Rare Book Monthly

Book Catalogue Reviews - November - 2016 Issue

Sixty Rare Books and Manuscripts from Peter Harrington

Sixty Rare Books & Manuscripts.

Peter Harrington has published a catalogue of Sixty Rare Books & Manuscripts. It contains... well, just what the title says. Harrington generally offers a wide selection of material. Rather than subject specific, the items are tied together by importance and condition. This is all very highly collectible material at the top level. Here are a few examples.

 

We begin with a book from a very accomplished Italian mathematician/scientist of 16th century. His last name will be familiar, though not because Vincenzo Galilei is well known. It is because his son, Galileo, is remembered as one of the most important scientists to ever walk the earth. Vincenzo was also deeply involved in the study of physics, but his field was acoustics rather than astronomy. Vincenzo was a lutist and composer, but more notable is his study of the physics of sound. He conducted detailed studies of pitch, using mathematical formulas to determine what lengths of strings and tension applied produced sounds at another octave. It is likely that Vincenzo's focus on practical applications of mathematical formulas to physical events inspired his son's interest in real world use of these tools, rather than as more of an academic pursuit. This would cause Galileo some problems with the Church later in his life, but those arose because of the advancements he made in scientific knowledge. Item 3 is Vincenzo Galilei's 1581 book, Dialogo...della musica antica, et della moderna. Priced at £22,500 (British pounds, or approximately $28,895 U.S. dollars).

 

Black Beauty has long been a favorite of young people, girls in particular, though that was not the author's original intention. Anna Sewell lived a difficult life. Injured in an accident while in her teens, she could never walk much the rest of her life. As she became older, Anna was bedridden, cared for by her mother. Her inability to walk led to her taking many carriage rides, which in turn led to her love of horses. She was upset by how many were abused and overburdened in the 19th century and wrote her book in an attempt to generate more sympathy for them. Black Beauty was her first and only book, published in 1877, when she was 57 years old. She died five months later. Item 38 is a presentation first edition from Anna "For dearest cousin Emma," dated Christmas 1877. It comes with three letters to Emma Curtis. The first came shortly after the book was sent. The second is a response to what were evidently positive comments Anna received from her cousin. Emma was also an author, so her approval was particularly gratifying to Anna. "I am delighted that you like my book," she writes. The third is terribly sad. Written by Grace Sewell on April 25, 1878, the day Anna died, it says, "Dear Anna particularly requested her affectionate love to be sent to you – April 25, 1878." £50,000 (US $64,289).

 

Next up is a book, actually two, fit for a king. Item 6 is a 1634 edition of Samuel Daniel's The Collection of the History of England (first published in 1612) bound together with John Trussell's A Continuation of the Collection, a first edition from 1636. It bears the arms of the then Price of Wales, the future King Charles II of England. Perhaps it was from learning his nation's history through these books that Charles II avoided the terrible mistakes of his father, Charles I. Dad found himself in the midst of an uprising in the 1640's he could not control. Oliver Cromwell's army defeated him, Charles I being executed in 1649. With the defeat of his father, Charles II officially became King, but he wasn't waiting around to assume the throne. He hightailed it off to Europe, where he waited out the remainder of Cromwell's de facto rule. After the latter's death, England, tired of Cromwell's puritan rule, invited Charles II back home, where he reigned until his death 25 years later. £15,000 (US $19,285).

 

Percy Bysshe Shelley is noted for his poetry, produced in a few short years before drowning in a storm just short of his 30th birthday. However, before anyone knew his poetry, he visited Ireland, where he supported the cause of Catholic Emancipation and repeal of the Act of Union, which placed Ireland under English control, but did not permit Catholics to serve in Parliament. In 1812, Shelley published this pamphlet "to awaken in the minds of the Irish poor, a knowledge of their real state." He priced it at just 5 pence so even the poor could afford it, though it appears he also gave many copies away. Not surprisingly, it didn't make Shelley particularly popular with English authorities, but he was not a notable figure at the time. Item 21 is Shelley's An Address to the Irish People. £100,000 (US $128,517).

 

Next up is a large collection of books from the personal library of Ernest Hemingway. It contains some of his own books, books given him by other authors, and books given him by family members, some when he was still quite young. These books from his childhood were often Christmas or birthday presents. Harrington notes that the inscriptions show that Hemingway was inquisitive as a youth, and well-loved by his family. Harrington also says that his lengthy annotations and doodles reveal Hemingway to be engaged "with moral issues as well as having a short attention span." The books were stored for many years in a saloon owned by a friend, not ideal conditions, so they are in less than the normal pristine condition the bookseller offers, but this is a one of a kind, so you won't find such a collection in better condition. Thirty-nine books in all. £45,000 (US $57,810).

 

Peter Harrington may be reached at 020 7591 0220 (USA 011 44 20 7591 0220) or mail@peterharringtonbooks.com. Their website is www.peterharrington.co.uk or www.peterharringtonbooks.com (for U.S. customers).

Rare Book Monthly

  • 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
  • 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

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