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Washington-Pike-Mathematics-Science Archive to be Sold - By Bruce McKinney An extraordinary lot to sell in difficult times By Bruce McKinney Nicholas Pike of Newbury-port has been dead a long time but for a few weeks this fall the 18th century New England mathematician is back on stage at John McInnis Auctions in Amesbury, Massachusetts, a short distance from where he lived. The occasion is the outcome of luck, perseverance, and timing. Distant relatives have sent to auction an archive of his material that is to be sold as a single lot. Mr. Pike who in the latter part of the 18th century published, in Newbury-port [then a hyphenated name], a book on mathematics a copy of which he soon sent to George Washington in the waning days of the confederation period. He was rewarded six months later with a three-page response the family has kept for more than two hundred years. Also included in the lot are Mr. Pike's manuscript notes and illustrations covering three decades of observation. As well there is a broadside he published to announce his project in 1786. The lot is a gem of completeness and beyond rare. It is offered for sale on October 19th. Mr. Pike's printed work is "A New and Complete System of Arithmetic, composed for the Use of the Citizens of the United States," a book that was frequently republished into the early 19th century to tease and torture students for whom the mastery of numbers were deemed important. Almost a hundred copies of the first edition are identifiable in the OCLC though some are probably later editions. It can be said with certainty the book is not terribly coveted and by itself only a minor rarity. A copy of the 1788 first edition was recently available on Abe for $275. Nevertheless this copy and the material with it are exceptional. As usual the devil is in the details. Here is what's offered: [1] the author's annotated copy of "A New and Complete System of Arithmetic, composed for the Use of the Citizens of the United States," the first edition; [2] a three page letter from George Washington, dated 1788, and written to the author thanking him for the copy just received and commending him on his accomplishment and the importance of the work; [3] Mr. Pike's personal journals with notes, drawings, and calculations on various subjects including mathematics, navigation and astronomy, first dated 1764 and continuing to 1796. What is of course uncommon in the upcoming sale at John McInnis Auctions is the additional material that transports an interesting book into the fabled territory of uber-collectibles. The three page letter from George Washington, in which he thanks the author for the copy just received and commends him for his effort, appears to be in his own hand. Further, the book sent by Mr. Pike, we now know, was sufficiently valued by Washington that, in the accounting of his estate a dozen years later, it was noted as present, a privilege not accorded to all books Washington received. Many were given away. This one he chose
Washington-Pike-Mathematics-Science Archive to be Sold - By Bruce McKinney The man himself to keep. The Washington letter is of course the primary value in the lot. Mr. Washington, an obsessive record keeper, kept copies of his correspondence and this letter appears in Vol. 30 on pages 2 and 3 of Fitzpatrick's "The Writings of George Washington." Such letters are today valued by period [pre-Revolution, Revolution, 1783-1788, as President 1789-1796, and his final years]. This letter falls into the period between the end of the Revolution and his assumption of the Presidency, a relatively quiet time. Content is also crucial. In this letter the issue is learning and education; the emerging father of the nation encouraging intellectual attainment. Finally, letters in Washington's hand are valued more highly than letters prepared by others that he signed. It is in his own hand and a complete three-page document. Here is the text: To Nicholas Pike Mount Vernon, June 20, 1788 Sir: I request you will accept my best thanks for your polite letter of Jany. 1st [which did not get to my hand til yesterday] and also for the copy of your "System of Arithmetic" which you were pleased to present to me. The handsome manner in which that Work is printed and the elegant manner in which it is bound, are pleasing proofs of the progress which the Arts are making in this Country. But I should do violence to my own feelings, if I suppressed an acknowledgment of the belief that that work is calculated to be equally useful and honorable to the United States. It is but right, however, to apprise you, that, diffident of my own decision, the favorable opinion I entertain of your performance is founded rather on the explicit and ample testimonies of gentlemen confessedly possessed of great mathematical knowledge, than on the partial and incompetent attention I have been able to pay to it myself. But I must be permitted to remark that the subject, in my opinion, holds a higher rank in the literary scale than you are pleased to allow. The science of figures, to a certain degree, is not only indispensably requisite in every walk of civilized life; but the investigation of mathematical truths accustoms the mind to method and correctness in reasoning, and is an employment peculiarly worthy of rational beings. In a clouded state of existence, where so many things appear precarious to the bewildered research, it is here that the rational faculties find a firm foundation to rest upon. From the high ground of mathematical and philosophical demonstration, we are insensibly led to far nobler speculations and sublimer meditations.
Washington-Pike-Mathematics-Science Archive to be Sold - By Bruce McKinney A Young Harriet Beecher Stowe I hope and trust that the Work will ultimately prove not less profitable than reputable to yourself. It seems to have been conceded, on all hands, that such a System was much wanted. Its merits being established by the approbation of competent Judges, I flatter myself that the idea of its being an American production, and the first of the kind which has appeared, will induce every patriotic and liberal character ti give it all the countenance and patronage in his power. In all events, you may rest assured, that, as no person takes more interest in the encouragement of American Genius, so no one will be more highly gratified with the success of your ingenious, arduous and useful undertaking than he, who has the unfeigned please to subscribe himself. Yours, Geo. Washington" The other items in the lot are Mr. Pike's annotated copy of his work, his manuscript diaries or notebooks in which he develops his ideas and illustrates them over three decades [1764-1796], and the broadside announcing this project to printers and other interested parties in 1786, the text [in part] as follows: "Proposals for publishing a complete system of arithmetic more comprehensive and intelligible than any extant, with demonstrations of the several rules, & other useful matter, as the method of making taxes, &... by Nicholas Pike..." Of this ephemera only one other copy is known. A modest estimate for this lot would be $15,000 to $25,000 with the bid opening at $7,500. The hammer will probably fall between $35,000 and $65,000. But given the uncertain economy no one knows what the outcome will be. What's certain is that the buyer will not be disappointed. For those whose attention is now drawn to the sale there are several other interesting items. One is an early painted portrait of Harriet Beecher Stowe. Ms. Stowe, the author of ten books, published Uncle Tom's Cabin in 1852, an elaboration on the book in 1853 and Dred, another novel on the same theme, in 1856. These works earned her a unique place in the anti-slavery movement that elected Lincoln to the Presidency in 1860 and were a factor in the outbreak of Civil War in 1861. For an institution or collector such a portrait will no doubt become an important acquisition. No estimate has yet been established. Finally there is a Lincoln appointment dated 1864. Between speeches and intrigues Mr. Lincoln found time to meet prospective postmasters and judges as well as the simply interested and interesting who passed through Washington. He was famous for his open door. Whether the recipient of this appointment sat with Lincoln is unknown. What's offered here is the reward or punishment of judgeship for one Ammi Giddins of Connecticut to the office of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Montana. No doubt you could, in that era, have bought a significant part of the state for what a Lincoln collector will pay today for this document. [10/8] Subsequent to the release of this article the auction house placed an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000 on the lot. It was then pointed out to me by Leigh Stein of Eveleigh Books that the Washington-Pike lot had been offered by Sotheby's in 2000 with an estimate of $25,000 to $35,000 and failed to attract a bid. Sotheby's description was highly detailed. Click here to see this lot description. The market today is weaker, not stronger than it was in 2000. How this lot will fare is anyone's guess. [10/9] When the auction house learned of this lot's prior history they discussed the situation with the consignors who immediately agreed to a reduced estimate of $20,000 to $40,000. The starting bid is expected to be well below the low estimate. For a closer look at these items and others offered in this sale on October 19th click here.

Washington-Pike-Mathematics-Science Archive to be Sold

- By Bruce McKinney

An extraordinary lot to sell in difficult times

By Bruce McKinney

Nicholas Pike of Newbury-port has been dead a long time but for a few weeks this fall the 18th century New England mathematician is back on stage at John McInnis Auctions in Amesbury, Massachusetts, a short distance from where he lived. The occasion is the outcome of luck, perseverance, and timing. Distant relatives have sent to auction an archive of his material that is to be sold as a single lot. Mr. Pike who in the latter part of the 18th century published, in Newbury-port [then a hyphenated name], a book on mathematics a copy of which he soon sent to George Washington in the waning days of the confederation period. He was rewarded six months later with a three-page response the family has kept for more than two hundred years. Also included in the lot are Mr. Pike's manuscript notes and illustrations covering three decades of observation. As well there is a broadside he published to announce his project in 1786. The lot is a gem of completeness and beyond rare. It is offered for sale on October 19th.

Mr. Pike's printed work is "A New and Complete System of Arithmetic, composed for the Use of the Citizens of the United States," a book that was frequently republished into the early 19th century to tease and torture students for whom the mastery of numbers were deemed important. Almost a hundred copies of the first edition are identifiable in the OCLC though some are probably later editions. It can be said with certainty the book is not terribly coveted and by itself only a minor rarity. A copy of the 1788 first edition was recently available on Abe for $275. Nevertheless this copy and the material with it are exceptional. As usual the devil is in the details.

Here is what's offered:

[1] the author's annotated copy of "A New and Complete System of Arithmetic, composed for the Use of the Citizens of the United States," the first edition;

[2] a three page letter from George Washington, dated 1788, and written to the author thanking him for the copy just received and commending him on his accomplishment and the importance of the work;

[3] Mr. Pike's personal journals with notes, drawings, and calculations on various subjects including mathematics, navigation and astronomy, first dated 1764 and continuing to 1796.

What is of course uncommon in the upcoming sale at John McInnis Auctions is the additional material that transports an interesting book into the fabled territory of uber-collectibles. The three page letter from George Washington, in which he thanks the author for the copy just received and commends him for his effort, appears to be in his own hand. Further, the book sent by Mr. Pike, we now know, was sufficiently valued by Washington that, in the accounting of his estate a dozen years later, it was noted as present, a privilege not accorded to all books Washington received. Many were given away. This one he chose

Washington-Pike-Mathematics-Science Archive to be Sold

- By Bruce McKinney

The man himself

to keep. The Washington letter is of course the primary value in the lot. Mr. Washington, an obsessive record keeper, kept copies of his correspondence and this letter appears in Vol. 30 on pages 2 and 3 of Fitzpatrick's "The Writings of George Washington." Such letters are today valued by period [pre-Revolution, Revolution, 1783-1788, as President 1789-1796, and his final years]. This letter falls into the period between the end of the Revolution and his assumption of the Presidency, a relatively quiet time. Content is also crucial. In this letter the issue is learning and education; the emerging father of the nation encouraging intellectual attainment. Finally, letters in Washington's hand are valued more highly than letters prepared by others that he signed. It is in his own hand and a complete three-page document.

Here is the text:

To Nicholas Pike

Mount Vernon, June 20, 1788

Sir: I request you will accept my best thanks for your polite letter of Jany. 1st [which did not get to my hand til yesterday] and also for the copy of your "System of Arithmetic" which you were pleased to present to me. The handsome manner in which that Work is printed and the elegant manner in which it is bound, are pleasing proofs of the progress which the Arts are making in this Country. But I should do violence to my own feelings, if I suppressed an acknowledgment of the belief that that work is calculated to be equally useful and honorable to the United States.

It is but right, however, to apprise you, that, diffident of my own decision, the favorable opinion I entertain of your performance is founded rather on the explicit and ample testimonies of gentlemen confessedly possessed of great mathematical knowledge, than on the partial and incompetent attention I have been able to pay to it myself. But I must be permitted to remark that the subject, in my opinion, holds a higher rank in the literary scale than you are pleased to allow. The science of figures, to a certain degree, is not only indispensably requisite in every walk of civilized life; but the investigation of mathematical truths accustoms the mind to method and correctness in reasoning, and is an employment peculiarly worthy of rational beings. In a clouded state of existence, where so many things appear precarious to the bewildered research, it is here that the rational faculties find a firm foundation to rest upon. From the high ground of mathematical and philosophical demonstration, we are insensibly led to far nobler speculations and sublimer meditations.

Washington-Pike-Mathematics-Science Archive to be Sold

- By Bruce McKinney

A Young Harriet Beecher Stowe

I hope and trust that the Work will ultimately prove not less profitable than reputable to yourself. It seems to have been conceded, on all hands, that such a System was much wanted. Its merits being established by the approbation of competent Judges, I flatter myself that the idea of its being an American production, and the first of the kind which has appeared, will induce every patriotic and liberal character ti give it all the countenance and patronage in his power. In all events, you may rest assured, that, as no person takes more interest in the encouragement of American Genius, so no one will be more highly gratified with the success of your ingenious, arduous and useful undertaking than he, who has the unfeigned please to subscribe himself.

Yours,

Geo. Washington"

The other items in the lot are Mr. Pike's annotated copy of his work, his manuscript diaries or notebooks in which he develops his ideas and illustrates them over three decades [1764-1796], and the broadside announcing this project to printers and other interested parties in 1786, the text [in part] as follows:

"Proposals for publishing a complete system of arithmetic more comprehensive and intelligible than any extant, with demonstrations of the several rules, & other useful matter, as the method of making taxes, &... by Nicholas Pike..." Of this ephemera only one other copy is known.

A modest estimate for this lot would be $15,000 to $25,000 with the bid opening at $7,500. The hammer will probably fall between $35,000 and $65,000. But given the uncertain economy no one knows what the outcome will be. What's certain is that the buyer will not be disappointed.

For those whose attention is now drawn to the sale there are several other interesting items. One is an early painted portrait of Harriet Beecher Stowe. Ms. Stowe, the author of ten books, published Uncle Tom's Cabin in 1852, an elaboration on the book in 1853 and Dred, another novel on the same theme, in 1856. These works earned her a unique place in the anti-slavery movement that elected Lincoln to the Presidency in 1860 and were a factor in the outbreak of Civil War in 1861. For an institution or collector such a portrait will no doubt become an important acquisition. No estimate has yet been established.

Finally there is a Lincoln appointment dated 1864. Between speeches and intrigues Mr. Lincoln found time to meet prospective postmasters and judges as well as the simply interested and interesting who passed through Washington. He was famous for his open door. Whether the recipient of this appointment sat with Lincoln is unknown. What's offered here is the reward or punishment of judgeship for one Ammi Giddins of Connecticut to the office of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Montana. No doubt you could, in that era, have bought a significant part of the state for what a Lincoln collector will pay today for this document.

[10/8] Subsequent to the release of this article the auction house placed an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000 on the lot. It was then pointed out to me by Leigh Stein of Eveleigh Books that the Washington-Pike lot had been offered by Sotheby's in 2000 with an estimate of $25,000 to $35,000 and failed to attract a bid. Sotheby's description was highly detailed. Click here to see this lot description. The market today is weaker, not stronger than it was in 2000. How this lot will fare is anyone's guess.

[10/9] When the auction house learned of this lot's prior history they discussed the situation with the consignors who immediately agreed to a reduced estimate of $20,000 to $40,000. The starting bid is expected to be well below the low estimate.

For a closer look at these items and others offered in this sale on October 19th click here.