American Broadsides and Broadsheets from William Reese Co.
By Michael Stillman
The 248th catalogue from New Haven bookseller William Reese Company offers a collection of American Broadsides and Broadsheets (and a few British ones to boot). These single sheet printings, often intended to be tacked up as posters, are among the most interesting of printed collectibles. Often they contain more immediate news than could be printed in book form, they may cover issues not complicated enough to warrant a book, and frequently are very rare, either because few copies were printed, or few of these ephemeral papers were saved. Then there's one other great advantage to broadsides when it comes to collecting. Since many were meant to be posted, they are very suitable for display, much more so than books that may only reveal a spine, stacked in a bookshelf with dozens of others. For collectors with an interest in early America, Reese's collection of broadsides offers some outstanding opportunities for display and collection. For example...
Item 67 is one of the occasional British broadsheets in this catalogue, but it is so intriguing we just couldn't overlook it. This one carries an important personal message from one Mrs. L. Gibbons, likely of Bath, England, in the year 1813. It is headed simply Advertisement Extraordinary! That it is. Evidently Mrs. Gibbons was in the business of measuring women's waists and such so she could sell them corsets, underwear and the like. However, some questions must have arisen regarding Mrs. Gibbons' gender. As the lady, if she was a lady, explains, "Whereas some ill-disposed Persons have scandalously reported that I, Mrs. L. Gibbons, have lately been discovered to be a Man! -- This is to certify you, Ladies and Gentlemen in particular, that the Whole is a vile Fabrication." Then she reassures (?) her customers "that I shall continue in my profession of making geographical, anatomical, and systematical Survey's of Ladies' Waists..." Hm... Respectable businesswoman or vile pervert? Maybe someone should have asked Mr. Gibbons. Priced at $250.
Here's another interesting personal message. This broadside was printed for George Featherstonhaugh, a noted geologist, but perhaps not an entirely pleasant person. It is headed, Rufus P. Eaton of Pipe Village, Lake Winnebago, Wis. A Scoundrel! A Knave! A Liar! And A Coward! Featherstonhaugh lists a litany of wrongs, from slandering his child to attempting to have him murdered. Was this all true? Reese, quoting from the Dictionary of American Biography about Featherstonhaugh notes, "American scientists were reluctant to give him credit for his geological writings, however, because Featherstonhaugh frequently engaged in ad hominem attacks on his opponents..." Reese also noted Daniel Webster called him "shallow, conceited, with quite a lurch towards mischief." We have not been able to find anything more about this dispute, nor anything about Mr. Eaton other than an 1885 death notice (this broadside is dated 1853), but considering Featherstonhaugh's reputation, I'd like to hear Eaton's side before accepting these claims as undisputed truth. Tem 52. $1,500.
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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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.