America, America (and two more Americas)<br>Four new Americana Catalogues
- by Michael Stillman
Alfred Douglas writes his opinion of T.S. Eliot’s poetry.From James Cummins.
There are a couple of ironic attacks on the intolerance of the Know Nothings from southerners. While intolerant of Catholics and foreigners, many Know Nothings were also opposed to slavery, creating an odd alliance of southerners and northerners in opposing them. Another individual who opposed the expansion of slavery and who at one point flirted with the Know Nothings was Sam Houston. A complex man who supported slavery in the south but who saw its expansion as destabilizing the Union, he was the one Texas leader of stature who opposed secession. It only succeeded in having the legislature secede him from his governorship when he refused to pledge loyalty to the Confederacy. Item 69 is a speech Houston gave in 1854 opposing the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the repeal of the 1820 Missouri Compromise which limited the expansion of slavery. $125.
Speaking of secession, there was another one in the 1860s. The western part of Virginia, defying that state’s secession from the Union, formed the new State of West Virginia. Waitman T. Willey was a strong supporter of the Union who became one of the new state’s first senators. Item 171 is his address to the West Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1863, where he attacks the idea that they need approval of the now Confederate state of Virginia to secede, as well as condemning slavery. $500.
The antebellum period was noted for abolitionist sentiments, but who was interested in women’s rights so far back? E.P. Hurlbut was. In his 1845 Essays on Human Rights and their Political Guarantees,,,” Hurlbut argues for equality, saying “man was not ‘born to command’ nor woman ‘to obey.’” In his era, that was a wildly radical notion. Hurlbut was a New York City attorney. Lot 73. $750.
We remember John, John Q., and Sam Adams, but how about Zabdiel? He was never a president, and no one named a beer after him. He was a minister, a cousin of President John Adams, and an influential speaker. He argues for free elections and separation of powers in his 1782 A Sermon Preached before His Excellency John Hancock…, he of the famed signature. Item 1. $275.
What is a water shed? Identify the principal animals of the frigid zones and the races of man. Define a monarchy. Specify the number of degrees of longitude. What is the width in degrees of the temperate zones? What portion of the world’s population are pagans? You have 35 minutes. Can you do it? Well this is from a school exam from 1862. It’s for the fourth grade. Don’t feel bad. I never would have been elevated to fifth grade then either. Lot 21. $150.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Jerry Thomas. How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant's Companion, Containing Clear and Reliable Directions for Mixing All the Beverages Used in the United States…
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Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("Martinus Luther") to His Friend the Theologian Gerhard Wiskamp ("Gerardo Xantho Lampadario"). $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: An Exceptionally Fine Copy of Austenís Emma: A Novel in Three Volumes. $40,000 - $60,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Presentation Copy of Ernest Hemmingwayís A Farewell to Arms for Edward Titus of the Black Mankin Press. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript Signed Integrally for "The Songs of Pooh," by Alan Alexander. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript of "Three Fragments from Gˆtterd‰mmerung" by Richard Wagner. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Preliminary Artwork, for the First Edition of Snow Crash. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("T.R. Malthus") to Economist Nassau Senior on Wealth, Labor and Adam Smith. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides Finely Bound by Michael Wilcox. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: First Edition of Lewis and Clark: Travels to the Source of the Missouri River and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Artwork for the First Edition of Neal Stephenson's Groundbreaking Novel Snow Crash. $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: A Complete Set Signed Deluxe Editions of King's The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("John Adams") to James Le Ray de Chaumont During the Crucial Years of the Revolutionary War. $8,000 - $12,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Francesco Colonna. Hypnerotomachie, Paris, 1546, Parisian calf by Wotton Binder C for Marcus Fugger. €200,000 to €300,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Nausea. De principiis dialectices Gorgias, and other works, Venice, 1523, morocco gilt for Cardinal Campeggio. €3,000 to €4,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Billon. Le fort inexpugnable de l'honneur, Paris, 1555, Parisian calf gilt for Peter Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld. €120,000 to €180,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Salinger, J.D. The Graham Family archive, including autographed letters, an inscribed Catcher, a rare studio photograph of the author, and more. $120,000 to $180,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of Sense and Sensibility, the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Massachusetts General Court. A powerful precursor to the Declaration of Independence: "every Act of Government … without the Consent of the People, is … Tyranny." $40,000 to $60,000.
![<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/8caddaea-4c1f-47a7-9455-62f53af36e3f.jpg "<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.")
![<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/9a74d9ff-42dd-46a1-8bb2-b636c4cec796.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.")
