Search Results: Americana from Main Street Fine Books & Manuscripts, ABAA

Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co, 1989. Hardcover. 8vo. Green cloth with silver lettering. vii, 356pp. Map. Near fine. Tight, handsome second printing of this concluding volume of Bowman's New York state trilogy -- a massive compilation of birth, death and marriage records, indispensable for serious research. Inkstamped name/address of a noted library historical collection on front and rear flyleaves.

Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1973. Hardcover. Small 4to. Blue buckram, dust jacket. 288pp. Line drawings. Very good/very good. Minor jacket edgewear. First edition. Interesting look at the stories behind the names of 100 (2 from each State) U.S. town and cities.

Garden City: Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1976. Hardcover. Small 4to. Black cloth, pictorial dust jacket. xii, 463pp. Numerous illustrations. Very good/very good. Tight, decent first edition -- a mild ex-library copy, with very few markings.

[New York]: Harper & Brothers, 1951. Paperback. Small 4to. Stiff yellow wrappers. 85pp. Very good. Tight, clean and nice issue of this compilation of controversial articles "from recent (since 1947) issue of Harper's Magazine, chose for their durability and variety of interest." Includes John Dickson Carr's "When Conan Doyle Was Sherlock Holmes," Henry Steele Commager's "Who Is Loyal to America?," Lincoln Kirstein's "The State of Modern Painting" and Isaac Rosenfeld's "The Misfortunes of the Flapjacks," among others.

Washington, DC: U.S. News & World Report, 1973. Hardcover. Two volumes. Burgundy leatherette spine and red cloth, leatherette slipcase with large color pictorial label. 351pp, 352pp. Color frontispieces, numerous illustrations (most color), maps, color pictorial endpapers. Fine/near fine. First edition, two-volume set.

Washington: Government Printing Office, 1963. Hardcover. Small 4to. Blue cloth with gilt lettering. xi, 50pp. Frontispiece, illustrations. Near fine. "Compliments of..." inkstamped on front flyleaf. First edition, tight and sharp. Tribute to North Dakota's tenth governor (1859-1937). Famed Lincoln sculptor Avard Fairbanks created this superb full-length figure and speechifying from all the expected North Dakota and other politicos is present. Tipped to front pastedown is a Typed Letter Signed from Mark Andrews (born 1926), a freshly-minted North Dakota congressman (1963-81) and future U.S. Senator (1981-87). 1p, 8½" X 11", Washington, DC, 29 April 1964. Addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Dan O'Day. Near fine. On "Congress of the United States" letterhead, Andrews thanks these constituents for "your deep interest in the History of North Dakota" and transmits this book, noting: "Although each state is permitted to place two statues in Statuary Hall, this is the first to represent North Dakota. This was… Read More

Birmingham, AL: The Classics of Medicine Library, 1979. Hardcover. Small 4to. Full burgundy calf with decorative gilt, compartments, gilt spine. xxx, 207pp, (1p ad). Sewn-in purple silk page marker. All edges gilt. Fold-out color frontispiece, marbled endpapers. Near fine. Tight, attractive facsimile reprint of the 1785 first edition (Birmingham: M. Swinney), the first book to recognize this plant's medicinal use in treating "dropsy" (congestive heart failure). A volume in the "Classics of Medicine" facsimile series. "Notes from the Editors" leaflet laid in.

Washington, DC: N.p., 1848. Paperback. 8vo. Self-cover. 14pp. Very good. Faint age toning; binding traces along margin; some soiling to rear wrapper (only). A tight and nice first edition of this farewell speech by this 4-term Whig congressman (1841-49), politician, writer and historian (1795-1881). Penned on February 20th, two weeks before his departure from the congressional seat he lost to Republican Charles Allen, Hudson here summarizes and defends his congressional career in detail, especially his antislavery stance -- and while he calls his successor "a representative of acknowledged ability" and his tone isn't distinctly sour grapes, he does find his defeat "under circumstances somewhat peculiar" alarming -- "I have been charged with basely deserting my principles; with wantonly betraying the interests of the State; and with wickedly sacrificing the cause of freedom at the shrine of slavery... the cry of cowardice and pro-slavery, desertion and treachery, has been… Read More

Charlestown: William W. Wheildon, 1835. Paperback. 8vo. Pale pink wrappers. 66pp. Mildly edgeworn, with occasional foxing; ownership signature on front wrapper. A tight, decent first edition of this typically long-winded speech celebrating the 60th anniversary of the 1775 battle by the Massachusetts politician and orator who had just completed ten years in Congress and would soon begin a single term as governor. SABIN 23246.

Philadelphia: C. Sherman, 1848. Paperback. 8vo. Wrappers. 51pp. Good plus. Binding traces down gutter; mild old dampstaining. First edition, a tight and decent copy. SABIN 68598.

New York: Harper & Brothers, 1938. Hardcover. 4to. Tan cloth with paper labels, pictorial dust jacket. (250pp). Numerous illustrations, decorated endpapers. Near fine/very good. Later printing, tight and attractive. Wonderfully illustrated compendium of more than 250 classic pen and ink drawings with accompanying text from "Harper's Weekly."

New York: Oxford University Press, 1954. Hardcover. 8vo. Grey cloth, dust jacket. xi, 210pp. Illustrations. Very good/good plus. Jacket a tad soiled and edgeworn. First edition, with "With Best Regards / Richard L. Neuberger" big and bold on the front flyleaf. Political commentary by the Oregon state senator (later U.S.S.) who was elected to the state senate at the same time that his wife Maurine was elected to the state house.

New York: Harper & Brothers, 1938. Hardcover. 4to. Tan cloth with paper labels, pictorial dust jacket. (250pp). Numerous illustrations, decorated endpapers. Near fine/very good. Later printing. Wonderfully illustrated compendium of more than 250 classic pen and ink drawings with accompanying text from "Harper's Weekly."

Washington, DC: National Press Books, 2002. Hardcover. Small 4to. Black cloth spine with gilt lettering and blue paper over boards, pictorial dust jacket. 328pp. Fine/fine. Tight and handsome later printing, with a fine red-edged bookplate on the title page boldly signed and inscribed by the Democratic U.S. senator and presidential candidate (1928-2003): "To Nancy -- / With my best / wishes / Paul Simon / 9-28-02."

Washington, DC: National Press Books, 1992. Hardcover. Small 4to. Quarter black cloth with silver spine lettering and black paper over boards, pictorial dust jacket. 328pp. Near fine/fine. Light spotting to top page edges. A lovely and tight first edition with a huge bold presentation inscription and signature in blue fineline on front flyleaf: "To Adlai and Nancy -- / With great respect / and gratitude -- / Paul Simon / 6-17-92 / (p 297)." Paper clipped at top of this leaf is index card (likely as received) on which is typed "Note: Publication date (publisher's embargo) is June 29." Simon (1928-2003) was the 1988 Democratic presidential candidate and Illinois senator (1985-97) and Adlai E. Stevenson III (1930-2021) filled that same Senate seat from 1970 to 1981. Senator Stevenson's father, the Illinois governor and presidential candidate and U.N. ambassador, is mentioned twice in this book, and the page 297 that Simon notes in his inscription mention's Senator Stevenson's 1975 support for Supreme… Read More

New York: Fordham University Press, 1999. Hardcover. Small 4to. Black cloth, dust jacket. xxvii, 391pp. Frontispiece, illustrations. Near fine/near fine. First edition, tight and sharp, signed boldly by O'Shaughnessy on the front fyleaf.

San Francisco: Golden Gate National Park Association, 1991. Paperback. Edited by Lynn Cullivan. 8vo. Stiff glazed pictorial wrappers. x, 164pp. Illustrations. Very good. Mild bit of edgewear. First edition -- tight, clean, nice -- of this fascinating memoir by a former Alcatraz inmate. Inside the front wrapper, the author nicely inscribes and signs in blue ballpoint: "7/7/94 / To T.J., Nicky, Suzie / and Kerry Shields / Best Wishes / Jim Quillen #586 / 1942 - 1952 / Alcatraz.

Portland, ME: Colin R. Chisholm, 1881. Paperback. Small 8vo. Original stiff grey wrappers printed in blue. xvi, 400pp, xxiv. Illustrations, 3 foldout maps. Fair only. Wrappers quite edeworn and chipped, with part of printed spine perished; internally very good, clean and tight. Though the outer wrappers are extremely worn and rough, this copy is tight nonetheless and internally sound and nice. The three foldout maps have had expert archival mends along some separated folds, but overall remain attractive.

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1975. Hardcover. Compiled and introduced by Ray Allen Billlington. Small 4to. Red cloth with blue spine lettering, dust jacket. xxvii, 420pp. Fine/near fine. First edition, tight and handsome, of this readable compilation of Nevins' lectures, speeches, and papers regarding his theories on how history needs to be written. A Nevins-signed copy of this posthumously-published title being a good trick, this copy bears the next best thing: Tipped facing the title page is a unique frontispiece, a Typed Letter Signed from Nevins, 1p, 5½" X 8½", San Marino, CA, 2 September 1969. Addressed to Margaret April of the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop. Fine. On imprinted letterhead, Nevins discusses an upcoming visit of this bookshop's founder to his home, "where I have assembled a large body of material for his examination." Crabbed full signature in black ballpoint. Unusual!

Milwaukee: Ideals Publishing Co, 1972. Hardcover. 4to. Glazed pictorial paper over boards. (Ca. 75pp). Numerous illustrations (many color). Near fine. Probable sole printing of this flag-waver.