Rare Book Monthly

Book Catalogue Reviews - April - 2021 Issue

Classic Fine Books from Whitmore Rare Books

Catalogue 22 from Whitmore Rare Books.

Whitmore Rare Books has issued their Catalogue 22. Whitmore offers a selection of fine books – literary and historical classics. Even the occasional children's book is a classic of its genre. Their books are intended for collectors at the highest level, first or significant editions of important books. These are a few.

 

We might as well start with Dr. Seuss since he has suddenly become very controversial. Who would have thought that? Recently, Dr. Seuss Enterprises announced that it would no longer publish six of his books. There are some racially or ethnically insensitive illustrations and a few words, though they were written 60-80 years ago when sensibilities were different. Fortunately, this book, his most popular, is not on the list though some claim the Cat with his top hat and bow tie depicts a character from a minstrel show. Come on! Kids love The Cat in the Hat as well they should. I loved this book long before I cared a bit for Shakespeare. Whitmore has a near fine copy of the 1957 first edition, which I may have once had too but that was long ago. Dr. Seuss' books have been credited with turning a generation or more of children with no interest in books into avid readers. He was that good. Item 17. Priced at $3,500.

 

This item is kind of the opposite of Dr. Seuss. It was highly controversial in its time, but not so much (hopefully) today. It is the four-page Declaration of Rights of Women of the United States. It was Prepared by Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott and others from the National Woman Suffrage Association. The timing was perfect. It was published on July 4, 1876, exactly 100 years after the Declaration of Independence. It seemed to them that a century was long enough for women to wait to get their equal rights too, but it would still be almost another half century before they got the right to vote, and some aspects of equality, such as equal pay, are still often lacking. Their Declaration points to the many constitutional protections, most notably the right to vote, denied women simply because of their sex. It concludes, “We ask of our rulers, at this hour, no special favors, no special privileges, no special legislation. We ask justice, we ask equality, we ask that all the civil and political rights that belong to citizens of the United States, be guaranteed to us and our daughters forever.” They had planned to present their demands at the centennial celebration in Philadelphia but were denied the right to speak. At the end of the reading of the Declaration of Independence, Susan Anthony rose, handed their Declaration to the speaker, and then Anthony read it aloud to the surprised audience. Whitmore notes that only 12 copies of the first printing are known to still exist with the other 11 being held by institutions. Item 73. $45,000.

 

This next book, as long as the preceding Declaration was short, is another call for equal rights. It is Negro Anthology Made by Nancy Cunard 1931-1933, published in 1934. It contains 855 pages, weighs almost 8 pounds, and includes 200 entries by 150 contributors, most Black. There are also nearly 400 illustrations. Among the contributors were Langston Hughes, Samuel Beckett, Jomo Kenyatta, W.E.B. DuBois, Ezra Pound, Theodore Dreiser, Zora Neale Hurston, Louis Armstrong, Norman Douglas, and William Carlos Williams. There were 1,000 copies printed, but it did not sell very well and many were destroyed in a warehouse during the bombing of London. Nancy Cunard was a remarkable woman. A wealthy white heiress of the Cunard steamship line, she devoted her life to helping those less fortunate. She paid for the publication of this book as no one else would invest in such a project. She then went on to fight the rising fascist movement, first aiding refugees from the Spanish Civil War and then aiding the French resistance in World War II. Cunard's dedication to her causes was such that she ended up giving her entire fortune away, and sadly, her problems compounded by mental illness, she died on the streets of Paris broke and half-starved. This copy has a rare inscription from Cunard, “Nancy Cunard, May 1942 - London.” Item 11. $24,000.

 

This is probably the most important American Atlas of the 18th century. The title is The American Atlas; or, A Geographical Description of the Whole Continent of America. It was the work of Thomas Jefferys though he never got to see it in this form. The 22 maps were offered separately during Jefferys' lifetime. He died in 1771 and in 1775, his successors, R. Sayer and J. Bennett, combined his maps in this atlas. There are maps of 11 of the 13 colonies, French Canada, North America and South America. Jefferys' maps were intended to give Britain a better understanding of their American empire so the timing of this atlas is ironic. It came out as their colonists were starting a revolution to free themselves from that empire. The result was that his maps were used by both sides in planning their war strategies. Item 28. $185,000.

 

Who collects old telephone books other than a paper recycler? Usually, they are only wads of worthless old paper, except when it is one of historical significance. Here is one of those exceptions. Item 36 is a Los Angeles phone book, but a rare one. It is titled Los Angeles Telephone Co. Los Angeles Exchange. It is from April 13, 1882. Obviously, it is a very early phone book. The telephone had only been invented six years earlier and on April 3 of 1882, the Los Angeles Telephone Co. was given the right to erect poles and lines within the city. I don't know how many people in Los Angeles have telephones today but in 1882 it was 90. Their names, businesses and locations are provided, while the book informs readers to “ring two bells to call central office.” And if you did, you got to speak to a real person, not a machine. Item 36. $12,500.

 

Whitmore Rare Books may be reached at 626-714-7720 or info@whitmorerarebooks.com. Their website is www.WhitmoreRareBooks.com.

Rare Book Monthly

  • Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG BEADED JUDICIAL COLLAR. $80,000 - $120,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: ONLY KNOWN COPY OF THE ONLY BOOK BY THE REMARKABLE EVE ADAMS. $8,000 - $12,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A COMPLETE RUN OF VISIONAIRE MAGAZINE THROUGH 2010. $6,000 - $9,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: LAW REVIEW OFFPRINT SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY RUTH BADER GINSBURG. $3,000 - $5,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: META REBNER'S WORKING SCRIPT OF THE LOVED ONE. $1,500 - $2,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A KATHY GROVE PORTRAIT OF CYNDI LAUPER FOR THE FEBRUARY 1989 DETAILS COVER. $800 - $1,200
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A PLASTIC COAT BY MILLIE DAVID FEATURED IN SOHO NEWS STYLE SECTION, FROM THE COLLECTION OF ANNIE FLANDERS. $500 - $700
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG JEWELRY BOX. $600 - $900
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A SET OF JONI MITCHELL LYRICS FOR "IF I HAD A HEART." $2,000 - $3,000
  • 19th Century Shop
    Catalogue 198 just published
    19th Century Shop. Darwin and Wallace, first printing of the first paper on natural selection
    19th Century Shop. Shakespeare’s Poems, first collected edition
    19th Century Shop. Walt Whitman portrait inscribed with a Leaves of Grass poem
    19th Century Shop. Major Elizabeth Barrett Browning manuscript notebook
    19th Century Shop. Spock's Baby Book, original MS
    19th Century Shop. Cellarius, Harmonia Macrocosmica, the great celestial atlas
  • Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [RUTH, George Herman “Babe” (1895-1948)]. Signed photograph. Circa 1930s. 191 x 248 mm. $1,500 to $2,500.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HARRISON, Benjamin. Document signed (“Benj Harrison”) as governor of Virginia, certifying the service of Daniel Cumbo, a Black Revolutionary soldier. $6,000 to $9,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: ONE OF THE FIRST PRINTED ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: FIRST PRINTING OF LINCOLN’S IMMORTAL GETTYSBURG ADDRESS. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HIGHLY IMPORTANT MORMON ARCHIVE. ALLEY, George. Archive of 23 Autograph Letters Signed by Mormon Convert George Alley to His Brother Joseph Alley. $10,000 to $20,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [AVIATION]. [ARMSTRONG, Neil A.] Aviation Hall of Fame Gold Medal MS64 NGC, Awarded to Neil Armstrong in 1979. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: NEWLY DISCOVERED FIRST PRINTING OF "WITH MALICE TOWARDS NONE... " FROM THE ONLY NEWSPAPER ACTUALLY ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN LINCOLN’S SECOND INAUGURAL PROCESSION. $4,000 to $8,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: THE MOST IMPORTANT GEORGE WASHINGTON DOCUMENT IN PRIVATE HANDS; GEORGE WASHINGTON’S COMMISSION AS COMMANDER IN CHIEF, 1775, ONE OF ONLY TWO ORIGINALS. $150,000 to $250,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: A VERY RARE ACCOUNT OF BLACKBEARD’S DEATH AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PIRATE ITEMS EXTANT. $3,000 to $5,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: EDISON, Thomas. Patent for Edison’s Improvements on the Electric-Light, No. 219,628. [Washington, D.C.: U.S. Patent Office], 16 September 1879. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [VIETNAM WAR]. The original pen used by Secretary of State William P. Rogers to sign the Vietnam Peace Agreement, Paris, 27 January 1973. $10,000 to $15,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: SONS OF LIBERTY FOUNDER COLONEL BARRÉ ANNOTATED TITLE-PAGE, “WHICH OUGHT TO ROUSE UP BRITISH ATTENTION”. $4,000 to $6,000.
  • Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: [Langland (William)]. The vision of Pierce Plowman, nowe the seconde time imprinted..., Roberte Crowley, 1550. £8,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: [Shakespeare (William)]. [Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies], second folio edition, [by Tho.Cotes, for Robert Allot], [1632]. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Bible, Czech Biblia Bohemica, first complete Bible printed in the Czech vernacular, Prague, August 1488. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: Shabthai Tzvi.- Collection of four printed and illustrated broadsides detailing the appearance, rise and fall of the false messiah, Shabthai Tzvi, Augsburg, 1666-67. £40,000 to £60,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Leaf from the Beauvais Missal, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment, [Northern France (perhaps Beauvais or Amiens)], [fourteenth century (c.1310)]. £4,000 to £6,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Aubrey (John). [Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme], manuscript in English, Latin and Greek, [c. 1693]. £30,000 to £50,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: Byron (George Gordon Noel, Lord). Poems on Various Occasions, first edition, Harriet Maltby's copy, Newark, Printed by S. & J. Ridge, 1807. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Tolkien (J.R.R.) The Hobbit, first edition, second impression with dust-jacket, 1937 [but 1938]. £7,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Blake (William).- Thornton (Robert John). The Pastorals of Virgil, 2 vol., engraved plates by William Blake, 1821. £8,000 to £12,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: America.- Mount (William J.) & Thomas Page. The English Pilot…, [bound with] The Fourth Book, describing The West Indies Navigation from Hudson's-Bay to the River Amazones, 1721. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Oldfield (Henry Ambrose), Rajman Singh Chitrakar & others. An album of 160 photographs and 13 original artworks, (1833-1919), [c. 1850s-1880s]. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Audubon (John James) [and William MacGillivray]. Ornithological Biography…, 5 vol., first edition, presentation copy inscribed by Audubon, Edinburgh, 1831-49 [i.e. 1831-39]. £10,000 to £15,000.
  • Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Winston Churchill. The Second World War. Set of First-Edition Volumes. 6,000 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: A.A. Milne, Ernest H. Shepard. A Collection of The Pooh Books. Set of First-Editions. 18,600 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Salvador Dalí, Lewis Carroll. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Finely Bound and Signed Limited Edition. 15,000 USD
    Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ian Fleming. Live and Let Die. First Edition. 9,500 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter Series. Finely Bound First Printing Set of Complete Series. 5,650 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell to Arms. First Edition, First Printing. 4,200 USD

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