Rare books from Bartlebys Books

NY: Duffield, 1906. 12mo. 249 pp. Original yellow-stamped blue-green cloth.; somewhat shaken, some leaves roughly opened, but a very good copy. First American edition, third issue, with the original Stone & Kimball sheets and a new title page cancel for Duffield. Signed by Wells on the half-title below a self-caricature, showing himself seated and holding a cup of tea; the drawing by Wells is much larger (approximately 2 3/4 x 2 1/4 inches) than those previously publicized, though they are by no means common. The first American edition was published by Stone & Kimball in 1896; the next year, the Stone & Kimball sheets were issued by Stone, in a new binding stamped with his name only at the base of the spine. In 1906 Duffied purchased "the entire goodwill, assets, plates, sheets, and publishing plant of the Stone Company" (Kramer History of Stone & Kimball, p. 136). Included were copies of the Stone issue, in the Stone binding, for which Duffield printed a new title page, as here.

A uniquely bound copy, indeed, a presentation binding for his wife, of Sloan's account of his company's service in the Civil War, the detailed manuscript company roster and service register for the Guilford Grays, and a striking portrait photograph of the former Confederate infantry captain. (1) SLOAN, John A. Reminiscences of the Guilford Grays, Co. B, 27th North Carolina Regiment. Washington, DC: R.O. Polkinhorn, 1883. First edition. 12mo. (2), iv, 129, (1), (2) pp. Howes S-556. In a presentation binding for the author's wife: Contemporary morocco (severely rubbed around the edges and along the spine, joints cracks, lacking front blank endpapers), a.e.g., gilt-stamped on the upper cover "Guilford Grays. / Mrs. John A. Sloan / from / Her Husband." With the author's manuscript notes on the title page and one ink correction by him in the text; also, with two marginal genealogical notes by the author's daughter. (2) [MANUSCRIPT] Company register for the Guilford Grays, a manuscript journal kept over… Read More

Mobile, AL: W. Alvin Lloyd (Lith. By W.R. Robertson, Mobile), 1863. Lithographed map on thin paper, 16 1/2 x 21 1/2 inches, with light pink, yellow, and green coloring, delineating the railroad systems of the Confederacy, with Texas included in the Atlantic Ocean under the Carolinas, and a large inset of Charleston in the peninsula created by the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Hundreds of towns serviced by the railways are included. Parrish & Willingham 6182 locates three copies (Huntington, Virginia State Library, Virginia Historical Society). OCLC adds two copies (Duke, Virginia). Folds flattened, paper gently toned with a few insignificant spots, wash color faded. A beautiful copy. The main map depicts the rail network of the Confederacy as far west as Louisiana, Arkansas and Missouri, with an inset at lower right continuing the map into Texas. Hundreds of towns serviced by the railways are shown, and tiny stars indicate the locations of forts, coastal batteries and other military… Read More

Nashville, (TN): Printed by George Wilson, 1823. 8vo. viii, 390, liv pp. half-title; errata leaf. Contemporary calf (rubbed), leather spine label; front and rear blank endpapers partly torn away; some age toning to text, but a solid copy, as good as we have seen. First edition. Howes H-359 ("b"): "Of great value on the pre-Caucasian period, its people, and antiquities." Sabin 31085: "A volume of much rarity. The author has brought together a large number of curious facts, relating to the origin and character of the natives of his State, prior to the settlement by the whites. He does not favor the hypothesis of great antiquity in the Indian nations of America, but describes with great care the relics of the race which once inhabited this territory." American Imprints 12800. Streeter sale 1659. Siebert sale 371: "[Haywood] demonstratyes particular insight into the history and culture of the Natchez, Cherokees, and Chickasaws." Allen Tennessee Imprints 562. Allen Some Tennessee Rarities 26: "One of the… Read More

Accompanied by five autograph letters from Payne to Zantzinger, signed 27 October 1849 - 4 May 1851. Washington, DC, 1851. The poem is written on a sheet of stationery, 8 x 6 1/2 inches embossed at the edges, and mounted on a larger sheet (9 x 8 3/4 inches); a small newspaper clipping accompanies the poem and notes that this particular copy was loaned by Mrs. Zantzinger to the Smithsonian Institution to be exhibited at the National Museum. The accompanying letters (12mo and 8vo, nine total pages, approximately 800 words) are all addressed to William C. Zantzinger (1818-1878); four of the letters are still enclosed in their mailing envelopes, three of which have canceled Benjamin Franklin five cent stamps, among the first general issue postage stamps available for use throughout the United States. The sheet on which the poem is written is age-toned; otherwise, a very good lot. (7189). John Howard Payne (born in New York City but reared in Boston) was an American actor, poet, author and diplomat. He is… Read More

Nevada County, Cal: Executed & published by John A. Fuller, W. Vallance Gray, Lith., Printed by E. Fletcher, 308 Front Street, 1866. Broadside, 66 x 51 cm., a multi-colored lithograph, printed in red, white and blue, containing the text of the Declaration of Independence. Described in detail upon its publication, in the "Sacramento Daily Union," [vol. 31. no. 4746], on 13 June 1866: "We have before us a beautiful illustration of this peculiarity of the State, in the production of John A. Fuller, a miner of Nevada, entitled ‘Freedom's Footsteps.' During his leisure hours this gentleman designed and executed with the pen a large chart, emblematic of the progress of our country, the events by which independence of the nation was secured, the nature of the Union and the Industrial springs of its prosperity. In the center is a neatly written copy of the Declaration of Independence, with the signatures of the immortal fifty-six. The border is composed of Corinthian columns, twined with the memorials… Read More

1904. Large, heavy photo album, 15 1/2 x 16 1/2 in., brown pebbled leather over boards. Light grey paper album pages bound together securely, but detached from covers. The approximately 768 photographs are loosely inserted into corner slits cut into the album pages. The majority of the images measure 3¼ x 4 - 3¼ x 5½ in., while 18 large images measure 4½ x 6½ - 7½ x 9¼ inches with many identified either by locational captions or numbers. Interleaved in the album are 13 typed pages of a travel journal: "Extract from Judge Wallace Nesbitt's Journal - after Col. Thompson's arrival late on the night of December 10, 1904 at St. Charles Hotel." [ink caption]. The journal of over 6000 words begins in New Orleans, on 11th December,1904 and ends in Miami, FL, Jan 13, 1905, giving a highly detailed account of a portion of the trip documented by the photographs. In addition, the album includes approx. 50 postcards plus several other pieces of ephemera including invitations and menus. The… Read More

1930. A group of 57 meticulously hand-drawn and richly colored illustrations by Dooley Dionysius: 24 panels created to illustrate "Pinocchio," each approx. 14 1/2 x 11 1/2 in., on stiff buff card stock or art paper (including a mock-up of the title page, 16 panels split between a color illustration and a penciled sample line or two of text, 1 page of black & white design illustrations for chapter ends, and 6 full page color illustrations); and 33 panels for an original tale entitled "The Story of the Taj Mahal," on stiff buff card stock or art paper, in varying sizes from 9 x 12 in. up to 16 1/2 x 23 in. (including a full color title page, a pen & ink and black watercolor title page, 24 pen & ink and black watercolor illustrations, and 7 full color illustrations, 5 of which are matted [some old staining to mats]). Traces of mounting on versos of most of the images. Dionysius was known for his almost microscopic brush strokes, fanciful designs, and jewel-like painting, often compared by critics to… Read More

Buffalo & Chicago: Clay & Co, 1878. Chromolithographic advertising print, 17 1/4 x 24 1/4 inches [image], on a 20 x 26 inch sheet, an elaborately illustrated advertisement for "The Old Reliable Schuttler Wagon." A frontier trading post or fort is shown partly surrounded by a stockade, set in a clearing near a river, mountains all around (the view is of Ute Pass in Colorado). A long train of covered wagons approaches the site from a trail leading down from one of the hills. In the clearing tents are encamped, horses being watered, and a campfire kindled with a group of people gathered around. "The Old Reliable Schuttler Wagon" is painted on a rock at the left foreground of the image, with a man driving a farm wagon with "Peter Schuttler, Chicago" printed on the side. For a trade catalogue issued by this company, see Romaine, p. 89. Another version of this advertising print was issued by Achert & Henckel Lithographers of Cincinnati. Peters America on Stone, pp. 142-143. Apparently not located on OCLC.… Read More

London: printed for the author, and sold by J. Millan, Bookseller, near Whitehall, 1765. First edition. 8vo. viii, 236, (4, publisher's note and ads) pp. With the half-title. The Thomas W. Streeter copy with his small label on the verso of the front wrapper. Howes R-419: "In these military journals Rogers describes visits to the shores of Lakes Erie and Huron, and a trip from Detroit to the Delaware villages on the Muskingum and to Pittsburgh." Sabin 72725. Vail 563, Field 1315. Thomson 996. Graff 3555. Streeter sale 1029 (this copy, purchased from Goodspeed in 1927): "Published when Rogers was only 34 years old, this is one of the basic sources for the French and Indian War. It begins on September 24, 1755, with an account of a scouting expedition on Lake George and ends on February 14, 1761 when Rogers arrived in New York after having received the surrender of the French at Detroit late in 1760. In the meantime he had been with Amherst at Crown Point in 1757, with Abercrombie at Ticonderoga in… Read More

Indianapolis [IN]: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1903. Second edition, second state, but the first Bobbs-Merrill printing of Baum's first book in the Oz series, originally published by George M. Hill as "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" in 1900. Square 8vo (8 3/4 x 6 5/8 inches). 259, (2) pp. Color illustrations throughout, including 16 plates. Signed by the author "Very Sincerely Yrs / L. Frank Baum" on a front endpaper. "As the early Bobbs-Merrill printings have substantially the same setting of text as the Hill printings, they are technically part of the same edition. For clarity, however, we have retained the traditional usage 'second edition.' G. Thomas Tanselle whom we cite in the introduction, suggests such printing created from earlier plates but by a new publisher should be considered 'sub-editions.' In which case, this is the first 'sub edition'" (Douglas Greene & Martin and Martin, Haff & David Green "Bibliographia Oziana"; International Wizard of Oz Club, 1988, pp. 28-31). Fine copy in a lovely… Read More

[Pennsylvania]: zusammen getragen, MDCCXXVII. Und aufs neu abgeschrieben, 1747. A. Manuscript German-American songbook for use by a Pennsylvania family, written in black ink in a careful hand; without musical notation. Neat manuscript shoulder notes, corrections, additions, and deletions scattered throughout. Small 4to. (4), 316, (39) pp. Decorative initial letters. Text concludes with an alphabetical index of first lines and supplemental material. Text pages evenly tanned; some marginal staining, advancing to the text, to title page and several leaves at the rear. Paper: From the Rittenhouse Mill, Germantown, Pennsylvania, watermarked with a cloverleaf, the letters "W.R." just below. William Rittenhouse emigrated to Pennsylvania in the late 1680s and in 1690 he and his son established a paper mill on a small stream near Germantown; the mill was long considered to be the first paper mill in America, but recent scholarship has identified earlier paper making in New England. Their second watermark… Read More

Grenoble, (France): Jules Rey, 1913. 4to. (4), [9-158 pp. Illustrated from photographs, engravings, portraits, facsimiles, etc., plates, including frontispiece. History of Napoleon's military campaigns in Egypt and Syria, 1798-1801, and his occupation of the former country. Later sheep (rubbed, front joint cracking from spine ends), leather title labels on spine and upper board. Fragile joints, else very good, all of the documents and other added illustrations very good. (9873). Richly extra-illustrated with 30 autographs, letters, documents, portraits, prints, and a plan of the city of Alexandria, most described below, as they appear through the text: (1) Bonaparte, Napoleon (1769-1921; French statesman and military leader, Emperor of the French, 1804-1814). Military order to General Rampon, signed 13 Messidor 1798 (July 1st), in Egypt, the day Napoleon arrived there with his army; (2) Barras, Paul (1755-1829; Leader of the Directory, 1795-1799). Document signed; (3) Barras, Paul. Document signed,… Read More

Head Quarters, Bergen County, (NJ), 1780. Folio, one page, approximately 125 words, in part: "I perceive ... that you had collected about two hundred Cattle more, and that a further number might be obtained ... I cannot of right command the services of the militia ... let the commanding officers know how distressed the Army has been and is likely to be for provisions, and that it will be rendering splendid service to us, and distressing the enemy to remove the Cattle from those parts of the Coast which furnish the [New] York Markets." Very good. Browned, one small piece detached (one word of text, easily repaired). After Washington's victory at Monmouth (June, 1778), during which battle Forman had served as an advisor to Charles Lee, the war settled into stalemate with Washington's army in New Jersey and the British forces content to remain in New York, both sides keeping an eye on each other while trying to provide for their soldiers, the American forces suffering deprivation similar to that of… Read More

1877. Oblong folio, 14 x 21.5 in. [1]- 21; 1-28 pp., rectos only. A total of 49 leaves of plates tabbed in, approx. 400 accomplished original sketches and drawings in red pencil, several to a page, some in outline, some more elegantly shaded and detailed, showing the human form and its various parts. Accompanied by detailed notes, in red or purple ink, in a clear, neat hand around the drawings, in both cursive and printed handwriting. Bound in 3/4 leather and pebbled cloth. Spine perished, boards moderately scuffed and spotted, front board nearly detached, marbled endpapers. Each page of drawings and notes is enclosed in a hand-drawn red pencil border, approx. 10 x 14 in. Although William Rimmer's name does not appear, this is apparently a volume of some of his original drawings, preceding the publication of his larger work "Art Anatomy," [Boston: 1877], based on a careful comparison of the sketches. The drawings are grouped into two sections: the first group of 21 hand-numbered pages treats the… Read More