• Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [RUTH, George Herman “Babe” (1895-1948)]. Signed photograph. Circa 1930s. 191 x 248 mm. $1,500 to $2,500.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HARRISON, Benjamin. Document signed (“Benj Harrison”) as governor of Virginia, certifying the service of Daniel Cumbo, a Black Revolutionary soldier. $6,000 to $9,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: ONE OF THE FIRST PRINTED ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: FIRST PRINTING OF LINCOLN’S IMMORTAL GETTYSBURG ADDRESS. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HIGHLY IMPORTANT MORMON ARCHIVE. ALLEY, George. Archive of 23 Autograph Letters Signed by Mormon Convert George Alley to His Brother Joseph Alley. $10,000 to $20,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [AVIATION]. [ARMSTRONG, Neil A.] Aviation Hall of Fame Gold Medal MS64 NGC, Awarded to Neil Armstrong in 1979. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: NEWLY DISCOVERED FIRST PRINTING OF "WITH MALICE TOWARDS NONE... " FROM THE ONLY NEWSPAPER ACTUALLY ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN LINCOLN’S SECOND INAUGURAL PROCESSION. $4,000 to $8,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: THE MOST IMPORTANT GEORGE WASHINGTON DOCUMENT IN PRIVATE HANDS; GEORGE WASHINGTON’S COMMISSION AS COMMANDER IN CHIEF, 1775, ONE OF ONLY TWO ORIGINALS. $150,000 to $250,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: A VERY RARE ACCOUNT OF BLACKBEARD’S DEATH AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PIRATE ITEMS EXTANT. $3,000 to $5,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: EDISON, Thomas. Patent for Edison’s Improvements on the Electric-Light, No. 219,628. [Washington, D.C.: U.S. Patent Office], 16 September 1879. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [VIETNAM WAR]. The original pen used by Secretary of State William P. Rogers to sign the Vietnam Peace Agreement, Paris, 27 January 1973. $10,000 to $15,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: SONS OF LIBERTY FOUNDER COLONEL BARRÉ ANNOTATED TITLE-PAGE, “WHICH OUGHT TO ROUSE UP BRITISH ATTENTION”. $4,000 to $6,000.
  • Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG BEADED JUDICIAL COLLAR. $80,000 - $120,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: ONLY KNOWN COPY OF THE ONLY BOOK BY THE REMARKABLE EVE ADAMS. $8,000 - $12,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A COMPLETE RUN OF VISIONAIRE MAGAZINE THROUGH 2010. $6,000 - $9,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: LAW REVIEW OFFPRINT SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY RUTH BADER GINSBURG. $3,000 - $5,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: META REBNER'S WORKING SCRIPT OF THE LOVED ONE. $1,500 - $2,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A KATHY GROVE PORTRAIT OF CYNDI LAUPER FOR THE FEBRUARY 1989 DETAILS COVER. $800 - $1,200
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A PLASTIC COAT BY MILLIE DAVID FEATURED IN SOHO NEWS STYLE SECTION, FROM THE COLLECTION OF ANNIE FLANDERS. $500 - $700
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG JEWELRY BOX. $600 - $900
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A SET OF JONI MITCHELL LYRICS FOR "IF I HAD A HEART." $2,000 - $3,000
  • Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: [Langland (William)]. The vision of Pierce Plowman, nowe the seconde time imprinted..., Roberte Crowley, 1550. £8,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: [Shakespeare (William)]. [Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies], second folio edition, [by Tho.Cotes, for Robert Allot], [1632]. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Bible, Czech Biblia Bohemica, first complete Bible printed in the Czech vernacular, Prague, August 1488. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: Shabthai Tzvi.- Collection of four printed and illustrated broadsides detailing the appearance, rise and fall of the false messiah, Shabthai Tzvi, Augsburg, 1666-67. £40,000 to £60,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Leaf from the Beauvais Missal, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment, [Northern France (perhaps Beauvais or Amiens)], [fourteenth century (c.1310)]. £4,000 to £6,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Aubrey (John). [Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme], manuscript in English, Latin and Greek, [c. 1693]. £30,000 to £50,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: Byron (George Gordon Noel, Lord). Poems on Various Occasions, first edition, Harriet Maltby's copy, Newark, Printed by S. & J. Ridge, 1807. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Tolkien (J.R.R.) The Hobbit, first edition, second impression with dust-jacket, 1937 [but 1938]. £7,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Blake (William).- Thornton (Robert John). The Pastorals of Virgil, 2 vol., engraved plates by William Blake, 1821. £8,000 to £12,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: America.- Mount (William J.) & Thomas Page. The English Pilot…, [bound with] The Fourth Book, describing The West Indies Navigation from Hudson's-Bay to the River Amazones, 1721. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Oldfield (Henry Ambrose), Rajman Singh Chitrakar & others. An album of 160 photographs and 13 original artworks, (1833-1919), [c. 1850s-1880s]. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Audubon (John James) [and William MacGillivray]. Ornithological Biography…, 5 vol., first edition, presentation copy inscribed by Audubon, Edinburgh, 1831-49 [i.e. 1831-39]. £10,000 to £15,000.
  • 19th Century Shop
    Catalogue 198 just published
    19th Century Shop. Darwin and Wallace, first printing of the first paper on natural selection
    19th Century Shop. Shakespeare’s Poems, first collected edition
    19th Century Shop. Walt Whitman portrait inscribed with a Leaves of Grass poem
    19th Century Shop. Major Elizabeth Barrett Browning manuscript notebook
    19th Century Shop. Spock's Baby Book, original MS
    19th Century Shop. Cellarius, Harmonia Macrocosmica, the great celestial atlas

Rare Book Monthly

Articles - June - 2017 Issue

Two Sales of Books and Ephemera Coming Up Soon at Cowan's

Cowan's Auctions of Cincinnati has two auctions coming this month of great interest to those who collect in the books and works on paper field. The first, a live auction scheduled for Friday, June 9, features more in the way of ephemeral types of paper. The second, being held online, is a collection focused on books.

 

The live auction on June 9 is titled American History, Featuring the Property of N. Flayderman & Co. N. Flayderman & Co. was in the business of selling historic arms and militaria for 64 years. After Norman Flayderman died in 2013, the family decided to close the business. Over the years, it had acquired a large collection of paper items pertaining to American history, and in particular its military, arms, and wars in which the country was engaged. There are 396 lots, mostly works on paper but some others as well. Paper includes broadsides, manuscripts, photographs, and various other forms in smaller numbers.

 

Here are a few items from the Flayderman sale to give you an idea of what sort of material you will find.

 

Lot 15. Extremely rare catalogue of hand-drawn swords from Widman & Co. and Horstman of Philadelphia, circa late 1840's-1851. Approximately 35 pages with swords colored. Starting Price $1,000. Estimate $2,000-$4,000.

 

Lot 104. Civil War message from General Burnside to General McClellan in September 1862. It reads in part, "Adam received of send new report return indicate left accordance office directions but udder seem on once pigeons..." How did the Union win this war when their commanders spoke like that? This is actually a ciphered communication, with an 1895 translation provided with it. Starting Price $2,500. Estimate $5,000-$8,000.

 

Lot 19. A Confederate broadside headed Circular concerning the employment and impressment of free blacks and slaves living in the Confederacy. Free blacks could be hired for such tasks as building fortifications or hospitals, but not serve as soldiers. Slaves could be impressed to serve similar functions, but only if between the ages of 18-50, and no more than one out of every five slaves from a slave owner could be impressed into service. Starting Price $250. Estimate $500-$700.

 

Lot 182. This is a southern item that focuses us on a controversy that still rages today. It is a printed cotton kerchief headed Our Heroes and Our Flags. The date was 1896, the Civil War 30 years past, but the heroes were not Lincoln and Grant, the flags American. The heroes depicted are Stonewall Jackson, Beauregard, and Lee, the flags variations on the Confederate one. Starting Price $250. Estimate $500-$700.

 

Lot 188. The times they are a-changin'. This is a World War I recruitment poster for the Naval Reserve and Coast Guard. It features an illustration of a young woman wearing a white sailor's hat and naval jacket with the caption "Gee!! I wish I were a man. I'd join the Navy." You can today, young lady! The drawing was created by Howard Chandler Christy. Starting Price $400. Estimate $800-$1,200.

 

Lot 211. Seven photographs, including one autochrome lumière (an early color photographic process) of Clara Clemens, her husband Ossip Gabrilowitsch, and daughter Nina. Clara was Mark Twain's only surviving daughter, Nina his only grandchild and last surviving descendant. Other photographs are of Clara and Nina, and one shows a group of boys dressed up like Huckleberry Finn from a 1935 Huck Finn look-alike contest in which Nina was the judge. Starting Price $800. Estimate $1,600-$2,800.

 

Lot 231. Was George Washington supposed to pay the postage? Evidently, he was confused about the original free franking privilege on postage and was concerned his recipients were being charged postage due. In this letter, likely from 1789, Washington writes, "As the Law exempting me from payment of Postage, is not worded as I expected it wd. have been, and as I believe it was intended to be -- Pray let me know whether you are charged Postage for my letters to you? Not meaning you should do so." It is signed "GWash." Starting Price $1,500. Estimate $3,000-$5,000.

 

Lot 310. At last, there is a cure for baldness. Actually, it happened almost two centuries ago, in 1832. This is a broadside for Ward's Vegetable Hair Oil. It takes "but a short time" to regrow lost hair, even on heads that are totally bald. It even prevents hair from turning grey. If you doubt the claim, Ward's points out that "Physicians second to none in Medical Science" use and recommend it, and "the concurring testimony of thousands put it beyond all doubt, so that the most incredulous no longer hesitate." The drawing at the top shows a man pouring the miraculous oil on the heads of bald men and women who walk away with a full head of hair. Starting Price $250. Estimate $500-$700.

 

The second sale is online only. Bidding opens on June 8 and closes on June 19 at noon. This one is of The Book Collection of Dr. Ivan Gilbert, Columbus, OH. Dr. Gilbert's collection is hard to categorize, which is to say, if he had a clear focus, it's unclear to me. He collected a lot of interesting books, but what is their connection, I cannot say, other than that Dr. Gilbert must have liked them. This is a something for everyone sale. Here are a few samples.

 

Lot 101. This is a most entertaining book of drawings and captions entitled Adventures of a Woman in Search of Her Rights. It is a circa 1871 Boston & New York edition, following a circa 1870 from London. The author was Florence Claxton, who with her sister was trained by their artist father in art. This book contains nearly 100 drawings. They follow the protagonist's odd search for her rights. She decides to pursue a typical male education. She reads John Stuart Mill, which makes her more educated, but for some reason her nose becomes larger and her looks deteriorate. Still, she emerges emancipated, becomes a lawyer, a politician, and finally a doctor, failing at all. Eventually, she emigrates to the United States, marries polygamous Mormon leader Brigham Young, and in the final illustration, is once again a beautiful young woman, awakening from a dream. "Thank goodness it's only a midsummer night's dream and I'm not emancipated," she exclaims. Estimate $500-$1,000.

 

Lot 9. Biblia dat is de Gantsche H. Schrifture. This is a massive Dutch bible from 1682. It features contemporary colored maps, a plan of Jerusalem, 80 biblical scenes, and working brass clasps. Estimate $2,500-$3,500.

 

Here is a link to the Flayderman sale: www.cowanauctions.com/auction/692017-american-history-featuring-the-property-of-n-flayderman-co-live-salesroom-auction-3768

 

Here is a link to the Gilbert sale: www.cowanauctions.com/auction/682017-the-book-collection-of-dr-ivan-gilbert-columbus-oh-timed-bidsquare-auction-ends-619-7514

Rare Book Monthly

  • Forum Auctions
    Colour Plate Books from the Library of Norman Bobins
    Part 2
    27th March 2024
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Alken (Henry). Sporting Notions, first edition, T.McLean, 1832-33. £800 to £1,200.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Bardi (Lorenzo). Nuova Raccolta delle piu interessanti Vedute della Citta di Firenze…, Florence, Lorenzo Bardi, [c.1840]. £1,500 to £2,000.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Crawfurd (John). Journal of an Embassy from the Governor-General of India to the Court of Ava..., first edition, 1829. £1,000 to £1,500.
    Forum Auctions
    Colour Plate Books from the Library of Norman Bobins
    Part 2
    27th March 2024
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Dawe (George, engraver). The Life of a Nobleman, first edition, Geo. Henderson, [c.1825]. £1,000 to £1,500.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: [Doyle (John)], "H.B.". Political Sketches &c., 10 vol. including The Descriptive Key to H.B., Thomas McLean, [1829-51]. £4,000 to £6,000.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Eben (Adolphus Christian Frederick, Baron von) and Nicolaus Heideloff. Modèles de l'Uniforme Militaire Adopté dans l'Armée Royale de Suède, Rudolph Ackerman, 1808. £1,500 to £2,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Colour Plate Books from the Library of Norman Bobins
    Part 2
    27th March 2024
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Geissler (J.G.G.) and Friedrich Hempel. Mahlerische Darstellungen der Sitten, Gebrauche und Lustbarkeiten bey den Russischen, Tartarischen…, 4 parts in 1, Leipzig and Paris, [1804]. £1,000 to £1,500.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Hunt (Charles). Portraits of Winning Horses...of the Derby, Oaks, & St. Leger, from the Year 1842 to 1849…, Rock Brothers & Payne, 1849. £1,500 to £2,000.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Kunike (Adolf Friedrich). Zwey hundert und sechzig Donau-Ansichten nach dem Laufe des Donaustromes…, Vienna, Leopold Grund, 1826. £3,000 to £5,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Colour Plate Books from the Library of Norman Bobins
    Part 2
    27th March 2024
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Lasinio (Carlo). [Matrimony], Florence, 1790. £1,500 to £2,000.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Reinhardt (Joseph). A Collection of Swiss Costumes, in Miniature, second English edition, James Goodwin, [1828]. £800 to £1,200.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Wengen (Gottfried Durst von). Die Öffentliche Maskerade Bamberg am Fastnachts-Montage 1833…, Bamberg, [1833]. £2,000 to £3,000.
  • Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Winston Churchill. The Second World War. Set of First-Edition Volumes. 6,000 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: A.A. Milne, Ernest H. Shepard. A Collection of The Pooh Books. Set of First-Editions. 18,600 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Salvador Dalí, Lewis Carroll. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Finely Bound and Signed Limited Edition. 15,000 USD
    Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ian Fleming. Live and Let Die. First Edition. 9,500 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter Series. Finely Bound First Printing Set of Complete Series. 5,650 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell to Arms. First Edition, First Printing. 4,200 USD

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