Rare Book Monthly

Book Catalogue Reviews - March - 2022 Issue

The Latest Catalogue from Type Punch Matrix

We have received a new catalogue from Type Punch Matrix. I can only say it is a catalogue as it has no title, number, or description. Providing a description isn't easy as there is a variety, but I wouldn't quite call it a miscellany either. There are concentrations in areas of human rights, women and minorities, and photographs, literature, education, science, music. There is a thread here even though it is hard to explain. So, rather than try, we'll just go to some selections. I will say you are almost certain to find material of great interest whatever your tastes.

 

We begin with a science book, but it is more notable for its one, lone photograph. It was a pioneer. The title is Remarks on Some Fossil Impressions in the Sandstone Rocks of Connecticut River, by John C. Warren, and photograph by George M. Silsbee. The date is 1854, which is why it is a pioneer. It was the first American science book to contain a photograph, and only the second American book of any sort with a photo. It was published just after the first (but in the same year), Homes of American Statesmen. Warren was a surgeon and best known as the first to perform surgery with the use of ether to make the pain tolerable (in 1845). Warren noticed some fossils in a rock during construction near his home. He also understood the remarkable power of photography to capture appearances more accurately than anything before, so he had Silsbee photograph the fossil and included a salt print of it in each copy of the book. There were various footprints in the fossil, including those of birds and turtles, but one in particular he could not positively identify. He describes it as “Footsteps of an unknown animal...probably a reptile or mammal,” but “perhaps it is safer to believe...that it was an animal of a construction now not existing.” Indeed it was. It wasn't identified until 1893 when a dinosaur fossil was discovered nearby. This copy was inscribed by Warren to his fellow surgeon Franklin Bache, Benjamin Franklin's grandson. Item 62. Priced at $7,500.

 

In the 1950s, segregation was the rule in the South. In the North, it was the defacto rule in some areas, such as housing, but not so much in most public places. In an area close to the border, it was not as clear. Item 11 is a pair of colorful movie posters from theaters in Milford, Delaware, from the 1950s. One theater highlights Meet Danny Wilson starring Frank Sinatra. They welcomed black patrons, even emphasized comfort to their black audience, but not together with whites. It says, “Comfortable Balcony for Colored.” The other theater also advertised the “Shore's Most Comfortable Balcony,” while listing several films including Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis' Sailor. It also listed a midnight showing of Burlesque in Harlem with “Pigmeat and Markham.” Pigmeat Markham was actually one person, a comedian popular on the black circuit mid-century featured in this filming of a live performance by various artists in Harlem. Markham did not have much of a white following and it is unlikely that this show would have appealed to a white audience, making you wonder whether they filled the balcony with patrons while leaving the downstairs empty. $1,750.

 

Next is a novel by a woman who lived in two worlds, Japan and America. She was born in Japan, daughter of a Samurai just as that system was breaking down, meaning her father's status had tumbled shortly before her birth. She grew up expecting a normal life for a Japanese woman, a follower of traditional ways, but an arranged marriage was made for her to an American in Cincinnati. Her novel is A Daughter of the Nohfu, published in 1935. It tells of her life in both worlds. Etsu Inagaki Sugimato wrote several books about life on both sides. After her husband's death, she went back to Japan with her daughters, only to return to America to educate them, such opportunities being limited in Japan in the first half of the twentieth century. Item 49. $1,500.

 

Some people today deny the existence of the Holocaust, think Nazis aren't so bad after all. General, later President Eisenhower had no such delusions. After entering Germany and bringing about the surrender of the Nazis, he went to the concentration camps to see what had happened with his own eyes. After witnessing the results of their atrocities, he proclaimed “let the world see,” and brought in photographers to record what had happened so there could never be any doubt. The result was a series of photographs by the Army Signal Corps documenting the horrors. Their photos were then spread out to the press so everyone could bear witness. There were some fine people among the skeletal humans who managed to survive long enough to be liberated, but not on both sides. Item 60 is a collection of 26 8”x10” photos taken inside various concentration camps and elsewhere. Though many copies were made at the time, these photos are uncommon today, only a few institutions having significant numbers. $8,000.

 

Dust jackets can be the most important part of a book in terms of value these days. It may seem odd, but it's much easier for a book to stay in top condition than a dust jacket. But, here is a case where the dust jacket is a dominant feature because it appears to be a one-and-only. The book is Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar, published in 1969, now a children's classic. This is a first edition in its dust jacket, but it is the only known copy with a complete jacket. The others are all price-clipped. The unclipped price is $4.25. Apparently what happened is that the publisher decided to put it out at a lower price - $3.95. It appears that they price-clipped every copy before it was released. The result was that even the author's copy is price-clipped. This one escaped the scissors as it belonged to an employee of World Publishing who kept it in his personal collection. Item 73. $40,000.

 

Type Punch Matrix may be reached at 301-589-0798 or info@typepunchmatrix.com. Their website is www.typepunchmatrix.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