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Articles - March - 2021 Issue

Finding Shakespeare and Pocahontas with the Aid of Rare Book Hub and Further Research!

- by Eric Caren

Fingers crossed!

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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Posted On: 2021-03-01 17:27
User Name: greekdrama

This is fantastic. Thanks for sharing!

Posted On: 2021-03-03 05:22
User Name: 19531953

Thanks very much greekdrama

Best,
Eric

Posted On: 2021-03-05 03:05
User Name: aard

Beautifully said and all true as I see it! As a collector I’m often struck by how I’ll remember a book hidden on my shelves for decades - and not because of its beauty, scarcity, or fine condition but more because I had had to work a bit harder to establish provenance and along the way I learned about the book’s back story which made the book memorable and important to me. Long winded way of saying “yes” to your inspiring post. Thanks for sharing it,

Posted On: 2021-03-05 08:53
User Name: 19531953

Thank you AARD,,,I agree that the back story and context are much more valuable than the boards and title

Rare Book Monthly

  • Fonsie Mealy’sRare Books & Collectors’ SaleApril 30th & May 1st Fonsie Mealy’sRare Books & Collectors’ SaleApril 30th & May 1st
    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.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Apr 30-May 1: Nichlson (Wm.) Illustrator. An Almanac of Twelve Sports, Lond. 1898. €300 to €400.
    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.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Apr 30-May 1: Heaney (Seamus) & Egan (Felim) artist. Squarings, Twelve Poems, D. (Hieroglyph Editions Ltd.) 1991. €1,750 to €2,250.
  • No description No description
    Bonhams, Apr. 21-29: ANDERSEN'S EXTREMELY RARE FIRST APPEARANCE IN PRINT. "Scene af: Røverne i Vissenberg i Fyen." in Harpen, 1822.
    Bonhams, Apr. 21-29: FIRST ISSUE OF THE FIRST THREE FAIRY TALE PAMPHLETS, WITH ALL INDICES AND TITLE PAGES. Eventyr, fortalte for Børn. 1835-1837.
    Bonhams, Apr. 21-29: THE FIRST FAIRY TALES WITH A SIGNED CARTE DE VISITE OF ANDERSEN AS FRONTIS. Eventyr, fortalte for Børn. 1835-1837.
    Bonhams, Apr. 21-29: KARL LAGERFELD. Original pastel and ink drawing in gold, red and black for Andersen's The Emperor's New Clothes (1992), "La cassette de l'Empereur."
    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.
    Bonhams, Apr. 21-29: HEINRICH LEFLER, ORIGINAL WATERCOLOR FOR ANDERSEN'S SNOW QUEEN, "Die Schneekönigin," 1910.
    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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    Sotheby’s: Ten Commandments Tablet, 300-800 CE | One of humanity's earliest and most enduring moral codes. Sold: 5,040,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: William Blake | Songs of Innocence and of Experience. Sold: 4,320,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: The Declaration of Independence | The Holt printing, the only copy in private hands. Sold: 3,360,000 USD
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    Sotheby’s: Thomas Taylor | The original cover art for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Sold: 1,920,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: Machiavelli | Il Principe, a previously unrecorded copy of the book where modern political thought began. Sold: 576,000 GBP
    Sotheby’s: Leonardo da Vinci | Trattato della pittura, ca. 1639, a very fine pre-publication manuscript. Sold: 381,000 GBP
    Sotheby’s: Henri Matisse | Jazz, Paris 1947, the complete portfolio. Sold: 312,000 EUR

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