The statistical history of America is frequently at odds with the conventional wisdom of what America was and was becoming. This is an important item.
For the collector of China and America’s connection to it there are 4 lots bearing the bookplate of W. W. Rockhill, diplomat and author of various books on China and Indochina in the 1880s and 1890s. These lots are 3236, 3243, 3244, and 3268. He himself was author of “Journey through Mongolia and Tibet,” an account written for the Smithsonian and published in 1894.
Another item to be carefully considered is 3181, The Revolutionary War Journal of Timothy Newell and written beginning April 19th, 1775 and concluding March 16th, 1776. Mr. Newell served as Selectman for the City of Boston at various times and was witness to many of the storied events in and around Boston at the beginning of the American Revolution. Adding complexity and interest to this lot is a painting of him that is attributed to Henry Sargent.
3181
REVOLUTIONARY WAR JOURNAL.
"OUR PEOPLE BEHAVED WITH THE UTMOST BRAVERY."
Manuscript Diary of Timothy Newell, 22 pp recto and verso, 8vo (158 x 95 mm), [Boston], dated April 19, 1775 to March 16, 1776, with frequent insertions and amendments. Nearly unstitched, first and last leaves a little edgeworn affecting a few letters, fol 4 with a closed tear, generally very good.
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR JOURNAL OF A BOSTON SELECTMAN COVERING THE COMPLETE PERIOD OF THE SIEGE OF BOSTON AND INCLUDING A DESCRIPTION OF THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL.
The Boston Board of Selectmen (usually 7 men) was the governing body of the town of Boston through the colonial period till 1822. Timothy Newell was Selectman for six years: in 1767 and 1768 at the time of the Townshend Acts and the first arrival of British troops; and also from 1772 to 1775, witnessing the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the Intolerable Acts, etc. John Hancock was a fellow Selectman for all the years in which Newell served. Newell was also a deacon of Brattle Street Church. His entries appear to be written somewhat after the events and so consolidate information. Newell was a moderate. He remained in Boston and did not join the Provisional Congress at Lexington as Hancock and Samuel Adams did at this juncture. However, his journal does show the bias of a patriot, for example in exaggerating the disadvantage that Revolutionary troops ("our people") had at the Battle of Bunker Hill and in his mounting hostility towards General Gage and his men. Boston was the first city to experience action in the Revolutionary War and this account by a prominent citizen is an invaluable primary resource. A few excerpts are as follows. The complete transcript—nearly all of which relates specifically to the siege, cannonade, and skirmishes with the Provincials, and no other matters—is available on request.
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.")
