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For those who collect on faith: How values change

- by Bruce E. McKinney

 

          Description  
1 Adams, Henry The Education of Henry Adams. Washington 1907 First edition, original blue cloth.  In a cloth case.  The privately printed edition.  Scarce $450
6   American Turf Register and Sporting Magazine Baltimore and New York 1830-1844 15 volumes, 8vo, First editions, full calf; a complete and perfect set, with all the title-pages, plates, calendars, etc. $2,500
14 Barrie, J. M. Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens.   London 1905 First edition, original white vellum.  In a cloth box.  Illustrations by Arthur Rackham.  The limited edition, signed by Rackham. $150
24 Beethoven, Ludwig Von Grande Sonate Pour Le Pianoforte.   Vienna 1805 Bureau des Arts et d'Industrie.  First edition, new green cloth.  The famous Waldstein Sonata - the first of Beethoven's solo pianoforte compositiomns to be written for the new enlarged instrument. $120
32 [Beverly, Robert] The History and Present State of Virginia … By a Native and Inhabitant of the Place London 1705 8vo, First edition, original calf.  4 plates from DeBry by Gribelin. $90
43 [Bronte, Anne] The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Acton Bell London 1848 3 volumes, 8vo, Vols. 1 and 3, second edition; Vol. 2, First edition, original brown cloth [a used copy].  Anne Bronte's own copy, presented by herself and her sisters to Mary Brown, sister of Tabitha, the faithful servant of the family, on the occasion of her marriage to a man named Jopling.  The ceremony was performed by the Rev. A. B. Nicholls, Charlotte Bronte's husband.  All  three volumes contain the signature "H. Jopling," son of the recipient, and they are accompanied by a letter of authentication in his hand.  The chief interest of the book, however, lies in the fact that it was originally the author's own copy.  Vol. 2 contains her extremely rare signature on the fly-leaf - A. Bronte - and about fifteen corrections in the text in her autograph. $1,250
51 Bryant, William Cullen Poems Cambridge 1821 12mo, First Edition, original brown printed boards.  A practically mint copy.  Rare in  this condition.  Grolier American List, No. 32. $450
60 Butler, Charles The Feminine Monarchie, or The History of Bees.   Oxford 1634 8vo, First edition in phonetic spelling, old half calf, hinge broken.  This appears to be the first English book printed in Phonteic spelling, based on the author's English Grammar.  Butler was anticipated in some of his theories by Gill and Sir John Cheke, the 16th century grammarians, and by Trissino in Italy:  but he was three centuries ahead of Ellis and Pitman.  S.T.C. 4194. $40
63 Calvert, Dr. F. Crace Lectures on Coal-Tar Colours, and on Recent Improvements and Progress in Dying & Calico Printing. [Together with:] Dyeing and Calico Printing:  Including an account of the most recent improvements in the manufacturing and use of Aniline colours. Manchester [1863], 1876 2 volumes, 12mo, half black morocco and 8vo, original green cloth.  In a cloth box.  Illustrations, pasted in samples, etc.  The very scarce first edition with the greatly enlarged and revised second edition. $90
72 Chippendale, Thomas The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director.  Being a large collection of the most elegant and useful designs of household furniture, in the gothic, Chinese and modern taste, etc. London 1755 J. Haberkorn.  Folio, Second edition, full suede [hinges cracked; small blank portion of title restored].  Illustrated with one hundred sixty copper plates.  The most sought for edition. $250
81 [The United States Constitution] Constitution.  We, the people of the United States, etc. Poughkeepsie 1788 Printed on one side of the leaf only.  Ford states it was done for the use of the convention and that it was probable that not more  than 100 copies  are struck off.  The New York State Library was destroyed by fire and only two copies have even appeared at auction for sale in America - this being one, the other, the De Puy copy, 1919. $550
84 Cooper, James Fenimore The Last of the Mohicans.  A Narrative of 1757. Philadelphia 1826 H. C. Carey and I. Lea.  [Together] 4 volumes, First editions [issues undetermined], contemporary calf.  In two cloth cases.  It has not been noted by bibliographers that  the title-page of Volume II exists in two variant type set-ups, there also being variations in the copyright notices on the verse,  Both variants [priority] undetermined as  yet] are therefore offered together.  "This is the second and most famous of the Leatherstocking Tales, and the first in which the scout Natty Bumppo was made the symbol of all that was wise, heroic and romantic in the lives and characters of the white men who made the American wilderness their home ... this novel glorified for many generations of readers in England, France, Russia and at home, some aspects of American life that were unique to our cultural history." Grolier American List, No. 34. $425
88 Copernicus, Nicholaus De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium Libri VI. Nurnberg 1543 Joh. Petreius.  4to, First edition, vellum antique, sprinkled edges.  In a cloth slip case.  A fine, crisp copy.  Collation:  [*] an unsigned half sheet [2 leaves], a-z4, Aa-Cc4.  Copernicus'sepoch-making exposition of the true nature of the solar system was printed at the end of his life, the first copy reaching him on his death-bed. Of the supremely important scientiific books, it is one of the rarest in first edition. $2,250
94 Darwin, Charles The Origin of the Species by Means of natural selection, or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life London 1859 8vo, First edition, original green cloth.  In a cloth case.  A fine copy inscribed on the fly-leaf:  "Dr. Buist, Bombay, From the author."  The recipient was a noted scientistand editor of "The Bombay Times."  Inscribed copies of this epoch-making book are rarely met with. $285
95 [De Foe, Daniel] The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner … Written by Himself.  Together with The Farther Adventures, Etc. London 1719 Printed for W. Taylor, 1719.  2 volumes, 12mo, First edition of both volumes, original plain calf, sprinkled edges.  The joints are weak, biut except for a careful furbishing of the leather the books has the first issue of the Preface [the  only accepted "issue" point], the second state of p. 343.  The Farther Adventures, which has the folding map, is second issue.  Both volumes have the necessaery advertisement leaves at the end.  In addition to its attractive original condition, this set has an interesting provenance.  Its original owner, whose bookplate and signature are in both volumes, was the fourth Lord Byron [1669-1736], the great-great-uncle of the poet, and it remained in  his family's possession until quite recently. $1,250
100 Dickens, Charles The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. New York 1836-1838 James Turney, Jr.  26 parts, 8vo, First American edition in parts, original green printed wrappers.  A fine untouched set in which every wrapper is the correct issue.  A rarer book by far than the original English issue.  The present copy is much superior to the only three sets which have appeared at auction in America [at prices ranging up to $2,500] all of whichj were defective in one way or another.  N.B.  We carry a large selection of the first American part issues of Dicken's novels and will quote upon request. $900
128 Fielding, Henry The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling. London 1749 A. Millar.  6 volumes, 12mo, First edition, contemporary calf, fully gilt backs, russet labels, sprinkled edges.  In two cloth boxes.  One leaf in Volume II and a few in Volume III are mis bound by the original binder, but all are present.  All errata uncorrected.  The first edition of each volume, including the 6th, which is sometimes found reprinted, without any evidence of this being done.  The "points" of the first edition of Volume VI were first noted in Winterlich-Randall A Primer of Book Collecting, page 167.  Though among the commonest of 18th Century novels in first edition in ordinary state, or repaired, or rebound, Tom Jones is definitely rare when as fine as it is in the present set.  The Grolier English 100.  Samuel Richardson's comment on Tom Jones [correspondence, 21 January, 1750]: "A dissolute book, its  run is over," is about inaccurate a piece of literary prophecy as we can recall, offhand.  Gibbon was prophetic when he remarked:  "Tom Jones, that exquisite picture of human manners, will outlive the imperial eagle of the house of Austria." $650
150 Gilbert, William Guilielmi Gilberti Colcestrensis, Medica Londinensis, De Magnete, Magneticisque Corcestrensis, Medici Longinensis, De Magnete, Magneticisque Corporibus, et De Magno Magnete Tellure; Physiologia Nova, Plurimis & Argumentis, & Experimentis Demonstrata. Londini 1600 Excudebat Petrus Short.  Folio, original vellum [new ties].  In a cloth case.  A beautiful copy of this celebrated work which cost the author 18 years of investigation and experiment.  Physician to Queen Elizabeth and James I, Gilbert was one of the founders of experimental science.  In this work he first uses the word "electrises," shows that a freely suspenmded magnet is controlled by the earth and not, as supposed, by extra-terrestrial influence, and proves that other bodies besides amber possess the property of attracting, after being rubbed.  Book II contains his electrical work and shows a marvelous advance over previous writers.  He coined the word electrical and constructed the first electroscope and was the  first to distinguish between electricity and magnetism.  Prof. Silvanus Thompson, F. R. S., writing in the Electrician of March, 1905, says:  "This book is much rarer than the first folio Shakespeare, for while of that work no fewer than 156 copies are known to exist, there are only 68 copies of the first folio Gilbert known, and only two have been sold in the book auctions in the last twenty years."  S.T.C. 11883 $675
             
            $12,375