Inexpensive Americana from David Lesser Antiquarian Books
Herschel V. Johnson would have become president had Douglas defeated Lincoln.
Item 188 is a none-to-favorable biography of George H. Pendleton, the Copperhead Candidate for Vice-President. His Hostility to the American Republic Illustrated by His Record... Pendleton was a peace Democratic congressman from Ohio when he was tabbed by General George McClellan to run with him against Lincoln in 1864. For a while, they seemed to be headed for victory, but a turnabout in the war effort by the Fall of 1864 enabled Lincoln to be reelected. Pendleton would later be noted for his efforts at civil service reform when he served as a senator in the 1880s (the Pendleton Act is named for him). $100.
Abraham Lincoln is famous for winning the Civil War and freeing the slaves, but few remember him for designing a system of lifting boats so they would not get stuck on sandbars. He was better at some things than others. In 1849, Lincoln applied for, and received, a patent for a system he described as an "improved method of lifting vessels over Shoals." The idea was to have some balloon-like devices which could be filled with air to lift the stranded ship. Lincoln's invention was never put to use, but he apparently is the only President to ever receive a patent. Item 152 is the Report of the Commissioner of Patents, for the Year 1849, which contains the Lincoln patent. $150.
David M. Lesser Fine Antiquarian Books may be reached at 203-389-8111 or dmlesser@lesserbooks.com. The website is www.lesserbooks.com.
Forum Auctions The Library of John and Suzanne Bonhams 30th October 2025
Forum Auctions The Library of John and Suzanne Bonhams 30th October 2025
Forum, Oct. 30: Bligh (William). A Voyage to the South Sea, undertaken by command of His Majesty, for the purpose of Conveying the Bread-Fruit Tree to the West Indies ..., first edition, 1792. £3,000 to £4,000.
Forum, Oct. 30: Coryate (Thomas). Coryats Crudities: Hastily gobled up in five months travells, first edition, [William Stansby for the Author], 1611. £5,000 to £7,000.
Forum, Oct. 30: Krusenstern (Captain Adam Johnson von). Voyage Round the World ... by order of His Imperial Majesty Alexander the First, 2 vol. in 1, first edition in English, 1813. £5,000 to £7,000.
Forum, Oct. 30: Mayer (Attributed to Auguste Etienne Francois). Astrolable, the French ship under the command of Jules Dumont d'Urville (1790-1842), caught in pack ice in Antarctica, watercolour, [c. 1838]. £1,500 to £2,000.
Forum, Oct. 30: Oxley (John). Journals of Two Expeditions into the Interior of New South Wales, first edition, 1820. £5,000 to £7,000.
Forum Auctions The Library of John and Suzanne Bonhams 30th October 2025
Forum, Oct. 30: Richardson (John) & others. Fauna Boreali-Americana; or the Zoology of the Northern Parts of British America, 4 vol., first edition, 1829-37. £20,000 to £25,000.
Forum, Oct. 30: Shackleton (Ernest H.) The South Polar Times, 4 vol., vols 1 & 2 numbered 30 of 350 copies, vol. 3 no. 23 of 350 copies, vol. 4 no. 30 of 500 copies, 1907-2010. £10,000 to £15,000.
Forum, Oct. 30: Shipley (Lt. Conway). Sketches in the Pacific: The South Sea Islands, first edition, 1851. £12,000 to £18,000.
Forum, Oct. 30: Webb (Rev. Arthur J.) The History of Fiji,, first edition, 1885. £2,500 to £3,500.
Forum, Oct. 30: Weddell (James).- Open face chronometer pocket watch, owned by James Weddell, Grant, Fleet Street, 1811. £15,000 to £20,000.
Doyle, Nov. 5: The Director's copy of the first edition of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, inscribed by Beckett. $7,000 to $10,000.
Doyle, Nov. 5: Don McLean's personal test pressing of American Pie before mass production, gifted in 1971. $8,000 to $12,000.
Doyle, Nov. 5: The important and extensive archive of original fashion photographs of model Dorothy Rice, 1945-58. $20,000 to $30,000.
Doyle, Nov. 5: A Charles Adams theater advertisement. $8,000 to $12,000.
Doyle, Nov. 5: A Small Patinated Bronze Bust of Marlene Dietrich. $800 to $1,200.
Doyle, Nov. 5: Marlene Dietrich Studio Photograph. $100 to $200.
Doyle, Nov. 5: The very large and uncommon British Quad for Hitchcock's The Birds. $500 to $800.
Doyle, Nov. 5: An Original Crystal "Sputnik" from the 1966 Met Opera Chandelier. $3,000 to $5,000.
Doyle, Nov. 5: The rare poster from the first American performances of Endgame, 1958. $1,000 to $1,500.
Doyle, Nov. 5: The original Coconut Grove Playhouse poster for Waiting for Godot, possibly unique. $3,000 to $5,000.
Sotheby's Fine Books, Manuscripts & More Available for Immediate Purchase
Sotheby's Fine Books, Manuscripts & More Available for Immediate Purchase
Sotheby’s: William Shakespeare. The Temple Shakespeare. Housed in Custom Bookcase. $6,365.
Sotheby’s: Frederick Douglass. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Boston: Anti-Slavery Office, 1845. $14,000.
Sotheby’s: Charles Dickens. A Christmas Carol. London: William Heinemann, 1915. $2,900.
Sotheby’s: F. Scott Fitzgerald. First Edition Set, Including This Side of Paradise, The Great Gatsby, and others. Charles Scribner's Sons. 1920 – 1941. $24,180.
Sotheby’s: Lewis Carroll [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson], John Tenniel. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland First Edition. Macmillan & Co., 1866. $15,000.
![Forum, Oct. 30: Coryate (Thomas). Coryats Crudities: Hastily gobled up in five months travells, first edition, [William Stansby for the Author], 1611. £5,000 to £7,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/28d53e3e-21f2-4aed-9422-e0fcd955bb3c.png "<b>Forum, Oct. 30:</b> Coryate (Thomas). <i>Coryats Crudities: Hastily gobled up in five months travells,</i> first edition, [William Stansby for the Author], 1611. £5,000 to £7,000.")
![Forum, Oct. 30: Mayer (Attributed to Auguste Etienne Francois). Astrolable, the French ship under the command of Jules Dumont d'Urville (1790-1842), caught in pack ice in Antarctica, watercolour, [c. 1838]. £1,500 to £2,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/12489d2d-552a-4bb8-8169-891afba37a9f.png "<b>Forum, Oct. 30:</b> Mayer (Attributed to Auguste Etienne Francois). Astrolable, the French ship under the command of Jules Dumont d'Urville (1790-1842), caught in pack ice in Antarctica, watercolour, [c. 1838]. £1,500 to £2,000.")
![Sotheby’s: Lewis Carroll [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson], John Tenniel. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland First Edition. Macmillan & Co., 1866. $15,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/cc3f4f98-f195-4049-aca6-329c27fdd27c.png "<b>Sotheby’s:</b> Lewis Carroll [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson], John Tenniel. <i>Alice's Adventures in Wonderland</i> First Edition. Macmillan & Co., 1866. $15,000.")