Adams JohnABAA
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18091215601809. Exceptionally rare 16-page autograph letter signed by and entirely in the hand of Founding Father John Adams defending the ultimate necessity of American sovereignty and its precedence over international alliances. Sixteen pages entirely in the hand of John Adams and written on both the recto and verso of each page the letter is dated January 9 1809 and addressed to Speaker of the House of Representatives Joseph Bradley Varnum. Although France and America shared a strong alliance which proved crucial to winning the Revolutionary War at the onset of the French Revolution in 1789 Washington's fear that American involvement would weaken the new nation before it had firmly established itself created tensions and a new war between England and France broke out in 1793. The British Navy soon began targeting French vessels and trading interests across the Atlantic and although many Federalists thought that America should aid its ally Washington proclaimed that the United States would be "friendly and impartial toward the belligerent parties." The Neutrality Proclamation was ignored by Britain and angered France which then allowed its navy and privateers to prey on American trade. To protect American sailors and merchants without provoking Britain in March 1794 Congress passed a 30-day embargo which it then extended. Britain the strongest sea power began to seize American ships suspected of trading with France and stepped up its practice of impressment. From 1806-1807 the British navy in desperate need of men to oppose Napoleon forced roughly 5000 American sailors into service on the pretense that they were deserters. In 1807 King George III proclaimed his right to call any British subjects into war service and claimed that Britain had full discretion to determine who was a British citizen. The crisis reached one peak for America in June of 1807 when the HMS Leopard attacked the USS Chesapeake off the coast of Virginia. Three American sailors were killed eighteen were wounded and the Chesapeake surrendered after firing only one shot. The Leopard seized four American seaman claimed as deserters from the British navy and hanged one of them. Jefferson and Madison his Secretary of State responded with the Embargo of 1807 a ban on all American vessels sailing for foreign ports. Meanwhile Russia allied with Napoleon and pressed Denmark to turn over her fleet. In September 1807 Britain preemptively bombarded Copenhagen and seized the Danish-Norwegian fleet. While Jefferson's Republicans still generally favored France a schism grew in the Federalist party. Men like Timothy Pickering downplayed impressments while focusing on trade and access to British manufacturing. On October 16 1807 King George III aggravated already high tensions with American following the British attack of the USS Chesapeake off the coast of Virginia by issuing a Royal Proclamation expanding the British right to impressment the King's right to call any British subjects into war service and determine their citizenship. News of the King's Proclamation arrived in the United States in December 1807 and lacking military options President Jefferson proposed an embargo to ban all U.S. exports on American vessels in order to protect American sailors' lives and liberties despite its potential to cripple American trade. The Embargo Act was signed on December 22 1807 causing immediate economic devastation. In protesting the Embargo rather than wrestling with the difficulty of defending American sovereignty some opponents chose to declare the legality of impressments as defined by King George's Royal Proclamation. John Adams' former Secretary of State Timothy Pickering took a leading role in fighting the embargo arguing that Jefferson was using it to draw America closer to Napoleon's France. Given the devastating economic effects of the embargo Pickering's message found a wide audience. Adams on the other hand recognized the dire threat the King's Proclamation posed in denying America the right to determine its own rules for citizenship and in December took his arguments to Speaker of the House Joseph Varnum. As he stated in the present letter "He Pickering thinks that as every Nation has a Right to the Service of its Subjects in time of War the Proclamation of the King of Great Britain commanding his Naval Officers to practice Such Impressments on board not the Vessells of his own Subjects but of the United States a foreign Nation could not furnish the Slightest ground for an Embargo! . But I Say with Confidence that it furnished a Sufficient ground for a Declaration of War. Not the Murder of Pierce nor all the Murders on board the Chesapeake nor all the other Injuries and Insults We have received from foreign Nations atrocious as they have been can be of such dangerous lasting and pernicious Consequence to this Country as this Proclamation if We have Servility enough to Submit to it." Adams suggested repealing and replacing the Embargo Act with one that allowed international trade with all but the belligerents while building up the navy. Varnum asked to publish it. Before assenting Adams completely reworked his argument mustering all the reason and rhetoric at his disposal into a stirring defense of sovereignty and citizenship resulting in the present letter. On March 1 1809 Congress repealed the Embargo Act following Adams' suggestion to replace it with the Non-Intercourse Act which allowed trade with all nations except Britain and France. In fine condition. A remarkable piece of early American history illustrating the second President of the United States' impassioned devotion to the pursuit of American liberty. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. The longest letter signed and entirely in the hand of John Adams obtainable. American Founding Father John Adams served as the first vice president of the United States from 1789 to 1797 and subsequently the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. A lawyer and political activist prior to the revolution Adams was devoted to the right to counsel and presumption of innocence. He defied anti-British sentiment and successfully defended British soldiers against murder charges arising from the Boston Massacre. Adams was a Massachusetts delegate to the Continental Congress and became a principal leader of the Revolution. He assisted in drafting the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and was its foremost advocate in Congress. As a diplomat in Europe he helped negotiate the peace treaty with Great Britain and secured vital governmental loans. Adams was the primary author of the Massachusetts Constitution in 1780 which influenced the United States' own constitution as did his earlier Thoughts on Government. Adams was elected to two terms as vice president under President George Washington and was elected as the United States' second president in 1796. He was the only president elected under the banner of the Federalist Party. He and his wife generated a family of politicians diplomats and historians now referred to as the Adams political family which includes their son John Quincy Adams the sixth president of the United States. John Adams died on July 4 1826 - the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence - hours after Jefferson's death. unknown books
1840111832New York: Published by J.J. Audubon 1840. First octavo edition of this landmark work. Octavo bound in original publisher's morocco 7 volumes gilt titles and ruling to the spine marbled endpapers complete with 500 hand-colored lithographed plates by J.T. Bowen after J.J. Audubon; woodcuts in the text. From the library of Boston businessman and Ambassador T. Jefferson Coolidge with his bookplate to the front pastedown. Coolidge was born to a prominent Boston Brahmin family and was a great-grandson of the 3rd United States President Thomas Jefferson through his maternal grandparents Thomas Mann Randolph Jr. and Martha Jefferson Randolph. His uncles were Thomas Jefferson Randolph George Wythe Randolph Andrew Jackson Donelson and a relative of Calvin Coolidge. <sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"></sup>He was an uncle to Archibald Cary Coolidge through his older brother Joseph Randolph Coolidge. He was appointed by President Benjamin Harrison as United States Ambassador to France on May 12 1892 a role his great-grandfather had held from May 1785 to September 1789. Coolidge presented his credentials on June 10 1892 and he presented his recall on May 4 1893 terminating his mission. <sup id="cite_ref-state_6-0" class="reference"></sup>In 1898 and 1899 he was a member of the American delegation to the commission to resolve the Alaska boundary dispute. <sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"></sup>Historian Ernest May says Coolidge was "a prototype member of what today we call the foreign policy establishment." In 1898 Coolidge donated a collection of Thomas Jefferson's personal papers to the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston. The collection contained more than 8000 items: Correspondence including 3280 letters that Jefferson had written and 4630 letters that he had received; Jefferson's garden book 1766-1824 and farm book 1774-1824; annotated almanacs from 1771-1776; account books for 1783-1790; manuscript expense accounts from 1804-1825; notes on the weather spanning the years 1782-1826; plans of American forts in 1765; law treatises 1778-1788; legal papers 1770-1772; and Jefferson's 1783 catalog of his personal library. In near fine condition. An exceptional set with noted provenance rare in the original publisher's morocco. One of the most spectacular collections of ornithological prints ever produced and a landmark attempt to document the birds of North America. "The most splendid book ever produced in relation to America and certainly one of the finest ornithological works ever printed. Audubon insisted on drawing from life never from stuffed specimens and was much in advance of his time in portraying the birds in many cases unrecorded species in their natural surroundings. The courage and faith of the Audubon family is breathtaking. This immense undertaking this unparalleled achievement was not the production of a great and long-established publishing house nor was it backed by a wealthy institution. It was the work of a man of relentless energy with no private fortune. It is a story without equal in the whole history of publishing" Great Books and Book Collectors 210-13. Published by J.J. Audubon unknown books
1861125637Richmond VA: Printed for Private Distribution Only 1861. First edition of the first book printed in the Confederacy. Quarto original stiff paper wrappers one of approximately 50 copies issued on regular paper. Ten being issued on thick paper and twenty copies destroyed in a fire. In very good condition reinforcement to the hinges. Housed in a custom full morocco clamshell box. Howes F26. Sabin 23778. Exceptionally rare. David Fanning was one of the most infamous of the Southern Tories raiding Patriots throughout the Carolinas. His guerilla warfare only paused when he was captured but following each of his multiple escapes he would quickly resume his vengeful predation. His narrative was to be the first in a series but the Civil War intervened and only this initial volume was produced. It was reprinted by Sabin in 1865 but this original edition was noted by Goodspeed's "as one of the finest of Confederate imprints." Printed for Private Distribution Only unknown books
1861125394Greenneville sic Tenn.: Printed And For Sale by J. M. Robertson 1861. Scarce 1861 Tennessee printing of The Constitution of The Confederate States of America adopted on March 11 1861. Octavo original wrappers. In very good condition wrappers laminated in glassine. Housed in a custom cloth chemise and half morocco slipcase. Exceedingly rare being the only example printed in Tennessee in the year of the Constitution's adoption to appear in auction records. Adopted on March 11 1861 the Constitution of the Confederate States was the supreme law of the Confederate States of America. It was in effect from 22 February 1862 to the conclusion of the American Civil War in May 1865. The majority of its provisions follow the United States Constitution verbatim; however there are critical differences between the two documents regarding slavery. Whereas the original U.S. Constitution did not use the word "slavery" or the term "Negro Slaves" but instead used "Persons held to Service or Labour" which included whites and Native Americans in indentured servitude the Confederate Constitution addresses the legality of slavery directly and by name. Though Article I Section 9 1 of both constitutions are quite similar in banning the importation of slaves from foreign nations the Confederate Constitution permitted the Confederate States to import slaves from the United States and specified the "African race" as the subject. The importation of slaves into the United States including the South had been illegal since 1808. Printed And For Sale by J. M. Robertson hardcover books
1828102755New York: Published by S. Converse. Printed by Hezekiah Howe 1828. Rare first edition of Webster's monumental American Dictionary one of only 2500 copies with <span class="glossaryQtip qTip">frontispiece</span> portrait of the pioneering lexicographer in full contemporary calf. Quarto two volumes bound in full contemporary calf marbled endpapers illustrated frontispiece tissue guard present. In near fine condition light toning to the text. Most rare and desirable bound in contemporary calf. An exceptional example most rare without any restoration. In 1807 Webster began compiling a fully comprehensive dictionary An American Dictionary of the English Language; it took twenty-eight years to complete. To evaluate the etymology of words Webster learned twenty-six languages including Old English Anglo-Saxon Greek Hebrew and Latin. Webster completed his dictionary during his year abroad in 1825 in Paris France and at the University of Cambridge. His book contained seventy thousand words of which twelve thousand had never appeared in a published dictionary before. As a spelling reformer Webster believed that English spelling rules were unnecessarily complex so his dictionary introduced American English spellings replacing colour with color substituting wagon for waggon and printing center instead of center. He also added American words like skunk and squash that did not appear in British dictionaries. At the age of seventy Webster published his dictionary in 1828 registering the copyright on April 14. Webster did all this in an effort to standardize the American language. "This dictionary which almost at once became and has remained the standard English dictionary in the United States was the end-product of a stream of spelling books grammars readers and dcitionaries which flowed from the pen of the industrious Noah Webster.Webster's great dictionary all the 70000 entries of which he wrote with his own hand has been reprinted and brought up to date innumerable times.the book marked a definite advance in modern lexicography as it included many non-literary terms and paid great attention to the language actually spoken. Moreover his definitions of the meaning of words were accurate and concise.and have for the greater part stood the test of time superbly well" Printing and the Mind of Man. "As a whole Webster's American Dictionary was a scholarly achievement of the first order richly deserving of its great reputation at home and abroad" DAB. With definitions for "some 70000 words--15000 more than any previous English lexicon. Although only 2500 copies of the first edition were printed the work established Webster as a lexicographer of international repute" Lathem 76 United Statesiana 9. Published by S. Converse. Printed by Hezekiah Howe unknown books
187174060Philadelphia: W.S. Turner 1871. Rare first <span class="glossaryQtip qTip">edition</span> of the first Jewish cookbook published in America with extensive instructions on keeping a kosher household in addition to recipes.<i> </i>Octavo original cloth. In very good condition rebacked. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. First editions are exceptionally scarce of this milestone in American Jewish history. The introductory sections provide an overview of kosher dining household economy and table-setting. Later sections include household tips "to cement broken china" "to revive the color of black silk" lists of seasonable foods by month and a two-page summary of the Jewish calendar. A longer section titled "Hints for Housekeepers" suggests a weekly routine in detail. For Sunday dinner Levy points out that "this is the day the husbands are at home then something good must be prepared in honor of the lords of the household." Most of the book consists of recipes as expected including some classics from Jewish cuisine. Macaroons matzo cleis soup German kouglauff kugel grimslechs chremslachs and "potato souffle for Passover." Some recipes have apparently been adapted from American neighbors such as macaroni hominy fritters and "ochre soup or gumbo" which is reported to be "much used in the South." Throughout Levy's recipes are more impressionistic than scientific pepper pot soup: "in a pint and a half of water put such vegetables as you wish . . . cut them very small and stew them with a couple of pounds of mutton and a piece of nice beef" and the requirements of kashrut are strongly emphasized. "This book offers us a vivid look into the daily lives of the American Jewish community just before the period of its most rapid growth. In the recipes you can see the dynamic between the requirements of keeping kosher the cultural traditions brought over from Europe and the American ingredients at hand but it's also rich in detail on the day-to-day management of a 19th-century Jewish household. It's an interesting and important cultural document" Rick Stattler The New York Jewish Week. Only one copy listed in OCLC. W.S. Turner hardcover books
1866107732Philadelphia: Sherman & Co 1866-68. First editions of one of the 'major builders of American Judaism' Isaac Leeser's Discourses on the Jewish Religion. Octavo 10 volumes bound in full leather gilt titles to the spine raised bands. In near fine condition. Complete sets are of the utmost rarity. American Jewish lay minister author translator and publisher Issac Leeser's "contributions to every area of Jewish culture and religion made him a major builder of American Judaism." In addition to his influence on the Jewish pulpit in the United States Leeser became the first American Jewish publisher and produced the first Jewish translation of the bible into English. "The translation of the Bible was Leeser's great literary achievement and represented many years of patient labor and devotion to a task which he considered sacred.until the new Jewish Publication Society version was issued in 1917 it was the only source from which many Jews not conversant with Hebrew derived their knowledge of the Bible in accordance with Jewish tradition" Waxman 1090. Sherman & Co hardcover books
1865124557c. 1865. Rare thirty-six star printed American parade flag commemorating the statehood of Nevada. The first flag to appear after the end of the Civil War the thirty-six star flag was in use for two years between <span data-sort-value="000000001865-07-04-0000">July 4 1865</span> when Nevada was admitted into the Union and July 3 1867 when Nebraska was admitted. Printed in blue and red ink on cotton the flag measures 27.5 inches by 19 inches. Matted and framed the entire piece measures 35.5 inches by 27 inches. In very good condition. A handsome presentation of a desirable Civil War era flag. "Although Nevada became a state while the Civil War was in progress its membership in the Union was not officially recognized by Congress until July 4 1865 several months after the war was over" Druckman & Kohn 56. Although not considered a Civil War flag this flag nevertheless contains elements of Civil War flags: "The preference of Civil War flagmakers was clearly for horizontal and vertical alignment of stars: that is complete parallelism of rows. The collective visual effect of Civil War flags is therefore one of hypnotic rhythm - the embattled stars drawn up in military order in defense of the threatened Union stride on relentlessly. Star patterns of this sort denser now and necessarily smaller may be described as 'phalanx' or 'battalion' arrangements" Mastai & Mastai 123. "The thirty-six star flag. typically contained five rows of stars. The first third and fifth rows hel eight stars each; the second and fourth rows had six each" Lepson 94. The present flag has the phalanx pattern in an unusual configuration of six rows of six five-pointed stars each. "While Civil War flags escaped much of the mortal rigidity of mechanical mass production their artistic merit was more particularly due to the delicate design relationship of the elements and to numerous subtle details - such as the directions of the arms of the stars which we never entirely regimented as they are on modern flags. And truly no modern replica can either do justice to the artistic character or render the 'patina' of one of these antique flags" Mastai & Mastai 124. unknown books
1805117672Philadelphia: Benjamin Johnson 1805. First edition of the second book on architecture published in America second only to Asher Benjamin's Country Builder's Assistant' published in 1797 Shaw & Shoemaker 8018. Quarto bound in full calf gilt titles and tooling to the spine gilt ruled to the front and rear panels illustrated with 44 engraved plates 2 folding. In very good condition. Scarce with only 2 copies having appeared at auction in the past 50 years. "A native born American like Asher Benjamin who wrote the first original American architectural book in 1797 Biddle emphasizes in his title that his book is especially suited for American use and that there is by this time 'a style of building in the United States' distinguishable from that of England. Benjamin imitated this title the next year in that of the first edition of The American builders' companion." American Architectural Books 176. Benjamin Johnson unknown books
188551180Various 1885. A collection of approximately 80 gift books and gift cards with fringe bindings bound in paper wrappers with chromolithograph images many over gilt backgrounds the majority of them very good with occasional condition issues including worn fringe a few with water stains and chipping and loss to spines. The collection includes approximately 36 books i. e. more than 4 pages. Many with original printed paper folders and one in the original clamshell box. Accompanied by an assortment of 45 fringed cards for holidays and for mourning. A few titles duplicated but under different imprints. The use of silk fringe in the binding of gift books was a short-lived fad at the end of the 19th century. This collection serves as an excellent survey of this publishing phenomenon. A complete list of titles is available on request as well as a medium-long story about how the collection came about. <br/><br/> unknown books
1859124158Kingsport Ohio 1859. Rare autograph letter signed by and completely in the hand of Abolitionist John Brown to his wife and children regarding his return home. One page entirely in the hand of John Brown the letter is dated 7th April 1859 and reads in part: "Kingsport Ohio Dear Wife and children All I write you March 25th enclosing Draft for $150 saying write me Care of American House. to say what articles you need of provisions clothing shoes c. Have you written I still wish you to retain what money you can for a few days as I hope to be at home to advise with you about laying it out. I have been entirely laid up for more than a week. All well in Hudson Akron and West Andover lately. May write again before getting home. My best wish for you all is that you may truly love God and his Commandments. Your affectionate husband and father John Brown." In December of 1858 Brown led a successful raid in Missouri freeing 11 slaves and leading them to Canada in January 1859. He then met with Frederick Douglass in Detroit where he made a final plea to convince Douglass of the necessity of violence in ending American slavery. <span class="match">Brown</span> had conceived of the Harper's Ferry raid in early 1859 and would return home to North Elba one last time in June before going to Harper's Ferry in July ending with his raid on the Federal Armory there on October 16th. His wife would not see him again until she was allowed to visit him in the Jefferson County Jail on the eve of his execution. In very good condition. Double matted and framed. The letter measures 6.5 by 4 inches. The entire piece measures 20 inches by 16.5 inches. American abolitionist John Brown escalated the tensions that led to the American Civil War "to a degree that no other American did. he had an impact on the course of national events matched by few in American history" Reynolds ix-x. Dissatisfied with the pacifism of the organized abolitionist movement Brown advocated armed insurrection as the only way to overthrow the institution of slavery in the United States. The 1859 Brown led the historic raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry West Virginia with the intention of arming slaves with weapons from the arsenal. The attack ultimately failed; Brown was imprisoned and found guilty of treason and executed after a two week trial however its impact on the course of American history were significant. "The Harpers Ferry raid sent tremors of horror throughout the South and gave secessionists a persuasive symbol of northern hostility. It hardened positions over slavery everywhere. It helped to discredit Stephen A. Douglas' compromise policy of popular sovereignty and to divide the Democratic party thus ensuring the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860" ANB. hardcover books
1885125381New York: Henry-Bonnard Bronze Co. c. 1885. Attractive bronze bust of of Ulysses S. Grant as General of the Army by famed American sculptor Henry Kirke Bush-Brown. The adopted nephew of sculptor Henry Kirke Brown Henry Kirke Bush-Brown was revered for his accurate realist sculptures illustrating American history. He produced three equestrian bronze sculptures erected at the Gettysburg battlefield depicting General George Mead the victor at Gettysburg General John F. Reynolds killed in action July 1 1863 and General John Sedgwick the senior most Union casualty of the American Civil War. In addition Bush-Brown made a bust of Abraham Lincoln dedicated in 1912 as part of the Lincoln Speech Memorial commemorating Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Mounted on a bronze base the entire piece measures 7.75 inches in height. In fine condition. Following the close of the American Civil War Congress revisited the idea of a superior General rank initially intended for bestowal upon George Washington who held the rank of "General and Commander-in-Chief" which was a grade senior to all American major generals and brigadier generals from the American Revolutionary War but only entitled him to the three-star insignia of an Army lieutenant general. On July 25 1866 Congress enacted legislation authorizing the grade of General of the Army and on that same date the new grade was conferred on Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant as a reward for saving the Union in the American Civil War. The grade was recognized and continued in various acts until the Act of July 15 1870 which contained the requirement that "the offices of general and lieutenant general shall continue until a vacancy shall exist in the same and no longer and when such vacancy shall occur in either of said offices shall become inoperative and shall by virtue of this act from thence forward be held to be repealed. Henry-Bonnard Bronze Co. unknown books
1801104073Washington City: Samuel Harrison Smith 1801. First edition of the first American book on parliamentary procedure. Small octavo bound in full contemporary sheep with red morocco spine label lettered in gilt gilt tooling to the spine. In very good condition. Early ownership signature. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional example. As Vice President of the United States Jefferson served as the Senate's presiding officer from 1797 to 1801. Throughout these four years Jefferson worked on various texts and in early 1800 started to assemble them into a single manuscript for the Senate's use. In December 1800 he delivered his manuscript to printer Samuel Harrison Smith who delivered the final product to Jefferson on 27 February 1801. The Manual is arranged in fifty-three categories from 1 The Importance of Adhering to Rules to 53 Impeachment. Each section includes the appropriate rules and practices of the British Parliament along with the applicable texts from the U.S. Constitution and the thirty-two Senate rules that existed in 1801. In recent years Jefferson's Manual has been cited to support the idea that state legislatures can initiate congressional impeachment proceedings. While precedent for an impeachment so initiated does exist it still requires a direct proposition to impeach be made by a Member of the House who may incorporate the communication of the legislature in his or her remarks or any impeachment resolution submitted to the House. Samuel Harrison Smith unknown books
1861690201861. Military commission signed by Abraham Lincoln Washington August 1861. Folio on vellum with vignettes. Light wear along the folds. Countersigned by Simon Cameron. Matted and framed. Abraham Lincoln served as the 16th President of the United States from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He led the United States through its Civil War and in doing so preserved the Union of the United States of America abolished slavery and strengthened the federal government. hardcover books
189895371c. 1898. Rare collection of original signed documents and photographs taken during President Theodore Roosevelt's days as Colonel of the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry<span class="match"> or Rough Riders. The collection includes an original mounted photograph of Roosevelt in full uniform with his campaign hat; two cabinet card photographs of Albert S. Johnson a member of the Cavalry; an endorsement dated September 7 1998 which reads in part "This officer did not serve in Cuba but remained in Florida with the squadron left behind" signed "T. Roosevelt" which is affixed to the verso of of Albert S. Johnson's 5 September 1898 application for 60-days leave; and a military record discharging Johnson from the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry with remarks from Captain R.H. Bruce and Theodore Roosevelt "Did not serve under me personally; is reported to me as a good and loyal officer. T. Roosevelt col 1st U.S.V." Johnson's application for leave was ultimately denied as his regiment was about to be disbanded and taken out of service. </span><span class="match">In near fine condition. An exceptional collection. Documents from Roosevelt's Rough Rider days are rare.</span> Colonel Leonard Wood and Theodore Roosevelt founded of the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry in 1898 at the onset of the Spanish-American War. Hostilities between the United States and Spain began in the aftermath of the internal explosion of the USS Maine in Havana harbor in Cuba prompting intervention by the United States in the Cuban War of Independence fought against Spain. President William McKinley appointed Wood to organize the volunteer brigade who in turn appointed Roosevelt as his second in command. Nicknamed the "Rough Riders" by journalists the cavalry engaged in several battles and was made of mostly college athletes cowboys ranchers and outdoorsmen from the southwest portion of the U.S. The term 'Rough Riders' was familiar at the time from Buffalo Bill whose famous western show "Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World" gained popularity throughout the late 19th century. The Rough Riders remains Roosevelt's best-selling work and provides incredible insight into one of the most fascinating regiments in American military history. unknown books
1867119463Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott and Co 1867. First edition of Catlin's important work on the Mandan people and their rituals one of the only records of the Mandan tribe which was almost entirely exterminated in the smallpox epidemic of 1837. Octavo original publisher's green beveled cloth with gilt titles and double gilt ruling to the front panel illustrated with thirteen tissue-guarded chromolithographic plates after <span class="match">Catlin</span> by Simonau & Toovely half-title present coated green endleaves all edges gilt. From the library of American businessman and amateur archaeologist William H. Claflin Jr. with his pictorial bookplate to the pastedown. In near fine condition. Rare and desirable especially in this condition. American portraitist and painter George Catlin spent nearly fourteen years among the tribes of the North American Indians and left the most authentic anthropological record of the swiftly vanishing people. He wrote O-Kee-Pa in response to an article that appeared in an 1866 issue of Truebner's that attributed him as the author of an "indescribably lascivious pamphlet" on the secret customs of the Mandans. O-Kee-Pa is therefore as much a defense of Catlin as of the Mandans a tribe native to the west side of the Missouri River most of whom were destroyed by a smallpox epidemic in 1837. Catlin states in his preface that of the many customs he had recorded nothing was so peculiar and surprising as the O-kee-Pa ceremony of the Mandans which was a crucial part of their survival and incorporated a number of "shocking" sexual rituals which considered too salacious for the general public were included in a separately issued three-page "Folium Reservatum" in an edition of approximately twenty-five copies. Because the Mandan were almost completely exterminated by smallpox in 1837 virtually no other documentation of this ceremony exists. Field 262; Sabin 11543. J. B. Lippincott and Co hardcover books
181284930New York: Ezra Sergeant 1812. First edition one of only 250 copies printed for Jefferson to distribute to senators congressman and o<span class="match">the</span>r political figures. Octavo original wrappers frontispiece map. Some wear to the wrappers light dampstaining. Housed in a custom half calf clamshell box. Exceptionally rare. Jefferson wrote this legal brief regarding a dispute with Edward Livingston over a tract of land on the Mississippi known as the Batture which Jefferson had claimed for the federal government while President. Livingston had sued Jefferson for $100000 but the case was dismissed. Concerned that the public considered the court's dismissal to be based on a technicality. Sabin 35912. In good condition wrappers with some wear and light dampstaining. Ezra Sergeant unknown books
1852112652Boston and Cleveland: John P. Jewett and Jewett Proctor & Worthington 1852. First edition first issue of the author's classic work. Octavo original cloth volume with title vignettes and six wood-engravings. In very good condition. With a rare carte-de-visite and note card signed "truly yours HB Stowe." Comes with a first edition of Stowe's A Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin published in 1853. Housed in a custom case. In the emotion-charged atmosphere of mid-19th century America Uncle Tom's Cabin exploded like a bombshell. To those engaged in fighting slavery it appeared as an indictment of all the evils inherent in the system they opposed; to the pro-slavery forces it was a slanderous attack on 'the Southern way of life'. the social impact of the novel on the United States was greater than that of any book before or since" PMM 332. "Within a decade after its publication Uncle Tom's Cabin had become the most popular novel ever written by an American. there is substantial evidence that the book precipitated the American Civil War" Downs Books That Changed America 108. John P. Jewett and Jewett, Proctor & Worthington hardcover books
187746081877. Large signed photograph of Ulysses S. Grant as President of the United States. Boldly signed below the image by Grant. The entire piece measures 14.5 inches by 17 inches. Handsomely matted and framed. Scarce and desirable signed by Grant. Ulysses S. Grant served as president of the United States from March 4 1869 to March 4 1877. On January 29 1877 five days before he left office Grant gave an address to the Senate of the United States regarding a controversial dispute that had arisen over the results of the upcoming presidential election. In the address Grant argued that the people must put their trust in Congress stating: "In all periods of history controversies have arisen as to the succession or choice of the chiefs of states and no party or citizens loving their country and its free institutions can sacrifice too much of mere feeling in preserving through the upright course of law their country from the smallest danger to its peace on such an occasion; and it can not be impressed too firmly in the hearts of all the people that true liberty and real progress can exist only through a cheerful adherence to constitutional law. unknown books
1871125391New York: Published at the Office of The Golden Age 1871. First edition of Tilton's biography of American suffragette Victoria Woodhull published shortly before she became the first woman to campaign for President of the United States. 12 mo original wrappers stitched as issued publisher's advertisement at rear. In very good condition. Housed in a custom cloth chemise and half morocco slipcase. Victoria Woodhull first made her reputation as a supporter of free love by which she meant the freedom to marry divorce and bear children without social restriction or government interference and as one of the only female newspaper publishers Woodhull & Claflin's Weekly with her sister Tennessee Claflin. She soon became an activist for women's rights and labor reforms and in a pivotal 1871 speech argued that the 14th and 15th amendments already covered women's suffrage. She decided to run for president in 1872 backed by the Equal Rights Party whose convention nominated Frederick Douglass for Vice President although he did not participate in the convention or acknowledge the nomination. While she obviously lost--and indeed could not have won constitutionally due to her age--Woodhull became one of the most powerful women's rights advocates of her day. This contemporary biography was written by Theodore Tilton a close friend of many within the movement. In 1872 Tilton confided in Elizabeth Cady Stanton that his wife was having an affair with Henry Ward Beecher. Tilton sued Beecher for alienation of affection and a salacious trial commenced. Woodhull abandoned her friendship to splash the scandal across the pages of Woodhull & Claflin's Weekly. Woodhull was arrested for obscenity and then acquitted--events that gave rise to the Comstock Laws of 1873 arguably the nation's most powerful and successful attempt at censorship. Woodhull emerged from the debacle with fewer friends--Susan B. Anthony for example disagreed with her behavior entirely--but nevertheless managed to retain her reputation as a leading supporter of women's rights and as an early American female politician. Published at the Office of The Golden Age hardcover books
1895102643Saint Louis: Woodward & Tiernan Printing Company 1895. First edition of this work one of the big four cattle books. Quarto illustrated with color lithographic frontispiece 16 plates numerous full-page black <span class="match">and</span> white <span class="match">and</span> half-tone photo illustrations as well as illustrations in text marbled endpapers all edges gilt. In near fine condition. "One of the 'big four' cattle books" Cox's Cattle Industry and the Cattlemen of Texas provides a detailed survey of the history and magnitude of the cattle industry in post-Civil War America. "Rarely found with the frontispiece.it is said that the scarcity of this book is due to the fact that nearly all the edition were lost in a warehouse fire" Adams The Rampaging Herd 593. The Cox volume was sent primarily to biographees.In addition the spine of the book was unequal to the task of holding together 743 folio pages and many copies literally fell apart. Furthermore the publisher's remaining stock was destroyed either by accidental fire or by simply being dumped on the trash heap. . . Thus are rarities created in the world of books" Jenkins Basic Texas Books. Woodward & Tiernan Printing Company unknown books
18641142051864. Rare Civil War era military endorsement signed by Abraham Lincoln as President. Two pages the appointment is dated July 26th 1864 addressed to Secretary of War Edward M. Stanton and contains a request from J.M. Francis of Hudson County New Jersey that Edward Z. Laurence be appointed Secretary of Subsistence in the Volunteer Army of the United States. The request is approved and endorsed at the conclusion by Lincoln "Let the appointment be made if his service can be made useful A. Lincoln Aug. 17 1864." Framed. The entire piece measures 27 inches by 9.5 inches. In very good condition with a bold inscription from Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln served as the 16th President of the United States from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He led the United States through its Civil War and in doing so preserved the Union of the United States of America abolished slavery and strengthened the federal government. Lincoln began constructing his cabinet on election night and sought to create a cabinet that would unite the Republican party. His eventual cabinet would include his primary rivals for the Republican nomination and although his appointees held differing views on economic issues all were opposed to the expansion of slavery into the territories of the United States. The most senior cabinet post of Secretary of State was appointed to William Seward who had recently failed to win the 1860 Republican presidential nomination and Lincoln's choice for Secretary of the Treasury was Ohio Senator Salmon P. Chase Seward's primary political rival and the leader of a radical faction of the Republican party that sought the immediate abolition of slavery. unknown books
187298489New York: Cushing Bardua & Co 1872. Scarce first edition of the earliest travel guide to the state of Florida. Small octavo original cloth with gilt titular emblem to the front panel with the rare original folding map of Florida engraved expressly for The Florida Guide by the publisher which is in fine condition advertisements at rear. In very good condition. Scarce with no examples appearing at auction over the past 90 years. The Guide to Florida contains a historic sketch of the history of the state from Spanish cavalier Juan Ponce de Leone's romantic search for the fountain of perpetual youth to the most agreeable regions for the pleasure seeker. Other areas covered include geographical agricultural and climatic statistics routes of travel by land and sea and other general information for the invalid tourist and emigrant. Cushing, Bardua & Co hardcover books
183084654Philadelphia: J. and T. Doughty 1830-33. First edition of "The first color-plate sporting book printed in America"Grolier/Henderson. Quarto 3 volumes. bound in contemporary half morocco over marbled boards top edge gilt. Three engraved titles 2 engraved portraits and 57 lithographic plates after Thomas Doughty and others comprising 53 hand-colored lithographs one colored etching two uncolored engravings and one uncolored wood-engraving 17 in-text wood engravings index leaves printed on blue paper trimmed mounted and bound into vol.III. According to Bennett Volume III is perhaps the most difficult of all American sport items to find.Artistically Vol. 1 is much the most important for it contains the original plates by Thos. Doughty famous painter and founding-father of the Hudson River School." Bennett p. 35; Grolier/Henderson p. 40; Howes D-433; Thomas Doughty one of America's greatest landscape painters "apparently taught himself how to paint and around 1816 he painted his first landscapes. It was also at this time that he listed his occupation as "painter" in the Philadelphia register among the first American artists to do so. He was an avid hunter and fisherman whose intense love of nature inspired him to capture the serenity and joy he experienced in the wooded hills and along the quiet streams of the Northeast" Britt Steen Zuniga for DNB. Bennett page 35; Henderson page 37;Howes D433; Reese American Color Plate Books 12. J. and T. Doughty hardcover books
1892117857Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company 1892. Finely bound example of the author's classic work. Octavo bound in full morocco gilt titles to the spine raised bands gilt ruled to the front and rear panels top edge gilt volume with title vignettes and six wood-engravings. Lengthily signed by the author as follows "There is no death to such as thou dear Eva neither darkness nor shadow of death. Thine is the victory without the battle- the crown without the conflict Uncle Tom's Cabin Chap 24 Harriet Beecher Stowe April 17 1893." In near fine condition. A unique example. In the emotion-charged atmosphere of mid-19th century America Uncle Tom's Cabin exploded like a bombshell. To those engaged in fighting slavery it appeared as an indictment of all the evils inherent in the system they opposed; to the pro-slavery forces it was a slanderous attack on 'the Southern way of life'. the social impact of the novel on the United States was greater than that of any book before or since" PMM 332. "Within a decade after its publication Uncle Tom's Cabin had become the most popular novel ever written by an American. there is substantial evidence that the book precipitated the American Civil War" Downs Books That Changed America 108. Houghton Mifflin Company hardcover books
