• 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
  • ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
    November 30-December 2
    abaa.org/vbf
    ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
    November 30-December 2
    abaa.org/vbf
    ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
    November 30-December 2
    abaa.org/vbf
    ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
    November 30-December 2
    abaa.org/vbf
    ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
    November 30-December 2
    abaa.org/vbf
    ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
    November 30-December 2
    abaa.org/vbf
    ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
    November 30-December 2
    abaa.org/vbf
    ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
    November 30-December 2
    abaa.org/vbf
    ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
    November 30-December 2
    abaa.org/vbf
    ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
    November 30-December 2
    abaa.org/vbf
  • Sotheby’s
    Fine Books from a Distinguished Private Library
    28 November 2023
    Sotheby’s, Nov. 28: Captain Thomas Brown | Illustrations of the American ornithology. £80000-120000
    Sotheby’s, Nov. 28: William Hamilton | Campi phlegraei. £40000-60000
    Sotheby’s, Nov. 28: Nicola Zabaglia and Domenico Fontana | Castelli, e ponti con alcune ingegnose pratiche. £6000-8000
    Sotheby’s, Nov. 28: Bible, German | Nuremberg: Koberger, 1483. £40000-60000
    Sotheby’s, Nov. 28: Bible, English | King James version. £8000-12000
  • Forum Auctions
    Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    30th November, 2023
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Saint Jerome penitent, woodcut with contemporary hand-colouring and letterpress text beneath, [Augsburg], [Johann Froschauer], [c.1498]. £15,000 to £20,000.
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Elimithar (Elluchasem) "Ibn Butlan". Tacuini sanitatis, first edition, Strasbourg, Johann Schott, 1531. £15,000 to £20,000.
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: [Missale Romanum], Latin, Incipit ordo missalis secundum consuetudinem Curiae Romani, manuscript in Latin, on vellum, 234ff. [c. 1400]. £15,000 to £20,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    30th November, 2023
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Foyle copy.- [Shakespeare (William)]. Macbeth. A Tragedy: With all the Alterations, Amendments, Additions, and New Songs. As it is now Acted at the Theatre Royal, for Hen. Herringman, 1687. £5,000 to £7,000.
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Dickens (Charles). A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, first edition, first impression, first issue, Chapman & Hall, 1843. £12,000 to £18,000.
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Lawrence (T.E.) Revolt in the Desert, working draft typescript, 1927. £10,000 to £15,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    30th November, 2023
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Hampstead Bindery.- Phillips (Stephen). Marpessa, exquisitely bound by The Hampstead Bindery, almost certainly P.A. Savoldelli, 1900. £6,000 to £8,000.
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Matisse (Henri).- Joyce (James). Ulysses, one of 1500 copies, this one of 250 signed by the author and artist, New York, The Limited Editions Club, 1935. £8,000 to £12,000.
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Burroughs (Edgar Rice). Tarzan at the Earth's Core, first edition, signed presentation inscription from the author to his son, New York, 1930. £5,000 to £7,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    30th November, 2023
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Fitzgerald (F. Scott). Tender is the Night, first edition, first printing, signed by the author, New York, 1934. £15,000 to £20,000.
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Fleming (Ian).- Hooks (Mitchell) and David Chasman. Dr. No, British film poster, Stafford & Co Ltd, [1962]. £10,000 to £15,000.
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: America.- California.- Palou (Francisco). Relacion Historica de la Vida Y Apostolicas Tareas delVenerable Padre Fray Junipero Serra..., first edition, second issue, 1787. £6,000 to £8,000.

Rare Book Monthly

Book Catalogue Reviews - January - 2017 Issue

Native Americana and the American West from Michael D. Heaston Rare Books & Manuscripts

Western Americana.

Recently arrived is Catalogue Forty-Nine Native Americana and the American West from Michael D. Heaston Rare Books & Manuscripts. This is a wonderful collection of 19th century to early 20th century western Americana, including much highly collectible, often quite rare or obscure material. As a point of clarification, this catalogue of Native Americana is not limited to Native Americans, those once erroneously thought to be natives of India. There are many items related to America's "Indians," but much is about other aspects of the American West. Here are just a few samples of what you will find in this catalogue.

 

Before the West could be won, you had to get there. In the early days of an independent America, the West was what is today the Midwest. At that time, the Mississippi River formed the nation's western boundary. That was the case when this guidebook was first published by Pittsburgh printer Zadok Cramer: The Navigator: Containing Directions for Navigating the Monongahela, Alleghany (sic), Ohio, and Mississippi Rivers... This book provides river guides to the Mississippi and along that river for travelers coming from the east. It was first published in 1802. This edition is from 1808 and is styled the sixth edition, but only three prior ones are known. It is particularly noteworthy as it contains an appendix which for the first time adds a description of Lewis and Clark's journey up the Missouri and Columbia Rivers. This was well before Lewis and Clark's official account was published. However, Cramer had published Patrick Gass' account of the journey, the first by any actual participant, so he had access to Gass' information. Item 37. Priced at $17,500.

 

It would take until the 1840's before more than a handful of "mountain men" trappers would venture far to the west, but plans were being laid earlier. Item 83 is described by Howes as the "Earliest Oregon colonization scheme." It was the work of New England schoolmaster Hall Jackson Kelley in 1831: A General Circular to All Persons of Good Character, Who Wish to Emigrate to the Oregon Territory. Kelley was a man of bold ideas, but limited follow through. In this book, he counts off the benefits of what he saw as fertile land in Oregon, the last such place left to be settled. What he proposed was not a trading company, such as Astoria, but a true settlement at Gray's Bay, just north of the mouth of the Columbia River, with a trading post at the confluence of the Columbia and Multnomah (Willamette) Rivers. A woodcut plan is displayed on the last page. Kelley also thought such a settlement would be a positive influence on the natives, a selling point with ministers to whom he sent this book. The plan came close to implementation, Kelley garnering support from a few congressional heavyweights such as Senator Thomas Hart Benton, but when Congress failed to provide assistance, the plan fell through. John Howell, citing Jones, sadly tells us, "We are indebted to him for pouring everything he had into his Oregon projects---and we have benefited from them---while he lived a frustrated life to die an outcast and despised eccentric." Item 83. $12,500 (that represents an appreciation of 10 million percent from its original price of 12 ½ cents).

 

It would take another decade, but by the mid-1840's, the wagon trains to Oregon began to roll. The lucky had uneventful crossings. Most experienced some sorts of hardships, and a few the very worst. Weather was often a problem, especially for stragglers who ended up in the mountains as winter approached. The most notable was the Donner party. Here is another group that suffered similar tragedies, although their problem was hostile Indians rather than weather. Item 54 is Left by the Indians. Story of My Life, by Emaline Fuller. It was published in 1892, but recounts a journey west in 1860. It is the only account of the Utter-Myers party, which left Wisconsin with 54 participants, but only 15 were still alive when they arrived. Eberstadt described the journey as, "an expedition which rivaled in death, suffering, and final resort to cannibalism, the tragic journey of the Donner Party." Some in the party were dragged off, some killed, and the remainder left to starve. Ms. Fuller recounts how they had to eat the children who died, and in one case, digging up the body of a man who had died for food. $3,750.

 

Item 157 is the Outline Description of the Posts in the Military Division of the Missouri... published by the Headquarters Military Division of the Missouri in 1872. This provides detailed descriptions of the various agencies and Indian reservations in their territory, which covered most of the West outside of the Pacific coast states and territories. Over 50 forts and camps are listed. It includes a map showing the location of military posts, reservations, and routes. There is also a summary of Indian treaties. Tipped in is a table of distances. Heaston notes that it is unlikely that many copies were published as it was meant for commanders in the field. This copy comes with a particularly notable provenance. It was the personal copy of General Philip Sheridan. Sheridan had been stationed in the West, but was called east by Ulysses Grant during the Civil War. He was closely associated with Grant and Sherman and participated in the battles that brought the war to an end. He then returned west, where he became head of the Military Division of the Missouri, commanded the often brutal Indian wars, and later headed the entire army. $3,500.

 

There is some irony in this next item. It is What the Salt River Valley Offers to the Immigrant, Capitalist, and Invalid. It was published by the Maricopa County (Arizona) Immigration Union in 1887. It encourages immigrants to come to "the Garden of the Southwest." In recent years, Maricopa County's Sheriff, Joe Arpaio, built a national reputation by being less than welcoming to immigrants. Item 9. $875.

 

Here is an unusual way to promote your store. It is a sheet which states, Presented By The Golden Eagle Clothing House, of Kansas City, Missouri. What they have presented is a photograph on the sheet, which is not one of a nice new suit or dress. Rather, it is photo of the body, head and shoulders, of Jesse James, taken from the files of the funeral home that buried him. Perhaps Golden Eagle provided him his last outfit. It is undated. Item 68. $2,500.

 

Michael D. Heaston Rare Books & Manuscripts can be reached at 512-417-8045 or mdheaston@cox.net.

Rare Book Monthly

  • Chiswick Auctions
    Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    29th Nov. 2023
    Chiswick Auctions, Nov. 29: Lot 150
    Simpson (William). India Ancient and Modern, 2 vol., 50 chromo-lithographed plates, 1867 Est. £15,000 - £20,000
    Chiswick Auctions, Nov. 29: Lot 32
    St. James the Apostle, large historiated initial ‘A’ on vellum from a monumental Lectionary of Martyrology. [mid C.12th.] Est. £4000 - £6000
    Chiswick Auctions, Nov. 29: Lot 257
    Gill (Eric) Artist, Sculpture & Illustrator. Crucifixion. original drawing/watercolour. n.d. Est. £4000 - £6000
    Chiswick Auctions, Nov. 29: Lot 254
    Fleming (Ian). Casino Royale, first edition, second impression, inc. dust jacket, 1953 Est. £4000 - £6000
    Chiswick Auctions
    Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    29th Nov. 2023
    Chiswick Auctions, Nov. 29: Lot 209
    Forster, (E.M.) Correspondence from Forster to Bob Buckingham’s family, with books from the library of Forster and Buckingham including presentation and signed copies. Est. £4000 - £6000
    Chiswick Auctions, Nov. 29: Lot 67
    Churchill (W.S.) Freedom of Blackpool, 7 records relating to Churchill’s Honorary Freedom of Blackpool, Sept. and Oct. 1946, with related ephemera. Est. £800 - £1200
    Chiswick Auctions, Nov. 29: Lot 104
    America.- Cator (Joseph). Manuscript account of a journey from Jamaica through North America to Boston, Mass. and to England, April—August 1764. Est. £2000 - £3000
  • 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.

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