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Logic

Logic, or the Art of Thinking; in which besides the Common, are contain’d many excellent New Rules, very profitable for directing Reason . . .In Four Parts. . . To which is added an Index to the whole Book

(Arnauld, Antoine and Pierre Nicole) London: Printed by T. B. for H. Sanbridge, 1685. 8vo.  185 x 120 mm., [7 ¼ x 4 ½ inches].  [8], 250 [i.e. 240], 247, [9].  Bound in 19th century leather-backed marbled paper boards,  paper title label; edges rubbed, a crack at joints, but a sound copy.  Text block filled with contemporary annotations in ink in the margins; some highly legible and some blurred and smudged.  For the most part a readable text written in Latin with some English notes in a separate hand. First English edition, originally published in Paris in 1674 under the title La Logique, ou l'art de penser.  The text, originally written by Antoine Arnauld and Pierre Nicole is organized in four parts.  The first on the operation of the mind.  Part II is consideration of men about proper judgement making; part III on various kinds of reasoning; and finally on the ways of demonstrating truth. Logic, or the Art of Thinking was published in numerous edition and is not a rare book, although the first English edition is not common in the market.  The importance of this copy is found in the annotations.  What is exciting about the manuscript notes is the sheer amount of "thinking" that went into the comments, criticisms, and new information that the note maker made in his frenzy of explicating Arnauld and Nicole's work.  One might think that the notes being written in Latin is a problem, but in fact it demonstrated the erudition of the note maker and his reliance on classical writings to emphasize his positions on the 'new rules' and ways of kindling 'judgment' expressed by Arnauld and Nicole. A remarkable survival and a guide to the ways of philosophical thinking in during the last quarter of the 17th century. Wing.  Short title catalogue of books, 1640-1700, A-3721, .
  • $1,751
  • $1,751
Kyuba Shinron. [A New Theory on Raising Horses]

Kyuba Shinron. [A New Theory on Raising Horses]

Ryuzando Shujin Japan: Suharaya, and others, Kaei 7 (1854). Fascinating and scarce account of a samurai's son whose personal determination led him to rise above the family's financial poverty, to properly care for his horse, build his own stables, and breed additional horses, all by learning the ancient long-forgotten ways of the ancient samurai. 8vo. 1 volume, 78 pages, including 9 full-page illustrations, two of which are hand coloured. Woodblock print. All text is in Japanese. Postscript records the first edition being published in 1806. Traditional karitoji paper binding string-stitched at spine, fukurotoji style ("bound-pocket" with folded leafs bound into spine), and opening from left to right. Natural paper covers, with manuscript title label to front. Together the volumes measure approximately 18 x 25,5 x 1 cm. Negligible creasing to boards and age-toning to upper margins, otherwise in very good and original condition, a pleasing and uncommon work. Based primarily on contemporary descriptions of the financial distress felt by the long-standing prestigious samurai class, such as the present account, it is accepted, without dissent that the ruling samurai class suffered increasing poverty during the Tokugawa (Edo) period. Seifu Murata (1746-1811) wrote: "For years now, the samurai have suffered from poverty and their minds have been occupied by making a living. ‘Buy this, sell that’ and ‘pawn this to pay for that’ has become all of their lives. Even for those dedicated to their duties, it was inevitable to debase themselves and to engage in unsavory conduct (i.e., engage in trading)". Even the wives of those who were earning as much as 200 koku busied themselves in trading and in shops. This is the hero's journey, imparted firsthand, of a brilliant young samurai born into poverty but wide-eyed and unrelentingly in pursuit of mastering the skills of a samurai and honouring his destined status in this class of nobility. Young Ryuzando Shujin began by learning the equestrian warrior traditions with a borrowed horse, and was eventually able to convince his father to buy him a horse of his own, despite of the family's economic situation. When the cost of caring for the horse became a burden no longer bearable, and he was told the horse would be sold, he fixated on finding a solution. Immediately, he began conducting extensive research into the ancient methods employed when most samurai were farmers who held the role of warrior in the event of a battle. The solution to combating the costs was breeding and selling. He began the process, while being scrutinized, mocked and judged by others, in particular jeering his rudimentary (cost-effective) hand-made stables. But he did not let any outside opinions pierce his confidence. After repeated trial and error, it was not long that he possessed six horses. Surely too, he had solved the challenges of the household finances. Shujin championed horsemanship as a duty of all samurai. With the belief that all samurai should therefore possess their own horse, in part to best perform archery, spearmanship, and swordsmanship, and owing to the fact that this was an era where some samurai families were poor, he published his methods for others to follow, and ultimately uphold their rights and responsibilities that their title suggests. The volume includes instructions for building horse stables by hand, without incurring high costs. He describes the breeding process, his training methodology, and proper feeding. His own experiences with horses falling to sickness and how he treated them back to health are also shared. Clearly a man with a charitable and honest heart, he concludes by stating that all of this aside, the single most important thing for a healthy and happy horse is "aishin" (affection).
  • $975
Out of this World: An Anthology of Science Fiction (Volumes 1-9) William Tenn Signed

Out of this World: An Anthology of Science Fiction (Volumes 1-9) William Tenn Signed

Various Authors Out of this World: An Anthology of Science Fiction (Volumes 1-9) William Tenn Signed Volume 1: slight lean, bumped upper spine end, no jacket present. Volume 2: a tight square copy with minor edge wear. Volume 3: a firm square bright copy with two small dents to the upper and lower spine panel. Volume 4: A tight unread copy with minor wear to upper spine edge. Volume 5: A tight unread copy with very minor wear. Volume 6 and 7: tight unread copies with some bumping to spine ends and corner tips. Volume 8: EX-LIBRARY, leaned, South Australia Library Board plate to verso of half-title page, inked stamps to publication page, tape residue to endpapers, number plate to jacket spine base. Volume 9: a firm bright copy with minor bumping to corner tips. Volume 1 is missing the jacket. Volume 2 is price-clipped. Volume 8, Ex-Library, jacket is folded inward and taped at flaps with library reinforcement paper. The other jackets are in Very Good+ condition, or better. 9 volumes. 1961 to 1972. Volume 1 "Reprinted 1961" stated, first published in 1960 (this is the only reprint of the 9 vols). Volume 2 1961. Volume 3 1962, 12/6 net price on jacket flap. Volume 4 1964, 12/6 net price on jacket flap. Volume 5 1965, 12/6 net price on jacket flap. Vol 5 is SIGNED by William Tenn on the Contents page beneath his name. Volume 6 1967, 15/- net price on jacket flap, Vol 6 is also SIGNED by William Tenn on the Contents page beneath his name. Volume 7 1968, 16/- net price on jacket flap. Volume 8 1970, publisher's stickered price 18/- net over original price on flap. Volume 9 1972, £1.20 net price on flap.
  • $500
[Whitman

[Whitman, Walt- Fine, Inscribed by Horace Traubel, Whitman’s Close Friend and Secretary to Will Innes] November Boughs

Whitman, Walt First edition, Third Printing. 8vo. 140pp. + 1p advertisements. The scarce and important "Third Printing," produced by Whitman for the sole purpose of distribution to his personal friends. Original publisher's dark green smooth woven cloth, beveled boards with two gilt circular swirl decorates and lettering on cover and spine, in gilt. This copy inscribed on the front free endpaper by Horace Traubel, the author's close friend and confident who handled all of his affairs, especially near the end where he would stay by Whitman's bed, and certainly following his death, gifting a number of his "extra" volumes to friends and family members. Written first by Traubel, and following by his granddaughter Gertrude Traubel who later received the volume: "To Will Innes, With loyal feelings, Horace Traubel, 1896." And below, written by Gertrude Traubel, "And which he [Will Innes] gave to Gertrude Traubel on Sunday afternoon, December 17, -1967-" Will Innes was a friend of the Traubel family, and gave a significant portion of his library to his granddaughter, Gertrude, in 1967, who became a great advocate and enthusiast of Whitman. Whitman originally intended to publish these sheets bound with Good-Bye My Fancy (1891), but his illness prevented him from realizing this plan. It seems probable, however, that after Whitman's death his executors had these sheets and the remainder of Good-Bye My Fancy bound in uniform, but separate, bindings" (BAL). This is the third printing, with "melee" on page 6, and "in the least," on page 11 (Myerson). Several extant copies of this third printing bear notes in Traubel's hand indicating that it was made by Whitman "for his personal friends and never put on the market." From the Whitman Archive: "He had the book bound in the same deep red cloth that November Boughs had appeared in (fig. 83), also binding up some in deep green (fig. 84) to give to his friends, so that even in this final volume, he was still balancing his reds and greens, as he had done his whole life." And, in another book which was also presentation by Traubel, he states: ".This edition of November Boughs. bound in green was designed by Walt Whitman for his friends, not for the market, and was never anywhere put on sale." A wonderful Presentation of an important special edition put out by Whitman in his last years. In fine condition.
  • $3,750
  • $3,750
[Whitman

[Whitman, Walt- Will Innes’ copy, thence to Gertrude Traubel] As a Strong Bird on Pinions Free

Whitman, Walt 4 7/8 x 8 1/4. Original publisher's smooth dark green cloth, gilt lettering on cover, original gray endpapers. Most likely a Presentation Binding, given to Will Innes (who obtained many directly inscribed from Whitman), and this binding size seems to differ very slightly from published records. Written on front free fly: "Will Innes' copy which he gave to Gertrude Traubel, Sunday, December 17- 1967-" Gertrude received a very large of inscribed copies directly from Innes on or about this date, in 1967, most bearing presentation inscriptions to Innes directly from Traubel, Whitman's close friend and secretary, handling most of his affairs especially late in life. From Ed Folsom, noted Whitman scholar: ìOne of the oddest of Whitman's books, this little gathering of poems emerged from his desire to "print my College Poem in a small book." The "College Poem" is "As a Strong Bird" (later titled "Thou Mother with Thy Equal Brood"), which Whitman recited at Dartmouth College in June 1872 after he had been invited by a group of Dartmouth seniors to deliver a commencement poem (apparently as a kind of expression of student independence from the faculty)Ö The most important thing about the little book is the preface, one of Whitman's most revealing and thoughtful examinations of his work, its direction, and its purpose. Whitman returned to his pre-war dark green cover with the title goldstamped on the front (fig. 39). It was printed by Samuel W. Green in New York in an edition of 572 copies, 300 or so of which were bound.î A fine copy with very slight wear to extremities of spine, a few nicks to endpapers. A very rare Whitman title, with an attractive provenance and inscription.
  • $4,500
  • $4,500
[Binding

[Binding, Fine- De Sauty, Alfred] Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To Which is Added Samson Agonistes

Milton, John Second Edition. 12mo. 6 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches. A beautiful De Sauty binding on the true Second Edition of Milton's renowned "sequel," in contrast to "Paradise Lost," which was more ornate in style and decorative in its verse, "Paradise Regained" is carried out in a simpler style, reducing poetic devices such as simile and deploying a simpler syntax. Bound in rich late 19th Century brown levant completely covered with a swirling green morocco inlay background on both covers, and with gilt stippling and leafy foliage as well as red morocco inlay buds and brown morocco stems. An extremely intricate and strikingly appealing binding design by de Sauty, for which he was renowned. There are black morocco inlay borders and a central panel of brown levant within a black inlay frame. Spine with six compartments, black inlays in five compartments with geometric gilt fillets, gilt-titling. Signed in gilt by De Sauty on front dentelle. This is an exquisite binding on a historically significant book, with a wonderful provenance, coming from the famous Howard T. Goodwin Sale, known as the collector of the "rarest books and the most sumptuous editions of the works of favorite author," and was considered the "finest collection of books ever offered at public sale at that time. Of De Sauty, Sarah Prideaux notes "his work is of considerable merit. His inlays are distinguished for the taste shown in the association of colors, and his finishing has some of the brilliant qualities of the French school, seen particularly in the finely studded (i.e. pontille) tooling of which he seems particularly fond." With the bookplate of James Cox Brady, signed in the print by the artist, Charles Selkirk, 1908. A fine copy of a most delightfully binding and book.
  • $5,250
  • $5,250
Gold-Rush-era Archive of Surveyor Edward Williams

Gold-Rush-era Archive of Surveyor Edward Williams, including Thirteen Letters Written from Monterey in 1850, a Transcribed Copy of a Mexican Land Grant from 1834, and Notes Relating to his Work as a Surveyor

[California - Gold Rush - Surveying - Personal Archives] Williams, Edward California, 1850. With thirteen letters, most multi-page, written from Monterey in 1850, a 7 pp facsimile transcription of a 1834 Mexican land grant on cloth measuring 11 x 14 inches, and and eleven page document on paper in Spanish relating to a Monterey land grant, transcribing an 1841 document. Letters heavily worn with some loss at margins but mostly legible, land grant in good to very good condition, transcribed document in Spanish in fair condition with water damage to margins. Fair. An interesting archive of 1850s-era material relating to the life and career of the surveyor Edward Williams, which recently surfaced in the central mother lode region. The group includes his personal letters from the California Gold Rush, as well as well two interesting documents form his work for the Surveyor General J.W. Mandeville in 1858, where he transcribed two Mexican land grants. Lt. Edward Williams was a member of Company E, New York Volunteers under Capt. Nelson Taylor. He came to California around 1847 and found employment as a deputy surveyor, later working for the Office of the Surveyor General of the Unites States for California. In 1858, Surveyor General J.W. Mandeville commissioned a report on Mexican-era California Land Grants. Mandeville had Williams copy the original documents exactly - inclusive of an ink copy on linen that is an "exact tracing" of the original documents, starting with 1834 up through about 1840. These "copies" were submitted to the Surveyor General in 1858 for use in the report. Williams continued the title work by copying other documents from about 1841, though this time not as a tracing, but hand copied on the usual blue paper of the 1850s. The documents illustrate the length officials went to while they investigated Mexican Land Grant titles to California properties in the 1850s. The process was difficult, and involved two distinctly separate cultures and legal systems that clearly conflicted. The Mexican Government granted rights for these large land parcels in California to various people, but clearly stated they could not sell parts of the property. The wording was used many times in litigation of the period in both defense of the land grants, and in opposition to how the land grants were handled. The issues were actually quite simple, in that the Mexican legal standards for land grants was far different from those in the United States, and the two differing forms of written land ownership (and use) clashed. These documents reflect a parcel of land granted to Francisco Mesa at "Corral de Tierra," a large parcel in Monterrey County, California. Mesa had requested land for "his personal use and that of his family." In the Grant, the title papers reflect "while the land is under (Francisco's) possession it cannot be divided, mortgaged, or a levy placed on it, nor handed down..." These original documents help illustrate the complex story of Mexican Land Grants in California. Also included are thirteen letters from Ed (aka "Ned") to various family members, primarily his mother and sister Alice, and vice versa. About half are from Ed, the other half are written to him. The dates of the letters are; 1850: February 10th, April 15th, April 16th, April 28th, June 10th, July 30th, October 11th, and November 17th, and 1851: September 9th. One undated letter with heavy loss is written from Panama. The letters are generally readable, but the condition far from perfect, with water stains throughout and chips abundant along edges, and significant textual loss. The letters are generally at least two pages, sometimes four or more, inclusive of writing in the crossed line custom to save paper. Most are datelined at Monterrey, where he discusses the people, the customs, setting and more. Despite the condition flaws, there is much to be gleaned from his correspondence. In his April 15, 1850 letter . he describes his trip to San Juan (Bautista) from Monterrey in detail while he was on his way to San Francisco. Williams writes of his great pleasure on tasting cooked beef by the Indians that he found was the best he ever tasted as they camped on the way to San Jose, with the ultimate goal, Mission Dolores in San Francisco: "this [the beef] they put on the embers of the fire and broiled it - I never tasted anything like it before, so tender, so juicy..." One of his first notes on San Francisco: "There are regular streets filled with all kinds of sorts of stores... The shipping covers the water as far as you can see. And those nearest the shore are converted into store houses, the rigging being taken down and the and holes cut in the sides for doors...The best houses in town are occupied by gamblers ... a large saloon filled with tables on which are played all kinds of games of chance - at some of the tables are displayed immense amounts of coin and gold in lumps worth from 1 to 5000 dollars which some poor infatuated fool of a miner has at some time lost to them." In his letter of April 16th, he discusses both his difficulties with women in California and his lack of fitting in back east: "The Spanish Girls are very nice and all that sort of thing but the trouble is to find one that is educated. I can't bear an uneducated wom an and I think I shall have to come to N.Y. and bring one out here... I know one or two in N.Y. but I don't believe they would have such an uncouth specimen of an 'hombre' as me..." In his next letter, he describes Carmel in detail. He states: "I haven't been to the mines nor have I any inclination to go," though he intends to settle in California permanently. In his next letter he discusses the people he's met, and how he detests the anglophone community there: "How do I like the People? Those of Spanish whom I call my friends, I love with all my soul - there is not much society except among them... the Eng. and Am. population I detest from the bottom of my heart. This may sound strange, but you will know the por que? when you arrive." He then praises the climate and scenery of Monterey. One letter written from Panama, which has unfortunately sustained heavy losses at margins, offers some details of the trip on the Chagres River. The replies to Williams from his family offer details on life in New York, and are similarly compromised in condition, but overall there is enough to glean from the group to provide a detailed example of family correspondence from the period. Overall a very interesting and unusual archive of a young professional who moved to California during the Gold Rush period and rejected the Anglophone mining community, with particular interest to historians of Monterey and of the systems of land grants that shaped Mexican and American land policy in the nineteenth century.
  • $7,500
  • $7,500
Portraits of Little Holy Flower

Portraits of Little Holy Flower, Hold His Hand, and Come in Camp, Three American Indian Child Performers at the ‘Red Man Spectacle,” Earl’s Court, 1909

[American Indian Performers - London] [The Golden West and American Industries Exposition] London, 1909. Silver gelatin prints measuring 5 ½ x 4 ½ inches. Editorial marks to verso, one marginal tear, else about fine with fine contrast, very good plus overall. Fine. Western shows, particularly Buffalo Bill's, which ran in Earls Court for several years, were highly influential in introducing the British public to American Indian culture, often in highly fictionalized form. After the Buffalo Bill show ceased performing in London, others followed, including the The Golden West and American (U.S.A.) industries exhibition of 1909. Offered here are three photographs of American Indian children from the exhibition, who were likely part of the show's 'Red Man Spectacle." They are likely Oglala. The show featured a reenactment of an entirely fictitious event called the "Black Hawk Massacre in Colorado," and some veterans of Cody's shows including Red Shirt, Lone Bear and Painted Horse were among the performers. The three children pictured here are named Little Holy Flower, Hold His Hand and Come in Camp. A note to a verso says the pictures were taken concurrently with the Franco-British Exposition, which continued for several years in various iterations beginning in 1908. We find one variant image from this shoot, otherwise no record of these images, which may have been taken by the Brown Brothers firm or possibly ended up in their possession from another photographer.
  • $875
Collection of Thirty-Two Photographs of Sicangu Lakota with Annotations and Identifications

Collection of Thirty-Two Photographs of Sicangu Lakota with Annotations and Identifications, Most Circa 1900-1920

[American Indian History - Sicangu Lakota or Rosebud Sioux - Photography] Most South Dakota, 1920. Mix of formats including realphoto postcards, snapshots and cabinet cards, annotations verso. Worn overall, good to very good with some assorted chips and wear but very good contrast. Good. An interesting and illuminating group of images compiled by a member of the Sicangu Lakota community, with most images identified to versos. The group documents an interesting time and is the first we've encountered to blend a mix of vernacular snapshots with realphoto postcards and images produced for a Euro-American audience by a member of an Indigenous community. We believe that the original owner was Tommy Thompson, one of the original members of the Black Pipe Community, to whom we find references in Sicangu Lakota references online as being one of the original families on the Rosebud Reservation. The group presents a valuable amount of genealogical information, as well as providing a visual document of a transitional time in the community. The style of dress ranges from traditional to fully Euro-American, with many images showing subjects in mixed attire. The names encountered - Standing Elk, Red Hawk, Boudreaux, Little, et al - match genealogical and tribal records for Sicango Lakota. Several of the images have the Thompson identification to verso, with one postcard addressed to Tommy Thompson, which makes our best guess that these were collected by Thompson while a member of the Little White River community. One postcard describes an episode involving ther horse thief William "Buffalo" George: "Jesse Brown shot Buffalo George in hip. And he still chasing him and capture him [sic]." The collection would be a valuable resource for any genealogical research into Sicangu Lakota of the period from 1900-1930, and provide an unusual visual compilation of several types of photography not usually seen together and the relationship to traditional culture during this period of cultural transition.
  • $2,400
  • $2,400
Le Conquête de l Air

Le Conquête de l Air

(AVIATION.) 23 x 30 in. Color lithograph. Minor repairs on verso, light wear. Fine condition. This spectacular color lithograph commemorates the Grande Semaine d Aviation of 1909, the first international public flying event and a turning point in aviation history. The powered aircraft featured at the event dominate the center. Surrounding it are portraits of pioneering figures in flight (including Wright, Curtiss, Latham, Fournier, and Blériot) and vignettes from aviation history. The event, held at Reims, France in August 1909, attracted more than 500,000 spectators to watch famous aviators compete in contests of distance, altitude, and speed, all from the massive grandstands constructed for the event. The meeting signified a transition in the public perception of flight. Once an experimental curiosity practiced by a few, it came to be seen as a viable technology with the potential for practical application. This print, a supplement to Parisian newspaper Le Petit Journal, highlights technological advances in aviation history. The fall of Icarus is depicted in the upper right corner, next to two unrealized designs for flying machines from the 17th century. Vignettes show the various hot air balloons of the 18th century and capture the 19th-century shift to airships capable of controlled flight. At the center, the collection of heavier-than-air planes flown at Reims in the early 20th century point to the transitional nature of this pioneer era. In 1903, the Wright brothers achieved a twelve-second flight in their biplane; in 1909, technology had advanced enough for Louis Blériot to cross the English Channel in a powered monoplane. The array of airplanes shown in Reims exemplified this transformational period as Wright-style flyers and propeller-led monoplanes were featured side by side. The debut of lightweight, more reliable engines at Reims also indicated the advances that were to come. The Grande Semaine showed that heavier-than-air flight was proven to be a viable technology full of possibilities. The next few decades brought the first major wartime use of airplanes, the invention of the jet engine, and growth of commercial aviation. Within sixty years, man s conquest of the air had extended to outer space. This is a visually stunning record of a critical moment in technological history, marking the beginning of modern aviation.
  • $2,500
  • $2,500
Autograph manuscript diagrams and text

Autograph manuscript diagrams and text

GODDARD, ROBERT H. 5 x 8 inches. 2pp on a single leaf. Pencil on paper. Near fine condition. GODDARD S DESIGNS OF ROCKET VALVES. This manuscript contains Goddard s technical notes and three illustrations of rocket engine valves. Two drawings fill the center of the page: a large outline of a rocket engine valve and a smaller depiction of a diaphragm cover. Goddard s notes read in part: For main valves, Ox. P = supply line . . . control valve. For tank valves, Ox. P = tank, B = supply line. The verso has a diagram of a tank valve accompanied by notes stating, Tank Valves, short distance, and diaphragm, if it gains enough travel otherwise use a bellows 35 lbs. Goddard (1882-1945), the father of modern rocket propulsion, launched the world s first liquid-propellant rocket on March 16, 1926, at Auburn, Massachusetts, a feat as epochal in history as that of the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk (NASA). Goddard had a rare genius for invention and these notes suggest the endless refinement necessary to create a dependable, operational rocket engine. The illustrations and annotations show Goddard wrestling with the problematic design of control valves. One of the early development challenges of launching liquid-fueled rockets was the proper operation of control valves for fuel and oxidizer. Often the valves would fail in tests or during flight with catastrophic results. Proper and continuous operation of the mechanisms was required for Goddard s rockets to maintain flight until fuel depletion. The modification of the valves represents a breakthrough in scientific technology without which the American space exploration program would not have been possible. Goddard once remarked that such research is a never-ending process, as there can be no thought of finishing, for aiming for the stars is a problem to occupy generations, so that no matter how much progress we make, there is always the thrill of just beginning (Almanac, 11). Goddard s contributions to aerospace science cannot be overstated he was the first scientist who not only realized the potentialities of missiles and space flight but also contributed directly in bringing them to practical realization. This rare talent in both theory and application places Goddard as one of the great minds of the 20th century. This manuscript was preserved by Nils Ljungquist, a machinist who worked with Goddard for decades and who often appears in photographs with Goddard and his rockets. Ljungquist accompanied Goddard to Roswell, New Mexico when the scientist received a Guggenheim grant. Goddard spent nearly a decade in Roswell where he manufactured a rocket that exceeded the speed of sound and another with fin-stabilized steering, and he filed dozens of patents for everything from gyroscopic guidance systems to multistage rockets (Time, 100 Most Important People of the Century ). Some of Goddard s greatest engineering contributions to modern aviation and space exploration were made during this exceptionally productive period. RARE. Goddard s scientific manuscripts are extremely rare, and apart from the Nils Ljungquist documents, we can trace no others ever appearing for sale. This manuscript represents a unique opportunity to acquire a document that allowed the father of rocketry to lead the emerging science toward the very possibility of space exploration. Provenance: Goddard s colleague, machinist Nils Ljungquist, with his initialed authentication in ink dated 1973. In the photo shown here, Goddard poses in New Mexico, 1935. (left to right) Assistant Albert Kisk, financier Harry Guggenheim, Goddard, Charles Lindbergh, and Goddard s assistants Nils Ljungquist and Charles Mansur. On consignment.
  • $35,000
  • $35,000
De la Democratie en Amerique

De la Democratie en Amerique

TOCQUEVILLE, ALEXIS DE Four volumes. Near contemporary quarter blue morocco. Folding map after Tocqueville by Bernard. Some browning and foxing. An excellent set. FIRST EDITIONS. Famed Harvard constitutional scholar Harvey Mansfield called Democracy in America at once the best book ever written on democracy and the best book ever written on America. The most influential commentary on America in the nineteenth century, Democracy in America was based on Tocqueville s travels in the United States in 1831 and 1832. Tocqueville came to America to study the American prison system on behalf of the French government. After completing his official duties in the east, he toured the West and the South, visiting Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, the Carolinas, Virginia, and Washington, D. C. The book resulting from these investigations is generally considered the 19th century s most insightful commentary on the development of our unique American culture and political system. Tocqueville declared, Democratic nations care but little for what has been, but they are haunted by visions of what will be; in this direction their unbounded imagination grows and dilates beyond all measure Democracy, which shuts the past against the poet, opens the future before him. Fewer than 500 copies of the first part were published. The second part (1840) was issued concurrently with the eighth edition of the first part, helping to explain why quality matched sets are so difficult to obtain today. The book was an immediate success, and more than fifty editions were published in French and English in the nineteenth century. For nearly two centuries it has provoked endless discussion and been an inspiration for countless commentaries on American democracy. Finely bound matched sets of the first edition are difficult to locate.
  • $42,000
  • $42,000
Some Account of the Pennsylvania Hospital; From its First Rise

Some Account of the Pennsylvania Hospital; From its First Rise, to the Beginning of the Fifth Month, called May, 1754

FRANKLIN, BENJAMIN 4to. Fine olive green morocco gilt by the Club Bindery. Minor repairs. A fine copy. Marbled paper slipcase. FIRST EDITION of Benjamin Franklin s account of the Pennsylvania Hospital, the first hospital established in the British colonies, co-founded by Franklin with his friend Dr. Thomas Bond. It remains a leading medical institution in Philadelphia. Franklin s Account is a record of one of his and Philadelphia s noblest civic achievements; and from its magnificent opening paragraph to its final moving appeal, it is, in Carl Van Doren s words, an example of homespun splendor hardly to be matched in the English language (Franklin Project). Franklin was a prime force in founding the institution, its first secretary, and later chairman of its trustees. In his Autobiography he wrote that he could remember no maneuver the success of which gave him at the time more pleasure than that of persuading the citizens and assembly to contribute matching funds to start the hospital initially (Miller). Written and printed by Franklin at the request of the Hospital trustees, the Account describes the plan on which the hospital was founded, rules for admission, rules for the choice of staff, and an Abstract of Cases Admitted (Streeter). Provenance: John Camp Williams, with his bookplates, his sale, American Art Association, November 6, 1929, lot 49. Evans 7197. Miller, Benjamin Franklin s Philadelphia printing, 1728-1766: A descriptive bibliography 587.
  • $17,500
  • $17,500
History of the Expedition under the command of Captains Lewis and Clark

History of the Expedition under the command of Captains Lewis and Clark, to the sources of the Missouri, thence across the Rocky Mountains and down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean, performed during the years 1804-5-6

LEWIS, MERIWETHER & WILLIAM CLARK Large folding map, one closed tear, some restoration; five other engraved maps or charts. Two volumes. Original calf boards, expertly rebacked and recornered, red leather labels. Browned with occasional stains. A very good copy. FIRST EDITION of the definitive account of the most important exploration of the North American continent (Wagner-Camp-Becker). This is the most important of all overland narratives. . . . American explorers had for the first time spanned the continental United States and driven the first wedge in the settlement of our new far western frontier (Grolier 100 American Books). Only 1417 copies were printed. This copy has an excellent example of the important folding map, which was available at a premium and thus was not issued with all copies. Engraved from Clark s manuscript, this map showing the 8000-mile trek is one of the greatest landmarks American cartographic history. More accurate than any previous western map, it rapidly became the source for a new generation of western maps (Schwartz and Ehrenberg, The Mapping of America, p. 227). Thomas Jefferson had begun the planning of a western expedition even before his inauguration. Early in 1801 he appointed Meriwether Lewis as his secretary, in part, as he wrote the army officer, because of your knowledge of the Western country. Early in 1803 Jefferson proposed the expedition to Congress, and soon thereafter the Louisiana Purchase removed the major obstacles blocking not only the expedition, but also westward expansion. This book includes the first printing of Thomas Jefferson s biography of Meriwether Lewis, who had served as Jefferson s private secretary at the White House. Lewis had been killed (or had killed himself, as Jefferson later thought) under mysterious circumstances in Tennessee in 1809. The expedition took place in 1804-6, but the publication of the official account was delayed until 1814. Provenance: early signatures of Henry and Gerard Walton on title pages. Printing and the Mind of Man 272. Grolier 100 American Books 30.
  • $115,000
  • $115,000
A collection of The Liberator reporting on John Brown s raid on Harpers Ferry

A collection of The Liberator reporting on John Brown s raid on Harpers Ferry, his capture, imprisonment, trial, and execution

(BROWN, JOHN.) Boston: The Liberator, Oct 21, Nov 4, 11, and 18, Dec 2 and 9, 1859 Six issues, each a large folio measuring 24 x 18 in. Original folds, never bound. Light stains. Very good condition. This exceptional file of The Liberator contains detailed accounts of John Brown s raid on Harpers Ferry and his capture, imprisonment, trial, and execution. The Liberator, edited and published by William Lloyd Garrison, was a leading force in the abolition movement beginning in the 1830s. John Brown s failed attempt to seize the federal armory at Harpers Ferry and spark a slave rebellion was a central event in the lead-up to the Civil War. His trial for treason and his execution made him a martyr in the cause of abolition. The file starts with a breathless hour-by-hour account of Brown s raid on Harpers Ferry and its suppression. Subsequent issues are packed with accounts of the insurrection and its aftermath, including letters from the scene. These scarce newspapers include detailed accounts of Brown s trial and his famous speech before the court. They contain letters Brown wrote from prison, his last will and testament, and accounts of the events of the day of execution, Brown s last words, his death by hanging, and reaction to the killing. Printed opposite the account of the hanging is an advertisement for Redpath s Life of John Brown, soon to be published. The paper s columns are filled with letters, editorials, and speeches by abolitionist luminaries including Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, Wendell Phillips (his incendiary address The Lesson of the Hour ), Lydia Maria Child, Theodore Parker, Granville Sharp, and Sarah E. Wall (a long essay on non-resistance). Frederick Douglass, writing from safety in Canada, writes a very long letter praising Brown and addressing allegations of his own involvement in the plot. Descriptions of public meetings in support of Brown and countless letters for and against him reflect the controversy swirling around the radical abolitionist. These abolitionist newspapers provide a dramatic view of John Brown s celebrated raid, his martyrdom, and American reaction to it.
  • $7,500
  • $7,500
Autograph manuscript on Elias Hicks

Autograph manuscript on Elias Hicks

WHITMAN, WALT 4to. One page. Pencil, with a one-line alteration in ink by Whitman. Numerous deletions and additions in Whitman s hand. Original folds, wear and toning. Whitman has written second article in blue crayon on the verso. In this fine working manuscript Whitman reflects on the life of Elias Hicks, a major spiritual influence on the poet. The spellbinding Quaker preacher was a key source of Whitman s prophetic style and poetic vision. Hicks s presence persisted in Whitman s passions of oratory and natural eloquence in the loosely cadenced verse of Leaves of Grass. In the making of a poet s vision of reality and identity Hicks preceded Emerson and outlasted him (Justin Kaplan, Walt Whitman). Whitman s father and grandfather were both friends of Elias Hicks, the celebrated Quaker schismatic preacher. At age ten Whitman heard the elderly Elias Hicks speak, an experience he often recalled in later years. It was Hicks who declared that the godhead is in every blade of grass, a line echoed in Whitman s loafing and studying a single blade of grass and in the very title Leaves of Grass. Whitman explicitly drew on Hicks for his themes of the sanctity of mankind s inner light, nature, nationalism, the working class, and democracy. Whitman called the preacher the only real democrat among all the religious teachers. In this heavily revised manuscript Whitman discusses Hick s formative years in his late years and early 20s, when he was apprenticed to a carpenter, acquired a farm, and was married. Whitman observes in part, Elias had been touch d by spells of serious meditation which led to his assuming the role of religious speaker or preacher. The manuscript leaf is part of an essay on Hicks but is not related to the essay that appeared in November Boughs. This is an excellent Whitman manuscript on one of his most important spiritual and literary influences.
  • $22,000
  • $22,000