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Catalogue 263 Recent
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Section V: Mills to Scudder |
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131. Mills, Robert: ATLAS OF THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, MADE UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE LEGISLATURE; PREFACED WITH A GEOGRAPHICAL, STATISTICAL AND HISTORICAL MAP OF THE STATE. [Philadelphia: A. Finley ("titlepage" map) and H.S. Tanner (district maps), 1838]. Double-page folio titlepage featuring colored map of South Carolina, published by A. Finley. Followed by twenty-eight double-page or larger folding "District maps" engraved by H.S. Tanner & Assistants. Atlas: Folio. Bound to style in half calf over blue sugar paper-covered boards, spine divided into seven compartments by horizontal rules, red morocco lettering piece in the second compartment. Three of the maps with expertly repaired tears (see notes below). Very good. A magnificent work of American cartography, this is the rare second edition of the first American state atlas. It follows and improves upon the first edition of Mills’ South Carolina atlas, issued in 1825. Mills’ work is not only the first, but one of the finest American state atlases, utilizing the most current scientific surveying techniques to draw incredibly accurate and descriptive maps of each district of South Carolina. The maps were prepared for publication by Robert Mills, the talented architect and engineer who studied with James Hoban and Benjamin Latrobe, and who would go on to design the Washington Monument. Ristow points out that Mills’ atlas was intimately associated with the trend in internal improvements that flourished in the United States in the first decades of the 19th century, and the maps in this atlas take great care to show the roads and rivers that were so important in facilitating transportation, communication, and commerce. In fact, the creation of these maps was an outgrowth of this trend, as states commissioned engineers and surveyors to create detailed and current maps. South Carolina was late in the game, not commissioning a state map until 1815, when an authorization of $5,000 per year was made to pay for surveys to be conducted under the supervision of George Blackburn, a mathematics professor. Ultimately, twenty surveyors were charged with creating maps of the twenty-eight judicial districts of the state (Waddell provides biographical details on each surveyor). Between 1817 and 1821 manuscript maps were created for each district, based on astronomical, geodetic, and topographic surveys and field work, and using modern scientific techniques. In 1822, John Wilson used the district maps to produce his map of the entire state of South Carolina, which was engraved by H.S. Tanner in Philadelphia. In 1825 each map was updated (or "improved") by Robert Mills in preparation for the publication of this atlas. The names of the surveyors are noted on each district map, except for the maps of the Darlington and Marlborough districts. Robert Mills was born in Charleston in 1781 and studied under James Hoban, the Irish-born architect who designed the White House. In Washington, Mills made the acquaintance of Thomas Jefferson and studied in Jefferson’s extensive architecture library before going to work as an assistant to Benjamin Latrobe in 1803. By 1809 he was established as an architect in Philadelphia, doing work in Baltimore and Richmond as well, and among his designs is the Washington monument in Baltimore. Late in his career Mills also designed the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., as well as the Treasury Building. In 1820, back in residence in South Carolina, he was appointed to that state’s department of Public Works. Aware of the surveying and cartographic work that had been undertaken in the state, he became determined to make the individual manuscript district maps more widely available by having them printed as an atlas. Mills undertook redrawing the district maps and making them uniform with one another. As part of this undertaking he travelled throughout the states, adding his personal observations and improvements to the maps. Mills engaged Henry Tanner of Philadelphia to print the maps for the atlas. Though dated 1825, the first edition of his atlas was not actually published until 1826, priced $15 a copy. It was a financial failure for Mills, who largely financed the project himself, and he eventually had to petition the South Carolina Legislature to purchase additional copies in order to relieve his hardship. Mills’ financial failure with the first edition did not keep him from pursuing an updated version of the atlas, however. In 1837 he petitioned the South Carolina legislature for $2,000 to enable him to buy the original copper plates from the engraver, and this request for funds was granted. With the copper plates in hand, Mills set about updating and revising his atlas, publishing this second edition in 1838. He updated the statistical information on the titlepage, brining it up to date for 1838, and the state map has been revised to show the South Carolina Railroad, and the fact that the Pendleton District had been split into two new districts, called Pickens and Anderson. A number of changes were made in the district maps, with cities added and road systems extended, and the 1825 date was been removed from each of the district maps. Unfortunately for Mills, this second edition was a financial failure as well. The individual District maps are a marvel of cartography, showing each region of the state in great detail. The maps are drawn on a scale of 1:125,000, two miles to the inch. Cities, towns, villages, swamps, woods, rivers, mountains, streams, lakes, and roads are all identified, and distances between towns and between towns and the coast are often given. The location of falls (and their heights) are noted on rivers, and other important transportation information is given as well. Public houses, mills, colleges, blacksmith shops, cotton factories, courthouses, doctors, and other notable locations are also identified, as are the names of property owners. The atlas, therefore, was valuable not only for its cartographic qualities, but as an engine of economic development. "The District maps are very detailed showing land owners, taverns, churches, mills, roads and some distances along the roads, swamps, mountains – all in the finest Tanner style of engraving" – Rumsey. "Mills’s Atlas of the State of South Carolina is a cartographic milestone because of its use of astronomical and scientific surveys for its district maps, its position as the first atlas of an individual state, and the impetus it gave to local and regional cartography in the early decades of the nineteenth century. It is also a tribute to the dedicated and self-sacrificing personal effort of Mills in carrying through to completion its compilation and publication. Monuments to Mills’s architectural genius still survive in several American cities, but his South Carolina atlas is the sole record of his contribution to the history of cartography in the United States" – Ristow, p.219. The maps in the atlas, in the order in which they appear, are:
Not in Phillips’ Atlases, nor does there appear to be a copy at the Library of Congress. The rare second edition of the first American state atlas, a landmark work in American cartography. SABIN 49113. RUMSEY 2792 (note). SCHWARTZ & EHRENBERG, p.251. AMERICAN IMPRINTS 51702. RISTOW, pp.207-19. Gene Waddell, "Robert Mills, Cartographer," introduction to Mills’ Atlas of the State of South Carolina 1825 (Greenville. 1980), pp. i-xii, 1-7. $75,000. 132. [Mitchell, S. Augustus]: [Young, J.H.]: MITCHELL’S NATIONAL MAP OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC OR UNITED STATES OF NORTH AMERICA. TOGETHER WITH MAPS OF THE VICINITIES OF THIRTY-TWO OF THE PRINCIPAL CITIES AND TOWNS IN THE UNION. Philadelphia: S. Augustus Mitchell, 1848. Wall map, 39 x 49 inches, full period color. Surrounded by thirty-two small maps of individual American cities. Expertly repaired, backed with modern linen, trimmed in maroon cloth, on contemporary rollers. Some creasing, toning, and staining, but overall in very good condition. The fifth edition of an important wall map of the United States, following editions of 1843, 1844, 1845, and 1846. Along with thirty-two small maps of individual American cities, there are two important additional inset maps, which appeared first in the 1846 version: "Map of Oregon Territory" (shown encompassing Oregon and Washington) and "Map of the State of Texas." The change in the Oregon Territory inset is significant, in that the inset on the 1846 edition showed Oregon going north into Canada, while the present inset shows Oregon Territory constrained by the boundaries of the Treaty of 1846. Texas includes virtually all of present-day New Mexico. Another two additional inset maps ("Map of the North-Eastern boundary of the United States According to the Treaty of 1842" showing the Maine-Canada boundary, and "Map of the Southern part of Florida") are carried over from earlier versions of the map. There are also two population tables. As with all of Mitchell’s early maps of the United States, the main map extends no further west than the 95th meridian (eastern Texas). Due to the tremendous territorial growth west of the 95th meridian brought about by the Mexican War (1846-48), the map was discontinued after 1850. The map, engraved by J.H. Brightly, also appeared at least once (1843) in a pocket map format, with the thirty-two town plans on a separate sheet. Not in Phillips’ Maps, which lists the 1843 edition. The present map is significantly different in size than the 1848 Mitchell wall map described in Rumsey 2300. An important map showing territorial gains made in the Mexican War. $4500. The Poorhouse of Santo Domingo 133. Moreau de Saint-Méry, Médéric Louis Élie: ÉLOGES DE M. TURC DE CASTELVEYRE ET DE M. DOLIOULES, FONDATEURS DES DEUX HOSPICES APPELÉS MAISONS DE PROVIDENCE, AU CAP FRANÇAIS, ISLE SAINT-DOMINGUE.... Paris: De l’Imprimerie de G.A. Rochette, 1790. 40pp. In French. Half title. Dbd. Foxing and light dampstaining on half title, light scattered foxing throughout, else very good. Moreau de Saint-Méry’s biographies of two 18th-century humanitarians of Saint-Domingue, Louis Turc de Castelveyre and François Dolioules, both founders of homes for the poor in Cap-Français (now Cap-Haitien, Haiti). Turc de Castelveyre, "Frère Chrétien," was the better known of the two, a French Hospitaller monk who had worked with orphans in Canada before moving to Saint-Domingue in 1735 and founding an orphanage and home for the elderly and infirm in Cap-Français called Maison de Providence. Soon after, Dolioules, the chief mason of Cap-Français, began working with the Sisters of Saint Mary to establish a home for poor girls and "pauvres femmes honteuses," which eventually became known as "la Providence des femmes" and fell under common administration with "la Providence des hommes." In the course of the women’s home becoming associated with the men’s, Dolioules’s efforts were conflated with those of Brother Christian, and Dolioules was forgotten by the public, a fact that Moreau hoped to correct in the present work. Médéric Louis Élie Moreau de Saint-Méry (1750-1819) was born on Martinique in 1750. After studying law in France, he lived in Cap-Français for a decade, where he researched colonial law and discovered Columbus’ tomb, which he restored at his own expense. In 1783 he returned to Paris and, from 1784 to 1790, published an exhaustive work on laws in the Caribbean colonies. In the meantime, he became involved in politics, and as President of the Electors of Paris he was handed the keys to the Bastille after it was stormed. In 1794 he fled France one jump ahead of Robespierre and the guillotine, and settled in Philadelphia, where he established himself as a well-respected bookseller and publisher in both émigré and native intellectual circles. OCLC locates four copies of Éloges, at the American Philosophical Society, Brown, New York Public Library, and the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in Germany. Scarce. DAB XIII, pp.156-57. $1850. 134. Moultrie, William: MEMOIRS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, SO FAR AS IT RELATED TO THE STATES OF NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA, AND GEORGIA. New York: Printed by David Longworth, 1802. Two volumes. 506; 446pp. Portrait in first volume. Contemporary calf. First volume expertly rebacked with original backstrip laid down, gilt leather label; second volume with modern calf backstrip in matching style, gilt leather label. Boards a bit shelfworn. Early ownership signature on front free endpaper of first volume; institutional ink stamp on titlepage of second volume. Text tanned, some foxing. Good. A scarce work, and one of the most valuable firsthand narratives of the American Revolution in the South. At the outbreak of the Revolution, Moultrie was a politician and an officer in the South Carolina colonial regiment (where he had risen to prominence during the Cherokee War). He was eventually promoted to the position of brigadier-general in the Continental Army. Moultrie fought in several important southern battles, including the defense of Fort Sullivan in 1776, and helped lead the defense of Charleston from the British before his forces were finally overcome in 1780. He was taken prisoner and held for more than a year, after which the British tried to bring him to their side by offering him a command in Jamaica. "Of great value for the history of the Revolution in South Carolina and Georgia" – DAB. "The author’s position as Governor of South Carolina, afforded him ample facilities to consult original authorities, and the result of his researches is a good book" – Sabin. "One of the most interesting of the Revolutionary narratives" – Larned. HOWES M865, "aa." SABIN 51142. SHAW & SHOEMAKER 2704. LARNED 1441. DAB XIII, pp.293-94. $5500. 135. Neal, Daniel: THE HISTORY OF NEW-ENGLAND CONTAINING AN IMPARTIAL ACCOUNT OF THE CIVIL AND ECCLESIASTICAL AFFAIRS OF THE COUNTRY TO...1700. TO WHICH IS ADDED THE PRESENT STATE OF NEW-ENGLAND. WITH A NEW AND ACCURATE MAP OF THE COUNTRY. AND AN APPENDIX CONTAINING THEIR PRESENT CHARTER, THEIR ECCLESIASTICAL DISCIPLINE, AND THEIR MUNICIPAL-LAWS. London: Printed for J. Clark, R. Ford, and R. Cruttenden, 1720. Two volumes. [1],vi,x,[2],330; [4],331-712,xv,[1]pp. plus folding map and including publisher’s advertisements on final printed page. Contemporary calf, front and rear covers decorated in blind. Boards rubbed, neatly rebacked in matching calf, leather labels. 18th-century ownership marks on front pastedown and front free endpaper of first volume. Map backed on Japan tissue. A good set. Larned has high praise for this book: "[Neal’s] work was superior to anything of the kind that preceded it...his attitude is that of one who wishes to remain impartial. He deals chiefly with political, religious, and military questions, but has an interesting chapter, largely condensed from Josselyn, describing the state of New England; and he has paid some attention to legislative history...His style is often sprightly and he displays a sense of humor. For some aspects of the revolution of 1688-1689 his work is still useful." Contains a few Indian words and sentences, with English translations. The map is an excellent depiction of New England from Long Island north. HOWES N26, "aa." PILLING, PROOF-SHEETS 2726. LARNED 992. SABIN 52140. EUROPEAN AMERICANA 720/178. $2500. 136. [New Hampshire]: IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD, ONE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND SEVENTY SIX. STATE OF NEW-HAMPSHIRE. AN ACT, FOR REGULATING THE CHOICE OF COUNTY TREASURERS AND RECORDERS OF DEEDS IN THE SEVERAL COUNTIES IN SAID STATE.... Portsmouth, N.H. 1777. pp.47-54. Folio. Gathered signatures. Small tears and chips at edges. Creases in upper half of first signature, obscuring some characters of text. Light scattered foxing. Early ink inscriptions on pages 47 and 49. Good. Early acts and laws of the state of New Hampshire, issued during the American Revolution. This publication contains a total of five acts, addressing county treasurers, smallpox prevention, the state militia, and treason. Contemporary ink inscriptions on two leaves indicate that this copy was issued to the selectmen of Hopkinton, New Hampshire. NAIP locates only one copy, at Harvard. BRISTOL B4525. SHIPTON & MOONEY 43303. WHITTEMORE 205. $1250. American Color Plate Book 137. Nicholson, William: AN ALMANAC OF TWELVE SPORTS...WITH WORDS BY RUDYARD KIPLING. New York: R.H. Russell, 1898. [30]pp. including twelve color plates. Quarto. Original pictorial cloth-backed paper over boards. Front board detached, binding lightly worn at extremities, else a very good copy. First American edition, after the first London edition of the same year. With twelve color lithographs after British artist William Nicholson’s original woodcut illustrations, showing hunting, coursing, racing, boating, fishing, cricket, archery, coaching, shooting, golf, boxing, and skating. BENNETT, p.84. $1000. 138. [Ohio]: McLaughlin, George: ART WORK OF CINCINNATI. Chicago: The W.H. Parish Publishing Co., 1893. 20 text leaves, plus seventy-one photogravure plates. Folio. Later three-quarter calf and cloth. Moderate age-toning, very occasional foxing, else very good. A beautiful photographic tour of Cincinnati, Ohio, featuring seventy-one photogravure plates of various late 19th-century views of the city, focusing especially on the splendid Italianate architecture of the time. A historical sketch by George McLaughlin outlines the history of the city, beginning with its earliest exploration and settlement up until Reconstruction, complemented by scenic views from Newport Bridge, Eden Park, and Burnet Woods, and numerous plates giving prominence to some of Cincinnati’s more recent architectural achievements such as the Music Hall – the site of the 1880 Democratic National Convention, the Rookwood Pottery, Central Union Station, and the Carew Building. An early scene of Clifton Avenue features a lone horse-drawn carriage, while several plates show interiors of the Art Museum and the U.S. Circuit and District Court Room. A lovely work, highlighting Cincinnati’s architectural accomplishments during its evolution as a major city. OCLC locates only six copies. $1250. 139. Oldmixon, John: THE BRITISH EMPIRE IN AMERICA, CONTAINING THE HISTORY OF THE DISCOVERY, SETTLEMENT, PROGRESS AND PRESENT STATE OF ALL THE BRITISH COLONIES ON THE CONTINENT AND ISLANDS OF AMERICA...WITH CURIOUS MAPS OF SEVERAL PLACES, DONE FROM THE NEWEST SURVEYS BY HERMAN MOLL, GEOGRAPHER. London: Printed for John Nicholson, Benjamin Tooke, Richard Parker & Ralph Smith, 1708. Eight folding maps by Herman Moll. Contemporary paneled calf, rebacked. Very good. Provenance: Earls of Clarendon ("The Grove," Hertfordshire, armorial bookplate); R.H. Isham (armorial bookplate); Frederick Spiegelberg (leather book label). First edition, with material omitted from the second edition. Oldmixon’s name is signed to the dedication of this first edition only, and Sabin suggests authorship should be attributed to Moll, who produced the maps. In many other respects the editions are different. There is much material on Pennsylvania that is contained in the first and not the second, "apparently derived from personal communication with William Penn" (JCB). The British possessions in North America are described in the first volume, while those in the West Indies are described in the second. The maps depict North America; New England, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania; Virginia and Maryland; Carolina; Barbados; St. Christopher’s; and Jamaica, among others. EUROPEAN AMERICANA 708/95. HANDLER 19. HOWES O61. JCB (III)1:117. KRESS 2597. LANDE 690. RICH, p.64 (later ed). SABIN 57156. TPL 38. $9500. One of Paine’s Rarest Works 140. [Paine, Thomas]: PUBLIC GOOD, BEING AN EXAMINATION INTO THE CLAIMS OF VIRGINIA TO THE VACANT WESTERN TERRITORY, AND OF THE RIGHT OF THE UNITED STATES TO THE SAME. TO WHICH IS ADDED, PROPOSALS FOR LAYING OFF A NEW STATE, TO BE APPLIED AS A FUND FOR CARRYING ON THE WAR, OR REDEEMING THE NATIONAL DEBT. By the author of Common Sense. Philadelphia: Printed by John Dunlap, 1780. 38pp., including in-text diagrams. Gathered signatures, stitched as issued. Small hole in upper portion of titlepage, affecting the letters u, b, and l in "Public." Old light stains. Leaf B1 torn in the lower outer corner, affecting three letters on the verso; blank margin expertly supplied with matching paper. A good copy, untrimmed. In a half morocco box. One of the rarest and least known, yet most interesting and significant, works in Thomas Paine’s oeuvre. In the colonial era it was not unusual for colonies to claim all the lands to their west as part of their territory – in fact this right was written into many colonial charters. "When Virginia claimed the territory now known as West Virginia for herself, Paine immediately wrote and published [Public Good], in which he argues that the territory, having been won through the joint effort of the thirteen states, should benefit all. Naturally, this did not endear him to Virginia, and later, when the legislature of that state was asked to recompense Paine for his wartime activities, it refused to do so" – Gimbel. Paine argues that the unsettled west should be "a national fund for the benefit of all," and insisted that his views were not influenced by the fact that he owned 300 shares in the Indiana Company, which stood to profit if Virginia’s claims were disallowed. Paine’s argument was not solely self-interested, as he continues in Public Good the same arguments for a strong federal union and the warnings against the dangers of state sovereignty that he made in Common Sense. He also calls for the convening of a "Continental convention" to draw up a new federal constitution with a strong central government. Paine also calls for the creation of a new state to the west of Virginia, with the land to be sold and the proceeds used to fund the war effort and defray Revolutionary War debt. We have been able to trace only two copies (one of them the Streeter copy) as having appeared at auction in the past forty years. Rare and desirable, touching on many issues confronting the United States in its infancy. GIMBEL 31. STREETER SALE 1301. EVANS 16920. HOWES P30, "aa." SABIN 58237. ANB 16, pp.925-28. $12,500. The Very Rare First Edition 141. Paine, Thomas: THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ENGLISH SYSTEM OF FINANCE [caption title]. Paris: Printed by Hartley, Adlard and Son, 1796. 32pp. Dbd. Foxed. Else very good. In a half morocco box. Paine’s vituperative essay on the decay of the British finance system, one of the works he wrote while living in Paris in the 1790s. This is the rare first of many editions. It was quickly reprinted in both England and the United States, and included in various later collections of his works. Gimbel did not own a copy, and had to use one of the reprints in his famous Paine exhibition. KRESS B3262. GIMBEL 101 (reprint). $2500. 142. Peck, J.M.: A GUIDE FOR EMIGRANTS CONTAINING SKETCHES OF ILLINOIS, MISSOURI, AND THE ADJACENT PARTS. Boston: Lincoln and Edmands, 1831. 336pp., plus folding colored frontispiece map. 16mo. Original cloth, printed paper label. Spine sunned, cloth stained and rubbed, spine ends and extremities worn. Three closed splits in map, with no loss. Light offsetting on titlepage, scattered light foxing. Good. An important early guide for western emigrants, with descriptions by county containing accounts of transportation, agriculture, etc. Also of note is the description of the Indian Territory. "Peck gathered much information first-hand and his books are of unusual value" – Buck. The handsome folding map depicts the "Western States" of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee. HOWES P171. GRAFF 3234. BUCK 236. CLARK III:86. SABIN 59484. AMERICAN IMPRINTS 8655. $1100. A Connecticut Tory 143. [Peters, Samuel A.]: A GENERAL HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT, FROM ITS FIRST SETTLEMENT UNDER GEORGE FENWICK, ESQ. TO ITS LATEST PERIOD OF AMITY WITH GREAT BRITAIN; INCLUDING A DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY, AND MANY CURIOUS AND INTERESTING ANECDOTES. London: Printed for the Author, 1781. x,2,436pp. Modern half morocco and cloth boards, leather label gilt. Contemporary ownership signature on titlepage. Titlepage lightly soiled. A very good copy. The author was a native of Hebron, Connecticut, and later rector of the Episcopal church there. "Mobbed in Connecticut for his Tory activities, Peters fled to England and, in retaliation, wrote this false and vicious misrepresentation of that commonwealth. Included were the Blue Laws of the New Haven Colony, manufactured by his animosity, but still swallowed as true by many people" – Howes. "The first edition is very rare" – Sabin. Church locates only three copies in America and one in the British Museum. HOWES P262, "b." SABIN 61209. WINSOR III:372. STEVENS, NUGGETS I:659. EBERSTADT 130:175. CHURCH 1183. $2500. 144. [Phoenix Assurance Company of London]: NEW-YORK...THIS POLICY OF ASSURANCE...WITNESSETH THAT ___ HA___ PAID THE SUM OF ___ TO THE UNDERSIGNED THEOPHYLACT BACHE AND ANDREW BACHE, ESQRS. OF NEW-YORK, AS AUTHORIZED AGENTS TO THE PHOENIX ASSURANCE-COMPANY OF LONDON, FOR INSURANCE FROM LOSS OR DAMAGE BY FIRE...[caption title]. [with:] LONDON, 1804. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. NEW-YORK. PROPOSALS FROM THE PHOENIX COMPANY OF LONDON FOR INSURING HOUSES, BUILDINGS, STORES, SHIPS IN HARBOUR, GOODS, WARES, AND MERCHANDIZE, FROM LOSS OR DAMAGE BY FIRE [caption title]. [London. 1804]. Bifolium (consisting of one broadside form and one broadside advertisement), 19½ x 12 inches. Copper-engraved scene, 5¾ x 7 inches, at head of form. Woodcut emblem, 3 x 4½ inches, at head of advertisement. Two vertical and three horizontal folds. Contemporary manuscript inscription, "June 1804," in left margin beside engraving in first leaf; contemporary manuscript inscriptions, dated Nov. 8, 1804, on blank verso of first leaf referring to policy rates in Charleston. Half-inch tear at gutter of first leaf, repaired in tape on verso. Portion of upper corner at foredge and portion of margin at gutter lacking from second leaf, supplied in later paper. Second leaf somewhat faded. Else near fine. Bifolium of two broadsides for the Phoenix fire insurance company of London at the time of the opening of its first agency in New York. The Phoenix Assurance Company, still operating today as Phoenix Life, Ltd., was founded in 1782 by a consortium of sugar refiners in London seeking more reasonable rates for the insurance of their risky holdings against fire. By the mid-1780s, Phoenix had established itself as a successful fire insurer across the whole of Great Britain for a wide array of businesses and homes. In 1785 the Phoenix Company sold its first North American policy at Charleston, and the first policy in New York was accepted two years later. It was not until 1804, however, that Phoenix began establishing actual agencies in the New World, breaking ground in New York with the appointment of Theophylact and Andrew Bache as agents there. The first leaf is a printed policy form for the Phoenix Company in New York, never filled in. The second leaf is an advertising broadside for the company, containing a table of rates for New York subscribers and a detailed list of conditions for new policies. The handsome copper engraving at the top of the form leaf depicts a helmeted goddess (presumably Athena) on a pedestal bearing a shield stamped with the word, "Protection," and the image of a phoenix rising from ashes. Behind the figure is a nighttime scene of the burning remains of a building and a family of victims spilling on to the street. A team of firefighters are extinguishing the flames with a pump-operated hose, and behind them is a scaffolded building under repair. The engraved caption reads: "Phoenix Fire Office, Lombardo Street and Charing Cross." A similar illustration in woodcut is included at the head of the "Proposals" broadside. Here, the goddess is the only figure depicted. On her left are both the burning building and the new construction; on her right is a ship at sea engulfed in flames. The hooks and axes of the firefighter adorn the sides of the cut. The Goldsmiths’-Kress Library of Economic Literature at Harvard lists a copy of the Boston variant of the advertising broadside. The only located institutional holding of this New York issue, however, is at the Connecticut Historical Society. No records of the printed form in any issue have been located. A rare and interesting pair of documents from the early history of international insurance. KRESS B4839 (variant). Clive Trebilcock, Phoenix Assurance and the Development of British Insurance Volume I 1782-1870 (Cambridge University Press, 1985), pp.184-201. $1250. First American Edition 145. Plattes, Gabriel: A DISCOVERY OF SUBTERRANEAN TREASURE: CONTAINING USEFUL EXPLORATIONS, CONCERNING ALL MANNER OF MINES AND MINERALS, FROM THE GOLD TO THE COAL; WITH PLAIN DIRECTIONS AND RULES FOR THE FINDING OF THEM IN ALL KINGDOMS AND COUNTRIES. IN WHICH THE ART OF MELTING, REFINING, AND ASSAYING THEM IS PLAINLY DECLARED.... Philadelphia: Printed and sold by Robert Bell, 1784. 37pp., plus [3]pp. of ads. 20th-century three-quarter red morocco and cloth, spine gilt. Binding lightly edgeworn. Previous owner’s name stamped on three (later) fly leaves. Titlepage tanned, with a tear in the foredge (not affecting text). Text generally quite clean. Good plus. The scarce first American edition of this 17th-century manual for the finding and refining of metals. Some consideration is given to the geologic processes leading up to the formation of deposits (Noah’s Flood is called in frequently to explain the then inexplicable) and the potential for discovery in diverse places, including the Americas: "for these Mines [in New-England, Virginia, Bermuda, Peru, etc.] if they prove rich, would yield more gain in one year, than their Tobacco, and such trifles would yield in their whole lives." "Contains some interesting notices of the gold and silver mines in Peru, New England, Virginia, the Bermudas, and other parts of America. The author gives a receipt by which he claims to have produced pure gold, but at a cost greater than its value. He finally died in the streets of London of starvation" – Sabin. EVANS 18732. HILDEBURN 5438. SABIN 63360. RINK 3343. $4000. "The most important and ambitious work 146. Porcher, Francis Peyre: RESOURCES OF THE SOUTHERN FIELDS AND FORESTS, MEDICAL, ECONOMICAL AND AGRICULTURAL; BEING ALSO A MEDICAL BOTANY OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES; WITH PRACTICAL INFORMATION ON THE USEFUL PROPERTIES OF THE TREES, PLANTS, AND SHRUBS. Charleston, S.C. 1863. xxv,[1],601pp. Original marbled boards, rebacked in paper, paper label. Light scattered foxing and toning, dampstaining to upper outer corner of first forty leaves, not affecting text, faint pencil annotations on verso of rear blank endpaper. Overall very good. Porcher was one of the most prominent medical figures in the antebellum South, and the founder of a hospital for slaves in Charleston in 1855. His early work on medical botany and his reputation as a physician led to his appointment as surgeon-general of the Confederate States. Porcher’s book was roundly hailed in its day by Confederate boosters, and the work was commissioned by the surgeon-general of the C.S.A. It remains a thorough and impressive work on the agricultural, botanic, and economic resources of the South. "It is intended as a repertory of scientific and popular knowledge as regards the medicinal, economical, and useful properties of trees, plants, and shrubs found within the limits of the Confederate States" – Sabin. With an extensive index. According to Harwell, "This is the most important and ambitious work printed in the Confederacy." CONFEDERATE HUNDRED 69. PARRISH & WILLINGHAM 6132. CRANDALL 3041. TAXONOMIC LITERATURE 8168. HOWES P482, "aa." SABIN 64157. IN TALL COTTON 150. $6000. 147. Prince, Thomas: A CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF NEW-ENGLAND IN THE FORM OF ANNALS: BEING A SUMMARY AND EXACT ACCOUNT OF THE MOST MATERIAL TRANSACTIONS AND OCCURRENCES RELATING TO THIS COUNTRY.... Boston: Printed by Kneeland & Green for S. Gerrish, 1736. [10],xi,[1],20,104,[2],254pp. Titlepage printed in red and black. 12mo. Contemporary calf, spine and covers gilt. Top and bottom of spine worn, upper joint cracked, front cover still attached. Light toning. A very good copy. In a half morocco box. Prince was one of the first great collectors of American history and literature, and this book reflects his antiquarian interests. His "New England Library" contained five Bay Psalm Books. This is a basic work for any collection along similar lines. "Prince spent seven years in the preparation of this work...it was carefully compiled from a large number of authentic records and relations, mostly in the exact words of the respective authorities..." – Church. Complete in and of itself, though a "Volume II" was published in 1755 as Annals of New England. "Our most scholarly colonial work" – Howes. CHURCH 925. EVANS 4068. SABIN 65585. HOWES P615. $1500. 148. Proud, Robert: THE HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA, IN NORTH AMERICA, FROM THE ORIGINAL INSTITUTION AND SETTLEMENT OF THAT PROVINCE, UNDER THE FIRST PROPRIETOR AND GOVERNOR WILLIAM PENN, IN 1681, TILL AFTER THE YEAR 1742.... Philadelphia: Zachariah Poulson, 1797-1798. Two volumes. 508; 373,[1],146pp. plus portrait frontispiece in first volume and folding map in second volume. Contemporary tree calf, spines gilt, gilt morocco labels. Early bookplate of Joseph Morrison on front pastedowns. Offsetting from frontispiece to titlepage in first volume; offsetting in map and from map to titlepage in second volume. Light scattered foxing. Overall very good. "A learned and valuable work...The appendix contains several important documents and reprints, among which may be mentioned: ‘Certain Conditions, or concessions, agreed upon by William Penn,’ ‘The Frame of the Government of the Province of Pensilvania, 1682, 1683, 1696,’ ‘The Charter of the City of Philadelphia, 1701,’ ‘Journals of Christian Frederick Post, from Philadelphia to the Ohio, 1758-59,’ etc. The author was a native of Yorkshire, England who settled in Philadelphia in 1759, where he resided till his death in 1813. For many years he was teacher in a school attended chiefly by members of the Society of Friends" – Sabin. The frontispiece portrait is of William Penn, and the map shows Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. EVANS 32729, 34421. HOWES P639, "aa." SABIN 66223. NAIP w020454. $1000. Extraordinary Visual Directory 149. Rae, Julio H., pub: RAE’S PHILADELPHIA PICTORIAL DIRECTORY & PANORAMIC ADVERTISER. [Philadelphia]: Julio H. Rae, [1851]. [17] text leaves plus cover leaf on glossy black paper printed in gold, and sixteen lithographed plates (two folding). Leaves individually encapsulated in mylar, some uniform toning on text leaves, but overall in very good condition. In a cloth clamshell case, leather label stamped in gilt. An incredible city directory and business promotional, illustrating eight blocks of Chestnut Street in downtown Philadelphia on sixteen beautifully executed lithographs. Following in the long tradition of the city directory but taking it to new heights, publisher Julio H. Rae produced "the first truly visual directory" (Miles & Reese) of an American city. Each plate depicts a block or a portion of a block of Philadelphia’s main commercial thoroughfare, between 2nd and 10th streets. Both sides of the block are pictured, and each plate is keyed to an accompanying text leaf carrying advertisements from the merchants depicted. Taller buildings are shown in their complete elevation on folding plates, with the grandest plate folding out vertically and horizontally and showing the State House. A note on the facade of the building reads: "Declaration of Independence signed in this room." While not every merchant on Chestnut Street subscribed to the work, leaving some buildings unadorned on the plates, Rae’s work carries advertisements for all manner of businesses, from hatters, jewelers, tailors, and grocers, to hotels, druggists, daguerreotypists, and Welch’s National Circus and Theatre. Rae intended to update his Chestnut Street directory each year, showing changes in the businesses, and also announced a similar work covering Market Street from the Delaware River to Broad Street. Apparently he was too ambitious, and neither project came to fruition. Rae was not exaggerating, though, in his preface when he wrote that he "felt confident that he has hit upon a system not only novel and beautiful, but exceedingly useful, and one of which he believes to be entirely unique." A magnificent work, which heralded a new era in display advertising. MILES & REESE, AMERICA PICTURED TO THE LIFE 75. $5000. 150. Rawson, Jonathan: A COMPENDIUM OF MILITARY DUTY, ADAPTED FOR THE MILITIA OF THE UNITED STATES; IN THREE PARTS.... Dover, N.H.: Eliphalet Ladd, 1793. 240,251-305pp. as usual (along with other pagination errors), but with no interruption in the text. Modern brown morocco, boards and spine gilt, inner dentelles gilt. Contemporary ownership inscription on titlepage, later 19th-century ownership inscription on p.[iii]. Moderate age-toning throughout. First two leaves slightly chipped at margins, last three leaves lacking bottom corner (no loss of text). A very good copy, in a cloth slipcase. An early and comprehensive American military manual. Rawson incorporates the ideas of von Steuben, Field Marshall Count Saxe, and the Chevalier de la Valiere, as well as his own experiences as aide de camp to the controversial Gen. John Sullivan during the American Revolution. The text includes observations on the duty of soldiers in general in militia and actual service; infantry, cavalry, and artillery maneuvers; and instructions for officers of "parizan" corps. The appendix contains the text of the 1792 Militia Act, and the work is dedicated to Anthony Wayne. NAIP locates only thirteen copies. SABIN 68016. EVANS 26054. NAIP w011902. $1350. 151. Rich, Edward R.: COMRADES! [Easton, Md.: S.E. Whitman, 1898]. vi,168pp. plus four plates (including frontispiece). 12mo. Early 20th-century cloth, with the original front wrapper pasted on front board. Institutional bookplate of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States on front pastedown, shelf sticker on foot of backstrip. Accession number neatly inscribed in blue crayon on front pastedown and titlepage. A very good copy. Scarce first edition of the memoir of Edward R. Rich, a Confederate Marylander, who was captured at Sharpsburg and imprisoned at Fort Delaware. Nevins calls the recollections of Fort Delaware "significant" and notes the book’s inclusion of excerpts of a manuscript prison newspaper. Rich, who was serving as Dean of the Episcopal Trinity Cathedral in Easton at the time of the book’s publication, had been a member of Company E in the First Maryland Cavalry, C.S.A., during the war. NEVINS I, p.200. $1250. Early American Surveying Guide 152. [Robertson, John]: TABLES OF DIFFERENCE OF LATITUDE AND DEPARTURE: CONSTRUCTED TO EVERY QUARTER OF A DEGREE OF THE QUADRANT, AND CONTINUED FROM ONE, TO THE DISTANCE OF ONE HUNDRED MILES OR CHAINS. Philadelphia: Joseph Crukshank, 1785. [1],90pp. Contemporary American wallet-style binding of reverse calf, tooled in blind. Much of the spine is perished, wallet flap detached but present, with attached leather tie. A few old stains in the upper portion of the beginning text, else quite clean internally. Contemporary ownership signature on titlepage, one instance of a contemporary manuscript correction in text. Very good. In a folding cloth clamshell box, spine gilt. The rare first edition of this early American surveying guide, of practical use for navigators as well. The entire text is comprised of intricately calculated tables giving departure and latitude coordinates. Evans and Rink attribute later editions to John Robertson. This first edition is not listed separately in Evans, but is a part of his record for Robert Gipson’s A Treatise of Practical Surveying..., with which it was issued in 1785. Rink, however, correctly notes that Robertson’s work has a separate titlepage, and it should be treated as a separate work in its own right. The present copy, in its wallet-style binding, makes it clear that Rink is correct and Evans wrong. This copy is especially notable for its early provenance signature on the titlepage of "Robert Smith, 1789," who notes that he bought it in Philadelphia, and also for the fact that he or another early owner bound it separately in an American "wallet-style" binding, no doubt for practical use in the field or at sea. Its survival intact, in this early binding, is remarkable. NAIP w028026. RINK 2371. EVANS 19026 (ref). $2000. 153. [Robinson, Matthew, Baron Rokeby]: A FURTHER EXAMINATION OF OUR PRESENT AMERICAN MEASURES AND OF THE REASONS AND THE PRINCIPLES ON WHICH THEY ARE FOUNDED. BY THE AUTHOR OF CONSIDERATIONS ON THE MEASURES CARRYING ON WITH RESPECT TO THE BRITISH COLONIES IN NORTH-AMERICA. Bath. 1776. [2],256pp. Modern three-quarter red morocco and marbled boards, spine gilt. Internally clean. Very good. Lacks the half title. A continuation of the author’s previous publication and an important work of Revolutionary Americana. The author concedes American independence, calls for peace, and emphasizes old ties between the Americans and the British: "All the old and the mutual ties, the union, the conjunction between Great Britain and our ancient North-America are now cut, severed and dissolved...but what ought most nearly to concern us, we have parted with a people who have for ages past been to us most cordial, as countrymen, most affectionate, as friends...." AMERICAN CONTROVERSY 76-134. SABIN 72154. GEPHART 3222. HOWES R373 "a". $1250. With Original Manuscript Leaf 154. Roosevelt, Theodore: THE WINNING OF THE WEST. New York. 1900. Four volumes. xxvii,[3],352; vii,[3],427; ix,[3]339; xi,[3],363pp. plus five folding maps and 103 plates, as called for. Contemporary crushed hunter green morocco, ornately gilt, gilt inner dentelles, burgundy suede endpapers. Very minor wear to spine ends, spines faintly scuffed. Bottom right corner of last third of text in first volume lightly dampstained, only affecting a small portion of text, not affecting illustrations, else internally bright and clean. A beautiful set. The "Boone" edition of Roosevelt’s greatest historical work, limited to 200 copies, with a leaf of the manuscript entirely in Roosevelt’s hand inserted. The manuscript leaf contained in this copy reads (in part and with several corrections and cross-outs):
The "West" in this book is the trans-Appalachian frontier from the French and Indian War through the end of the 18th century, but the work certainly embodies the attitudes toward expansion which Roosevelt demonstrated after he became president, the year after the publication of this set. One of the prolific author-President’s most famous works, in its most elegant format, with original manuscript. HOWES R433. BRADFORD 4701. $15,000. Expanding the Slave Trade 155. [Royal African Company]: SOME CONSIDERATIONS RELATING TO THE TRADE TO GUINY [caption title]. [Np. ca. 1690s]. Folio broadsheet. Early horizontal folds. Small chips and dampstains at edges, not affecting text. A good copy. In a red cloth clamshell case. A very rare 17th-century British broadsheet of tremendous significance to the history of the British slave trade. In the first year of the Restoration, Charles II’s brother, James, Duke of York, led the establishment of a new African trading enterprise with fellow Stuart family members and wealthy London merchants. The organization, originally chartered as the Company of Royal Adventurers Trading to Africa, was rechartered after the Second Anglo-Dutch War, renamed the Royal African Company, and given a monopoly on the slave trade in 1672. The monopoly was granted during the first large-scale introduction of slave labor to the sugar plantations of the British West Indies, and by the beginning of the 1780s, the Company was trafficking an average of 5,000 slaves per year across the Atlantic. Rival merchants had complained about the monopoly from the beginning and, in 1698, were finally successful in their petitions to end it. The competition that arose, particularly out of the port cities of Bristol and Liverpool, immediately flourished, and the British slave ships of the 18th century were soon transporting an average of 20,000 African slaves per year. The present document puts forward ten complaints against the Royal African Company’s monopoly, arguing that it harms the British wool and shipbuilding industries, costs opportunities for ships and seamen, hinders customs, gives rise to misbehavior of its agents, and furnishes the plantations with slaves too few, too unfit, and too expensive. In addition to the Kress copy at Harvard, OCLC locates one copy at the University of Minnesota. KRESS S.1714. $3500. 156. [Royal African Company]: THE CASE OF THE ROYAL AFRICAN COMPANY OF ENGLAND, ON BEHALF OF THEMSELVES, AND ALL OTHERS HIS MAJESTY’S SUBJECTS TRADING TO AFRICA AND THE BRITISH COLONIES AND PLANTATIONS IN AMERICA [caption title]. [London. 1744]. 2pp. Folio broadsheet. Title also printed at 90° orientation on docket on p.2. Early horizontal folds. Close trimming in lower margin, with some loss to docket title. Very good. In a very good modern cloth clamshell case, spine gilt. A very rare 18th-century broadsheet issued by the Royal African Company concerning British forts and French interests on the Gold Coast. The Hanson and Goldsmiths bibliographies assign a 1744 printing date, which is corroborated by references in the text to a current declaration of war with France (the War of Austrian Succession) and a past war with the Dutch brought upon by African trade conflicts "[a]bout eighty years ago" (the Second Anglo-Dutch War, 1765-67). The document discusses the importance of a strong continued British presence on the African Gold Coast to the slave labor needs of the West Indian and North American colonies and to limiting further expansion of other colonial powers. Expressing concern over the current state of British forts on the coast and an increasing French presence, the Company petitions the government to extend it greater support in maintaining the forts and expelling the French. In addition to the Goldsmiths’ Library copy at the University of London, two copies are located by OCLC, at Brigham Young University and the University of Virginia. Rare and of great interest to the history of slavery’s role in 18th-century colonial expansion. GOLDSMITHS 8050. HANSON MITCHELL’S WEST INDIAN BIBLIOGRAPHY, 9th ed., http://www.books.ai/9th/Cas-Cd.htm. $2500. 157. St. Clair, Thomas Stanton, Lieut. Col.: A SOLDIER’S RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST INDIES AND AMERICA, WITH A NARRATIVE OF THE EXPEDITION TO THE ISLAND OF WALCHEREN. London. 1834. Two volumes. xvi,396; xii,382pp. plus six aquatint plates and five wood engravings in the text. Contemporary polished calf tooled in gilt, spine gilt, leather labels. Some wear and scuffing at extremities, light scuffing to covers of first volume. Inscription on each titlepage. Internally quite clean. A very good set. "The author, of Scotch descent, had been born at Gibraltar while his father, a British officer, had been stationed there. His brothers and he also entered service and, in 1805, he was ordered to Demerara, where he held a command for some three years. Contains interesting accounts of the life and peoples there" – Ragatz. Includes sections on St. Kitts, Tortola, as well as a chapter on the "Life of the African Negro," including much on the slave trade. Abbey and others list this work under the slightly different title of A Residence in the West Indies and America, but the plates are the same, depicting scenes in St. Kitts, a view of Gibraltar, and others. Woodcuts in the text include "Runaway Negro" and "Taking an Alligator." ABBEY 679. SABIN 75024. CUNDALL 2226. RAGATZ, p.234. HANDLER 90. BEINECKE LESSER ANTILLES COLLECTION 814. $1000. A Massive Archive of the Work 158. [Sartain, John, Samuel, and Emily]: [COLLECTION OF 1000 PRINTS BY JOHN SARTAIN, SAMUEL SARTAIN, EMILY SARTAIN, AND OTHERS]. [Philadelphia. ca. 1840-1880]. 1000 matted prints, mostly mezzotints and steel engravings. Prints range in size from 1 x 2 inches to 5¼ x 8½ inches (with most dimensions between 3 and 7 inches), all in 12 x 9-inch mats. A file of approximately 930 catalogue cards, numbered and completed in manuscript, accompanies the prints. Occasional foxing and toning, but generally bright and clean, and overall near fine. An extraordinary single-owner collection of nearly 900 prints by John Sartain, with additional prints by his son, Samuel, his daughter, Emily, and several other artists. John Sartain (1808-97) was an English-born engraver who played a major role in developing and popularizing mezzotint engraving in the United States. Working in Philadelphia from 1830 to the end of the 19th century, Sartain produced approximately 1500 prints for books and for several different periodicals, including his own Sartain’s Union Magazine of Literature and Art, which ran from 1849 to 1852. The majority of Sartain’s work reproduces historical and allegorical scenes, landscapes, and portraits, many by leading painters of the day who commissioned Sartain themselves. The Free Library of Philadelphia cites one such painter, John Neagle, in its description of the library’s important Sartain collection: "Engraving is not a copy, but a translation from color to black and white, and in order to make it successful, the engraver should enter into the spirit and feeling of the painter." The skilled visual translation of printmakers like Sartain was the best means by which most audiences would be exposed to the works of art in question, viewing them as they did primarily in illustrated books and magazines. The mezzotint process, with its great capacity for tonal range and detail, was an ideal method for this kind of artistic reproduction, particularly in portraiture, where mezzotints had come to represent a peak of printmaking achievement in the late 1700s. The 18th-century mezzotints, however, could not be printed in large quantities due to the extreme sensitivity of the mezzotint "burr" on soft copper plates, and it was not until the advent of steel plating in the 1820s that they would have a chance to reach mass audiences. John Sartain’s apprenticeship and professional life coincided precisely with the second wave of mezzotint engraving, and the length and notoriety of his career attest to the importance of the medium in 19th-century illustration. Sartain’s children, whose prints are also seen in this collection, were important engravers in their own right. Samuel Sartain (1830-1906), noted for his mezzotint portraits, worked from the 1840s into the 20th century and is represented here by forty-six catalogued and forty-seven uncatalogued prints (the latter category including duplicates). Emily Sartain (1841-1927), two of whose mezzotint portraits are included in the collection, was a prominent painter and printmaker in Philadelphia and was, with her friend Mary Cassatt, a leader in the women’s art movement. From 1886 to 1919, Emily Sartain served as principal of the Philadelphia School of Art and Design, now the Moore College of Art and Design, the only women’s art and design school in the U.S. According to his widow, the assembler of the present archive spent decades scouring New York City bookshops and flea markets for broken copies of books with Sartain engravings, eventually amassing nearly two-thirds of John Sartain’s final output. The collector personally removed and matted each print, with his own makeshift materials, and created a detailed card catalogue for over 900 of the items. A unique and remarkable effort, producing an archive of tremendous value for researchers. STAUFFER, pp.233-36. The Free Library of Philadelphia, "The John Sartain Collection" (http://www.library.phila.gov/pix/sartain/sartain.htm). $12,500. 159. Saunders, Richard [pseud]: POOR RICHARD IMPROVED: BEING AN ALMANACK AND EPHEMERIS OF THE MOTIONS OF THE SUN AND MOON...FOR THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 1767.... Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by D. Hall and W. Sellers, [1766]. [36]pp. including in-text woodcut illustrations. 12mo. Printed self-wrappers, stitched. Contemporary ink manuscript notes in titlepage and margins of several additional pages. Portion (about 1/8) of pp.[29/30] excised. Light dampstaining throughout. Good. The first Poor Richard’s almanac issued after Benjamin Franklin’s involvement with the publication ended. In addition to the calendar, the volume contains a lengthy excerpt from Dr. Tissod’s recently published Advice to the People, listing the "most usual Causes of popular Diseases" (including "Drinking cold Water, when a Person is hot," "Close and putrid Air," and "Bad Bread"). Woodcuts illustrating the different signs of the zodiac accompany each month of the almanac. The illustration, "The Anatomy of Man’s Body, as govern’d by the Twelve Constellations," appears on page [5]. DRAKE 9902. EVANS 10488. NAIP w036924. $3000. 160. Saunders, Richard [pseud]: POOR RICHARD IMPROVED: BEING AN ALMANACK AND EPHEMERIS OF THE MOTIONS OF THE SUN AND MOON...FOR THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 1779.... Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by Hall and Sellers, [1778]. [36]pp. including in-text woodcut illustrations. 12mo. Printed self-wrappers, stitched. Additional stab holes in blank gutter. Light soiling and scattered foxing. Overall very good. Revolutionary War-era Poor Richard’s almanac, containing numerous aphorisms, anecdotes, and medicinal recipes. This was evidently printed just before Hall and Sellers would have fled Philadelphia before the advancing British. Woodcuts illustrating the different signs of the zodiac accompany each month of the almanac. The illustration, "The Anatomy of Man’s Body, as govern’d by the Twelve Constellations," appears on page [5]. DRAKE 10079. EVANS 16067. NAIP w022794. $3500. With Color Plates Made 161. 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 bound in one volume. 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 bound into brown half calf over marbled paper-covered boards, spine gilt, marbled endpapers, without the lower wrappers to parts I and II. Very good. 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 usually dated 1838 but may actually have been printed later than that and 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 414. STREETER SALE 1413. BENNETT, p.94. MEISEL III:405. SABIN 77368. NISSEN (ZBI) 3614). McGRATH, pp.15-16. $16,000. First Gazetteer of the United States 162. Scott, Joseph: THE UNITED STATES GAZETTEER: CONTAINING AN AUTHENTIC DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL STATES. THEIR SITUATION, EXTENT, BOUNDARIES, SOIL, PRODUCE, CLIMATE, POPULATION, TRADE AND MANUFACTURES. TOGETHER WITH THE EXTENT, BOUNDARIES AND POPULATION OF THEIR RESPECTIVE COUNTIES. ALSO, AN EXACT ACCOUNT OF THE CITIES, TOWNS, HARBOURS, RIVERS, BAYS, LAKES, MOUNTAINS, &c. Philadelphia: F. and R. Bailey, 1795. Engraved title, vi pp., errata leaf, [292]pp. plus nineteen engraved folding maps. 12mo. Contemporary calf boards, rebacked, spine gilt, contemporary maroon morocco label gilt. Unobtrusive old institutional stamp on titlepage and errata page, library marks on verso of titlepage, 19th-century ownership inscription on first page of preface. Light age-toning, occasional slight foxing. A few minor splits on map folds. A very good copy. In a clamshell box, leather label. The first gazetteer of the United States, with an important series of engraved American maps. These, with the maps in Carey’s American Atlas that were issued the same year, represent a major step forward in native American cartography. Scott’s maps cover the United States in general, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, New Jersey, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, the Northwest Territory, and the Southwest Territory. An important early work of U.S. cartography. HOWES S237. SABIN 78331. EVANS 29476. CLARK III:123. WHEAT & BRUN 125. $10,000. 163. Scudder, Samuel Hubbard: THE BUTTERFLIES OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES AND CANADA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO NEW ENGLAND. Cambridge: Published by the Author, 1889. Three volumes. Twenty-three chromolithographic plates (including three frontispiece portraits) plus numerous other illustrations and three folding maps (two colored). Quarto. Modern half morocco, spines gilt. Ex-lib. with perforated stamp on each titlepage and an occasional internal perforated stamp. Internally very neat and clean. Despite the unobtrusive marks, a near fine set. Scudder produced this privately printed work in an elaborate fashion. It is one of the most important books about butterflies produced in the U.S. in the 19th century. The work illustrates the rapidly changing world of illustration technology, with finely executed chromolithographs by Thomas Sinclair and Julius Bien of Philadelphia, as well as more precise images in black and white using gelatin process photographs, photogravures, and electrotypes. BENNETT, p.96. McGRATH, pp.46,148. REESE, STAMPED WITH A NATIONAL CHARACTER 106. $2500. |
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