The Sea, with and without Cannibals, from Ten Pound Island
- by Michael Stillman
Come see Capt. A Tuttle, King of the Cannibals.
A popular story in an earlier era was that of the female sailor or soldier, the one who dressed like a man and got away with it. How one might pull this off on a boat is unclear, but apparently Anne Jane Thornton succeeded. This one is actually a true story. At the age of 13, the young Irish lass was smitten by an English sea captain whose father lived in New York. After he sailed off for his father's home, she determined to follow him. At the age of 15, she dressed up as a boy and sailed for New York. She tracked down her beloved's father, only to learn that her love had died a few days earlier. Alone without money in New York, she decided to continue her role as a boy and got a job as a cook on a ship. She was able to continue getting jobs at sea this way for three years until another crewman spotted her dressing one day. The ship took her to London where she was a great sensation. Thornton rejected offers to appear on stage, but she did write a book about her adventures. Item 13 is a broadside evidently meant to promote her book. It is headed, The Female Sailor. The date would be circa 1835. Thornton lived until 1877. Item 13. $3,500.
Item 4 is Ambrose Bowden's classic A Treatise on Dry Rot. Ten Pound gently notes that “Dry rot is not a particularly enthralling subject.” However, it must have been to someone as that person bought this book when it was published in 1815. Dry rot is the term for fungal decay of wood, particularly, at this time, with reference to the timber in ships. Fortunately, this book has not been subject to this condition. For those who collect dry rot (books on the subject, not rotted planks), this book is a must. $1,250.
High Bids Win Rare Books, Catalogs, Magazines and Machine Manuals December 24 to January 9
High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: Ellis Smith Prints unsigned. 20” by 16”.
High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: United typothetae of America presidents. Pictures of 37 UTA presidents 46th annual convention United typothetae of America Cincinnati 1932.
High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec signed Paper Impressionism Art Prints. MayMilton 9 1/2” by 13” Reine de Joie 9 1/2” by 13”.
High Bids Win Rare Books, Catalogs, Magazines and Machine Manuals December 24 to January 9
High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: Aberle’ Ballet editions. 108th triumph, American season spring and summer 1944.
High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: Puss ‘n Boots. 1994 Charles Perrult All four are signed by Andreas Deja
High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: Specimen book of type faces. Job composition department, Philadelphia gazette publishing company .
High Bids Win Rare Books, Catalogs, Magazines and Machine Manuals December 24 to January 9
High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: An exhibit of printed books, Bridwell library.
High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur Court By Mark Twain 1889.
High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: 1963 Philadelphia Eagles official program.
High Bids Win Rare Books, Catalogs, Magazines and Machine Manuals December 24 to January 9
High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: 8 - Esquire the magazine for men 1954.
High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: The American printer, July 1910.
High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: Leaves of grass 1855 by Walt Whitman.
Sotheby's Fine Books, Manuscripts & More Available for Immediate Purchase
Sotheby’s: William Shakespeare. The Poems and Sonnets of William Shakespeare, 1960. 7,210 USD
Sotheby’s: Charles Dickens. A Christmas Carol, First Edition, 1843. 17,500 USD
Sotheby’s: William Golding. Lord of the Flies, First Edition, 1954. 5,400 USD
Sotheby's Fine Books, Manuscripts & More Available for Immediate Purchase
Sotheby’s: Lewis Carroll. Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, Inscribed First Edition, 1872. 25,000 USD
Sotheby’s: J.R.R. Tolkien. The Hobbit, First Edition, 1937. 12,000 USD
Sotheby’s: John Milton. Paradise Lost, 1759. 5,400 USD
