A well written book that entertains and illuminates.
A book review by Bruce McKinney
Benjamin Franklin hangs on around the edges of the first tier of important American personages. He’s not quite with Washington and Jefferson but he’s also clearly ahead of both the Adams, the various generals of the Revolution, other signers of the Declaration of Independence and other framers of the constitution. He’s very significant but not to be compared with Lincoln. It remains to be seen how he ultimately stands up against the Roosevelts of the 20th century. This is in absolutely no way intended to denigrate the man. In many respects he was the greatest American of his century but he was born a bit earlier in the 18th century than George Washington, was an old man by the time of the Revolution and spent a considerable time in Europe ministering to American interests. In truth, he was far more than an important political figure. He was America’s first great publisher and also its first important scientist. He defies easy categorization because he belongs among the eminences of his century in many fields. Let’s say it and be done. He was a renaissance man.
This opening paragraph is prompted by my recent reading of Benjamin Franklin, An American Life, 493 pages of enjoyable text followed by another 100 pages of footnotes and index. I found it an easy way to spend a few hours reliving Mr. Franklin’s life. For book collectors, Mr. Isaacson provides both a fresh examination of Franklin as well as impetus to develop a focused collection of one aspect of his career such as his printing, his entire career, his place in the founding of America or simply the ephemera that directly and indirectly traces to him, his reputation and to those things he made a lasting impression upon. Whether you collect kites, keys, almanacs, Revolutionary War documents, material on his inventions – among which is the Franklin Stove, or Franklin from the European perspective to only name a few of the possibilities, Benjamin Franklin is highly collectible, widely sought, and at least among the second tier possibilities still very available – even if no longer inexpensive. His publication, Poor Richard’s Almanack, was published in its original form beginning in 1732 (for 1733) and continuing until 1758. These extremely collectible items are going to most often appear at auction where the market will set the price. Of course you can always run “Benjamin Franklin” in your daily eBay searches. Today there are 288 items running from the sublime to the ridiculous. There is a copy of Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette with a buy-it-now price of $450, a 1,000 (pound) bond in his favor dated 1786 with a starting bid of $200 and even a letter described as his and dated 1785, Passy (France) with a starting bid of $10,000. At the other end of the spectrum there are two copies of Classic Comic #65, Benjamin Franklin with starting bids of $1.99 and $5.95. There are also plates and of course stamps and even a CD of this book I’m discussing – with a current bid of $7.95.
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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RareBookBuyer.com Specialized in Purchasing Institutional Collections & Deacccessioned Books
RareBookBuyer.com We Buy Librairies & Rare Books Nationwide ABAA Dealer
RareBookBuyer.com Specialized in Purchasing Institutional Collections & Deacccessioned Books
RareBookBuyer.com We Buy Librairies & Rare Books Nationwide ABAA Dealer
RareBookBuyer.com Specialized in Purchasing Institutional Collections & Deacccessioned Books
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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.