Rare Book Monthly

Book Catalogue Reviews - July - 2019 Issue

25 High Spots from John Windle Bookseller

25 High Spots.

John Windle Bookseller has issued a new "short list," this one entitled 25 High Spots. The bookseller describes it as "25 items of unusual importance, interest, and beauty, to be exhibited at London Firsts and Melbourne Rare Book Fair 2019." These books are doing some serious traveling. Since their description, while concise, says it all, we will move ahead to look at a few specific titles in this catalogue.

 

We begin with what Windle describes as a "[f]irst edition of the single most important scientific book ever published." Certainly, it completely changed how we as humans saw ourselves, and many people did not like that (still don't). Item 10 is a copy of the 1859 first edition of On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection... by Charles Darwin. There were previous believers in evolution, including Darwin's grandfather, but they all thought that either there was something in the nature of living beings that made them change, or that species somehow changed themselves to become better adapted to their environment and then passed these new traits on to their offspring. No one saw it as random variations which occur in an individual which prove to be favorable to their environment, giving that individual a survival advantage and a better chance of passing on those randomly acquired advantages. Of course, this contradicted the biblical creation story and, at least, removed God from active participation in human development. This was hard for most of Darwin's contemporaries outside of the scientific community, and many within, to accept. It is not only, perhaps, the single most important scientific book ever published but the most controversial one as well. Item 10. Priced at $87,500.

 

Here is another Darwin book, not of as earth-shattering importance as Origin of Species, but extremely rare thanks to a few handwritten words. This one is The Power of Movement in Plants published in 1880. With this book, Darwin was assisted by his son, Francis, himself a notable botanist. This book is a study of the movement of climbing plants. What makes this copy rare is that it is inscribed, in Charles Darwin's hand, to his daughter Elizabeth - "Elizabeth Darwin, From her Father." There are numerous Darwin presentation copies of books, but most are inscribed (by the publisher, not Darwin) "from the author." A presentation copy inscribed in Darwin's hand is very rare, one to a family member exceptionally so. Very little is known about Elizabeth Darwin. Several of the ten Darwin children became well-known in their own right, but the child about whom the least is known is Elizabeth. She was apparently the least bright of the Darwin children, perhaps having some learning disability. She lived with her parents until both died and never married. She did live on her own for many years after her mother died, close to some of her siblings, to whose children she was "Aunt Bessy." Item 11. $125,000.

 

Next is another important scientific work, not on quite the level of Darwin, but important to medicine as well. It is the only book to appear on three Grolier 100 lists (American, science, and medicine). Windle notes that this is a first edition, first issue "of what has been termed the greatest single contribution to the knowledge of gastric digestion." There is also a strange story behind it. The title is Experiments and Observations on the Gastric Juice, and the Physiology of Digestion. The author was William Beaumont, the book being published in the far northern New York border town of Plattsburgh in 1833. Beaumont was an army surgeon on the frontier of Michigan when French Canadian woodsman Alexis St. Martin walked in, suffering a grievous wound to the stomach. He had accidentally been shot in the stomach. His chances were not good, but Beaumont managed to save his life. When he healed, St. Martin consented to placing a skin flap over the hole which enabled Beaumont to peer in to his stomach and observe the processes inside. This explains how he was able to conduct experiments and observations of gastric juices. The great physician, "Father of Modern Medicine" William Osler, unsuccessfully attempted to obtain St. Martin's stomach after he died at age 78 and later wrote, "To the medical bibliographer there are few more treasured Americana than the brown-backed, poorly printed octavo volume of 280 pages with the imprint of Plattsburgh, printed by F.P. Allen, 1833." As you might guess from that description, Osler was also a bibliophile. This copy has the provenance of the noted 19th century physician Willard Parker. Item 1. $3,750.

 

This next item is a schoolbook, though a bit more valuable than the typical school text. The title is The Pastorals of Virgil, with a Course of English Reading adapted for Schools, edited by Robert Thornton, published in 1821. The purpose of this book was to teach schoolchildren Latin, though in choosing Virgil, Thornton wanted to inspire them to think too. This was the third edition of Thornton's text. The first edition had no illustrations. He added a few to the second and sales went up. Thornton decided to add a lot of them to the third edition, figuring that would really boost sales. If Thornton's name is not much remembered, that of the man he called in to create some of the woodblocks is. That would be William Blake. Blake had a decent reputation by then, though was never appreciated during his lifetime the way he was a century later. The publisher didn't like his woodcuts, wanting them recut. Fortunately, other artists convinced Thornton that was not a good idea, and he used them anyway, though the publisher cut down the blocks and printed them poorly. Windle says that "the impressions of the woodcuts in this copy are the richest I have ever seen." Perhaps that is because this was a special copy, not one shipped off to schools. It is a presentation copy inscribed by Thornton to his daughter. As such, it was kept in excellent condition, unlike those that ended up being handled by schoolchildren. Fortunately, the blocks were saved and published again shortly after Blake's death in 1827 and in a small portfolio 150 years later in 1977. Item 3. $67,500.

 

John Windle Antiquarian Bookseller may be reached at 415-986-5826 or john@johnwindle.com. Their website is www.johnwindle.com.

Rare Book Monthly

  • Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Winston Churchill. The Second World War. Set of First-Edition Volumes. 6,000 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: A.A. Milne, Ernest H. Shepard. A Collection of The Pooh Books. Set of First-Editions. 18,600 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Salvador Dalí, Lewis Carroll. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Finely Bound and Signed Limited Edition. 15,000 USD
    Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ian Fleming. Live and Let Die. First Edition. 9,500 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter Series. Finely Bound First Printing Set of Complete Series. 5,650 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell to Arms. First Edition, First Printing. 4,200 USD
  • Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG BEADED JUDICIAL COLLAR. $80,000 - $120,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: ONLY KNOWN COPY OF THE ONLY BOOK BY THE REMARKABLE EVE ADAMS. $8,000 - $12,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A COMPLETE RUN OF VISIONAIRE MAGAZINE THROUGH 2010. $6,000 - $9,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: LAW REVIEW OFFPRINT SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY RUTH BADER GINSBURG. $3,000 - $5,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: META REBNER'S WORKING SCRIPT OF THE LOVED ONE. $1,500 - $2,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A KATHY GROVE PORTRAIT OF CYNDI LAUPER FOR THE FEBRUARY 1989 DETAILS COVER. $800 - $1,200
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A PLASTIC COAT BY MILLIE DAVID FEATURED IN SOHO NEWS STYLE SECTION, FROM THE COLLECTION OF ANNIE FLANDERS. $500 - $700
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG JEWELRY BOX. $600 - $900
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A SET OF JONI MITCHELL LYRICS FOR "IF I HAD A HEART." $2,000 - $3,000
  • 19th Century Shop
    Catalogue 198 just published
    19th Century Shop. Darwin and Wallace, first printing of the first paper on natural selection
    19th Century Shop. Shakespeare’s Poems, first collected edition
    19th Century Shop. Walt Whitman portrait inscribed with a Leaves of Grass poem
    19th Century Shop. Major Elizabeth Barrett Browning manuscript notebook
    19th Century Shop. Spock's Baby Book, original MS
    19th Century Shop. Cellarius, Harmonia Macrocosmica, the great celestial atlas
  • Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [RUTH, George Herman “Babe” (1895-1948)]. Signed photograph. Circa 1930s. 191 x 248 mm. $1,500 to $2,500.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HARRISON, Benjamin. Document signed (“Benj Harrison”) as governor of Virginia, certifying the service of Daniel Cumbo, a Black Revolutionary soldier. $6,000 to $9,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: ONE OF THE FIRST PRINTED ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: FIRST PRINTING OF LINCOLN’S IMMORTAL GETTYSBURG ADDRESS. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HIGHLY IMPORTANT MORMON ARCHIVE. ALLEY, George. Archive of 23 Autograph Letters Signed by Mormon Convert George Alley to His Brother Joseph Alley. $10,000 to $20,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [AVIATION]. [ARMSTRONG, Neil A.] Aviation Hall of Fame Gold Medal MS64 NGC, Awarded to Neil Armstrong in 1979. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: NEWLY DISCOVERED FIRST PRINTING OF "WITH MALICE TOWARDS NONE... " FROM THE ONLY NEWSPAPER ACTUALLY ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN LINCOLN’S SECOND INAUGURAL PROCESSION. $4,000 to $8,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: THE MOST IMPORTANT GEORGE WASHINGTON DOCUMENT IN PRIVATE HANDS; GEORGE WASHINGTON’S COMMISSION AS COMMANDER IN CHIEF, 1775, ONE OF ONLY TWO ORIGINALS. $150,000 to $250,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: A VERY RARE ACCOUNT OF BLACKBEARD’S DEATH AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PIRATE ITEMS EXTANT. $3,000 to $5,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: EDISON, Thomas. Patent for Edison’s Improvements on the Electric-Light, No. 219,628. [Washington, D.C.: U.S. Patent Office], 16 September 1879. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [VIETNAM WAR]. The original pen used by Secretary of State William P. Rogers to sign the Vietnam Peace Agreement, Paris, 27 January 1973. $10,000 to $15,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: SONS OF LIBERTY FOUNDER COLONEL BARRÉ ANNOTATED TITLE-PAGE, “WHICH OUGHT TO ROUSE UP BRITISH ATTENTION”. $4,000 to $6,000.
  • Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: [Langland (William)]. The vision of Pierce Plowman, nowe the seconde time imprinted..., Roberte Crowley, 1550. £8,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: [Shakespeare (William)]. [Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies], second folio edition, [by Tho.Cotes, for Robert Allot], [1632]. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Bible, Czech Biblia Bohemica, first complete Bible printed in the Czech vernacular, Prague, August 1488. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: Shabthai Tzvi.- Collection of four printed and illustrated broadsides detailing the appearance, rise and fall of the false messiah, Shabthai Tzvi, Augsburg, 1666-67. £40,000 to £60,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Leaf from the Beauvais Missal, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment, [Northern France (perhaps Beauvais or Amiens)], [fourteenth century (c.1310)]. £4,000 to £6,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Aubrey (John). [Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme], manuscript in English, Latin and Greek, [c. 1693]. £30,000 to £50,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: Byron (George Gordon Noel, Lord). Poems on Various Occasions, first edition, Harriet Maltby's copy, Newark, Printed by S. & J. Ridge, 1807. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Tolkien (J.R.R.) The Hobbit, first edition, second impression with dust-jacket, 1937 [but 1938]. £7,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Blake (William).- Thornton (Robert John). The Pastorals of Virgil, 2 vol., engraved plates by William Blake, 1821. £8,000 to £12,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: America.- Mount (William J.) & Thomas Page. The English Pilot…, [bound with] The Fourth Book, describing The West Indies Navigation from Hudson's-Bay to the River Amazones, 1721. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Oldfield (Henry Ambrose), Rajman Singh Chitrakar & others. An album of 160 photographs and 13 original artworks, (1833-1919), [c. 1850s-1880s]. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Audubon (John James) [and William MacGillivray]. Ornithological Biography…, 5 vol., first edition, presentation copy inscribed by Audubon, Edinburgh, 1831-49 [i.e. 1831-39]. £10,000 to £15,000.

Review Search

Archived Reviews

Ask Questions