Science and Medicine from Asher Rare Books and the Antiquariaat Forum
- by Michael Stillman
Ouch! Gideon Mantell's battling Iguanodons.
Item 26 is Die Phanomene der Geologie... the first German edition of The Wonders of Geology by Gideon Mantell, published in 1839. Mantell was an English physician who was fascinated by the fossils he found in his area. One day in 1822, either he or his wife chanced upon some very large teeth, and then some large bones. This was before the coining of the word “dinosaur” or much more than cursory knowledge that there were once some large, prehistoric creatures. Mantell at first thought he had found some very large form of crocodile, but later concluded it was some lizard-like creature. He gave it the name Iguanodon, “Iguana tooth” based on the appearance of the teeth. This book describes a number of large reptiles later to be called “dinosaurs,” and contains numerous illustrations, including a frontispiece that depicts three Iguanodons fighting. The illustrations in the German edition are superior to those in the English. €950 (US $1,198).
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.
