April Catalogue Review Book Collecting: Seeking a Southern Exposure

April Catalogue Review Book Collecting: Seeking a Southern Exposure


And for those who prefer more traditional Americana...

1812
THE FIRST VIEW OF SAN FRANCISCO

47) LANGSDORFF, GOERGE HEINRICH.. Bemerkungen auf einer reise um die welt in den jahren 1803 bis 1807…. Frankfurt, Friedrich Williams, Verlag, 1812.

Two volumes; first volume: portrait + 28 plates (one folding, one double-sided); second volume: portrait + 16 plates. With the explanatory text for the plates present in each volume (usually missing). All the plates of vol. 1 bound at the end with the explanatory text after each engraving. Contemporary binding, rebacked, new labels.

Rare first edition of this fine travel book; Langsdorff accompanied Krusenstern on the first Russian circumnavigation of the globe as far as Kamchatka. On the way out they stopped in Brazil and the coast of South America. At Kamchatka, Langsdorff and Rezanov left the expedition for Alaska to investigate the Russian-American Company at Sitka and report to the Czar. The following year Langsdorff sailed with Rezanov and Davydov to San Francisco to obtain supplies for the Russian colony. The 2nd volume describes Langsdorff´s journey to the Northwest Coast with Rezanov. Almost seventy pages of this volume are devoted to their stay in San Francisco. An edition in English of Langsdorff was published in London in 1813--1814 (TWS lot 3506). The German edition is more desirable, however, since it contains the first view of San Francisco. This plate was not reproduced in the English edition.---TWS (E04C000025)

* Sabin 38895; Borba de Moraes, p. 388; Streeter 3504.

U$ 6750


Finally, there is Robert Hoe’s copy of a book that was bound at the New York Club Bindery.

1876

A FINE BINDING FROM THE NEW YORK CLUB BINDERY- HOE´S COPY

74) (Binding) MERIMEE, P. Chronique du Regne de Charles IX par…illustres de trente - une compositions dessinés et gravées a l´eau forte para Edmond Morin.. Paris, Imprimé por les Amis des Livres, par Georges Chamerot, 1876.
2 vols; 4to; Nr 99 of 115 copies; levant morocco gilt by the Club Bindery, finished by Leon Mallard; Robert Hoes´copy, with his ex-libris and monogram.
The classical work of Merimeé in its best edition, sumptuously bound by the New York Club Bindery, which was set up by a group of rich bibliophiles, most of them members of the Grolier Club in New York. (B01A000303)
U$ 5800

In other words, there is something here for every taste.

The entire Libreria de Antano catalogue may be viewed online at www.abebooks.com/home/BREITBOOKS. Copies in person may be obtained at the New York Book Fair. To contact Gustavo Breitfeld by email the address is books@millic.com.ar