Rare Book Monthly
Book Catalogue Reviews - August - 2006 Issue
Printed and Manuscript Americana from Michael Brown Rare Books
Britain declares war with Spain over Jenkins' severed ear.
Item 63 is a biography of a most unhappy Revolutionary War era family from Bucks County, Pennsylvania -- the Doans (or Doanes). The Doans were loyalists, not unique, but ultimately a mistake when the Revolution went against the British. In 1783, the new government seized the land of patriarch Joseph Doan, Sr., for his support of the enemy. Details of what happened are sketchy, but Joseph reportedly escaped to Canada. His sons, and their cousin, did not choose this route. They fought back, becoming marauders who attacked and stole from their former neighbors. Eventually, the brothers' leader, Moses, was killed in a shootout, and two other brothers hanged. One was pardoned. Another's fate is unknown. H. K. Brooke wrote a book about the family, published in 1848, titled Annals of the Revolution: or, A History of the Doans. Item 63. $400.
Now it's time for a brief history lesson, as there are many people who are not familiar with the War of Jenkins' Ear. This war, as silly as its name, took place in the Americas from 1739-1742. The combatants were the Spanish and the British. The British had previously agreed not to trade with the Spanish colonies, and afford the Spanish the right to board British ships in Spanish territorial waters. One such ship boarded by the Spanish was the Rebecca, captained by Robert Jenkins. For reasons unclear, the Spanish allegedly chopped off his ear. Years later, Jenkins reported this to the British parliament. Supposedly, his report made little impact until he returned to parliament with the lopped off ear. The British were forced to go to war with the dastardly Spaniards. The war continued for four years, and essentially ended in a stalemate. In North America, the British were unsuccessful at capturing Spain's colony in Florida, but the Spanish were similarly unsuccessful attacking the British in Georgia. The fighting in the Americas died down as forces were diverted to the much larger War of the Austrian Succession in Europe, which ended in little more than a stalemate itself six years later. Item 197 is a broadside printing of His Majesty's Declaration of War against the King of Spain, printed in 1739. $8,500.
Want to double your money in a year? Here is a circular that shows you how: How It Happened They came to Hereford, Texas, and invested their money in Cheap Land, thereby making 100% on their investment in one year. You can do the same if you will only investigate. The Climate is Right. The Soil is Right. The Price is Right. And if you don't get it right it is your own fault, not Hard Luck. It sounds like the promoters for the Edwards Land Company did a masterful job of covering their backsides in case things didn't work out as promised. Hereford is located just up the road from Bovina (is this cattle country!), in the Texas Panhandle, not far from the stockyards of Amarillo. It is known as the "town without a toothache" because of healthy teeth resulting from the naturally high incidence of fluorides in the local water supply. The folks at Edwards Land evidently were unaware of this added selling point. Hereford, logically enough, is home to the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame, and is county seat for Deaf Smith County. Land is still relatively cheap here, so perhaps the great land boon predicted in this 1907 pamphlet is about to take place a century later. Item 193. $250.
Michael Brown Rare Books may be found online at www.mbamericana.com, phone number 215-387-9808.
![<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/9a74d9ff-42dd-46a1-8bb2-b636c4cec796.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.")
