• <center><b>Potter & Potter Auctions<br>Nobu Shirase and the Japanese Antarctic Expedition: the Collection of Chet Ross<br>October 12, 2023</b>
    <b>Potter & Potter, Oct. 12:</b> [BYRD]. VEER, Willard Van der and Joseph T. RUCKER, cinematographers. The 35mm motion picture Akeley camera that filmed the Academy Award-winning documentary “With Byrd at the South Pole”. $30,000 to $50,000.
    <b>Potter & Potter, Oct. 12:</b> [SHIRASE, Nobu, his copy]. RYUKEI, Yano. <i>Young Politicians of Thebes: Illustrious Tales of Statesmanship.</i> Tokyo(?), 1881-84. $15,000 to $20,000.
    <b>Potter & Potter, Oct. 12:</b> SHACKLETON, Ernest H. <i>The Antarctic Book.</i> Winter Quarters 1907-1909 [dummy copy of the supplement to: <i>The Heart of the Antarctic</i>]. London, 1909. $10,000 to $15,000.
    <b>Potter & Potter, Oct. 12:</b> [USS BEAR]. The original auxiliary deck wheel from the famed USS Bear, 1874-1933. “PROBABLY THE MOST FAMOUS SHIP IN THE HISTORY OF THE COAST GUARD” (USCG). $10,000 to $15,000.
    <b>Potter & Potter, Oct. 12:</b> HENSON, Matthew. <i>A Negro Explorer at the North Pole.</i> With a forward by Robert Peary. Introduction by Booker T. Washington. New York, [1912]. $3,000 to $4,000.
  • <center><b>Gonnelli: Auction 46 Books<br>Autographs & Manuscripts<br>Oct 3rd-5th 2023</b>
    <b>Gonnelli:</b> Tilson - Zanotto, Il vero tema. 2011. Starting price 150 €
    <b>Gonnelli:</b> Munari, Storia di un filo. Starting price 400 €
    <b>Gonnelli:</b> Debord, Contre le cinéma. 1964. Starting price 150 €
    <b>Gonnelli:</b> Futurism books and ephemera
    <b>Gonnelli:</b> Travel books
    <b>Gonnelli:</b> Medicine books
    <b>Gonnelli:</b> Levaillant, Histoire naturelle des perroquets. 1801-1805. Starting price 52.000 €
    <b>Gonnelli:</b> Carrera, Il gioco de gli scacchi. 1617. Starting price 3200 €
    <b>Gonnelli:</b> Vergilius, Opera. 1515. Starting price 800 €
  • <b><center>Forum Auctions<br>Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper<br>28th September 2023</b>
    <b>Forum Auctions, Sep. 28:</b> Asia.- Mandeville (Sir John). <i>Tractato bellissimo delle piu maravigliose cose & piu motabile che sitrovino nelle parte delmondo,</i> Florence, [Lorenzo Morgiani], [?1505] or possibly, 1496-99. £40,000 to £60,000.
    <b>Forum Auctions, Sep. 28:</b> Arabic ms.- Ghazaliyaat Kan'at al-Arabi [Divan of Poetry written in Arabic], illuminated manuscript in Arabic, Safavid Persia (probably Isfahan), [second quarter of 16th century]. £12,000 to £16,000.
    <b>Forum Auctions, Sep. 28:</b> Foxe (John). <i>Actes and monuments of these latter and perillous dayes, touching matters of the Church…,</i> first edition, dwellyng ouer Aldersgate, [20th March, 1563]. £15,000 to £20,000.
    <b><center>Forum Auctions<br>Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper<br>28th September 2023</b>
    <b>Forum Auctions, Sep. 28:</b> Barrie (J.M.) <i>Peter Pan or The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up,</i> first play edition, signed presentation inscription from the author "To my dear Jane Pan", 1928. £3,000 to £4,000.
    <b>Forum Auctions, Sep. 28:</b> Gillray (James). John Bull taking a Luncheon: -or- British Cooks, cramming Old Grumble-Gizzard, with Bonne-Chére, etching with hand-colouring, 1798. £1,500 to £2,000.
    <b>Forum Auctions, Sep. 28:</b> Middle East.- Roberts (David). <i>The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt & Nubia,</i> 6 vol. bound as 4, first edition, 1842-49. £12,000 to £18,000.
    <b><center>Forum Auctions<br>Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper<br>28th September 2023</b>
    <b>Forum Auctions, Sep. 28:</b> Greenwood (C. & J.) <i>Map of London made from an Actual Survey in the Years 1824, 1825 & 1826...,</i> first edition, engraved map, 1827. £15,000 to £20,000.
    <b>Forum Auctions, Sep. 28:</b> Newton (Sir Isaac). <i>Opticks: or, A Treatise of the Reflexions, Refractions, Inflexions and Colours of Light…,</i> first edition, 1704. £15,000 to £20,000.
    <b>Forum Auctions, Sep. 28:</b> Smith (Percy John Delf). Collection of 19 original preliminary drawings for "Twelve Drypoints of the War 1914-1918", circa 1914-1918; together with 11 drypoints from "Twelve Drypoints of the War 1914-1918", 1925. £15,000 to
    <b><center>Forum Auctions<br>Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper<br>28th September 2023</b>
    <b>Forum Auctions, Sep. 28:</b> Guild of Women Binders.- Watts (Alaric A.) <i>Lyrics of the Heart: with other poems</I>, in a stunning richly gilt green crushed morocco by the Guild of Women Binders, Longman, 1851. £12,000 to £18,000.
    <b>Forum Auctions, Sep. 28:</b> Cosway binding.- Dodgson (Charles Lutwidge). "Lewis Carroll". <i>Alice's Adventures in Wonderland,</i> in a Cosway binding with miniatures by Miss C.B. Currie, 1868. £10,000 to £15,000.
    <b>Forum Auctions, Sep. 28:</b> Fleming (Ian). <i>Casino Royale,</i> first edition, first impression, 1953. £18,000 to £22,000.
  • <center><b>Swann Auction Galleries View Our Record Breaking Results</b>
    <b>Swann:</b> Charles Monroe Schulz, <i>The Peanuts gang,</i> complete set of 13 drawings, ink, 1971. Sold June 15 — $50,000.
    <b>Swann:</b> Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Family Archive of Photographs & Letters. Sold June 1 — $60,000.
    <b>Swann:</b> Victor H. Green, <i>The Negro Motorist Green Book,</i> New York, 1949. Sold March 30 — $50,000.
    <b>Swann:</b> William Shakespeare, <i>King Lear; Othello;</i> [and] <i>Anthony & Cleopatra;</i> Extracted from the First Folio, London, 1623. Sold May 4— $185,000.
    <center><b>Swann Auction Galleries View Our Record Breaking Results</b>
    <b>Swann:</b> William Samuel Schwartz, <i>A Bridge in Baraboo, Wisconsin,</i> oil on canvas, circa 1938. Sold February 16 — $32,500.
    <b>Swann:</b> Lena Scott Harris, <i>Group of approximately 65 hand-colored botanical studies, all apparently California native plants,</i> hand-colored silver prints, circa 1930s. Sold February 23 — $37,500.
    <b>Swann:</b> Suzanne Jackson, <i>Always Something To Look For,</i> acrylic & pencil on linen canvas, circa 1974. Sold April 6 — $87,500.
    <b>Swann:</b> Gustav Klimt, <i>Das Werk von Gustav Klimt,</i> complete with 50 printed collotype plates, Vienna & Leipzig, 1918. Sold June 15 — $68,750.

Rare Book Monthly

Book Catalogue Reviews - May - 2017 Issue

Books from the American West from Old West Books

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Tales from the Old West.

Old West Books has issued their Catalog 41 of Rare, Out of Print Books on the American West. Old West further describes their specialization as "Books on the American West, Custer, the Fur Trade, Overland Travel, the Cattle Industry, and the Civil War." The last of those may sound odd, as the Civil War mostly took place east of the Mississippi, but skirmishes were occurring as far west as New Mexico and Arizona. The events described took place in the 19th century or early 20th, and most of the books date from those times as well. Here are a few samples of the material available to collectors of the American West.

 

It's been commonly accepted that there were no survivors from the 7th Cavalry after Custer's Last Stand. Not so. The truth was revealed in Barron Brown's 1935 book, Comanche The Sole Survivor of all the Forces in Custer's Last Stand, the Battle of the Little Big Horn Illustrated... You are probably thinking from his name that the sole survivor was an Indian scout, spared by his fellow Native Americans that terrible day. No, Comanche was not an Indian. He was a horse. He belonged to Captain Myles Keogh, who obviously did not survive. He had been in battle with Keogh and injured before, but was in pretty rough shape this time when found by army troops two days later on the battlefield. They nursed him back to health, retired Comanche from ever having to go to war again, and he became something of a symbol and hero to non-native Americans. He was given the honorary title of "Second Commanding Officer" and would lead parades. Comanche lived until 1890 (age 29). His body was stuffed, like Roy Rogers' "Trigger," and displayed at Chicago's Columbian Exposition in 1893. He was then given to the University of Kansas, which to this day has him on display at their Natural History Museum. They say he is "one of the most visited exhibits in the museum." Old West says he is "the most famous horse in military history." For accuracy, we should note that the Indians were not out killing the Cavalry's horses. Other horses survived and were taken by the Indians, but Comanche's condition was probably such that they just left him there. Item 3. Priced at $200.

 

Miles Goodyear was the first white man to build a home in Utah. He was there to greet the Mormons when they arrived. He traveled west with the Whitman missionary party in 1836, but split off from them and headed for the mountains to be a trapper. He was there for the famed mountain men "rendezvous" in 1843. By then he had already married the daughter of a Ute chief and had two children. In 1845, he established Fort Buenaventura in what is now Ogden. He planned it to be a base for trappers and a stop for emigrants heading west. Goodyear encouraged the Mormons to settle there when they arrived, but they chose Salt Lake City instead. However, the Mormons purchased Goodyear's fort for $1,950 and he then moved on to California. He continued trading there and found gold, but died in 1849 at age 32. Item 80 is his biography, Miles Goodyear First Citizen of Utah Trapper, Trader, and California Pioneer, by Charles Kelly and Maurice L. Howe, published in 1937. It is copy #312 of 350. $195.

 

Neither of the previous biographies were written by its subject. Not surprising, as one had died almost a century earlier and the other was a horse. This one is an autobiography, The Life of John Wesley Hardin, From the Original Manuscript, As written By Himself, published in 1896. Actually, Hardin was dead by then too, but was deceased only a year and had left a manuscript behind. Hardin's father was a Methodist minister, hence his first two names being "John Wesley," but he did not follow in his father or his namesake's footprints. John Wesley Hardin had a violent temper and a willingness to kill anyone who got in his way, or perhaps even annoyed him. Reportedly, he once shot a man in an adjoining hotel room for snoring too loud. He killed his first man when he was age 15, and went on to kill perhaps a dozen, or two, or three more. The count is uncertain. He even killed lawmen, though interestingly, he got out of town after one of his killings before Wild Bill Hickok returned, evidently afraid Wild Bill might be more than his match. Eventually, Hardin's luck ran out. He was captured by Texas marshals and sentenced in 1877 to 25 years in prison. He used the time to study law, and in 1894, after serving 17 years, he was pardoned. That turned out not to be such a good thing for him. He went into the practice of law in El Paso, but still managed to find trouble. A year later, he was shot and killed by a sheriff with whom he had quarreled. However, he used his year out to write this manuscript biography which was published after he died. Item 31. $300.

 

After the Mexican War, Mexico ceded a large amount of territory in the American Southwest to the United States. There was one problem. No one knew where the new border was located. The result is boundary commissions were formed on each side of the border. One of the commissioners for the American side was John Russell Bartlett. He spent three years surveying, and in 1854 published an account, Personal Narrative of Explorations and Incidents in Texas, New Mexico, California, Sonora, and Chihuahua, Connected with the United States and Mexican Boundary Commission, During the Years 1850, '51, '52 and '53. The surveyors started in California, and that portion was relatively easy to plot. However, the border through Arizona and New Mexico was difficult to establish, hence it taking so long to complete the job. Ironically, the following year, all of their work was thrown out. Wishing to build a southern railroad route to the Pacific, and the terrain being problematic, the U. S. "convinced" Mexico to sell them some more land south of the border, the Gadsden Purchase. The result was the surveyed border was no longer the border. Still, this book is very useful for learning about the geography and topography of the area. Here is an unexpected fact about Boundary Commissioner Bartlett – his previous job was as a bookseller in New York, and later on he became the librarian at the John Carter Brown Library. Item 1. $1,500.

 

Next is a story of a harrowing journey west, and life in a Colorado mining town in the 1860's: A Dangerous Crossing and What Happened On The Other Side Seven Lean Years. It is two accounts, Emma Shepard Hill's story of the journey from Ohio to Empire City Colorado (today just Empire), and the second is a diary she wrote in Colorado. Her "father" (actually an uncle, her parents having died) had been to Colorado the previous year, and in 1864, was bringing supply wagons for a Boston mining company back there with his family. They traveled by train to St. Joe, itself a bit scary as it was during the Civil War and killings were frequent in Missouri between the factions. From there they headed west in a pack train with others. It was a hot, dry year, water was often scarce, forage poor, the trail a fog of dust. However, what made the journey frightening to 13-year-old Emma and everyone else was 1864 was a year of Indian uprisings. Desperately, and unsuccessfully trying to hold on to their land, they attacked numerous wagon trains and settlements along the route. The emigrants saw numerous destroyed wagons, burned out ranches, dead, rotting mules and oxen, and a few human bodies along the way. Travelers and soldiers told them numerous stories of others who had been killed both ahead of and behind them in the last day or two. On the bluffs, they often saw Indians, and occasionally had to pass through ravines where they easily could have been ambushed. Once they were visited by 18 Indians, dressed in Union uniforms, claiming to be army scouts. Emma never knew whether they really were, or were using the uniforms of soldiers they killed to gain their confidence. They accepted some biscuits and moved on, perhaps because the train was too large to attack. Through the long days of travel, and long nights in darkness, they constantly expected the Indian attack that would finish them off. It never happened, and they safely made it to Denver. Item 40 is a 1924 second edition (it was first published in 1914). $850.

 

Old West Books may be reached at 719-260-6030 or oldwestbooks@earthlink.net. Their website is www.oldwestbooks.com.

Rare Book Monthly

  • <center><b>Jeschke Jadi Auctions Berlin<br>Rare Books, Prints, Historical Photography<br>29 September 2023</b>
    <b>Jeschke Jádi, Sep. 29:</b> Jan Theodor de Bry. <i>Anthologia magna sive Florilegium novum.</i> 1626. 9,000 €
    <b>Jeschke Jádi, Sep. 29:</b> John Locke. <i>Epistola de tolerantia ad Clarissimum Virum T.A.R.P.T.O.L.A.</i> 1689. 9000 €
    <b>Jeschke Jádi, Sep. 29:</b> F. T. Marinetti, Boccioni, Pratella, Carrà, a.o. <i>Collection of 35 Futurist manifestos.</i> 1909-1933. 7000 €
    <b>Jeschke Jádi, Sep. 29:</b> Johann Elert Bode, Rare engraved celestial globe. (1804). 6000 €
    <b>Jeschke Jádi, Sep. 29:</b> Sebastian Brant (ed.). <i>Tertia pars huius operis in se continens glosam ordinariam cum expositione lyre litterali et morali.</i> 1498. 5000 €
  • <center><b>Christie’s<br>Charlie Watts: Literature and Jazz<br>London and online auction<br>15–29 September</b>
    <b>Christie’s, Explore now:</b><br>F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940). <i>The Great Gatsby.</i> New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1925. £100,000–150,000
    <b>Christie’s, Explore now:</b><br>Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930). </i>The Hound of the Baskervilles: Another Adventure of Sherlock Holmes.</b> London: George Newnes, 1902. £70,000–100,000
    <b>Christie’s, Explore now:</b><br>Agatha Christie (1890–1976). <i>The Thirteen Problems.</i> London: for the Crime Club Ltd. by W. Collins Sons & Co. Ltd., 1932. £40,000–60,000
    <b>Christie’s, Explore now:</b><br>Dashiell Hammett (1894–1961). <i>The Maltese Falcon.</i> New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1930. £30,000–50,000
  • <b><center>Australian Book Auctions<br>Voyages, Natural History &c.<br>October 4, 2023<br>9:00 AM Australian Western Time</b>
    <b>Australian Book Auctions, Oct. 4:</b> PURCHAS, Samuel (circa 1577-1626). <i>HAKLUYTUS POSTHUMUS OR PURCHAS HIS PILGRIMES…,</i> London, 1625-1626. First edition. $40,000 to $60,000 AUD
    <b>Australian Book Auctions, Oct. 4:</b> GOULD, John. <i>THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA,</i> Volume IV. Folio, 104 fine handcoloured lithographed plates. London, 1848. $20,000 to $30,000 AUD
    <b>Australian Book Auctions, Oct. 4:</b> REICHENOW, Dr. Ant. <i>VOGELBILDER AUS FERNER ZONEN, abbildungen und beschreibungen der Papageien.</i> Kassel, 1878-1883. Folio, 33 hand-finished chromolithograph plates. $3,000 to $5,000 AUD
    <b>Australian Book Auctions, Oct. 4:</b> WALLIS, <i>E. WALLIS’S ELEGANT AND INSTRUCTIVE GAME exhibiting the Wonders of Nature, in Each Quarter of the World.</i> Handcoloured view, 26 numbered scenes. $400 to $600 AUD.
    <b>Australian Book Auctions, Oct. 4:</b> GREENAWAY, Kate. <i>ALMANACK FOR 1883</i> [and following years]. Twenty-two volumes, including six duplicates in variant bindings. $1,400 to $1,800 AUD.
  • <center><b>Sotheby's<br>English Literature and History<br>Available for Immediate Purchase</b>
    <b>Sotheby’s, Available Now:</b> William Shakespeare. <i>A Midsummer-Night's Dream,</i> 1908. 7,500 USD
    <b>Sotheby’s, Available Now:</b> Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë. <i>Brontës' Novels,</i> 1922. 2,400 USD
    <b>Sotheby’s, Available Now:</b> Lewis Carroll. <i>Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There,</i> 1872. 25,000 USD
    <b>Sotheby’s, Available Now:</b> Charles Dickens. Collection of Fiction including <i>Oliver Twist</i> and <i>Sketches by Boz,</i> 1838-1865. 6,250 USD
    <b>Sotheby’s, Available Now:</b> Mary Shelley. <i>Frankenstein,</i> 1839. 4,250 USD
    <b>Sotheby’s, Available Now:</b> James Joyce. <i>Ulysses,</i> 1925. 2,500 USD
    <b>Sotheby’s, Available Now:</b> Jane Austen. <i>The Complete Works of Jane Austen,</i> 1901. 5,250 USD

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