Rare books from Kaaterskill Books, ABAA/ILAB

Lisboa: Imprensa Nacional, 1854. First edition. Paper wrappers. An unopened (uncut) copy, spine worn, front wrapper remounted on later paper, nearly detached, with a number of chips affecting a few words, front blank chipped at lower fore corner, half-title soiled at lower fore corner, author's stamp on front wrapper and title page, his gift inscription on half-title, otherwise contents near fine.. 4 pp., l., [vii]-xxvi, 415, [2] pp. 8vo. Warmly inscribed to Antonio Cánovas del Castillo, the Spanish politician and historian. Rodrigues 999. Foulche-Barrau 2110. Pinto de Mattos p. 267. Greelee 61. Bestermann 4979. Jones 1037a.

Paris: Chez Gide, 1839. First edition. Contemporary quarter morocco over marbled boards, raised bands, compartments decorated in gilt, marbled endpapers. A very good or better copy, boards and spine rubbed, scattered foxing mainly marginal and to verso of plates.. xii, 591 pp. Illus. with 18 engraved plates on India paper and 34 woodcut vignettes. 4to. "The most exhaustive work on this episode [the Pastry War] with illustrations, mainly by Blanchard, who, assisting also as interpreter, had additional opportunity for gaining information. He accompanied Baudin's representative to Mexico and other places, and used his pen freely in observations on the scenery, the people, and their institutions, all of which served to add variety and interest to the narrative, the attractive style of which owes much to the revision of Dauzats," (Bancroft, Hist. Mexico, p. 204). Raines, discussing Maissin's report, concludes that "Admiral Baudin's favorable report of Texas doubtless hastened the recognition of the… Read More

Guatemala: Tip. de El Progreso / La Union, 1887. First editions. Vol. 1, quarter red morocco; vols. 2-7 original blank paper wrappers as issued. Volumes 2-7 unopened (uncut) and untrimmed as sold hence some edges worn and soiled, scattered foxing, blank wrappers quite worn, torn, and soiled, some toning to half titles or titles, otherwise trimmed size is internally near fine; volume 1 extremities worn, small chip at head of spine and joint split at top. Booksellers stamp to title page of one volume.. Illus. 8vo. This is the most famous 19th c. work on Central America and a very important regional history by an anti-clerical and liberal historian, Lorenzo Montufar y Rivera Maestre (1823-1898), who, as foreign minister of Costa Rica, helped organize the Central American defense against William Walker (to whom the final volume is devoted; and is perhaps the best treatment of the filibusters) and was frequently exiled for his opposition to the dictator Rafael Carrera. Bancroft and many other historians… Read More

Londini [London]: Ex Officinâ Jacobi Tonson & Johannis Watts, 1729. First edition thus. Half brown morocco over marbled boards; heads, tails, and raised bands decorated in gilt, gilt volume numbers and titles to two compartments, blind tooled decorations to three compartments, all edges marbled, marbled endpapers. Spines scuffed, extremities rubbed, short splits to joints near heads on two volumes, tears to head of spines with some minor loss on three volumes, top edge trimmed, occasional browning or toning, but still overall a very good set.. Illus. with an engraved frontis (in Vol. I) by G[erard] van der Gucht after Thornhill, engraved portrait head pieces (from gems) also by van der Gucht, numerous woodcut head and tail pieces. Title page volume I in red and black; volumes 2-5 titles in. 4to. A much admired and respected edition of Plutarch's Parallel Lives. Brunet called it "Belle edition qui represénte le texte de l'édition de Paris, 1624;" and Lowndes called it "An excellent edition."… Read More

México: Andrade y Morales (Imp. Fco. Diaz de Leon), 1886. First edition. Contemporary black pebbled cloth with original wrappers bound in. Boards rubbed, worn at extremities, hinges reinforced, front hinge repaired but loose, owner's number label on spine, bookplate on front pastedown, occasional marginal notations in pencil, leaves mostly unopened (uncut).. xxix, 419, [2] pp. Illus. with 50 b/w plates of reproductions, one folding (fotolitográficos y fototipográfico) and 7 in text reproductions. 4to. One of 350 copies. The second part (intended to cover 16th century writers whose works were either published after 1600, or remained in manuscript) was never published. 116 titles are transcribed line for line, with copious quotations, historical and bibliographical notes, references, locations of copies, essays, and other information. Illustrations are a very early use of photogravures in Mexican publishing. "Obra excelente" Palau. "Incomparable," Medina. "...unsurpassed and unsurpassable in most… Read More

New York: Hugh Gaine, 1764. First edition. Original full sheep, five raided bands, red morocco spine label lettered in gilt. Boards very worn, front board detached, repaired, owner's bookplate, Historical Society stamp on title and a few leaves, first two blanks and first three leaves browned and ragged at the edges, two small holes from erasure of name on title leaf, one just nicking the V in Votes, old but expert repairs to edges of first dozen leaves, worming to the margins of about a dozen middle leaves, affecting a few words on one leaf only, last leaf ragged with a few worm holes affecting a few letters, last two blanks lacking portions of lower corner and ragged, occasional light dampstaining, mostly marginal otherwise leaves clean and impressions sharp. Good.. iv, 840, [2]. Signed in type by the editor, Abraham Lott, Junr. Signed in manuscript "Bound by Rob. McAlpine," at the conclusion of the preface. Contains the added leaf with the "Act of Parliament for reversing the Attainder of Jacob… Read More

New York: John Gilmary Shea, 1872. First edition. Three quarter morocco over marbled boards, five raised bands, gilt rules, gilt titles in two compartments, rosettes in four, marbled endpapers. Very good or better exceptionally clean and wide-margined copies, minor rubbing, closed tears to two maps, owner's bookplates on front paste downs.. Illus. with 18 maps, 15 plates, and 4 facsimiles. Imperial 8vo. (11.25 x 8 inches). The first translation into English of this "celebrated and important work" (Sabin) of Charlevoix, who "had command of invaluable sources and shows undoubted cleverness... " (Larned p. 413). "This work is one of the best authorities concerning various Indian tribes, some of which no longer exist" (Lande 125.) "The extent and value of Dr. Shea's work in annotating his translation of this history can only be appreciated by careful study. Through this means the translation is more valuable for many purposes of research than the original work." (Andrew McFarland Davis: Narrative and… Read More

Philadelphia: n.p., 1865. First edition. A very good copy, small cellotape repair at fold, minor wear at extremities, small crease.. Broadside. 19 x 12 inches (48 x 30 cm). Three illustrations show an artillery man before a canon, a sailor, and a mounted cavalryman. A recruitment broadside for Winfield Scott Hancock's First Army Corps of Veterans by Philadelphia Chief of Detective Police, Benjamin Franklin. On the 28th of November, 1864, an order was issued by the War Department for raising and organizing twenty thousand infantry under command of Major General Winfield S. Hancock, to be enlisted for not less than one year. The privates were to consist only of able-bodied veterans who had served honorably, not less than two years, and therefore not subject to the draft; the officers to be commissioned by the President from those who had honorably served not less than two years. Shows the multiple bounties paid for varying terms of enlistment. Quite uncommon. OCLC locates only two copies: Lib. Co.… Read More

Santiago de Chile: Imprenta Elzeviriana, 1918. Centennial edition (First edition thus). Original publisher's paper wrappers. In original wrappers, untrimmed and unopened but for the first few leaves in one volume. They all have their original wrappers, but on three volumes they are detached, one of which is repaired with cello tape and a few are quite ragged as expected. The spines on a few are chipped or fragile, and all have foxing across the top edge of the wrappers. Contents fine and very wide margined.. Illus. with b/w plates, photos, drawings, facsimiles, and map. Folio. One of 600 copies. Medina's fabulous edition of Chile's national epic. Volume I: Texto (1910). II: Vida de Ercilla (1917). III & IV: Ilustraciones (1917). V: Documentos (1918). Uncommon in the trade and even more so in unopened condition. ABPC and American Exchange show only one sold at auction in the last half century. Palau 80441. Aquila: Aa53.

Nancy [France]: Chez Haener, Imprimeur du Départment de la Meurthe, 1792. First edition. Self wrappers. A very good copy with pin holes along inner margin, two soiled spots, signed in ink on last page.. 4 pp. Illus. with a woodcut headpiece. Sm. 4to. Signed (illegible). Law authorizing negotiation with the United States minister to obtain food and construction materials in the amount of 4,000,000 livres, to be paid by the French Treasury but to be reimbursed by taxes on the colony. The money was much needed as the loan decree, dated 26 Juin 1792, came in the midst of unparalleled upheaval in Haiti. The revolution of the year before, with its "horrible carnage" had now given way "to strategic military operations, tactical maneuvers and new political alliances as the slaves gain territory and stabilize their positions. They raid plantations for military equipment, loot the whites' forces after they are repelled, and trade with the Spanish for weaponry" (Kona Shen, History of Haiti, The Revolution… Read More

Boston: Printed by Adams and Nourse, 1787. First editions. Quarter cloth over paper covered boards. Generally fine copies, except for last item, which is removed from a larger volume and not bound with the other three, old stitching marks at inner margin, first item with foxing on three leaves, and small faded contemporary marginal notation; first leaf of second item with two creases to lower half and one leaf with paper loss at corner just affecting marginal title, final item with a few marginal pin holes and one tiny stain, otherwise very sharp and clear impressions in a fine binding; and one loose.. [487]-545, [1] pp.; [546]-627, [1] pp.; [87]-168] pp. and [169]-257, [1] pp. Folio. The key documents that reported on the revolt that fundamentally altered U.S. history. Beginning in 1786, only three years after the American Revolution had ended, an armed rebellion began in Western Massachusetts led by Daniel Shays, a war veteran, and composed not only of farmers but many others from diverse… Read More

Londres: Imprenta española de M. Calero, 1826. Reimpreso a Londres. Three quarter calf over marbled boards. A very good or better copy, extremities rubbed, corners slightly bumped, some minor foxing and small stain on the blank area of the portrait, else contents quite clean and about fine.. 80 pp., [3] leaves of plates. Illus. with 3 plates. 8vo. Poem to Bolivar's victory on the plains of Juin in Peru, 6 August 1824. José Joaquín de Olmedo (1780-1847), who would later go on to become President of Ecuador, sees the freedom fighters under Bolivar as heirs of the Incas. First published Guayaquil, Ecuador: Imprenta de la Ciudad, por M.I. Murillo, 1825 a year after the battle. The frontispiece portrait and the plate "Venganza y Gloria nos daran los cielos" are both engraved by Ackermann. There was a Paris edition the same year. Quite uncommon as it was published in a 'short run and never put on sale' according to Palau (IX, p. 377). Espinosa Pólit, in his "Poesías completas de....Olmedo," published… Read More

[Philadelphia]: [n.p.], 1845. First issue. Toned, old damp stains to lower margin and verso, a few edge tears, one an inch long, but all marginal not affecting image, earlier tissue mounted to reinforce verso.. Sheet size: 27. 1/2 x 14 7/8 inches; image size: 24 7/8 x 11 inches. Intaglio engraving. A low, broad view of Niagara Falls, which shows the stairs on the American side. Captions below the image read: Painted by J. Hamilton from a sketch by T. Taylor; Engraved at J.M. Butler's establishment, 242 Chestnut St. Philada. James Hamilton (1819-1878) was an Irish/American painter, mainly self-taught through the study of engravings, though he did attend the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts for a while, and by 1852 was regarded by the well-known engraver John Sartain "as occupying a place in the very front rank of American artists" and he "confidently predict[ed] for him a still higher position in his profession," (See Jacobowitz: James Hamilton, 1819-1878, American Marine Painter, p.9). After… Read More

1865. Not bound. Moderate soiling, damp stains, some tearing along edges, corrections inked in throughout.. 50 pp. on 25 bifolium, rectos only + 2 sheets: title page and note. 6.5 x 8.5 inches. 19th c. transcription of a contemporaneous narrative of Sir William Phips's expedition against Quebec in the summer of 1690 in the hope of driving the French from Canada. It would not be published until 1901. The transcriber's note reads: "Engaged at intervals for thirty years or more, as opportunity and means permitted, in collecting all that could be obtained either in printed tracts or manuscripts that might serve to illustrate the early history of the American Continental; it so happened that the transcriber came into the possession, several years ago, of the manuscript which he has here copied. As far as he can discover, it has never been printed, and as the original is old, in some parts not very legible & withal liable to decay, he determined to do what he could for its preservation by making a fair… Read More

Philadelphia: The University Museum, 1943. First edition. Paper portfolio in later card portfolio with ties. Plates about fine, parts wrapper for second part laid in loose, cover for first part affixed to later black portfolio with wear to spine and repairs to folds, two of three original glassine sheets present.. Part I: title page, plates list, 25 plates; Part II: note, plates list, 25 plates; Part III: preface, plates list, 16 plates. 66 illustrations. Folio. Comprised of specimens of pottery from Guatemala, Honduras, British Honduras, Yucatan and Chiapas, Mexico, the work was originally projected to comprise four volumes with 25 plates each, however, due to the death of its editor, George Byron Gordon, shortly before the second volume was published, the project remained incomplete, though the co editor, John Alden Mason continued the work through the middle of volume III, with a total of 66 plates. Most of the watercolor illustrations were by artist Mary Louise Baker (1872-1962). British… Read More