Rare Book Monthly
Book Catalogue Reviews - February - 2007 Issue
Early Americana from Kaaterskill Books
Irascible Senator Charles Sumner, who was severely caned for his speech.
Here are a few other items in this interesting catalogue.
Item 66 announces the most terrible news imaginable. It is New York's then most popular paper, The New York Herald, announcing on April 15, 1865, that President Lincoln had been assassinated. "Abraham Lincoln died this morning at twenty-two minutes past 7 o'clock," the Herald informs what must be disbelieving readers. $500.
Item 63 is headed The Crime Against Kansas. Speech of the Hon. Charles Sumner...May 19, 1856. Sumner, probably the most ardent abolitionist in the senate, attacks the fraud in "bloody" Kansas, but goes on to make some strong and personal attacks against Illinois Senator Stephen Douglas and South Carolina Senator Andrew Butler. Douglas was labeled "squire of slavery," while Butler had taken "a mistress who, though ugly to others, is always lovely to him; though polluted in the sight of the world, is chaste in his sight—I mean, the harlot, Slavery." Those remarks did not sit well with Congressman Preston Brooks, Butler's nephew, who three days later entered the senate chamber and beat Sumner to within an inch of his life with a cane. It took over three years for Sumner to recover sufficiently to return to the Senate. $50.
Here is a bit of nostalgia for those who hail from Sumner's home state of Massachusetts. It is the Jordan, Marsh & Co. Fall Catalogue for 1881. Jordan Marsh was for many years New England's major department store, finally succumbing to chain store reality just a few years ago when its stores were all rebadged "Macy's." Item 56. $300.
Item 10 is another printing from Congress, Report of the Committee, to whom was Referred the Petition of Daniel Boon, together with the Bill for his relief. January 12th, 1810. In 1799, Boone, most associated with Kentucky, moved farther west, to Missouri, Spanish territory at the time. He was given land by Spanish authorities through a verbal grant, but when the territory was sold to America, he had no title. Boone petitioned Congress for his land. The Committee herein notes that Boone, now 75 years old, "eminently contributed to the early march of the American western population, and which has redounded to the benefit of the United States." Still, it took five years for Congress to recognize Boone's claims. He then sold most of the land to repay old debts from Kentucky. $75.
Kaaterskill Books may be found online at www.kaaterskillbooks.com, telephone 518-589-0555.
Rare Book Monthly
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Sotheby’s Geek Week
14-15 JulySotheby’s, July 14: Henry De La Beche. "Awful Changes," 1830. $6,000 to $9,000.Sotheby’s, July 15: [Apollo 11]. Flight Plan, Complete Original Printing Signed by Buzz Aldrin. $5,000 to $8,000.Sotheby’s, July 15: Thomas Alva Edison. Documents Establishing and Ending the Edison Electric Railway Company. $20,000 to $30,000.Sotheby’s, July 15: Richard P. Feynman. Feynman's Lectures on Gravitation 1-16, Including the Original Transcriptions of Lectures 12-16 by Morinigo and Wagner, With Richard Feynman's Manuscript Notations, 1971. $12,000 to $18,000.Sotheby’s, July 15: [Apollo 9]. A Group of Manuals and Mission Documents used by Stuart Roosa as a member of the Astronaut Support Crew. $5,000 to $8,000.Sotheby’s, July 15: [BYTE: The Small Systems Journal]. A collection of early foundational issues of Byte: The Small Systems Journal, with rare hardcover editions. $5,000 to $8,000. -
Forum Auctions
The 10th Anniversary Sale
Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
July 16, 2026Forum, July 16: Inundation papyrus. P.Michael 4, the ‘Inundation papyrus’, a geographical account of the Nile near Canopus, in Greek, remains of two columns from a manuscript scroll on papyrus, Egypt, second century CE. £12,000-18,000Forum, July 16: Book of Hours, use of Sarum, manuscript on vellum, 6 full-page miniatures, with famous Middle English inscriptions, Southern Netherlands for the English market, [c.1430]. £30,000-50,000Forum, July 16: Qu'ran, Arabic manuscript on burnished, stencilled, and gold-flecked paper, 447ff., Sultanate Gujarat, Ahmadabad, [after 1411 but no later than 1442]. £15,000-20,000Forum Auctions
The 10th Anniversary Sale
Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
July 16, 2026Forum, July 16: Turner (William). A New boke of the natures and properties of all wines that are commonly vsed here in England, rare first edition of the first English book on wine, By William Seres, 1568. £20,000-£30,000Forum, July 16: Spenser (Edmund). The Faerie Queene. first edition, Printed [by John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, 1590. £30,000-40,000Forum, July 16: Shakespeare (William). The Comedie of Errors, extracted from the first folio, Isaac Jaggard and Edward Blount, 1623. £15,000-20,000Forum Auctions
The 10th Anniversary Sale
Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
July 16, 2026Forum, July 16: Fleming (Ian). Casino Royale, first edition, signed presentation inscription from the author, 1953. £40,000-60,000Forum, July 16: d'Agoty (Jacques-Fabien Gautier). Anatomie de la Tête, first edition, Paris, chez le Sieur Gautier, 1748. £10,000-15,000Forum, July 16: Martial Arts.- Lee (Bruce). 'Praying Mantis style' Kung Fu book, containing numerous annotations, diagrams and graphs in Bruce Lee's hand, c. 1960. £50,000-70,000Forum Auctions
The 10th Anniversary Sale
Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
July 16, 2026Forum, July 16: Warre (Capt. Henry James). Sketches in North America and the Oregon Territory, first edition, rare hand-coloured issue, 1848. £30,000-40,000Forum, July 16: Norie (John William). The Marine Atlas, or Seaman's Complete Pilot for all the principal places in the known world..., 1826. £30,000-50,000Forum, July 16: Mao Tse-tung.- Kim Il-sung.-[Note book for visitors from China to Korea], signed by Mao and Kim, [Beijing, 1954]. £10,000-15,000