Rare Americana African-American History
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Sale 503 March 28, 2013 11:00 AM Pacific Time Rare Americana African-American History Auction Preview Tuesday, March 26, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Wednesday, March 27, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Thursday, March 28, 9:00 am to 11:00 am Other showings by appointment 133 Kearny Street 4th Floor : San Francisco, CA 94108 phone : 415.989.2665 toll free : 1.866.999.7224 fax : 415.989.1664 [email protected] : www.pbagalleries.com REAL-TIME BIDDING AVAILABLE PBA Galleries features Real-Time Bidding for its live auctions. This feature allows Internet Users to bid on items instantaneously, as though they were in the room with the auctioneer. If it is an auction day, you may view the Real-Time Bidder at http://www.pbagalleries.com/realtimebidder/ . Instructions for its use can be found by following the link at the top of the Real-Time Bidder page. Please note: you will need to be logged in and have a credit card registered with PBA Galleries to access the Real-Time Bidder area. In addition, we continue to provide provisions for Absentee Bidding by email, fax, regular mail, and telephone prior to the auction, as well as live phone bidding during the auction. Please contact PBA Galleries for more information. IMAGES AT WWW.PBAGALLERIES.COM All the items in this catalogue are pictured in the online version of the catalogue at www.pbagalleries. com. Go to Live Auctions, click Browse Catalogues, then click on the link to the Sale. CONSIGN TO PBA GALLERIES PBA is always happy to discuss consignments of books, maps, photographs, graphics, autographs and related material. There is no charge for appraisals of items intended for auction, and we accept both individual items, as well as, entire collections and estates. Please contact Bruce MacMakin for more information at [email protected] BOOK APPRAISALS AT PBA GALLERIES PBA Galleries now holds regularly scheduled book appraisals at our Kearny Street Gallery.Save the first Tuesday of each month to bring your books, manuscripts, maps, photographs and prints to the PBA Galleries’ Appraisal Events. Though no appointment is necessary, please call to let us know if you will be attending. The verbal appraisals are free. Join us from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., at PBA Galleries, 133 Kearny St., Preview & Auction Gallery, Fourth Floor, San Francisco (between Post and Sutter Streets). GET ON THE PBA EMAIL MAILING LIST PBA Galleries sends out notices of our auctions, schedule updates, sale highlights and other information via email. To be placed on this mailing list, email us at [email protected] RECEIVE NOTIFICATION OF YOUR SPECIFIC WANTS At the PBA Galleries website, you can sign up for CATEGORY WATCH, and receive email notification when books or other items in your areas of interest are coming up for auction, or for individual titles or books by specific authors. Go to www.pbagalleries.com. PBA WILL PACK AND SHIP YOUR ITEMS TO YOU PBA Galleries has a full-service shipping department, and will pack and ship items to you that you purchase at auction upon payment. The preferred method of shipping is United Parcel Service, and added charges will apply for use of other services. NOTE: MOST LOTS OFFERED IN THIS SALE HAVE A MINIMUM RESERVE OF ONE HALF OF THE PRESALE LOW ESTIMATE. SOME LOTS HAVE HIGHER RESERVES, BUT ALWAYS BELOW THE LOW ESTIMATE. Administration Sharon Gee, President Shannon Kennedy, Vice President, Client Services Angela Jarosz, Administrative Assistant, Catalogue Layout Megan Hipsley, Inventory Manager Consignments, Appraisals & Cataloguing Bruce E. MacMakin, Senior Vice President George K. Fox, Vice President, Market Development & Senior Auctioneer Gregory Jung, Senior Specialist Erin Escobar, Specialist Photography & Design Justin Benttinen, Photographer System Administrator Thomas J. Rosqui Spring Auctions, 2013 April 11, 2013 - South Sea: The Library of Dr. Richard Topel, Part I April 25, 2013 - Travel & Exploration, Cartography & Americana from the Library of Glen McLaughlin (with additions) May 9, 2013 - Fine Books in All Fields May 23, 2013 - South Sea: The Library of Dr. Richard Topel, Part II June 13, 3013 - Rare Books & Manuscripts Schedule is subject to change. Please contact PBA or pbagalleries.com for further information. Consignments are being accepted for the 2013 Auction season. Please contact Bruce MacMakin at [email protected]. Front Cover: Lot 119 Back Cover: Clockwise from upper left: Lots 212, 333, 1, 305 Bond # 14425383 Lot 1 Section I: Rare Americana, Lots 1-331 Section II: African-American History, Lots 332-405 Section I: Rare Americana ARCHIVE OF CORRESPONDENCE FROM ANSEL ADAMS 1. ADAMS, ANSEL. Archive of correspondence from Ansel Adams to his friend and physician. 18 typed letters, signed. All on postcards or greeting cards with photographs by Ansel Adams. Various sizes 4¼x6” to 5x7”. Also a typed note, signed by Adam’s assistant Mary Alinder, a 1983 calligraphic greeting from Virginia & Ansel, unsigned, an invitation to a December, 1979 show of Ansel Adams and the West at The Oakland Museum, as well as approximately 45 unused postcards with images by Adams. Salinas, CA: 1978-1983 An interesting and revealing group of correspondence between Adams and his physician during the final years of his life. Adams relates his health and activities to his longtime friend and physician, shares blood pressure readings and vitals, questions the doctors instructions, etc., often with an obvious sense of humor to his thoughts. Some selected passages: “Drove to Yosemite today in my new car...The drive was fine and I have no reaction to the altitude. I did have more-than-usual vertigo on lying down and getting up, but none driving or walking.” (6/8/78); Please doctor, can I look at girlie magazines after the operation????” (12/21/78); “I signed over 3000 books during the trip! Right hand holding up fine. I stopped when I began signing Alfred Stieglitz, Karl Marx, etc.!!!” (9/23/79); I always through(sic) I had two by-passes, but now I have three!!!...Have a tricycle, which is better than traveling nowhere indoors. I use it on the road round the house. Most level (although I do enjoy a new moment of downhill whizz!). (2/6/80). “I have arranged for a termite man to clear out my head. He said he would if he did not have to give you a cut.” (3/20/80); “My heart is going strong, my circulation not so good. It appears both by-passes are plugged...They tell me my heart is running on co-lateral circulation...(5/14/81); “I continue to be busy with books, etc. I shall be 81 next Sunday...I am recovering from a nasty flu-bug which injures my ego and interferes with my work.”(2/16/83). In a letter dated 10/11/80, Adams offers his opinion on Presidential candidate Ronald Reagan: “I am seriously worried about Reagan...Reagan is a very dangerous man, simply because he is a nit-wit, makes the most erronious(sic) statements, and has revealed himself as the tool of some “special interests” of dire intent. His opposition to the E.P.A. and the E.R.A. clearly shows stupidity and dire influence. Mention of Gen. Haig as Secretary of Defence simply brings World War III close to reality. These are terrible people and - if they are elected - could bring us close to a Dictatorship in a short time. Don’t forget Hitler; he was certainly not bright, but he was used by people who were both bright and evil.” Fine. (3000/5000) Page 1 2. ADAMS, ANSEL. Two books with photographs by Ansel Adams. Includes: * Adams, Ansel & Nancy Newhall. This is the American Earth. Green cloth, dust jacket. Second Printing. [1960]. * Newhall, Nancy. Ansel Adams. Volume 1, The Eloquent Light. Green cloth. No jacket. First Edition. [1963]. Together two folio volumes. San Francisco: Sierra Club, [1960 & 1963] Both illustrated profusely with the photographs of Ansel Adams. Second title lacking jacket; light wear; very good. (100/150) 3. (Airmail) WESTERN AIR EXPRESS INC. California Aeroscapes. [8] pp. including wrappers. 4 color photographs. 5¼x7¼, white wrappers. Western Air Express Inc., [c.1920s] In 1925, the United States Postal Service began to give airlines contracts to carry air mail throughout the country. Western Airlines first incorporated in 1925 as Western Air Express by Harris Hanshue. It applied for, and was awarded, the 650-mile long Contract Air Mail Route #4 (CAM-4) from Salt Lake City, Utah to Los Angeles. The company reincorporated in 1928 as Western Air Express Corp. Then, in 1930, purchased Standard Air Lines, subsidiary of Aero Corp. of Ca. founded in 1926 by Paul E. Richter, Jack Frye and Walter Hamilton. WAE with Fokker aircraft merged with Transcontinental Air Transport to form TWA. “California invites you to view her scenic wonders from the air. Regular airplane passenger services now operate on schedule between the principal cities of the Golden State. Special scenic airplane tours by arrangement.” With aerial photographs of El Capitan, Pinnacle Peaks, and Yosemite Valley. A scarce item, no copies located by OCLC / Worldcat. A touch of wear from handling; near fine. (400/600) EIGHT LOTS OF ALASKA AND THE ARCTIC 4. (Alaska & Arctic) SwaNTON, ELLA L. Autograph Letter Signed - 1905 Looking For Peary in the Arctic. 4 pp. + original mailing envelope. Nome, Alaska: September 7, 1905 To Arthur M. Compton, Portland, Oregon: “…Have just returned from a trip to the Arctic, went up to meet Peary, but he evidently hasn’t found the pole yet. Alice Nash… will tell you of some of our numerous ‘stunts’ when you see her…If only you and the girl had been with us on our northern trip!! It was great! Off the beaten path and just fine and dandy! Frank is off at a Masonic banquet and I am trying to rush things for the Str.