Rare Book Monthly

Book Catalogue Reviews - November - 2012 Issue

Rare Latin Americana from the William Reese Company

Rare Latin Americana.

The 296th catalogue from the William Reese Company features Rare Latin Americana. It ranges from the early days of European contact to the end of the 19th century. Through the first three centuries of this period, most of this land was under Spanish control. Then, Spain had some problems with Napoleon and their grip on the far-flung empire began to loosen. Soon enough, the nations of South and Central America would be independent, though challenges would remain, as they do even now. Here are some of the items, many newly acquired, in this latest Reese catalogue.

Item 18 is one of the “foundation works” on the New World, La Historia del Mundo Nuovo... by Girolamo Benzoni. Published in 1565, it is the first work based on personal observation of the New World by a non-Spaniard. Not much is known about Benzoni. He came from Milan and spent 14 years in Spanish America. Why he chose to go there or what he did is unclear, though he clearly was involved in mercantile activities. The Spanish, who didn't much appreciate foreigners in their midst, probably made it hard for Benzoni to conduct business, and it led to his strong dislike for them. His work is highly critical of the Spanish, and if some of it may have been motivated by revenge, his criticism was well-founded. He denounces their brutal treatment of the Indians and the importation of African slaves. He provides much information about the natives at a time before they were totally changed by European influences. He also provides early accounts of native plants, including the use of tobacco, chocolate, and banana trees. Priced at $28,000.

Melchor Calderon provides a discussion of slavery of native Indians, its pros and cons, in his book Tratado de la importancia y utilidad que ay en dar por esclavos a los indios rebelados de Chile. Today, we wouldn't have much trouble identifying the winner of this debate, but this tract was written around 1601. It was addressed by Calderon to the Viceroy of Peru. On the pro side, he says that traditionally military victors are compensated by the the award of slaves, and some of these Indians were particularly violent. On the other side, he notes that it is hard to distinguish which Indians were fighting the Spanish and which were not, and that many have displayed their obedience to church and crown. Item 31. $22,500.

It would take 300 years, but early in the 19th century, events rapidly began to cause the Spanish rule of America to crumble. The primary cause was a Frenchman named Napoleon. In 1808, he invaded Spain and took control of the government. It left a power vacuum in America, which, as we know from the Louisiana Purchase, was not Napoleon's prime concern. In 1810, a revolution took place in Caracas, and the French/Spanish viceroy was overthrown. Item 174 is a broadside proclamation by Francisco Rivas y Galindo from April 20, 1810. He announces the revolution and calls on the other provinces of Venezuela to join them. Interestingly, these early days weren't quite so independence-minded as one might think. The call for revolution was made in the name of the exiled Spanish Cortes and the captive king Ferdinand VII as the legitimate ruler of Spain (Napoleon had placed his brother Joseph in charge of Spain). However, it would not be long before many of the revolutionaries would seek total independence, and even after Spain was freed of Napoleon, it never regained full control over Latin America. Independence would come throughout the land by the 1820s. $20,000.

Item 21 is a broadside of Simon Bolivar's resignation as President of Gran Columbia, the predecessor of what is today Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, and part of Peru. It is dated February 6, 1827, and is headed El Presidente de la Honorable Camara del Seando. There was much in the way of instability in the government at the time, and to relieve these pressures, Bolivar offered to resign. Bolivar notes that there are suspicions that he plans to become a dictator, so to alleviate these concerns, he, like George Washington, will voluntarily leave office. The Congress declined to accept Bolivar's resignation, and Bolivar would later proclaim himself dictator for life, though this would be from beneficent motives, not a lust for power, as we shall see with the next item. $17,500.

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    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: [Langland (William)]. The vision of Pierce Plowman, nowe the seconde time imprinted..., Roberte Crowley, 1550. £8,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: [Shakespeare (William)]. [Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies], second folio edition, [by Tho.Cotes, for Robert Allot], [1632]. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Bible, Czech Biblia Bohemica, first complete Bible printed in the Czech vernacular, Prague, August 1488. £30,000 to £40,000.
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    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: Shabthai Tzvi.- Collection of four printed and illustrated broadsides detailing the appearance, rise and fall of the false messiah, Shabthai Tzvi, Augsburg, 1666-67. £40,000 to £60,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Leaf from the Beauvais Missal, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment, [Northern France (perhaps Beauvais or Amiens)], [fourteenth century (c.1310)]. £4,000 to £6,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Aubrey (John). [Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme], manuscript in English, Latin and Greek, [c. 1693]. £30,000 to £50,000.
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    Forum Mar. 28: Byron (George Gordon Noel, Lord). Poems on Various Occasions, first edition, Harriet Maltby's copy, Newark, Printed by S. & J. Ridge, 1807. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Tolkien (J.R.R.) The Hobbit, first edition, second impression with dust-jacket, 1937 [but 1938]. £7,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Blake (William).- Thornton (Robert John). The Pastorals of Virgil, 2 vol., engraved plates by William Blake, 1821. £8,000 to £12,000.
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    Forum Mar. 28: America.- Mount (William J.) & Thomas Page. The English Pilot…, [bound with] The Fourth Book, describing The West Indies Navigation from Hudson's-Bay to the River Amazones, 1721. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Oldfield (Henry Ambrose), Rajman Singh Chitrakar & others. An album of 160 photographs and 13 original artworks, (1833-1919), [c. 1850s-1880s]. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Audubon (John James) [and William MacGillivray]. Ornithological Biography…, 5 vol., first edition, presentation copy inscribed by Audubon, Edinburgh, 1831-49 [i.e. 1831-39]. £10,000 to £15,000.
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    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Salvador Dalí, Lewis Carroll. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Finely Bound and Signed Limited Edition. 15,000 USD
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  • Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG BEADED JUDICIAL COLLAR. $80,000 - $120,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: ONLY KNOWN COPY OF THE ONLY BOOK BY THE REMARKABLE EVE ADAMS. $8,000 - $12,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A COMPLETE RUN OF VISIONAIRE MAGAZINE THROUGH 2010. $6,000 - $9,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: LAW REVIEW OFFPRINT SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY RUTH BADER GINSBURG. $3,000 - $5,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: META REBNER'S WORKING SCRIPT OF THE LOVED ONE. $1,500 - $2,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A KATHY GROVE PORTRAIT OF CYNDI LAUPER FOR THE FEBRUARY 1989 DETAILS COVER. $800 - $1,200
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A PLASTIC COAT BY MILLIE DAVID FEATURED IN SOHO NEWS STYLE SECTION, FROM THE COLLECTION OF ANNIE FLANDERS. $500 - $700
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG JEWELRY BOX. $600 - $900
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A SET OF JONI MITCHELL LYRICS FOR "IF I HAD A HEART." $2,000 - $3,000
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    19th Century Shop. Shakespeare’s Poems, first collected edition
    19th Century Shop. Walt Whitman portrait inscribed with a Leaves of Grass poem
    19th Century Shop. Major Elizabeth Barrett Browning manuscript notebook
    19th Century Shop. Spock's Baby Book, original MS
    19th Century Shop. Cellarius, Harmonia Macrocosmica, the great celestial atlas
  • Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [RUTH, George Herman “Babe” (1895-1948)]. Signed photograph. Circa 1930s. 191 x 248 mm. $1,500 to $2,500.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HARRISON, Benjamin. Document signed (“Benj Harrison”) as governor of Virginia, certifying the service of Daniel Cumbo, a Black Revolutionary soldier. $6,000 to $9,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: ONE OF THE FIRST PRINTED ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
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    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: FIRST PRINTING OF LINCOLN’S IMMORTAL GETTYSBURG ADDRESS. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HIGHLY IMPORTANT MORMON ARCHIVE. ALLEY, George. Archive of 23 Autograph Letters Signed by Mormon Convert George Alley to His Brother Joseph Alley. $10,000 to $20,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [AVIATION]. [ARMSTRONG, Neil A.] Aviation Hall of Fame Gold Medal MS64 NGC, Awarded to Neil Armstrong in 1979. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
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    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: NEWLY DISCOVERED FIRST PRINTING OF "WITH MALICE TOWARDS NONE... " FROM THE ONLY NEWSPAPER ACTUALLY ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN LINCOLN’S SECOND INAUGURAL PROCESSION. $4,000 to $8,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: THE MOST IMPORTANT GEORGE WASHINGTON DOCUMENT IN PRIVATE HANDS; GEORGE WASHINGTON’S COMMISSION AS COMMANDER IN CHIEF, 1775, ONE OF ONLY TWO ORIGINALS. $150,000 to $250,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: A VERY RARE ACCOUNT OF BLACKBEARD’S DEATH AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PIRATE ITEMS EXTANT. $3,000 to $5,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
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    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: EDISON, Thomas. Patent for Edison’s Improvements on the Electric-Light, No. 219,628. [Washington, D.C.: U.S. Patent Office], 16 September 1879. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [VIETNAM WAR]. The original pen used by Secretary of State William P. Rogers to sign the Vietnam Peace Agreement, Paris, 27 January 1973. $10,000 to $15,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: SONS OF LIBERTY FOUNDER COLONEL BARRÉ ANNOTATED TITLE-PAGE, “WHICH OUGHT TO ROUSE UP BRITISH ATTENTION”. $4,000 to $6,000.

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