David M. Lesser Fine Antiquarian Books has released their Catalogue 217 of Rare Americana. This is a new group of old items, mostly 19^th century. There are books and various other forms of paper collectibles to be found. They cover the issues of their day, generally contemporary stories from the time. These catalogues are always a fascinating trip into the past. Here are a few selections.

 

We begin with speed, such as it was in 1838. This is The Logs of the First Voyage, Made with the Unceasing Aid of Steam, Between England and America, by the Great Western of Bristol, Lieut James Hosken R.N., Commander. By the way, Hosken was from the Royal Navy, not a registered nurse. The Great Western was the first steamship built specifically for transatlantic travel. It weighed 1,320 tons, was 212 feet long, and carried 148 passengers. It had four masts and two engines driving the paddles. It went 10 miles per hour without sails. It left Bristol on April 8, 1838, arriving in New York 15 days later, half the time it took sailing ships. In its final voyages, the ship carried troops to the Crimean War. The Great Western was broken up in 1856. Item 22. Priced at $1,000.

 

This next book tells us about another ship, but it wasn't meant for ordinary travelers. This ship was a slaver, and its “accommodations” were as horrible as could be imagined. Slaves, taken from Africa, were chained to the floor in cramped spaces, 454 humans taken across the ocean. The book is The History of the Rise, Progress and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave Trade, by the British Parliament. The author was Thomas Clarkson, the book published in two volumes in 1808. Item 21 is the first American edition. Clark devoted his life to the cause of abolition. He was a founder of The Society of the Abolition of the Slave Trade in 1787. They got their wish twenty years later when the slave trade was outlawed in Britain. This book contains the famous drawing of the inside of a slave ship with slaves shackled inside. It also displays the seal depicting a slave with the words, “Am I not a man and a brother?” Item 21. $6,000.

 

Despite the Civil War and the strong antislavery overtones of the Union cause, it was still politically dangerous to be sympathetic towards black people. The Republican Party was associated with the northern cause, and eventually the freeing of the slaves ordered by President Lincoln. Still, the Republicans at times felt the political need to disassociate themselves with that aspect of the war. It was just about preserving the Union. This Republican broadside, circa 1863, tries to pin the less racist point of view on the Democrats. Headed The Shorter Catechism of Negro Equality, it states some of the “sins” of the Democrats in question and answer format. For example, “Who said that all men are created equal? Thomas Jefferson, the Father of Democracy. Who gave negroes the right of suffrage in New York? The Democratic party. Who married a negro woman, and by her had mulatto children? Richard M. Johnson Vice-President of the United States? The Democratic. If President Van Buren had died, and Richard M. Johnson had become President, who would have become the Democratic mistress of the White House? This same negro woman. Who permitted every colored person owning $250 in New York to become a voter? A General Assembly, purely Democratic. Who made mulattoes legal voters in Ohio? A democratic Supreme Court, of which Reuben Wood was Chief Justice. Who helped to give free negroes the right to vote in Tennessee under her Constitution of 1796? General Jackson. All these things were done by Democrats, and yet they deny being in favor of negro equality, and charge it upon the Republicans.” Item 19. $1,250.

 

Jabez Boyd was an apparently religious man, a good church goer. It turns out he was attending services to find out who had money that could be stolen. Item 109 is An Account of the Arrest, Trial, Conviction and Confession of Jabez Boyd, for the Murder of Wesley Patton. By a Gentleman of the Neighbourhood. This all happened in 1845. Wesley Patton was a boy of 14 years. According to this pamphlet, the victim was beaten to death. Boyd was arrested in church with a hymn book in his hand, from which he was singing with apparent composure.” He would join Young Wesley later that year, but by rope rather than fireplace tongs. Item 10. $850.

 

Andrew Carnegie, now over a century since his death, is still remembered for his enormous wealth and his support for libraries. He paid to build thousands of them from some of the money he made in the steel business. After selling his interests, he devoted his life to charitable causes. It takes a certain amount of determination and hardness to accumulate such wealth, but he was one of the most generous rich persons in his support of good causes once it was achieved. Item 15 consists of seven photographs of Carnegie at his “cottage” near St. Andrew's Golf Links in New York's Westchester County in 1911. He was 75 years old at the time. He is seen sitting by the fireplace, at a dinner table, and with friends. Item 15. $475.

 

                                       Andrew Carnegie at R & R.

 

David M. Lesser Fine Antiquarian Books may be reached at 203-389-8111 or dmlesser@lesserbooks.com. Their website is www.lesserbooks.com