Rare Book Monthly

Articles - October - 2024 Issue

William L. Parkinson is offering the Mello Collection at auction on October 12th

William L. Parkinson, Books, long time dealer and occasional auctioneer, is offering The Robert A. Mello Collection at auction on October 12th.  Highlights fall into three categories: Americana, Vermontiana, and Maps that are presented as 475 lots.  The sale will start at 10:30 am on October 12th at Memorial Lounge, Waterman Building, University of Vermont Campus, Burlington, Vermont. For old timers, when they scan these lots, they will feel like they have stepped back into the 1980’s.  This is a very pure sale, very deep.

 

For collectors and collecting institutions this is a chance to buy nice copies for fair prices.

 

Links and contacts are provided at the end of the descriptive text

 

While no estimates are being provided, they have listed highlights.

 

Americana – (Ethan Allen), Russell’s American Almanack . . . 1780; Allen, Reason the Only Oracle of Man (1784); Anburey, Travels (1789); Boller, Among the Indians (1868);  Burgoyne, A State of the Expedition from Canada (1780); (Burr), Frankfort, Kentucky, broadside about the Burr Conspiracy trial (1806); Canfield, Northern Pacific Railroad (1870); Carver, Three Years Travels Through the Interior Parts of North-America (1789); Chastellux, Travels in North-America (1787); (Crockett), The Crockett Almanac 1840; Farmer, The Emigrant’s Guide . . . Surveyed Part of Michigan (1830); Garland, The Book of the American Indian (1923); Gass, A Journal of the Voyages and Discoveries of a Corps of Discovery (1807); Greenleaf, A New Universal Atlas (1842); Hamilton, Report of the Secretary of the Treasury . . . Support of Public Credit (1795); Irving, Astoria (1836); Humphreys, Life of the Hon. Major General Israel Putnam (1788); Indian Speeches Delivered by Several Chiefs (1810); Laurent, New Familiar Abenakis and English Dialogues (1884); Mackenzie, Voyages from Montreal (1802); (Madison, WI), [Draper], Madison: The Capital of Wisconsin (1855); Mather, Ecclesiastes . . . Jonathan Mitchel (1697); Mitchell, Mitchell’s Traveller’s Guide (1838); (Sayer & Bennett), The American Military Pocket Atlas (1776); Scharf, History of Delaware (1888); (Scott), Report of the Decision . . . Case of Dred Scott versus John F. A. Sandford (1857); Scott, The United States Gazetteer (1795); Smith, The True Travels, Adventures and Observations (1819); Smith, The History of the Province of New-York (1757, 1792 and 1829); Stedman, History . . . the American War (1794); (Symmes), broadside announcement for journey to the center of the earth (1818); early U.S. House and Senate journals (1790s); (War of 1812), Troy, New York, broadside criticizing Jefferson’s Embargo and the possibility of “a war of conquest” (1812);  Seth Warner signed military document (1780).

 

 

 

Vermontiana --  Ira Allen, Olive Branch titles (1804-06); Allen, History of the State of Vermont (1798); Beers county atlases, full set; Benedict, Army Life in Virginia (1895); Benedict, Vermont at Gettysburg (1870), inscribed to Ulysses S. Grant; Benedict, Vermont in the Civil War (1886-88), limited large-paper edition; Benjamin, The St. Albans Raid (1865); Burgett, Atlas of the State of Vermont (1876); Carpenter, History of the Eighth Regiment Vermont Volunteers (1886);   Child, county gazetteers, full set; Mason & Co. county histories, full set; N. Chipman, Sketches of the Principles of Government (1793); Thomas Chittenden signed militia appointment (1786); The Trial of Cyrus B. Dean, for the Murder of Jonathan Ormsby and Asa Marsh (1808); Eldredge, The Torrent (1831); Fletcher, A Narrative of the Captivity & Sufferings of Ebenezer Fletcher (1813 and 1866); Gallup, Sketches of Epidemic Diseases in the State of Vermont (1815); Gilman, The Bibliography of Vermont (1897); Graham, A Descriptive Sketch of the Present State of Vermont (1797); B. Hall, History of Eastern Vermont (1858); H. Hall, The History of Vermont (1868); Haswell, Memoirs and Adventures of Captain Matthew Phelps (1802); Haynes, History of the Tenth Regiment, Vermont Volunteers (1870 and 1894); Hemenway, Vermont Historical Gazetteer (1868-91), all five volumes and Index; Hitchcock, Report on the Geology of Vermont (1861); Palmer, The Second Brigade (1864); Perry, Recollections of an Old Soldier (1822); Ripley, Vermont Riflemen in the War for the Union (1883); Ross, The Steamboats of Lake Champlain (1930); Russell, A History of the Vermont State Prison (1812); Safford, Youth’s Almanac, for the Year 1846 (1845); Sanders, A History of the Indian Wars (1812); Spargo, Anthony Haswell (1925);  Steele, The Indian Captive (1818); Sturtevant, Pictorial History Thirteenth Regiment Vermont Volunteers (1910); Thompson, The Green Mountain Boys (1839); Thompson, History of Vermont (1842); early Vermont legislative journals and laws (17779-1800); (Vermont statehood), broadside “An Act Giving Effect to the Laws of the United Sates Within the State of Vermont” (1791); Walker, The Vermont Brigade in the Shenandoah Valley (1869); Wilbur, Early History of Vermont (1899-1903); Williams, Life in Camp (1864); Williams, History of Vermont (1794 and 1809). 

 

 

Maps – (Addison County, VT), Walling, “Map of Addison County” (1857); (Burlington), Johnson, “Map of Burlington in Vermont” (1836);  (Burlington), “Grasse Mount Property” (1855); (Canada), Matthaeus Seutter, “Partie Orientale de la Nouvelle France ou du Canada” (ca. 1756); (Connecticut River Valley), Pierce, “An Improved Reference Map of the Valley of the Connecticut” (1828); (Eastern Canada), Bonne, “L’Isle De Terre-Neuve, L’Acadie . . . et La Partie Orientale du Canada” (1780);  (Granville, NY), Hatheway, “Official Map of the Incorporated Village of Granville” (1894); (Hudson River), Sauthier, A Topographical Map of Hudson’s River” (1777); (Lake Champlain), Brassier, “A Survey of Lake Champlain” (1776); (New York), Montresor, “A Map of the Province of New York” (1775);  (Ohio, Indiana and Illinois), Mitchell, “Map of the States of Ohio, Indiana & Illinois and Part of Michigan Territory” (1831); (Orleans, Lamoille & Essex Counties, VT), Walling, “Map of the Counties of Orleans, Lamoille, and Essex, Vermont” (1859); Presdee & Edwards wall-maps of Burlington, Ludlow and Montpelier, Vermont (1853); (Quebec), Jeffreys, “A Plan of Quebec” (1759); (Railroads), Kennedy, “Map & Profile of the Vt. Central and Vt. and Canada Railroads” (1848); Townsend, “Townsend’s Patent Folding Globe” (1869); (Vermont), James Whitelaw, wall-map of state (1796, 1821 and 1838); (Vermont) White, “Map of Vermont” (ca. 1850); Wilson, “A New American Celestial Globe” (1826); (Windsor County, VT), Doten, “Map of Windsor County” (1855); (Wisconsin), Chapman, “Chapman’s Sectional Map of Wisconsin” (1856).

 

A full electronic catalogue with photographs available at Parkinsonbooks.com

 


WILLIAM L. PARKINSON, BOOKS

P.O. Box 40

Hinesburg, VT   05641

Ph. (802) 482-3113

Cell (802) 238-8001

For questions, email  william@parkinsonbooks.com

www.parkinsonbooks.com

 

AUCTIONEERS: WILLIAM PARKINSON, J. KEVIN GRAFFAGNINO

 

Rare Book Monthly

  • Forum Auctions
    Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    27th March 2025
    Forum, Mar. 27: Dürer (Albrecht) Hierin sind begriffen vier bücher von menschlicher Proportion, 4 parts in 1, first edition, Nuremberg, Hieronymus Andreae for Agnes Dürer, 1528. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum, Mar. 27: Book of Hours, Use of Rome, illuminated manuscript in Latin, on vellum, 26 fine hand-painted miniatures, 17th century dark brown morocco, [Lyon], [c. 1475 and later c. 1490-1500]. £25,000 to £35,000.
    Forum, Mar. 27: Brontë (Emily) The North Wind, watercolour, [1842]. £15,000 to £20,000.
    Forum, Mar. 27: Titanic.- Mudd (Thomas Cupper, one of the youngest victims of the sinking of the Titanic, 1895-1912) Autograph Letter signed on board RMS Titanic to his mother, April 11th 1912. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    27th March 2025
    Forum, Mar. 27: [Austen (Jane)] Emma: A Novel, 3 vol., first edition, for John Murray, 1816. £10,000 to £15,000.
    Forum, Mar. 27: Picasso (Pablo).- Ovid. Les Metamorphoses, one of 95 copies, signed by the artist, Lausanne, Albert Skira, 1931. £10,000 to £15,000.
    Forum, Mar. 27: America.- Ogilby (John) America: Being the Latest, and Most Accurate Description of the New World..., all maps with vibrant hand-colouring in outline, probably by an early hand, 1671. £15,000 to £25,000.
    Forum, Mar. 27: Iceland.- Geological exploration.- Bright (Dr. Richard )and Edward Bird. Collection of twenty original drawings from travels in Iceland with Henry Holland and George Mackenzie, watercolours, [1810]. £20,000 to £30,000.
  • Forum Auctions
    The Library of Barry Humphries
    26th March 2025
    Forum, Mar. 26: Beckford (William) [Vathek] An Arabian Tale, first (but unauthorised) edition, Lady Caroline Lamb's copy with her signature and notes, 1786. £2,000 to £3,000.
    Forum, Mar. 26: Baudelaire (Charles) Les Fleurs du Mal, first edition containing the 6 suppressed poems, first issue, contemporary half black morocco, Paris, 1857. £4,000 to £6,000.
    Forum, Mar. 26: Beardsley (Aubrey).- Pope (Alexander) The Rape of the Lock, one of 25 copies on Japanese vellum, Leonard Smithers, 1896. £4,000 to £6,000.
    Forum, Mar. 26: Douglas (Lord Alfred) Sonnets, first edition, the dedication copy, with signed presentation inscription from the author to his wife Olive Custance, The Academy, 1909. £2,000 to £3,000.
    Forum Auctions
    The Library of Barry Humphries
    26th March 2025
    Forum, Mar. 26: Crowley (Aleister) The Works..., 3 vol. in 1 (as issued)"Essay Competition" issue on India paper, signed presentation inscription from the author, 1905-07. £1,500 to £2,000.
    Forum, Mar. 26: Rodin (Auguste).- Mirbeau (Octave) Le Jardin des Supplices, one of 30 copies on chine with an additional suite, bound in dark purple goatskin, Paris, 1902. £3,000 to £4,000.
    Forum, Mar. 26: Pellar (Hans) Eight original book illustrations for 'Der verliebte Flamingo' [together with] a published copy of the first edition of the book, 1923. £6,000 to £8,000.
    Forum, Mar. 26: Cretté (Georges, binder).- Louÿs (Pierre) Les Aventures du Roi Pausole, 2 vol., one of 99 copies, with 2 original drawings, superbly bound in blue goatskin, gilt, Paris, 1930. £3,000 to £4,000.
  • Sotheby's
    Sell Your Fine Books & Manuscripts
    Sotheby’s: The Shem Tov Bible, 1312 | A Masterpiece from the Golden Age of Spain. Sold: 6,960,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: Ten Commandments Tablet, 300-800 CE | One of humanity's earliest and most enduring moral codes. Sold: 5,040,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: William Blake | Songs of Innocence and of Experience. Sold: 4,320,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: The Declaration of Independence | The Holt printing, the only copy in private hands. Sold: 3,360,000 USD
    Sotheby's
    Sell Your Fine Books & Manuscripts
    Sotheby’s: Thomas Taylor | The original cover art for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Sold: 1,920,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: Machiavelli | Il Principe, a previously unrecorded copy of the book where modern political thought began. Sold: 576,000 GBP
    Sotheby’s: Leonardo da Vinci | Trattato della pittura, ca. 1639, a very fine pre-publication manuscript. Sold: 381,000 GBP
    Sotheby’s: Henri Matisse | Jazz, Paris 1947, the complete portfolio. Sold: 312,000 EUR
  • Swann
    Printed & Manuscript African Americana
    March 20, 2025
    Swann, Mar. 20: Lot 7: Thomas Fisher, The Negro's Memorial or Abolitionist's Catechism, London, 1825. $6,000 to $9,000.
    Swann, Mar. 20: Lot 78: Victor H. Green, The Negro Travelers' Green Book, New York, 1958. $20,000 to $30,000.
    Swann, Mar. 20: Lot 99: Rosa Parks, Hand-written recollection of her first meeting with Martin Luther King Jr., autograph manuscript, Detroit, c. 1990s. $30,000 to $40,000.
    Swann, Mar. 20: Lot 154: Frederick Douglass, Autograph statement on voting rights, signed manuscript, 1866. $20,000 to $30,000.
    Swann, Mar. 20: Lot 164: W.E.B. Du Bois, What the Negro Has Done for the United States and Texas, Washington, circa 1936. $3,000 to $4,000.
    Swann
    Printed & Manuscript African Americana
    March 20, 2025
    Swann, Mar. 20: Lot 263: Susan Paul, Memoir of James Jackson, Boston, 1835. $6,000 to $9,000.
    Swann, Mar. 20: Lot 267: Langston Hughes, Gypsy Ballads, signed translation of García Lorca's poetry, Madrid, 1937. $1,500 to $2,500.
    Swann, Mar. 20: Lot 274: Malcolm X, Collection from Alex Haley's estate, 38 items, 1963-1971. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Swann, Mar. 20: Lot 367: Solomon Northup, Twelve Years a Slave, Auburn, NY, 1853. $2,500 to $3,500.
    Swann, Mar. 20: Lot 402: Anna Julia Cooper, A Voice from the South, Xenia, OH, 1892. $2,000 to $3,000.
  • Koller, Mar. 26: Wit, Frederick de. Atlas. Amsterdam, de Wit, [1680]. CHF 20,000 to 30,000
    Koller, Mar. 26: Merian, Maria Sibylla. Der Raupen wunderbare Verwandelung, und sonderbare Blumennahrung. Nürnberg, 1679; Frankfurt a. M. und Leipzig, 1683. CHF 20,000 to 30,000
    Koller, Mar. 26: GOETHE, JOHANN WOLFGANG VON. Faust. Ein Fragment. Von Goethe. Ächte Ausgabe. Leipzig, G. J. Göschen, 1790. CHF 7,000 to 10,000
    Koller, Mar. 26: Hieronymus. [Das hochwirdig leben der außerwoelten freünde gotes der heiligen altuaeter]. Augsburg, Johann Schönsperger d. Ä., 9. Juni 1497. CHF 40,000 to 60,000.
    Koller, Mar. 26: BIBLIA GERMANICA - Neunte deutsche Bibel. Nürnberg, A. Koberger, 17. Feb. 1483. CHF 40,000 to 60,000
    Koller, Mar. 26: HORAE B.M.V. - Stundenbuch. Lateinische Handschrift auf Pergament, Kalendarium französisch. Nordfrankreich (Rouen?). CHF 25,000 to 40,000

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