Rare Book Monthly
Book Catalogue Reviews - March - 2005 Issue
John Windle Offers a Variety of Antiquarian Books
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Of course the most famous of all Protestant preachers was Martin Luther. In 1522, he printed a letter about the Ten Commandments, Ain Sermon Secundum Matheum....Item 66 is a copy of this rare Luther item. $3,500.
Do you like old English poets? Then you will love item 9. This is The Poets of Great Britain Complete from Chaucer to Churchill, by John Bell. Published from 1776 through 1792, this work consists of an astounding 109 volumes. This set will certainly be a breathtaking addition to your bookshelves, and if you don't actually read every one, no one will be the wiser. $4,750.
In 1827, an auction was held of the estate of Henry Fuseli, who both painted and wrote about art. A catalogue was issued, headed Catalogue of the Whole of the Remaining Finished and Unfinished Works...of Henry Fuseli...Deceased...which...will be sold by Auction By Mr. Christie....The sale took in a total of just over 1,047 British pounds. Today, the catalogue is worth almost three times as much as all 98 lots that sold at the auction combined. Such is the power of inflation. Item 39. $5,500.
Virginia Brights Cigarettes put out a series of oversized baseball cards in 1886. While there was also a smaller series, item 80 measures 11" x 7". These, naturally, could not be included with the cigarettes so someone wishing to collect them had to send away to the company. Any baseball cards from this era would be unusual, but this series is particularly surprising as the ballplayers were women. The team was called the "Black Stocking Nine" (there was a separate set of cards for the "Polka Dot Nine"), and it is not clear who they were (possibly workers for the cigarette company) or where they played. The ladies displayed different baseball poses. In this card, the young woman is about to throw the ball. $3,500.
When the Royal Society announced its first expedition to the South Seas, to be headed by James Cook (later "Captain" Cook), young Joseph Banks applied for the position of naturalist. Considering that Banks had the money to make a substantial contribution toward the expedition, it is not surprising that he was chosen. Banks brought a couple of artists with him on the journey, one being Sydney Parkinson. Parkinson would draw many botanical specimens, as well as portraits of natives and other subjects. Much of his work can be found in A Journal of a Voyage to the South Seas, in His Majesty's Ship, the Endeavor. The book was published in 1773, but Parkinson never got to see it. Illness would strike many in the crew after a stop at what is now Jakarta, and Parkinson would be one of the members who would die on the return trip. Item 79. $11,250.
John Windle Antiquarian Bookseller may be found online at www.johnwindle.com or reached by phone at 415-986-5826.
