In the Shadow of Hell Mountain Lies Bull's Head Rare Books

Bull's Head Rare Books has issued their Catalogue Four, In the Shadow of Hell Mountain. What the H...? As real estate agents say, it's all about the location. Bull's Head is located in Mountainville, New Jersey, which is in the shadow of Hell Mountain. That, naturally, leads to the question, who and why did they give the mountain such a hellish name? Bull's Head proprietor Alex Obercian explains the history, which is actually quite harmless. German immigrants called the mountain “helle,” which means bright or brilliant. It was a positive. Somewhere along the way the spelling was reduced by a letter to become a word with a meaning very different from bright. So if you want to check out Bull's Head, now you know where you can go.

None of this tells us what is in the catalogue from the mountain of Hell, so here is Bull's Head's description, “Decorative Arts, Architecture, Poetry, Trade Catalogues, Chromolithography, Lettering, Literature, Early Printing, &c.” Since there is no title that can subsume all of those varied subjects, an unrelated catalogue title makes perfect sense. These are a few selections from Bull's Head, at the base of Hell Mountain.

We begin not with a book but an entire collection. It consists of 218 volumes of gift books and literary annuals. These books were a popular American phenomenon in the mid-nineteenth century. They were generally published in the fall of the year for gift-giving at Christmas. The books were designed to show the recipient was considered to be cultured and of high class. They were beautiful to see, sort of like a smaller version of a coffee table book, but the contents were more than just pictures. They would have works of literary merit, stories, poems, and similar writing. Alternatively, they might be romantic writings, not of great literary merit, but appealing primarily to women. They were works that might appeal to today's BookTok audience. They were somewhat like books with exquisite bindings not meant to be opened, except these were also meant to be read as well as displayed. They were intended to be gifts, and leave the recipient with affectionate feelings for the giver. Many of the books in this collection were inscribed by the giver with recipients overwhelmingly being women. Item 2. Priced at $45,000.

The gift book was quintessentially American, as was this book of poetry. Walt Whitman is considered America's poet, one who broke free from traditional forms and topics of poetry retrieved from the Old World. He established that America could create great literature that was its own. Whitman first published his poetry in this book, Leaves of Grass, from 1855. It was self-published as Whitman was an unknown with no following. It did not initially sell very well, but with a boost from high complements by Ralph Waldo Emerson, it achieved both recognition and sales. Item 60 is one of the rare copies of the first edition (second state), newly discovered. It descended through the family of Whitman's friend, physician Frank Baker. He evidently obtained it in the secondary market as it contains an inscription from someone else. Item 60. $115,000.

Here is another first, this time in the field of American architecture. Prior to 1797, all architecture books used in America came from Europe. Benjamin Asher was an American and his book was published in America. While some concepts, naturally, are taken from those who came before, Asher created his own plans. He took complex designs and turned them into plans New England carpenters and builders could follow, even if they were not educated in the field. The book is The Country Builder’s Assistant. Containing a Collection of New Designs of Carpentry and Architecture. This first edition was published in 1797, with many follow-up editions published in the years ahead. Item 8. $28,500.

Next is the third edition of a book that went through several titles. This one, from 1576, is The Ecclesiasticall History, Contayning the Actes & Monumentes of Thinges Passed in Every Kinges Time in This Realme, Especially in the Church of England. This and the other editions are commonly known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs, but that was not a title used by John Foxe. It was first published in 1563 at the time of the Reformation. England had turned Protestant during the reign of Henry VIII, he being angry with the Pope for not allowing him to remarry. When his very Catholic daughter, Mary, acceded to the throne, she returned the throne to the Catholic Church. Like her father, Mary I was not a very nice person, in her case killing many Protestants. All that changed when she died in 1558 and was replaced by her Protestant sister, Elizabeth I. Foxe was on the Protestant side. For theological reasons, he was a Protestant, but his view of the Catholic Church became more passionate after seeing some of his friends killed by Bloody Mary, surviving himself by moving to Europe until Elizabeth emerged. What is notable about his book, and hence its common name, is he wrote about some of the people who were martyrs of the Church, particularly in England. In those days, religious differences often resulted in killings, leaving little room for moderation. You were good and the other side was evil. Foxe was immoderate, a product of his times. Item 28. $11,500.

As a young man, Thomas Clarkson entered an essay competition. The topic was whether it was legal to enslave another person. His essay moved at least one person, himself. Clarkson set about learning all he could about slavery, and the more he read, the more he became opposed. He would become one of Britain's leading abolitionists. He wrote and toured the country speaking in favor of ending the slave trade, and eventually abolishing slavery itself. He petitioned Parliament in favor of abolition. In 1808, he published this work, The History of the Rise, Progress, and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave-Trade by the British Parliament. A picture is worth a thousand words, and what is known about his book is the illustration of the inside of a slave ship, slaves cramped together and chained to the floor for the Middle Passage. Conditions were unsanitary and many died, but to slave traders that was just a part of doing business. This picture depicts the horror these people were forced to endure for the long voyage. Item 15. $11,500.

The inside of a slave ship.

There aren't too many implements that look the same today as they did in 1887, but here is one. Item 55 is an 1887 trade catalogue from Massot & Boutines titled Fabrique Mécanique de Balais en Tous Genres. It is a catalogue of brooms. There is a variety of brooms, some not quite what you see now, but the basic brooms look exactly like the one in your home today. $1,500.

Bull's Head Rare Books may be reached at 908-310-8554 or info@bullsheadbooks.com. Their website is www.bullsheadbooks.com.