Oregon Trail</i> Part II Finding Gems Along the Trail
- by Michael Stillman
Image from the AE Database
Now that we’ve discovered this title, we do a specific “Primary Search” and come up with 28 records just for Palmer. With these, we learn a lot about Joel Palmer and his book. Particularly helpful are Edward Eberstadt’s and Ernest Wessen’s (Midland Notes) descriptions. We find that Palmer provided the only contemporary narrative among the 3,000 sojourners who traveled to Oregon in 1845, thereby doubling the settler population of that territory. Palmer later returned east to write and publish his book. He intended that it be available as a guide for immigrants in 1847, but he received only a few dozen copies in time. The rest came for 1848, and some of those copies have the 1847 crossed out and 1848 entered by hand. The hand was Palmer’s as he wanted buyers to know it was up-to-date.
Unfortunately, this was such a useful guide that most copies were worn out. Few survive. First editions are considered exceedingly rare. Howes, in his USiana, rates it a “d,” the second highest classification behind “dd,” which is used for such items as The Declaration of Independence. This is clearly a valuable book, more so than Parkman’s Oregon Trail (a “c” for Howes). An outstanding copy was being offered for $650 all the way back in 1939. By 1986, a not quite so outstanding copy was priced at $3,250.
We went to Abebooks.com to see what’s available today. There were 18 copies, but 17 of them are recent reprints, all priced for reading. But number 18 appears to be a gem. It is offered for $2,800 by Old West Books of Arlington, Texas. However, the date is confusing. It is described as 1848. According to our AED record from H.V.Jones, this 1847 first edition was reprinted in 1850, 1851, and 1852. Nowhere in our records does an 1848 edition appear. Is this one of those hand-written “1848’s?” More investigation with the seller to resolve this discrepancy is recommended before making a purchase.
Now it’s back to our list to see what else predates 1860. Next up comes something called Nebraska and Kansas… by J.H. Colton. Turns out it’s a map, and what a map. Eberstadt describes it as the first separate map of Kansas and Nebraska, probably one of the earliest with detailed depictions of Montana-Wyoming-Colorado, and delineates many early routes, including the Oregon Trail. I’d love to own this map, but we’re looking for books, so we move on.
The next listing is for Emerson Bennett’s 1847 Prairie Flower. Our entry (from Peter Decker’s catalog of the Soliday collection) doesn’t tell us much about this book other than it has something to do with the Oregon Trail. So, we look up Emerson Bennett, and what we find is a fiction writer, whose titles include Mike Fink. Interestingly, when we look up Howes’ reference to the Prairie Flower, he says that it was “probably written by Sidney W. Moss, who accompanied Hastings to California in 1842, so some of the incidents may be factual.” Compare this to Howes’ comments about Bennett’s next book, Leni-Leoti. Described as a sequel to Prairie Flower in which the hero’s adventures are continued, Howes adds “Written by Bennett himself, hence undiluted fiction.” Is it just me, or does Howes sound less than impressed by Bennett’s writing? As to whether Prairie Flower belongs in an Oregon Trail collection, you can be the judge.
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.
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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
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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.