American Views & Cartography from The William Reese Company
- by Michael Stillman
The great Marysville fire of 1851.
Item 2 is an engraving of A Prospective View of the Battle Fought Near Lake George, on the 8th of Sepr. 1755...in which the English were Victorious... by Samuel Blodget, published in London in 1756. This was early in the French and Indian War, which didn't start out all that well for the British and the colonists. The Battle of Lake George was a modest victory, but a great psychological boost, the start of a trend that would result in a great victory, kicking France almost entirely out of North America. The British troops were gathering on the south side of Lake George, north of Albany, New York, with a plan of attacking the French in their stronghold in Canada. However, the French planned to outflank them, attacking their headquarters on the northern Hudson River, thereby cutting off their supply route. The French seemed to have the element of surprise, and after an attack along the Hudson, and discovering the location of British troops at Lake George, they moved forward for an attack. However, the loss of a key officer spooked many of their Indian allies who followed his commands, and some of the Canadians as well. The result was the tide turned, and the French were were driven back with great losses. Blodget's view depicts the formations at the two key battles that took place. $75,000.
Item 4 is a pictorial letter sheet with the caption View of the Conflagration of Marysville on the Night of August 30th 1851. Marysville, California, located in the central part of the state north of Sacramento, was a creation of the Gold Rush. Its convenient location led its residents to believe it one day would become a major city, but flooding issues prevented that from ever happening. In 1851, the young community suffered a devastating fire, wiping out three square blocks and causing an estimated half million dollars in damages, a very large sum in its day. This view depicts the roaring fire consuming the town, while onlookers, and a bucket brigade, fruitlessly attempt to stop the conflagration. $1,500.
ALDE, Apr. 8: GUEVARA (ANTONIO DE). Histoire de Marc-Aurèle, Empereur Romain, vray miroir et horloge des Princes. Paris, Pierre et Galliot du Pré, frères, 1565. €3,000 to €4,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: HEURES DE LA VIERGE. Horæ in laudem beatissimæ virginis Mariæ ad usum Romanum. Paris, Charles L'Angelier, 1556. €4,000 to €5,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: MONTAIGNE (MICHEL DE). Les Essais. Édition nouvelle, trouvée après le deceds de l'autheur… Paris, Abel L'Angelier, 1595. €6,000 to €8,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: [ROJAS (FERNANDO DE)]. Celestina, tragicomedia di Calisto et Melibea, tradotta de lingua castigliana in italiano idioma… Venise, 1531. €2,000 to €3,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: CAMÕES (LUÍS DE). Os Lusiadas. Lisbonne, Pedro Crasbeeck, 1613. €2,000 to €3,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: CERVANTES (MIGUEL DE). El Ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha. Bruxelles, Roger Velpius & Huberto Antonio, 1611. €6,000 to €8,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: LA FONTAINE (JEAN DE). Fables choisies, mises en vers. Paris, Denys Thierry et Claude Barbin, 1678-1694. €6,000 to €8,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: CERVANTES (MIGUEL DE). El Ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha. Madrid, Joaquin Ibarra, 1780. €3,000 to €4,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: DIDEROT (DENIS) ET JEAN LE ROND D'ALEMBERT. Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers. Paris, 1751-1765. €15,000 to €20,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: [LIVRE TISSÉ]. LAMARTINE (Alphonse de). Les Laboureurs. Poème tiré de Jocelyn… Lyon, J. A. Henry, 1883. €8,000 to €10,000.
ALDE, Apr. 8: [LIVRE TISSÉ]. Livre de prières tissé d'après les enluminures des manuscrits du XIVe au XVIe siècle. Lyon, [A. Roux], 1886. €5,000 to €6,000.
Sotheby’s Books, Manuscripts & Objects from Three Important Collections Open for Bidding 2-17 April
Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: [Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun]. Le Roman de la Rose, [Geneva or Lyons, c.1481], first printed edition of the most important medieval French vernacular poem. £200,000 to £300,000.
Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: Castiglione. Il libro del cortegiano. [Venice], April 1528, first edition, in a magnificent binding by Jean Picard for Jean Grolier. £100,000 to £150,000.
Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: Jacobus de Cessolis. Schachzabelbuch, Strasbourg, 1483, von der Lasa copy. £50,000 to £70,000.
Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: World Championship, 1972. A collection of 84 press photographs of the famed match between Spassky and Fischer. £2,000 to £3,000.
Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: Ben Franklin. Autograph letter signed, to Lord Shelburne, British Prime Minister, during peace negotiations, November 1782. £15,000 to £20,000.
