Part II of the William Reese Company's tribute to Wright Howes' USiana
- by Michael Stillman
The last official survivor of the American Revolution, Lemuel Cook.
Item 66 is a presentation copy from the subject of this best biography of the early career of William Henry Harrison. Harrison would go on to hold the shortest presidency of any American, just 30 days in office before he died. However, around 30 years prior to his election, Harrison was fighting in what was then the American West (now Midwest), against Tecumseh and other Indians allied with the British at the time of the War of 1812. This book, written by Moses Dawson, and published in 1824, is not just a biography of Harrison, but an account of the Border Wars in the West at this time. This copy of AHistoricalNarrativeoftheCivilandMilitaryServicesofMajor-GeneralWilliamH.Harrison... has been inscribed by Harrison to William L. Stone, a New York printer and editor. $20,000.
Item 108 is a look back in time, an attempt to rekindle the original patriotic American spirit during the Civil War, when the nation was wrenched apart. The title is TheLastMenoftheRevolution.APhotographofEachfromLife,TogetherwithViewsofTheirHomesinColors.AccompaniedbyBriefBiographicalSketchesoftheMen, by Rev. Elias B. Hillard. Rev. Hillard thought that by publishing information about men who had fought in the Revolution who were still alive at the time (1864), it would bring back memories of a time when North and South fought together, a seemingly unbreakable union. However, it now being over 80 years since that war ended, there weren't many such veterans still around. Hillard was able to locate six, all near or over 100 years in age. Hillard went out in the field to photograph these last survivors and their homes, and write their biographies. And, it can be noted, the Civil War did come to an end a few months later, though it is unlikely Rev. Hillard's book played any role in that outcome. One of these six, Lemuel Cook, who died in 1866 at age 107, was the last official surviving veteran, although others with less certain credentials as Revolutionary War veterans lived as late as 1869. $8,500.
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>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.")
