Recent Acquisitions in Americana with Material from Newly Acquired Collections on American Presidents, Early American Religion & American Artists
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CATALOGUE TWO HUNDRED NINETY-SEVEN Recent Acquisitions in Americana with Material from Newly Acquired Collections on American Presidents, Early American Religion & American Artists WILLIAM REESE COMPANY 409 Temple Street New Haven, CT 06511 (203) 789-8081 A Note This catalogue is made up entirely of new acquisitions, primarily in material re- lating to the United States, or the American Colonies, from the 18th to the 20th centuries. It is rich in material relating to the American presidency, early American religious history, and American artists (these reflecting recently purchased collec- tions). Notable items include an Aitken Bible; a remarkable archive relating to the Garfield assassination; letters and association copies relating to Washington, Jefferson, Adams, and Madison; and letters from John Trumbull about his work in the U.S. Capitol. New material in Western Americana has been reserved for our next catalogue, which will be devoted to that topic. Available on request or via our website are our recent catalogues 290, The American Revolution 1765-1783; 291, The United States Navy; 292, 96 American Manuscripts; 294, A Tribute to Wright Howes: Part I; 295, A Tribute to Wright Howes: Part II; 296, Rare Latin Americana as well as Bulletins 24, Provenance; 25, American Broadsides; 26, American Views; 27, Images of Native Americans, and many more topical lists. Some of our catalogues, as well as some recent topical lists, are now posted on the internet at www.reeseco.com. A portion of our stock may be viewed via links at www. reeseco.com. If you would like to receive e-mail notification when catalogues and lists are uploaded, please e-mail us at [email protected] or send us a fax, specifying whether you would like to receive the notifications in lieu of or in addition to paper catalogues. Terms Material herein is offered subject to prior sale. All items are as described and are con- sidered to be on approval. Notice of return must be given within ten days unless specific arrangements are made. Connecticut residents must be billed state sales tax. Postage and insurance charges are billed to all nonprepaid domestic orders. Overseas orders are sent by air unless otherwise requested, with full postage charges billed at our discretion. Payment by check, wire transfer or bank draft is preferred, but may also be made by MasterCard or Visa. William Reese Company Phone: (203) 789-8081 409 Temple Street Fax: (203) 865-7653 New Haven, CT 06511 E-mail: [email protected] www.williamreesecompany.com ON THE FRONT COVER: 151. [Prang, Louis]: [American Card Album]. [Boston. 1864]. ON THE REAR COVER: 152. [Prang, Louis]: [Views in Central Park]. [Boston. 1864]. Justifying American Liberty in 1770 1. Adams, Amos: A CONCISE, HISTORICAL VIEW OF THE DIF- FICULTIES, HARDSHIPS, AND PERILS WHICH ATTENDED THE PLANTING AND PROGRESSIVE IMPROVEMENTS OF NEW-ENGLAND. WITH A PARTICULAR ACCOUNT OF ITS LONG AND DESTRUCTIVE WARS, EXPENSIVE EXPEDI- TIONS, &c. Boston printed, London reprinted. 1770. [2],68pp. Lacks half title. Dbd. Minor foxing and soiling. Very good. History of New England from the time of settlement through the French and Indian War. This work contains much information on King Philip’s War, as well as the French and Indian War. Toward the end the author comments on the current state of affairs, mentioning the Stamp Act and its repeal: “This was a strange turn in favour of American liberty.” “One of the fullest and most interesting narratives of the establishment and development of the Colony of New England, with particular emphasis on the various Indian Wars and Expeditions” – Eberstadt. Relatively scarce. ESTC T31122. AMERICAN CONTROVERSY 69-1b. EBERSTADT 106:2 (1st ed). HOWES A43. SABIN 170. $1250. Thomas Jefferson’s Copy of an Important Work by John Quincy Adams 2. Adams, John Quincy: [ Jefferson, Thomas]: THE DUPLICATE LETTERS, THE FISHERIES AND THE MISSISSIPPI. DOCU- MENTS RELATING TO TRANSACTIONS AT THE NEGOTIA- TION OF GHENT.... Washington: Printed by Davis and Force, 1822. 256,3pp. Contemporary three-quarter calf and marbled boards, gilt morocco label (half chipped away). Boards rubbed, spine chipped and worn, front board nearly detached. Text tanned and foxed. Good. In a folding leather box, gilt morocco labels. A wonderful association copy, connecting John Quincy Adams and Thomas Jef- ferson. Jefferson was America’s first Secretary of State and, as the country’s third president, concluded the Louisiana Purchase, a diplomatic coup of the first order. John Quincy Adams, arguably America’s greatest diplomatic mind, was Secretary of State from 1817 to 1825, before going on to serve as president himself, from 1825 to 1829. This book is Adams’ examination of the role he played in the negotiation of the Treaty of Ghent, which resolved the War of 1812, a conflict with roots in Thomas Jefferson’s presidency. This volume was in Jefferson’s final library (formed between selling his second collection to the Library of Congress in 1815 and his death in 1826), and was sold at the dispersal of those books in 1829, where it was bought by a Virginia lawyer and acquaintance of Jefferson, John Peyton. John Quincy Adams compiled the documents which make up this book while he was Secretary of State, two years before he was elected president. In 1822, Adams faced mounting criticism surrounding his actions in 1814, when he was among the American negotiators who concluded the Treaty of Ghent. Adams responded with this volume, in which he brings together the correspondence and reports of the negotiations he conducted with the British to resolve the War of 1812. As ever, Adams was very sensitive to criticism, and this exhaustively defends his work. British depredations against American shipping and the American Navy (includ- ing the impressment of sailors) were constant pre-occupations of Thomas Jefferson’s presidency, and they were among the root causes of the War of 1812 (prosecuted by Jefferson’s successor, James Madison). Jefferson was also passionately concerned about American access to the Mississippi River, and this desire was one of his major motivations in concluding the Louisiana Purchase, the outstanding achievement of his presidency. That subject is also discussed in this book, making it of even greater interest to Jefferson. On October 11, 1822, Adams wrote to Thomas Jefferson presenting him with this copy of his book. Adams wrote: Dear Sir, I have taken the liberty of transmitting to you a pamphlet which I have felt a necessity of giving to the public. So far as it involves a mere personal controversy I should not have thought it worthy of being presented to you. [?] much of it I would request of you the favour to overlook. Nor after the recent manifestation of the public sentiment on this subject would this collection of documents have appeared, but for the questions of general interest to the Union implicated in the discussion, and which as affecting the welfare of our country, I know can never be objects of indifference to you. It is from this motive that I am induced to ask your acceptance of the volume, and avail myself of the occasion to renew the tender of my sincere veneration. Jefferson responded to Adams with a letter from Monticello dated October 23. He returned “his thanks to Mr. Adams for the copy of the Ghent Documents which he has been so kind as to send him. So far as concerns Mr. Adams personally, the respect and esteem of the public for him was too firmly and justly fixed to need this appeal to them. But the volume is a valuable gift to his fellow citizens generally, and especially to the future historian whom it will enable to give correct ideas of the views of that treaty and to do justice to the abilities with which it was negotiated. He begs leave to salute Mr. Adams with assurances of his highest esteem and respect.” Books from Jefferson’s library are usually identifiable by Jefferson’s method of putting a manuscript “T” before the “I” signature mark in a gathering (the letter “J” not being commonly used), and a “J” following the “T” signature mark. The present book is not signed in letters, but in numbers, and so Jefferson has written his “T” before the signature numbered “1”, as was his custom in such volumes. This book was lot 691 in Nathaniel P. Poor’s catalogue of Thomas Jefferson’s library, sold at auction in Washington commencing February 27, 1829. It was purchased at that sale by John H. Peyton, whose ownership signature is on the front pastedown. John Howe Peyton (1778-1847) was born in Virginia, attended the College of New Jersey (now Princeton), and practiced law in his native state. He was a correspondent of Thomas Jefferson, served in the Virginia House of Delegates, and from 1839 to 1845 in the State Senate. Peyton also bought the preceding lot in the Jefferson library sale (the Report of the Convention of New York, lot 690 in the Poor sale), and he probably bought others. Peyton’s provenance, and Jefferson’s characteristic mark, firmly establish this as the copy Adams gave Jefferson, and the one that was on Jefferson’s shelves in his final library when he died. An outstanding association copy, linking two of America’s most bibliophilic presidents to a book whose subject was of great personal and political interest to them both. SABIN 276. SHAW & SHOEMAKER 7740. $65,000. Presentation Copy from John Quincy Adams to His Nephew 3. Adams, John Quincy: AN EULOGY: ON THE LIFE AND CHAR- ACTER OF JAMES MONROE, FIFTH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.... Boston. 1831. 100pp. Original printed wrappers. Wrappers lightly chipped; inscribed by the author on front cover.