Item 35 sounds unimportant, The Substance of a Discourse Preached in the Hall of the House of Representatives...on Sunday, January, 1826. However, this was the first time a Catholic clergyman had preached before the House. At the time, there was much anti-Catholic sentiment in the land. Right Rev. John England attempted to allay fears that the Catholic Church had any plans to interfere in government matters. "I would not allow to the pope or to any bishop of our church...the smallest interference with the humblest vote at our most insignificant balloting box. He has no right to such interference." $450.

Item 40 offers a more intriguing title: The Fiery-Flying Serpent Slander, and the Brazen Serpent Charity: Or, a Saint and a Slanderer as Opposite as the Ancient Days and the Genius of Darkness. This is a book highly critical of slander (who wouldn't be), which Lesser describes as "a bizarre and enthusiastic religious work" by Methodist minister Richard Ferguson. Published in 1814. $250.

If you think that those preachers who attributed Hurricane Katrina to the sins of the people of New Orleans were the first to make such claims, you should read An Epistle to the Inhabitants of South Carolina... by Sophia Hume. In this 1754 work, she warns that the "most violent and terrible Hurricane that was ever felt in this Province" is only a taste of things to come if Carolinians don't mend their ways. A violent hurricane struck the province on September 19, 1752. Item 61. $375.

An Exhortation to the Inhabitants of the Province of South Carolina is another work by Hume. In this 1752 item, she rebuts those who call her religion "ridiculous or absurd." Perhaps she should have read her own works to understand why they said such things. This copy contains the bookplate of John Campbell, who served as Governor of Virginia in the 1750s. Item 62. $850.

David M. Lesser Fine Antiquarian Books may be reached at 203-389-8111 or dmlesser@lesserbooks.com. Their website is www.lesserbooks.com.