Literature, Art and Science from Manhattan Rare Book
A Selection of Fine Books from the Manhattan Rare Book Company.
By Michael Stillman
The Manhattan Rare Book Company has sent out its latest Selection of Fine Books, and they are fine indeed. This is not a long list, but it contains some of the greatest literature, artistic and scientific works of the past few centuries. Collectors of first editions will be particularly interested in this list. Here are a few of the items available.
It may not present the most interesting reading, but it is an important manual in the history of American government. Thomas Jefferson served as the presiding officer of the senate after his election as vice-president in 1796. He used that experience to codify the senate's rules of procedure, many of which remain in effect today. Jefferson's treatise is titled Manual of Parliamentary Practice for Use of the Senate of the United States. Priced at $9,000.
This next book may not be particularly popular with hunters, but it has delighted and horrified children for three-quarters of a century. The book is Bambi A Life in the Woods, by Felix Salten. The horror, of course, is when Bambi's father is taken down by hunters, but the young buck does go on to have a very successful, and endearing career. Originally published in German in 1923, this copy is of the first English language edition from 1928. $2,500.
This is not a particularly rare item, but demand is so great that there are never enough copies to go around. It is certainly one of the most collectible American novels of all time. Offered is a first edition, first issue of Margaret Mitchell's classic Gone With The Wind. If not everyone has read this book, at least everyone has seen the movie. $2,200.
William Blake is noted for both his poetry and his engravings. If not the best known of literary figures, he has one of the most loyal of followings among collectors. If you happen to be one, here is a copy of his Songs of Innocence and of Experience. Published in 1839, this is the scarce first printed edition of this work published after Blake's death. It helped lift Blake from total obscurity to at least modest recognition among the general public. $8,000.
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Literature, Art and Science from Manhattan Rare Book
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"Today the challenge of political courage looms larger than ever before." Those words are likely as true today as they were when first penned by John F. Kennedy in 1955. In his book Profiles In Courage, Kennedy goes on to say, "Our political life is becoming so expensive, so mechanized and so dominated by professional politicians and public relations men that the idealist who dreams of independent statesmanship is rudely awakened by the necessities of election and accomplishment." Half a century has passed since JFK made this observation. What has been done to correct the problem? $1,500.
Lise Meiner and O.R. Frisch published their groundbreaking report on nuclear fission in the February 11, 1939 issue of Nature magazine. Frisch had suggested the term "fission" to describe the reaction as it reminded him of the division of living cells. The article is titled Disintegration of Uranium by Neutrons: a New Type of Nuclear Reaction. In response to their discovery, physicist Leo Szilard would note that he saw another, less pleasant direction than nuclear energy this development might lead to, an atomic bomb. Six years later, the atomic era would be launched in the closing days of the Second World War, and that deadly weapon still casts its shadow of fear over the world today. $2,200.
The Manhattan Rare Book Company can be found online at www.manhattanrarebooks.com, phone number 212-326-8907.
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