Rare Book Monthly

Book Catalogue Reviews - January - 2012 Issue

Western Americana from the William Reese Company

Western Americana.

The William Reese Company has issued a catalogue of Western Americana. There are few subjects that generate as much interest, and consequently are as highly collectible, as the American West. However, this is not a catalogue filled with cowboys and Indians, gunslingers and lawmen. Sure, they make their appearances, particularly America's natives, but not in the stereotypical way we remember from childhood. These are serious looks at the Old West, from the early explorations by Lewis and Clark and those who followed, to the settlement of that vast land, and the Indian wars which enabled that massive land transfer. We even find Davy Crockett, but he is not Fess Parker in a coonskin cap, but a fighter defending the Alamo, as recounted by one of the few witnesses to survive the final battle. Here, now, are a few selections from Western Americana.

Speaking of the Alamo, most of the few who survived were women and children. One from each of those categories were Susanna Dickinson and her daughter, Angelina. Their husband/father perished in the fight. Apparently, Mexican leader Santa Anna wanted to adopt Angelina, but Mrs. Dickinson declined. There were probably hard feelings. Thirteen years later, a bill was raised in the Texas House to provide aid for the Dickinson women. This plea is contained in the Speech of Guy M. Bryan, Member for Brazoria, on a Joint Resolution for the Relief of the Infant Daughter of Susannah and Almiram Dickinson. Bryan was a nephew of the “father of Texas, Stephen F. Austin, and a veteran of the Texas Revolution. Bryan particularly wanted the legislature to raise funds for the education of Angelina, a teenager now in the year of 1849. He calls out for aid to the “christened child of the Alamo, baptised in the blood of a Travis, a Bowie, a Crockett and a Bonham... Give her what she asks, that she might be educated, and become a worthy child of the State!” Neither Bryan's fiery words nor his Texas pedigree made a difference. She was not given what she asked. Bryan's bill passed the House, but died in committee. Perhaps as a result of their stinginess, instead of becoming an educated young woman, Angelina became a drifter, with two failed marriages, and reportedly died in Galveston (or New Orleans) a courtesan. Item 2. Priced at $2,500.

It took several decades for the life of tragedy to unfold for the “child of the Alamo,” but for the men there, it took but a few hours. Item 106 is an autograph letter from James Morgan, which includes a firsthand account of the Battle of the Alamo written less than a month after it happened in 1836. Morgan was a commander in the Texas Revolution, and his letter was written in hopes of securing aid for the Texian army. Morgan was not a witness to the events within the Alamo himself. He would have been killed had he been there. However, he recounts the testimony of a witness, William Travis' slave, Joe, whose life was spared. For once, it was better to be a slave than a master. While the last moments of the famous defenders of the Alamo remain uncertain, it is generally believed that Jim Bowie was ill in bed, and was killed there. According to Joe, he got under the bed, evidently seeking protection, from where he fought to the end using his pistols and famous knife. Davy Crockett, he said, led the defenders as long as he could. “No man could have behaved with more bravery than he did.” Item 106. $75,000.

Item 66 is a rare example of the variety of book commonly known as an “Indian captivity:” A Narrative of the Captivity of Mrs. Horn, and Her Two Children, with Mrs. Harris, by the Camanche Indians, after They had Murdered Their Husbands and Travelling Companions; with a Brief Account of The Manners and Customs of that Nation of Savages... For starters, their manners must not have been very good, killing your guests not being polite behavior. The Horns were Britishers, emigrating first to New York, and then joining the Beale expedition in 1833 to settle lands along the Rio Grande at Delores, Texas. Unfortunately, Delores was not a fun place to live, and the Comanches added an element of danger to the other miseries of the place. In 1836, the Horns and others decided to leave, but with Mexican troops on the move as a result of the Texas Revolution, and Comanches prowling the area, escape was difficult. The group was surprised by the Indians, Mr. Horn and other men killed, and the rest of the family and Mrs. Harris taken off as captives. Mrs. Horn would be separated from her children, whom she would never see again, and was ransomed by traders in New Mexico in 1837. Her health damaged and unable to secure the release of her children, she traveled to Missouri, where she was interviewed for this book by its author, E.A. House. The book was published in 1839, also the year Mrs. Horn died. $16,500.

Rare Book Monthly

  • Sotheby’s
    Fine Books and Manuscripts
    8 December 2023
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 8: [Austen, Jane] — Isaac D'Israeli. Jane Austen's copy of Curiosities of Literature. 100,000 - 150,000 USD
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 8: [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition in boards of the author's debut novel. 70,000 - 100,000 USD
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 8: Brontë, Charlotte. "I am no bird; and no net ensnares me..." 100,000 - 150,000 USD
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 8: Eliot, George. The author's magnum opus. 25,000 - 35,000 USD
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 8: Whitman, Walt. Manuscript written upon the Death of Lincoln, 1865. 60,000 - 80,000 USD
  • Sotheby’s
    Important Modern Literature from the Library of an American Filmmaker
    8 December 2023
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 8: Kerouac, Jack. Typescript scroll of The Dharma Bums. Typed by Kerouac in Orlando, Florida, 1957, published by Viking in 1958. 300,000 - 500,000 USD
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 8: Hemingway, Ernest. The autograph manuscript of "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber." [Key West, finished April 1936]. 300,000 - 500,000 USD
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 8: Miller, Henry. Typescript of The Last Book, a working title for Tropic of Cancer, written circa 1931–1932. 100,000 - 150,000 USD
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 8: Ruscha, Ed. Twentysix Gasoline Stations, with a lengthy inscription to Joe Goode. 40,000 - 60,000 USD
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 8: Hemingway, Ernest. in our time, first edition of Hemingway’s second book. 30,000 - 50,000 USD
  • Swann
    Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books
    December 7, 2023
    Swann, Dec. 7: Samuel Augustus Mitchell, A New Map of Texas, Oregon and California with the Regions Adjoining, Philadelphia, 1846. $3,500 to $5,000.
    Swann, Dec. 7: 17th–19th-century case maps of various locations. $1,500 to $2,000.
    Swann, Dec. 7: Andreas Cellarius, Haemisphaerium Stellatum Boreale Cum Subiecto Haemisphaerio Terrestri, celestial chart, Amsterdam, 1708. $2,500 to $3,500.
    Swann
    Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books
    December 7, 2023
    Swann, Dec. 7: Vincenzo Coronelli, Set of engraved gores for Coronelli’s monumental 42-inch terrestrial globe, Venice, circa 1688–97. $18,000 to $22,000.
    Swann, Dec. 7: Lucas Janszoon Waghenaer, group of four navigational charts, Antwerp, 1580s. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Swann, Dec. 7: Thomas Bros, Block Book of Berkeley, Oakland, 1920s. $800 to $1,200.
    Swann
    Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books
    December 7, 2023
    Swann, Dec. 7: John Nieuhoff & John Ogilby, An Embassy from the East-India Company of the United Provinces, map of China, plan of Canton, London, 1673. $1,200 to $1,800.
    Swann, Dec. 7: Frederick Sander, Reichenbachia, St. Albans, 1888-1894. $5,000 to $7,000.
    Swann, Dec. 7: Two early illustrated works on horsemanship and breeding, Nuremberg, early 18th century. $700 to $800.
    Swann
    Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books
    December 7, 2023
    Swann, Dec. 7: John Gould, A Monograph of the Ramphastidae, or Family of Toucans. Supplement to the First Edition, London, 1834; 1855. $40,000 to $60,000.
    Swann, Dec. 7: John Pinkerton, A General Collection of the Best and Most Interesting Voyages and Travels in All Parts of the World, London, 1808–14. $1,500 to $2,500.
    Swann, Dec. 7: Oakley Hoopes Bailey, Hackensack, New Jersey, Boston, 1896. $800 to $1,200.
  • CHRISTIE’S
    Valuable Books and Manuscripts
    London auction
    13 December
    Find out more
    Christie’s, Explore now
    TREW, Christoph Jacob (1695–1769). Plantae Selectae quarum imagines ad exemplaria naturalia Londini in hortus curiosorum. [Nuremberg: 1750–1773]. £30,000–40,000
    Christie’s, Explore now
    VERBIEST, Ferdinand (1623–88). Liber Organicus Astronomiae Europaeae apud Sinas restituate. [Beijing: Board of Astronomy, 1674]. £250,000–350,000
    Christie’s, Explore now
    PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF ALICE & NIKOLAUS HARNONCOURT. Master of Jean Rolin (active 1445–65). Book of Hours, use of Paris, in Latin and French, [Paris, c.1450–1460]. £120,000–180,000
    Christie’s, Explore now
    A SILVER MICROSCOPE. Probably by Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (1632–1723), c.1700. £150,000–250,000
    Christie’s, Explore now
    AN ENGLISH HORARY QUADRANT
    C.1311. £100,000–150,000
  • Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 12-13: Roberts (David) & Croly (George). The Holy Land, Syria, Idumae, Arabia, Egypt and Nubia. Lond. 1842 - 1843 [-49]. First Edn. €10,000 to €15,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 12-13: Incunabula: O'Fihily (Maurice). Duns Scotus Joannes: O'Fihely, Maurice Abp… Venice, 20th November 1497. €8,000 to €12,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 12-13: An important file of documents with provenance to G.A. Newsom, manager of the Jacob’s Factory in Dublin, occupied by insurgents during Easter Week 1916. €6,000 to €9,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 12-13: WILDE (Oscar), 1854-1900, playwright, aesthete and wit. A lock of Wilde’s Hair, presented by his son to the distinguished Irish actor Mícheál MacLiammóir. €6,000 to €8,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 12-13: Heaney (Seamus). Bog Poems, London, 1975. Special Limited Edition, No. 33 of 150 Copies, Signed by Author. Illus. by Barrie Cooke. €4,000 to €6,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 12-13: Binding: Burke, Thomas O.P. (de Burgo). Hibernia Dominicana, Sive Historia Provinciae Hiberniae Ordinis Praedicatorum, ... 1762. First Edition. €4,000 to €6,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 12-13: COLLINS, Michael. An important TL, 29 July 1922, addressed to GOVERNMENT on ‘suggested Proclamation warning all concerned that troops have orders to shoot prisoners found sniping, ambushing etc.’. €3,000 to €4,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 12-13: Scott Fitzgerald (F.) The Great Gatsby, New York (Charles Scribner's Sons) 1925, First Edn. €2,000 to €3,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 12-13: Yeats (W.B.) The Poems of W.B. Yeats, 2 vols. Lond. (MacMillan & Co.) 1949. Limited Edition, No. 46 of 375 Copies Only, Signed by W.B. Yeats. €1,500 to €2,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 12-13: Miller (William) Publisher. The Costume of the Russian Empire, Description in English and French, Lg. folio London (S. Gosnell) 1803. First Edn. €1,000 to €1,500.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 12-13: Miller (William) Publisher. The Costume of Turkey, Illustrated by a Series of Engravings. Lg. folio Lond.(T. Bensley) 1802. First Edn. €800 to €1,200.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 12-13: Mason (Geo. Henry). The Costume of China, Illustrated with Sixty Engravings. Lg. folio London (for W. Miller) 1800. First Edn. €1,400 to €1,800

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