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American Imprints to 1800 From William Reese Early American Imprints from William Reese Co. By Michael Stillman The William Reese Company's latest catalogue, "Early American Imprints to 1800," offers a wide selection of 18th century printed Americana. There are many items from the colonial period, Revolutionary War era, and the early days of the new nation. At one end we hear the stern voices of the Mathers, at the other, the liberal democratic views of Jefferson, and even early abolitionist works. America came a long way during that period, with the explosive change arriving in the last quarter century. Speaking of those fun-loving Mathers, Cotton wrote the biography of his father when the latter died. It's called Parentator. Memoires of Remarkables in the Life and the Death of the Ever-Memorable Dr. Increase Mather. Who Expired. August 23, 1723. Parentator? Is that what Arnold Schwarzenegger's children call him? Increase must have been a tough guy all right, what with beating down all of those witches. Item 7. Priced at $10,000. John Wise had a bit more progressive view of religion. In his The Churches Quarrel Espoused: or, a Reply in Satyre.... he counters the Mathers' attempt to concentrate ecclesiastical power in clerical associations. Wise promoted more power in the hands of individual churches, a position which Reese explains earned him the label "the first great American democrat." Item 3 is a second edition from 1715. $2,500. William Currie counters Quaker pacifism in his book A Treatise on the Lawfulness of Defensive War, from 1748. It is a response to a book by John Smith in which the latter concluded the doctrines of Christianity and war could not be reconciled. Currie argues that war was permitted in the Old Testament and that Christian states would fall to slavery and oppression if not permitted to defend themselves. This 1748 treatise bears the printing imprint of one Benjamin Franklin of Philadelphia. Item 19. $10,000. This pamphlet proved something of an embarrassment to Mr. Franklin a quarter of a century later. It is titled The Representations of Governor Hutchinson, and Others, Contained in Certain Letters Transmitted to England.... Thomas Hutchinson was the Governor of Massachusetts in 1773, and he did not have a very high opinion of the colonists, nor did they of he. In his letters back home, Hutchinson implored the British to use force against the restive colonists. Somehow, the letters got into the hands of Franklin, then colonial agent for Pennsylvania. Franklin made them available to colonial leaders in Massachusetts on the condition they not be made public. Instead, they were published in the Boston Gazette, and later as pamphlets. Franklin was reprimanded and embarrassed, but the result of the publication of the letters was deepening hostility toward British authority and the flight of Hutchinson from the colonies. Item 49. $2,500.
American Imprints to 1800 From William Reese Early American book of jokes, some of which are even said to be funny. Rev. Solomon Williams preached a sermon on December 3, 1775, in response to a deep family tragedy for one of Connecticut's foremost families. Mrs. Faith Huntington was the daughter of Governor Jonathan Trumbull, Jr., and her husband, Colonel Jedediah Huntington, served the patriots in the early stages of the Revolution. Mrs. Huntington reportedly witnessed the battle of Bunker Hill, and it sent her into such a state of depression that it "deprived her of reason," such that she took her own life. Rev. Williams had been Faith's father's theology professor at Harvard, and he too died before this sermon was printed in 1777. It's title is The Greatness and Sovereignty of God, Sufficient Reason to Silence Man's Complaint of His Providence, and Put a Stop to Our Striving Against Him. A Sermon Delivered....After the News of the Untimely Death of Mrs. Faith Huntington.... Item 83. $750. For those who thought the Abolitionist movement was just a 19th century phenomenon, this great conflict that would split the nation less than four score years later was already brewing even before the Constitution was adopted. In 1787, the Pennsylvania Society published The Constitution of the Pennsylvania Society, for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery, and the Relief of Free Negroes, Unlawfully Held in Bondage.... This was no fringe group. Its president was Benjamin Franklin, and other officers included patriots Benjamin Rush, Tench Coxe, and Thomas Paine. Nor was this just a post-Revolutionary society, it having been formed in 1774 while America was still a British colony, primarily by Pennsylvania's Quakers. As a result of their work, Pennsylvania would adopt stricter measures against the slave trade in 1788. Item 131. $3,250. Here's another early anti-slavery petition, memorializing a presentation made to Congress on December 8, 1791. The title is Memorials Presented to the Congress....by the Different Societies Instituted for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery.... The states represented by these societies were mostly northern, but Virginia is also represented. Leaders of each of the societies represented spoke before the Congress. The book tells us that the petitions were "referred to a select committee." Even then this was a euphemism for "buried." Item 169. $3,750.
American Imprints to 1800 From William Reese none Rev. William Linn was the first chaplain of the House of Representatives, and he was evidently no fan of Thomas Jefferson's religious views. In 1800 he published Serious Considerations on the Election of a President: Addressed to the Citizens of the United States. In a theme that has been reenacted religiously for centuries, Linn opposes Jefferson "singly upon his disbelief of the Holy Scriptures, or in other words, his rejection of the Christian religion and open professions of Deism." The Deists believed in God, but rejected divine revelation. Evidently Jefferson had questioned certain literal interpretations of the Bible, for example, asking how Noah's flood could have covered the whole earth based on the volume of water available to do so. To Linn this was proof that Jefferson was unworthy of election. He then goes on to say that having an infidel as a dictator would be bad enough, but if freely chosen leader by the people, this would constitute an open rebellion against God. Despite the attacks, Jefferson's political career survived and he went on to be elected president. Item 239. $750. A response to this pamphlet was soon prepared (anonymously) by DeWitt Clinton. Clinton would himself go on to be a presidential candidate (losing to James Madison), New York governor, and a driving force behind the construction of the Erie Canal. In his response, Clinton describes Linn as one "who with Christian meekness in his mouth, and hell-born malice in his heart, attempts to enlist religion on the side of faction, to blacken the reputation of a distinguished character, and to mislead his fellow-citizens on a point in which their essential political interests are deeply involved." Hmm. There are also a few firsts or near-firsts. Item 123, Arbustrum Americanum: The American Grove.... by Humphrey Marshall is the first American work on trees. From 1785. $3,500. Item 145, The Power of Sympathy.... by William Hill Brown is described as "the first American 'novel.'" Printed by Isaiah Thomas in 1789. Item 145. $10,000. Item 211, by Asher Benjamin, The Country Builder's Assistant.... is the first American architectural book. This is a Greenfield 1797 first edition. Item 211. $12,500. Item 210, The Merry Fellow's Companion; or American Jest Book.... (the 1797 edition) is described as the third published work of American humor. Reese describes this as "a varied collection of stories (some lacking any point), anecdotes regarding well known persons, and outright jokes." He goes on to say, "Some are even funny." Item 210. $1,750. We will close with a copy of the official Funeral Oration of George Washington, who died at the century's end. This was given in Congress by Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee, who had served under Washington in the Revolution and helped put down the Whiskey Rebellion for his mentor. Lee's oration is remembered for the quote about Washington, "first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen...." It was Lee's son, Robert E., who would attempt to tear down the nation Washington, with Lee, Sr.'s, help, built. Item 249. $7,500. The William Reese Company can be found online at www.reeseco.com. The items in this catalogue, and more from that era, are posted on the site. Their phone number is 203-789-8081.

American Imprints to 1800 From William Reese

Early American Imprints from William Reese Co.

By Michael Stillman

The William Reese Company's latest catalogue, "Early American Imprints to 1800," offers a wide selection of 18th century printed Americana. There are many items from the colonial period, Revolutionary War era, and the early days of the new nation. At one end we hear the stern voices of the Mathers, at the other, the liberal democratic views of Jefferson, and even early abolitionist works. America came a long way during that period, with the explosive change arriving in the last quarter century.

Speaking of those fun-loving Mathers, Cotton wrote the biography of his father when the latter died. It's called Parentator. Memoires of Remarkables in the Life and the Death of the Ever-Memorable Dr. Increase Mather. Who Expired. August 23, 1723. Parentator? Is that what Arnold Schwarzenegger's children call him? Increase must have been a tough guy all right, what with beating down all of those witches. Item 7. Priced at $10,000.

John Wise had a bit more progressive view of religion. In his The Churches Quarrel Espoused: or, a Reply in Satyre.... he counters the Mathers' attempt to concentrate ecclesiastical power in clerical associations. Wise promoted more power in the hands of individual churches, a position which Reese explains earned him the label "the first great American democrat." Item 3 is a second edition from 1715. $2,500.

William Currie counters Quaker pacifism in his book A Treatise on the Lawfulness of Defensive War, from 1748. It is a response to a book by John Smith in which the latter concluded the doctrines of Christianity and war could not be reconciled. Currie argues that war was permitted in the Old Testament and that Christian states would fall to slavery and oppression if not permitted to defend themselves. This 1748 treatise bears the printing imprint of one Benjamin Franklin of Philadelphia. Item 19. $10,000.

This pamphlet proved something of an embarrassment to Mr. Franklin a quarter of a century later. It is titled The Representations of Governor Hutchinson, and Others, Contained in Certain Letters Transmitted to England.... Thomas Hutchinson was the Governor of Massachusetts in 1773, and he did not have a very high opinion of the colonists, nor did they of he. In his letters back home, Hutchinson implored the British to use force against the restive colonists. Somehow, the letters got into the hands of Franklin, then colonial agent for Pennsylvania. Franklin made them available to colonial leaders in Massachusetts on the condition they not be made public. Instead, they were published in the Boston Gazette, and later as pamphlets. Franklin was reprimanded and embarrassed, but the result of the publication of the letters was deepening hostility toward British authority and the flight of Hutchinson from the colonies. Item 49. $2,500.

American Imprints to 1800 From William Reese

Early American book of jokes, some of which are even said to be funny.

Rev. Solomon Williams preached a sermon on December 3, 1775, in response to a deep family tragedy for one of Connecticut's foremost families. Mrs. Faith Huntington was the daughter of Governor Jonathan Trumbull, Jr., and her husband, Colonel Jedediah Huntington, served the patriots in the early stages of the Revolution. Mrs. Huntington reportedly witnessed the battle of Bunker Hill, and it sent her into such a state of depression that it "deprived her of reason," such that she took her own life. Rev. Williams had been Faith's father's theology professor at Harvard, and he too died before this sermon was printed in 1777. It's title is The Greatness and Sovereignty of God, Sufficient Reason to Silence Man's Complaint of His Providence, and Put a Stop to Our Striving Against Him. A Sermon Delivered....After the News of the Untimely Death of Mrs. Faith Huntington.... Item 83. $750.

For those who thought the Abolitionist movement was just a 19th century phenomenon, this great conflict that would split the nation less than four score years later was already brewing even before the Constitution was adopted. In 1787, the Pennsylvania Society published The Constitution of the Pennsylvania Society, for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery, and the Relief of Free Negroes, Unlawfully Held in Bondage.... This was no fringe group. Its president was Benjamin Franklin, and other officers included patriots Benjamin Rush, Tench Coxe, and Thomas Paine. Nor was this just a post-Revolutionary society, it having been formed in 1774 while America was still a British colony, primarily by Pennsylvania's Quakers. As a result of their work, Pennsylvania would adopt stricter measures against the slave trade in 1788. Item 131. $3,250.

Here's another early anti-slavery petition, memorializing a presentation made to Congress on December 8, 1791. The title is Memorials Presented to the Congress....by the Different Societies Instituted for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery.... The states represented by these societies were mostly northern, but Virginia is also represented. Leaders of each of the societies represented spoke before the Congress. The book tells us that the petitions were "referred to a select committee." Even then this was a euphemism for "buried." Item 169. $3,750.

American Imprints to 1800 From William Reese

none

Rev. William Linn was the first chaplain of the House of Representatives, and he was evidently no fan of Thomas Jefferson's religious views. In 1800 he published Serious Considerations on the Election of a President: Addressed to the Citizens of the United States. In a theme that has been reenacted religiously for centuries, Linn opposes Jefferson "singly upon his disbelief of the Holy Scriptures, or in other words, his rejection of the Christian religion and open professions of Deism." The Deists believed in God, but rejected divine revelation. Evidently Jefferson had questioned certain literal interpretations of the Bible, for example, asking how Noah's flood could have covered the whole earth based on the volume of water available to do so. To Linn this was proof that Jefferson was unworthy of election. He then goes on to say that having an infidel as a dictator would be bad enough, but if freely chosen leader by the people, this would constitute an open rebellion against God. Despite the attacks, Jefferson's political career survived and he went on to be elected president. Item 239. $750. A response to this pamphlet was soon prepared (anonymously) by DeWitt Clinton. Clinton would himself go on to be a presidential candidate (losing to James Madison), New York governor, and a driving force behind the construction of the Erie Canal. In his response, Clinton describes Linn as one "who with Christian meekness in his mouth, and hell-born malice in his heart, attempts to enlist religion on the side of faction, to blacken the reputation of a distinguished character, and to mislead his fellow-citizens on a point in which their essential political interests are deeply involved." Hmm.

There are also a few firsts or near-firsts. Item 123, Arbustrum Americanum: The American Grove.... by Humphrey Marshall is the first American work on trees. From 1785. $3,500. Item 145, The Power of Sympathy.... by William Hill Brown is described as "the first American 'novel.'" Printed by Isaiah Thomas in 1789. Item 145. $10,000. Item 211, by Asher Benjamin, The Country Builder's Assistant.... is the first American architectural book. This is a Greenfield 1797 first edition. Item 211. $12,500. Item 210, The Merry Fellow's Companion; or American Jest Book.... (the 1797 edition) is described as the third published work of American humor. Reese describes this as "a varied collection of stories (some lacking any point), anecdotes regarding well known persons, and outright jokes." He goes on to say, "Some are even funny." Item 210. $1,750.

We will close with a copy of the official Funeral Oration of George Washington, who died at the century's end. This was given in Congress by Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee, who had served under Washington in the Revolution and helped put down the Whiskey Rebellion for his mentor. Lee's oration is remembered for the quote about Washington, "first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen...." It was Lee's son, Robert E., who would attempt to tear down the nation Washington, with Lee, Sr.'s, help, built. Item 249. $7,500.

The William Reese Company can be found online at www.reeseco.com. The items in this catalogue, and more from that era, are posted on the site. Their phone number is 203-789-8081.