Rare Book Monthly
Book Catalogue Reviews - July - 2010 Issue
Antiquarian Books and Manuscripts from Samuel Gedge Ltd.
Mary Toft with one of her furry "children."
If you click the thumbnail image to the left, you will see a portrait of a most remarkable woman. That is a mezzotint of a painting by John Laguerre (circa 1730) of Mary Toft, a housewife from Godalming. On her lap you will notice a rabbit. The rabbit was not Mrs. Toft's pet. No, it was one of her children. You may find this hard to believe, but Mrs. Toft gave birth to 17 rabbits. However, they were not born in a litter, as standard practice for rabbits, but in succession, several under great medical scrutiny. Even then there were disbelievers. Mrs. Toft explained that she had become obsessed with rabbits, and her intense interest in them led to her giving birth to bunnies. While this is not a very good biological theory, many people, including the King's physician, were convinced, particularly after observing Mrs. Toft give birth to a furry critter. Well, to make a long story short, she was faking it. That she was able to pull off such a fake and convince a bunch of eminent physicians that she was giving birth to rabbits is almost as unbelievable as actually giving birth to rabbits, but she was finally caught and admitted to the hoax. Rather than gaining 15 minutes of fame, it is most likely Mrs. Toft hoped to gain some sort of government pension for her unusual capacity. Item 36. £450 ($661).
Samuel Gedge Ltd. Rare Books may be reached at +44 (0)1263 722 555 or [email protected]. Their website is www.samuelgedge.com.
Rare Book Monthly
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Freeman’s, August 20. President Washington Reaffirms the US Treaty of Friendship and Peace with Morocco, the Longest Unbroken Treaty in US History. $50,000 – 80,000.Freeman’s, August 20. Weeks After Victory at Yorktown, Benjamin Franklin Promises Repayment of a French Loan that Funded the American Revolution. $200,000 – 300,000.Freeman’s, August 20. Rare First Edition of the Foundational Text of the Mormon Church. $100,000 – 150,000.Freeman’s, August 20. President Washington Sends the First Major Law Passed by Congress, the Tariff Act of 1789. $100,000 – 150,000.Freeman’s, August 20. A Scarce Example of Audubon's Depiction of a Brown Pelican, Plate CCLI from his Birds of America. $30,000 – 50,000.Freeman’s, August 20. The Official and First Obtainable Broadside Printing of the Lincoln's Final Emancipation Proclamation. $30,000 – 50,000. -
