America, America (and two more Americas)<br>Four new Americana Catalogues
- by Michael Stillman
“New Jerseyana” from Joseph J. Felcone.
For example, Felcone offers a handbill which belongs on the wall of any constitutional lawyer or scholar. Gibbons v. Ogden is one of the most important constitutional cases in American history. Thomas Gibbons and Aaron Ogden were once partners in the ferry business between New Jersey and New York but had a falling out. Ogden obtained a monopoly license from the state of New York to operate the business, but Gibbons went into competition anyway under a Federal license. Ogden sued to shut Gibbons down and won his case in the New York courts. Gibbons appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court which overturned the New York judgment. In that 1824 decision, Chief Justice Marshall set out the federal government’s rights to regulate interstate commerce and the authority of the federal courts. Much of the federal power we assume today arose from this momentous decision.
But Gibbons and Ogden were also involved in their own petty squabbles long before Justice Marshall intervened. In 1816, Ogden, to Gibbons’ apparent surprise, had taken legal action against him. Also, or at least Gibbons believed, Ogden was interfering in a personal case of his which had evolved from a man seducing Gibbons’ daughter. Gibbons sent Ogden a note challenging him to a duel, which Ogden refused to accept. Thereupon Gibbons printed up this handbill and personally delivered a copy to his adversary. According to Felcone, Ogden slipped out the backdoor and promptly sued Gibbons for trespass. In this remarkable broadside, Gibbons says, among other things, “I pronounce your conduct RASCALLY.” I will now forever picture Gibbons speaking to Ogden like Elmer Fudd speaking to Bugs Bunny. Item 684. $4,500.
Here’s a Civil War letter written from New Jersey, but it could have been written anywhere at any time. George Bennett, was a soldier with the New Jersey Volunteers, or as he described it, the “NJ Slave Volunteers.” He complains of their officers calling them “God Damn Sons of Bitches” and “cursing & damning men for every little mistake.” “This morning when falling into ranks the Lieut. Commenced cursing & damning the whole company…and to cap off with he took hold of the young mans coat collar and jerked him a little and threatened to split his brains open and drew his sword for that purpose…” The weaponry has advanced immensely since those days, but military interpersonal skills have changed little. Item 121. $400.
On August 29, 1855, a train from the Camden and Amboy railroad backed up to avoid another train coming its way and struck a horse-drawn wagon at a crossing. Twenty-four people were killed. An executive committee of the Delaware and Raritan Canal and Camden and Amboy Railroad quickly issued a report in which it found, surprise, surprise, that the company was completely without fault and all blame lay with the wagon driver. The report led to a storm of protest. Item 456. $125. A few years earlier, another executive committee of the Delaware and Raritan Canal and Camden and Amboy Railroad Companies had been convened to examine charges of fraud against the directors. This committee too found the company blameless. It was an honorable company. Item 455. $150.
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.
Heritage Auctions Rare Books Signature Auction December 15, 2025
Heritage, Dec. 15: John Donne. Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death. London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan of the Apes.
Heritage, Dec. 15: F. Scott Fitzgerald. Tender is the Night. A Romance.
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…
![<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.")
![<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.")
