Rare Book Monthly

Book Catalogue Reviews - June - 2015 Issue

Magnificent Books and Photographs from the 19th Century Shop

Lincoln in Springfield is among the magnificent books and photographs.

Lincoln in Springfield is among the magnificent books and photographs.

The 19th Century Rare Book & Photograph Shop has published a catalogue of Magnificent Books & Photographs. Offered is a selection of clearly magnificent books, photographs, and other works on paper. The catalogue is magnificent too. This is one of those rare, spectacular presentations designed to do justice to the material, which is top of the line. Descriptions are thorough, pictures are large and clear, and all of the material is suitable for the most important of collections. Here are a few examples of the type of material offered.

 

We begin with the item pictured on the cover of the catalogue. Everyone in America (or anyone who has handled a U.S. $5 bill) will recognize this portrait. It is, obviously, that of Abraham Lincoln. This is a large (6” x 8”) photograph of Lincoln taken by C. S. German in Springfield, Illinois, during January of 1861. That was during the time between Lincoln's election to office and his inauguration. Lincoln could only wait on the sidelines as the southern states began the process of secession even before he took office. This is a notable portrait of the soon-to-be President as it is the first of him with the full beard with which we recognize him today. Eleven-year-old Grace Bedell had written Lincoln that he would look better with a beard. Women like whiskers, she wrote, and they would convince their husbands to vote for him. This beard came a little too late to help in the election, but Lincoln followed Miss Bedell's advice and it certainly didn't hurt him later when he ran for reelection. Lincoln wanted the portrait taken for friends and it is inscribed by Lincoln. Priced at $275,000.

 

You can never have too many Lincoln portraits (or too much anything else Lincoln). This next even larger (15” x 12”) oval portrait was photographed by Alexander Gardner on August 9, 1863. Gardner took more portrait photographs of Lincoln than anyone else, and on this day, he took six of them. John Hay, Lincoln's private secretary, and many years later (under McKinley and T. Roosevelt), Secretary of State, accompanied Lincoln to the photography session that day. He selected this photograph for his personal possession. It is the only known example of it. It remained with the Hay family through most of the intervening years. $55,000.

 

Here is an important book, though one that rarely comes up in the market anymore. To call this “important” is the ultimate understatement. This is undoubtedly the greatest and most important piece of literature in the English language, perhaps any language. Second, third, and fourth folios still come up reasonably often, but First Folios are very hard to find anymore. Technically, this is Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies, but the first edition is familiarly known as the First Folio. The book was compiled and published in 1623, seven years after the author died. Half of the plays had never been published before, and undoubtedly would have been lost but for their being saved by this printing. A couple of Shakespeare's associates realized this was about to happen and gathered both his previously published works and manuscripts of those that had never been published together for this book. Among those that would not otherwise have survived are Macbeth, Julius Caesar, and The Tempest. The 19th Century Shop notes that except for the Bible, “the First Folio comprises the most influential body of literature ever published.” Only 233 of a print run of perhaps 750 copies of the First Folio are known to survive, most in institutions, including an astonishing 82 copies at the Folger Library. Price on request.

 

One incredibly important book deserves another. This book comes close to being a Shakespeare of science. Copernicus and Galileo figured out the formulae for the paths of the celestial bodies in the sky, but did not understand the laws behind them. That was revealed by Isaac Newton, who realized the laws of physics observed on earth were the same ones at play in the sky. The planets were following their chosen paths because of the same gravitational forces that make an object fall to the ground. Newton first revealed his findings in this first edition of Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, published in 1686. This copy is the “two-line” imprint first state (as opposed to the three-line version with the bookseller name). The two-line version was sold in England, the three-line in Europe. Printing and the Mind of Man has said of the Principia that it is “generally described as the greatest work in the history of science.” $785,000.

 

Next is a collection of the six carte-de-viste photographic portraits of the last surviving American veterans of the Revolution. Hartford photographers N. A. and R. A. Moore set out in 1864 to photograph the last surviving veterans, traveling to their homes as they would not be able to travel to their studio. This was during the height of the Civil War and they hoped that showing photographs of the survivors who fought to create the Union would stir more patriotic fervor to preserve it. The six ranged in age from 100-year-old William Hutchings to 105-year-old Lemuel Cook. Surprisingly, it was the eldest – Cook – who outlasted the others, dying in 1866 at age 107. The photographers also created a book with these photographs which is more commonly found, but the quality of these individual photographs is significantly better. $12,000.

 

This 7 3/4” x 12” broadside carries the bold heading $500 REWARD, but it is not for a thief or killer. The reward was for the return of a family of escaped slaves. Isaac Scaggs was displeased that they had tired of working for him when they departed in 1857. Adam Smith had escaped and his journey is recorded in the annals of the Underground Railroad. The 19th Century Shop notes that they are unaware of any other such posters linked to a documented escape through the Underground Railroad. Adam Smith was not content with just his own escape. He returned to Scaggs' farm a few weeks later and led his wife and four children to freedom too. The poster describes all of the members of the family, and promises $300 for Adam alone, or $500 for them all. $68,000.

 

The 19th Century Rare Book & Photograph Shop can be reached at 410-602-3002 or info@19thshop.com. Their website is found at www.19thshop.com.

Rare Book Monthly

  • Doyle
    The Collection of Mary Tyler Moore
    June 4, 2025
    DOYLE: Peter Max, Portrait of Mary Tyler Moore (Versions 1,2, 5, 6), 2001. Estimate $10,000-15,000
    DOYLE: The iconic screen-used wall-mounted "M" from The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Estimate $5,000-8,000
    DOYLE: The Mary Tyler Moore Show by Al Hirschfeld. Estimate $4,000-6,000
    Doyle
    The Collection of Mary Tyler Moore
    June 4, 2025
    DOYLE: Annie Leibovitz presents Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke for Vanity Fair. Estimate $4,000-6,000
    DOYLE: Al Hirschfeld presents Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke in the CBS Wednesday Night Lineup. Estimate $4,000-6,000
    DOYLE: Richard McKenzie, Portrait of Mary Tyler Moore. Estimate $1,000-2,000
    Doyle
    The Collection of Mary Tyler Moore
    June 4, 2025
    DOYLE: Three Original Bill Hargate Costume Designs for The Mary Tyler Moore Hour. Estimate $600-800
    DOYLE: The famous Bonnie and Clyde "Wanted" broadside. Estimate $500-800
    DOYLE: Ticket to the Final Episode of the Mary Tyler Moore Show Estimate $400-600
  • Sotheby's
    Sell Your Fine Books & Manuscripts
    Sotheby’s: The Shem Tov Bible, 1312 | A Masterpiece from the Golden Age of Spain. Sold: 6,960,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: Ten Commandments Tablet, 300-800 CE | One of humanity's earliest and most enduring moral codes. Sold: 5,040,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: William Blake | Songs of Innocence and of Experience. Sold: 4,320,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: The Declaration of Independence | The Holt printing, the only copy in private hands. Sold: 3,360,000 USD
    Sotheby's
    Sell Your Fine Books & Manuscripts
    Sotheby’s: Thomas Taylor | The original cover art for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Sold: 1,920,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: Machiavelli | Il Principe, a previously unrecorded copy of the book where modern political thought began. Sold: 576,000 GBP
    Sotheby’s: Leonardo da Vinci | Trattato della pittura, ca. 1639, a very fine pre-publication manuscript. Sold: 381,000 GBP
    Sotheby’s: Henri Matisse | Jazz, Paris 1947, the complete portfolio. Sold: 312,000 EUR
  • Ketterer Rare Books
    Auction May 26th
    Ketterer, May 26: Th. McKenney & J. Hall, History of the Indian tribes of North America, 1836-1844. Est: €50,000
    Ketterer, May 26: Biblia latina vulgata, manuscript on thin parchment, around 1250. Est: €70,000
    Ketterer, May 26: M. Beckmann, Fanferlieschen Schönefüßchen, 1924. Est: €10,000
    Ketterer Rare Books
    Auction May 26th
    Ketterer, May 26: A. Ortelius, Theatrum orbis terrarum, 1574. Est: €50,000
    Ketterer, May 26: M. S. Merian, Eurcarum ortus, alimentum et paradoxa metamorphosis, 1717-18. Est: €6,000
    Ketterer, May 26: PAN, 9 volumes, 1895-1900. Est: €12,000
    Ketterer Rare Books
    Auction May 26th
    Ketterer, May 26: Breviarium Romanum, Latin manuscript, 1474. Est: €15,000
    Ketterer, May 26: Quran manuscript from the Saadian period, Maghreb, 16th century. Est: €10,000
    Ketterer, May 26: E. Hemingway, The old man and the sea, 1952. First edition in first issue jacket. Presentation copy. Est: €3,000
    Ketterer Rare Books
    Auction May 26th
    Ketterer, May 26: Flavius Vegetius Renatus, De re militari libri quatuor, 1553. Est: €3,000
    Ketterer, May 26: K. Marx, Das Kapital, 1867. Est: €30,000
    Ketterer, May 26: Brassaï, Transmutations, 1967. Est: €6,000
  • Leland Little, May 21: Signed Artist Proof of the Monumental G.O.A.T.: A Tribute to Muhammad Ali.
    Leland Little, May 21: Assorted Rare Publications Related to H.P. Lovecraft, Including The Recluse Signed by Vincent Starrett.
    Leland Little, May 21: Two Issues of The Vagrant, Including the First Appearance of H.P. Lovecraft's "Dagon" in Number Eleven.
    Leland Little, May 21: Rare First Printing of Anne of Green Gables, With ALS from the Author.
    Leland Little, May 21: First Edition of Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, In First Issue Jacket.
    Leland Little, May 21: The Limited Paumanok Edition of The Complete Writings of Walt Whitman.
    Leland Little, May 21: Beautifully Bound Limited Flaubert Edition of The Works of Guy de Maupassant.
    Leland Little, May 21: First Edition of Bonaparte's Celebrated American Ornithology, With Spectacular Hand-Colored Plates.
    Leland Little, May 21: A Rare Complete Set of Jardine's The Naturalist's Library, With Hand-Colored Plates.
    Leland Little, May 21: Invitation to the Lincoln-Johnson National Inaugural Ball, March 4th, 1865.
    Leland Little, May 21: A Scarce Inscribed First Edition of James Baldwin's Nobody Knows My Name.
    Leland Little, May 21: Picasso's Le Goût du Bonheur, Limited Edition.

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