University of Washington holds twenty individual issues from 1904 and 1905, NYPL has issues from 1905, Denver Public Library has a single issue from 1905, and the Beinecke holds an additional single issue from 1901. A remarkable surviving promotional publication from the Alaskan gold rush. OCLC 22038311 (Alaska Forum, 1900-1906) (ref). $850. |
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Papers
on Book Collecting by William S. Reese
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