Finding Shakespeare and Pocahontas with the Aid of Rare Book Hub and Further Research!
- by Eric Caren
Fingers crossed!
I usually buy Paper and not Books per se. However my interest is in contemporary reportage so I include printed English Chronicles from the 16th and 17th century such as Abbot, Purchas, Cooper, Carion, etc. These often went into future editions and those later editions would bring the reader up until the time of printing...News!
Sometimes one printer would die and a second would take up the new editions with fresh material from around the globe.
I was key word searching English Chronicles on RBH and one such Chronicle caught my attention. It was Stow's posthumous edition printed in 1615. RBH had descriptions of this edition in their vast database and one of them mentioned that there is a rather rare mention of William Shakespere as one of many CURRENT and illustrious English Poets.
Also, being printed in 1615 there were pretty good chances that there would be "News" about Jamestown. RBH gave me the exact page that contained the Bard.
I went online and found a 1615 edition and paid around $1,000 dollars for it. When it arrived via Post, I couldn't wait to dig in and so in my parked car, I proceeded to rip up the well taped box with my hands.
I already knew about the beautifully engraved title page with portraits including the ruling monarch James I, but would Jamestown be within the contents?"
Rather than going strictly in a timeline as others do, it goes through the list of the Monarchy so James I is near the end of this almost 1,000 page folio. I went page by page through James looking for Jamestown and then bingo! There was a report on Virginia! Now, would it contain history ala Jamestown in 1609 or News ala 1614?
I started reading about Roanoke in 1590 and settlement in 1609 and then there were passages about the tiny colony (always less than 400 people in those days) in 1610 then 1611 and then I saw the words and "in this present yeare..."
What followed thrilled me! An account fresh off the ship (only available in one rare pamphlet) about the marriage of Powhatan's daughter with Master John Rolfe of Jamestown! Wow!
To make things better...the pamphlet mentioned above left off in July of 1614 though also printed in 1615. The Stow had news of the departure of something like 33 men and 11 women on a ship bound for the first permanent English colony in November of 1614...freshest news in print!
A few days after my discoveries, I came across an exhaustive timeline of Pocahontas in print from 1608 to well into the 20th century...In all, over 2000 entries!! It was carefully compiled by a Lehigh University professor named Edward Gallagher. The Stow was not listed!
I emailed the Professor (now retired) and being a gentleman, he got back to me the next day...it was "News" to him and he congratulated me on the find!
Thanks to RBH for starting me on this wonderful trail! Thanks to Shakespeare and Pocahontas for continuing my 55 years in collecting with wonder and affection!
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RareBookBuyer.com We Buy Librairies & Rare Books Nationwide ABAA Dealer
RareBookBuyer.com Specialized in Purchasing Institutional Collections & Deacccessioned Books
RareBookBuyer.com We Buy Librairies & Rare Books Nationwide ABAA Dealer
RareBookBuyer.com Specialized in Purchasing Institutional Collections & Deacccessioned Books
RareBookBuyer.com We Buy Librairies & Rare Books Nationwide ABAA Dealer
Sotheby's Fine Books, Manuscripts & More Available for Immediate Purchase
Sotheby’s: J.R.R. Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. 11,135 USD
Sotheby’s: Edgar Allan Poe. The Raven and Other Poems, 1845. 33,000 USD
Sotheby’s: Leo Tolstoy, Clara Bow. War and Peace, 1886. 22,500 USD
Sotheby’s: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, 1902. 7,500 USD
Sotheby’s: F. Scott Fitzgerald. This Side of Paradise, The Great Gatsby, and Others, 1920-1941. 24,180 USD
Freeman’s | Hindman Fine Printed Books and Manuscripts, Including Americana November 14
Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: LEROUX, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. FIRST AM. ED, FIRST ISSUE IN THE VERY RARE DUST JACKET. 1911. $6,000 – 8,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: GOULD, John. A Monograph of the Trochilidae...Humming-Birds. L., [1849-] 1861. $60,000 – 80,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: A COMPLETE RUN of Limited Editions Club publications, v.p. [mostly New York], 1929-2010. $50,000 – 60,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: ORWELL, George. Nineteen Eighty-Four. Lon., 1949. FIRST EDITION IN A VERY FINE DUST JACKET. $6,000 – 8,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: GOULD. A Monograph of the Ramphastidae...Toucans. L., [1852-] 54. SECOND ED. $35,000 – 45,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14:The Federalist. NY, 1788. FIRST EDITION, THICK PAPER COPY. $60,000 – 80,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: SELBY. Plates to Selby’s Illustrations of British Ornithology. Edin., [1833-] 34. $20,000 – 30,000.
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: APRES DE MANNEVILLETTE Le Neptune Oriental
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: CASSAS Eaux fortes de la Sicile et quelques vues d’Espagne
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: CASSINI DE THURY Carte générale et particulière de la France.
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: JOUY; GARNERAY Vues des côtes de France dans l'Océan et dans la Méditerranée
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: LA PÉROUSE Voyage autour du monde
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: LE GENTIL DE LA GALAISIERE Voyage dans les Mers de l’Inde
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: LICENT Hoang Ho, Pai Ho, Loan Ho, Leao Ho. Itinéraires suivis dans le bassin du golfe du Pei Tcheuly
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: FRENCH SCHOOL FROM THE 19th CENTURY Panorama d’Athènes
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: PEETERS Description des principales villes, havres et isles du golfe de Venise
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: PÉRON; FREYCINET Voyage de découverte aux terres australes
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: STACKELBERG La Grèce : vues pittoresques et topographiques.
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: VALENTINER Atlas des Sonnensystems.
Forum Auctions Online Sale: The Detective Fiction Collection of John Cooper Ending 7th November, 2024
Forum, Nov. 7: Christie (Agatha). The Thirteen Problems, first edition, The Crime Club, 1932. £15,000 to £20,000.
Forum, Nov. 7: Christie (Agatha). Dumb Witness, first edition, 1937. £3,000 to £4,000.
Forum, Nov. 7: Christie (Agatha). Cards on the Table, first edition, The Crime Club, 1936. £2,000 to £3,000.
Forum, Nov. 7: [Carr (John Dickson)], "Carter Dickson" and John Rhode. Drop to his Death, first edition, Heinemann, [1939]. £600 to £800.
Forum, Nov. 7: Berkeley (Anthony). Jumping Jenny, first edition, Hodder and Stoughton, 1933. £800 to £1,200.
Forum Auctions Online Sale: The Detective Fiction Collection of John Cooper Ending 7th November, 2024
Forum, Nov. 7: Marsh (Ngaio). Overture to Death, first edition, The Crime Club, 1939. £600 to £800.
Forum, Nov. 7: [Day-Lewis (Cecil)] "Nicholas Blake". The Beast Must Die, first edition, 1938. £750 to £1,000.
Forum, Nov. 7: Brand (Christianna). Green for Danger, first edition, signed presentation inscription from the author, John Lane the Bodley Head, 1945. £600 to £800.
Forum, Nov. 7: Christie (Agatha). Murder is Easy, first edition, signed by the author, 1939. £3,000 to £4,000.
Forum, Nov. 7: Sayers (Dorothy L.) Lord Peter Views the Body, first edition, Gollancz, 1928. £6,000 to £8,000.