Rare Book Monthly

Articles - June - 2018 Issue

The Fort Stanwix Captive: widely reported but rarely found

I recently bid on and won an interesting Sammelband of printings from the years 1841-1843, all of which appear to have been printed in and around New York.  On the binding the first, and longest item was identified:  Last of the Barons by Sir. E. L. Bulwer.  In the Rare Book Hub Transaction History [RBTH] we have 22 records.  This volume has not done well at auction in more than two decades.  It might be worth $200.  Of more interest is “American Notes for General Circulation” by Charles Dickens.  It is common, appearing in the rooms 2 or 3 times almost every year.  Its price has been coming down and can probably be found for $500.

 

In addition there is an answering volume to Charles Dicken’s account.  It’s “Change for the American Notes in Letters from London to New York by an 'American Lady'” and dated 1843.  It’s less common but still, there are 44 records and the suggestion of a $330 valuation.

 

And then there is the reason I bought this volume, “The Fort Stanwix Captive, or New England Volunteer, being the Extraordinary Life and Adventures of Isaac Hubbell among the Indians of Canada and the West, in The War of the Revolution, and the Story of his Marriage with the Indian Princess, Now First Published, from the Lips of the Hero Himself."  It’s written by Josiah Priest and published by J. Munsell, State Street, Albany, 1841 under cloudy circumstances.

 

Mr. Munsell, rare among 19th century printers, kept detailed, often accurate records of his print runs and left to history a slim volume detailing his printings, 2,268 items with the quantity printed for 990 of them.  It’s a marvelous, almost unique source for statistical information that lets us compare reappearances at auction with the quantity printed [when he has provided it].

 

Generally, his stated print runs are roughly consistent with reappearances when also balanced against their printed forms.  As is to be expected, bound material significantly outlasts pamphlets and broadsides.  This missive is a 64 page pamphlet printed on unusually thin paper.

 

The stated print run is a very robust 6,000 copies, an unusually long print run for Munsell as over his career, his print shop appears to have averaged about 300 copies per print job.

 

More strangely, this printing has never been common, even snagging a ‘b’ in Howes Usiana more than sixty years ago.  So, when it came up recently at Swann I was intent to buy it and did for $2,800 plus commission.

 

Before bidding I looked in the OCLC World Cat to see if many copies of this printing had survived in the tens of thousands of libraries that share this database.  It turns out only 13 copies are identified, a number more consistent with a much smaller print run.

 

The obvious conclusion is that the print run was nothing near 6,000 as it has functioned more like a 200 print run over the past one hundred years.  Of course, it’s possible that many copies were printed but never sold.  But that is hardly logical as, once printed, these copies would be kept and eventually sold or released.  And then of course there is the oft spoken story of the destruction by accidental fire of all but the lucky few copies.  Such stories are not spoken about this pamphlet but they are regularly retold about other apparently quite scarce works.

 

So, what’s the truth?  We don’t know and may never know.  The work is scarce, certainly, and I’m happy to have it.  Most Munselliana is impossible to find so it’s nice to scratch this one off my bucket list.

 

Rare Book Monthly

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  • Fonsie Mealy’s
    Rare Books & Collectors’ Sale
    April 30th & May 1st
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Apr 30-May 1: Taylor (Geo.) & Skinner (A.) Maps of the Roads of Ireland, Surveyed 1777. Lond. & Dublin 1778. €500 to €750.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Apr 30-May 1: Messingham (Thos.) Florilegium Insulae Sanctorum seu Vitae et Acta Sanctorum Hibernia, Paris 1624. €350 to €500.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Apr 30-May 1: Heaney (Seamus). The Haw Lantern, L. (Faber & Faber) 1987, First Edn., Signed and dated. €225 to €350.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Apr 30-May 1: Valencey (Lt. Col. Chas.) Collectanea de Rebus Hibernicis, Vols. I-IV, 4 vols. Dublin 1786. €400 to €600.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Apr 30-May 1: Powerscourt (Viscount). A Description and History of Powerscourt, Lond. 1903. €350 to €500.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Apr 30-May 1: Moryson (Fynes). An Itinerary ... Containing His Ten Yeeres Travel Through the Twelve Dominions of Germany, Bohermerland, Sweitzerland…, Lond. (John Beale) 1617. €700 to €1,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Apr 30-May 1: After Buffon, Birds of Europe, c. 1820. Approx. 120 fine hd. cold. plts., mor. backed boards. €125 to €250.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Apr 30-May 1: Dunlevy (Andrew). An Teagasg Criosduidhe De Reir Ceasda agus Freagartha... The Catechism or Christian Doctrine by Way of Question and Answer, Paris (James Guerin) 1742. €400 to €700.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Apr 30-May 1: The Georgian Society Records of Eighteen-Century Domestic Architecture in Dublin, 5 vols. Complete, Dublin 1909-1913. €500 to €750.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Apr 30-May 1: Scale (Bernard). An Hibernian Atlas or General Description of the Kingdom of Ireland, L. (Robert Sayer & John Bennet) 1776. €625 to €850.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Apr 30-May 1: [Johnson (Rev. Samuel)]. Julian the Apostate Being a Short Account of his Life, together with a Comparison of Popery and Paganism,L. (Langley Curtis) 1682. €300 to €400.
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    Fonsie Mealy’s, Apr 30-May 1: Heaney (Seamus) trans. The Light of the Leaves, 2 vols., Mexico (Imprenta de los Tropicos/Bunholt) 1999. €1,500 to €2,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Apr 30-May 1: Fleming (Ian). Moonraker, L. (Jonathan Cape) 1955. €1,500 to €2,000.
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    Bonhams, Apr. 21-29: PRESENTATION COPY OF THE SIXTH PAMPHLET FOR PETER KOCH. Eventyr, Fortalte For Børn, Second Series, Third Pamphlet. 1841. Publisher's wrappers, complete with all pre- and post-matter.
    Bonhams, Apr. 21-29: HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN RARE AUTOGRAPH QUOTATION SIGNED IN ENGLISH from "The Ugly Duckling," c.1860s.
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    Bonhams, Apr. 21-29: FIRST EDITION OF ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES IN ENGLISH. Wonderful Stories for Children. London, 1846.
    Bonhams, Apr. 21-29: ANDERSEN ON MEETING CHARLES DICKENS. Autograph Letter Signed ("H.C. Andersen") in English to William Jerdan, July 20, 1847.
    Bonhams, Apr. 21-29: PRESENTATION COPY FOR EDGAR COLLIN. Nye Eventyr og Historier. Anden Raekke. 1861.
    Bonhams, Apr. 21-29: DOLL HOUSE FURNITURE BY HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSON, DECORATED WITH FANTASTICAL CUT-OUTS, for the children of Jonna Stampe (née Drewsen), his godchildren.
    Bonhams, Apr. 21-29: PRESENTATION COPY FOR GEORG BRANDES. Dryaden. Et Eventyr fra Udstillingstiden i Paris 1867. 1868.

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