Rare Books Blog by Calix Books

Antiques, Books and Ephemera

Sometimes when we go hunting for rare books, rare ephemera and antiques, some items we find strike our fancy. In this week's picking case we found a couple of items that are outside of our normal Antiquarian books and rare ephemera items that we go looking for and sometimes, that's what you should do as well. We buy items first on quality and unusual or rare occurance. The first item we found at Todd's farm, a mere 45 minutes up and back, up route 1A and back Route 1 (because its faster). Is this Avery scale: Click the picture and an new window will open for you.

The first item we bought on site and from an old dealer friend of mine was an antique, brass and iron Avery store scale that measures nearly 31 inches from base to top and weighs nearly 15 pounds. It is marked Avery with a model number on the bottom and it struck us as a very rare item in such good condition. My dealer buddie said in the 35 years picking and selling, he has had only two of these. It hasn't really been futzed with too much or too buggered as we say in the trade. What it doesn't have are the corresponding Avery weights for up to seven pounds (if it did, this baby would be worth twice what it is currently). Avery was a weight manufacturer from the 1760's all the way until 1918. The new Avery Berkel scales company is not the same company as these scales are often referred to as Avery Scales as well. On closer examination and you can see more pictures by following the link as the scales are for sale on our eBay website, the details of the workmanship is stunning. This is a product that was designed, built and made to last.

So sometimes, hunting for something else, leads you to another interesting find. This scale will make a great addition to someone's interior design. Filled with potpouri, properly balanced of course, is just one application. A stunning visual artifact from the 1800's, even though it's not a Rare First Edition, it is in fact a valuable and rare antique as many of these scales got tossed, melted or sold for scrap metal.

What Makes a Rare Book, Rare?

What makes a rare book, rare? Good question and here are some hints as to finding out just how rare your book might be. Rare books are not always about price, odd as that may sound. You can have a modern first edition signed by Rowling that will sell for $30,000 and a First Edition Incunabula printed in 1478 selling for $15,000. Nearly 420 plus years of age difference but yet the more rare incunabula may be priced well below the modern first edition. Happens all the time. So the bottom line is that price does not always indicate 'rareness'.

Here are some ways you can find out about the price of your rare book and get some indication as to its rarity. There are a number of very good bookseller associations that provide online searching for free, mainly because it is a form of advertising for booksellers to you, the potential book buyer and customer. The booksellers that are members all must have stores where there books, especially their rare books and rare ephemera can be purchased by the 'walk in trade' or their rare books are sold online. Why? Well many of the world's libraries are connected to ILAB, ABE and Alibris so when a librarian does a search on the global database of books owned by all the libraries, they have the option of clicking one of these links and finding out if the book is availble, from whom and how much the rare book sells for and how many copies are availble of this rare book online. Whether the book is a first edition, signed Rowling book selling for $30,000 or a rare incunabula, selling for $15,000. You will be using the same databases that rare book rooms in libraries use to acquire books in the open market.

Just click on these links and a new page will open up for you.

They are:

Advanced Book Exchange

Alibris

Biblion (UK)

International League of Antiquarian Booksellers

Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America

You will notice that on all the sites there is an advanced search option, I suggest that you use this and provide a description of the book such as author, title (if the title is too long, shorten it), year of publication (usually from when to when dates) and then finally publisher. If your book doesn't show up, don't fret and it doesn't mean that it is rare, it only means that none of the dealers have the books in stock.

So what makes a rare book rare? An incunabula (printed before 1500), where there may only be a handfull of copies in the world can actually sell well below the price of a modern first edition. Again, price does NOT an indicator of Rarity of a Book. Booksellers and rare book dealers tend to specialize in areas of interest and some focus on building an expertise in particular rare book areas of collecting, selling and buying. A combination of demand, limited supply and book quality all make up the condition known as a 'rare book'. So don't just put your book up for auction on eBay, if you think you have a rare book, ask someone to give you an appraisal or if you want to sell it, ask a dealer to sell it for you!

1655 Rare Ephemera Kenebec Land Deed Native Americans

Rare Native American land deeds, even such as this one, copied around 1711 by the grand son, Josiah Cotton (1680-1756) of John Cotton (1585-1652) who was one of the Massachusetts Bay Colony founders. This particular deed lays out the territory that was purchased from the original founders because of constant encroachment, tribal wars and other more difficult matters to "Antipas Boies, Edward Tyng, Thomas Brattle and John Winslow of the Four of Boston in the County of Suffolk in the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts in New England in America". Truly a rare ephemera item sold only on eBay auction: Click the image or the eBay icon to bid!

The territory was about 1,500,000 acres of land and is bordered by rivers, most notably, the Kennebec River. Since the Cotton's had access to most of the records kept during the early days of the founding of our country, this particular 'copy' was made by Josiah Cotton when he was a 'registrar' for the Plymouth county and it is so noted in his history. He had taught many times amongst the Native American peoples, both religion as well as other matters of society, government and laws. During this time, the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or the Massachusetts Bay Colony were based upon English law. This copied document is a very rare item, finding its way to an auction, where we purchased it. The document is laid on watermarked paper and although toned, stained and with minor creases, tears and other usual annomalies, it is undoubtedly one of the rarest of ephemera items we have had in our inventory.

“1655 Prence (Presence) God 

A Deed appointed to be recorded. 

This indenture of the twenty seventh day of October Anno Donal One thousand six hundred Sixty one, made between the General Coast for the Jurisdiction of Plymouth in New England in America in the Behalf of the said Colony on the one Part and Antipas Boies, Edward Tyng, Thomas Brattle and John Winslow of the Four of Boston in the County of Suffolk in the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts in New England in America aforesaid merchants on the other Past, Wilsoforth that whereas our late loved Lord King James for the advancement of a Colony and Plantation in the Countrey called or known by the name of New England in America by his Highness Letters, Letters Patents and as the Great Seal of England bearing Date at Westminster the Kind day of November in the Eighteenth Year of his Highness Reign of England & c. does Give Grant and Confirm unto the Right Honorable…”

Rare Ephemera Picking Todd's Farm!

Finding Rare Photographs and Ephemera at your local flea market and picker's market is not as hard as it seems if you know what you are looking for and if the price is right, a rare combination but with the Walker photographs, we got lucky. We have found lots of rare ephemera, rare books and rare photographs on our forays to Todd's Farm in Rowley, Massachusetts, but our recent acquisition of the works of Paul H. Walker, a sometimes photographer and a sometimes lawyer that lived and worked and photographed, large format Black and White nature photos as well as some indoor light study photos are being offered at our auction on eBayfor the next seven days.

What we found delightful is the large format pictures that Walker had snapped. He composed many of these photos after the classic style, sometimes looking to the nature photographs of Ansel Adams for inspiration, the effects of studying how Adams formated his pictures are definitive in Walker's works. As with all rare photographs and ephemera, we sell our products only online!

Rare Books Navy Ships 1549

Rare books and ephemera sold only on line in our eBay bookstore are up for auction! We have some very high quality items in the auction that are already reasonably reserved to market! Check it out or forward to a friend who is a book collector!

 

This 16th century book is at the auction! Click on any of the pictures or the eBay logo and it will take you there to the rare book auction online.  A very rare and great book retaining its original vellum binding. Printed in 1549 and only 26 libraries have this copy with no copies available.

Want to save some money? Then now is the time to buy! The economy is improving and book prices are sure to go up! They tend to do so dramatically especially following a pick up in the economy. Why? People are looking for ways to divest their holdings into investments that can be liquidated. Books, especially rare books are a limited supply item and everytime a Library buys one, it takes that book completely out of circulation (at least in our lifetimes anyway, Libraries generally don't sell off collections unless they go bankrupt or are merged or bought by another not-for-profit. Don't forget to check out our other auction sales as well! Good luck and thanks for taking the time to view our items!

Calixbooks, rare ephemera and rare books at fair prices sold only online!

 

Rare Ephemera Nicholas Biddle Autograph

Rare ephemera manuscript writings by Nicholas Biddle 1832. Found at Todd's Farm! All you have to do is look! Rare ephemera online by Calix Books.

The four Stanza hand written poem is found in 'The Pearl; or Affection's Gift. Christmas and New Year's Present.' Philadelphia: Thomas T. Ash-Chestnut Street. 1832. The four stanza work can be found in this edition but it is not ascribed to anyone. In our hand written manuscript copy it is ascribed to 'Chapman' by Biddle in 1832. This is Nicholas Biddle manuscript copies of perhaps an additional work he was creating for publication. Two sheets written on Water Marked Paper 'Amies Philad a' with a dove and a branch in its beak on the second page. Signed N. Biddle and then Biddle 1832.

Also copied is 'The Young Novice' by Miss Mitford and a poem written and incorporated into the work entitled "Ode to Bogle" by Nicholas Biddle, first published by Biddle in 1820. Extremely rare and important manuscript material from a Pennsylvania man who had a large influence on the finances of the United States...

On August 26, 1831, Biddle's brother, Thomas, a War of 1812 hero, was killed in a duel on Bloody Island (Mississippi River) at St. Louis, Missouri with Congressman Spencer Pettis. Thomas had taken offense to Pettis' criticizing Nicholas at the bank. After an exchange of letters to the editor Biddle accosted an ill Pettis in his hotel room. After Pettis recovered he challenged Thomas to a duel and both were killed when they exchanged shots from just five feet apart. The "Bank War" of 1832–36 was initiated by Biddle when he decided to apply for the Bank's re-charter four years before the charter was scheduled to expire. Until 1832, Jackson, for three years, had ignored the Bank and Biddle. But, once challenged, he decided to veto the bill to re-charter the bank, which was being pushed by Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky in preparation for another Presidential run later that year. Jackson, well-known as a man whom one did not want to anger, still harbored ill will towards Clay from the 1824 Presidential election. Clay's strategy failed, and Jackson gained great support from the public for his veto. Clay lost to Jackson again in November despite massive funding of over $3 million in bankers' support.

In early 1833, Jackson decided to pull the government's funds out of the Bank. The Secretary of the Treasury, Louis McLane, was favorable to the Bank. He refused to withdraw the funds and would not resign, so Jackson removed him as Secretary of the Treasury by appointing him to Secretary of State. His replacement, William Duane, deliberately delayed. After waiting four months, Jackson replaced him as well. The third man, his former Attorney General, Roger B. Taney, complied. The funds were transferred to seven state-chartered banks in late September. This put the Second Bank on the defensive. It had lost its biggest depositor, by far.

To fight back, Biddle decided to shrink the money supply and cause a recession in 1834 in order to force Jackson to accept a re-charter bill. The Bank demanded that old loans be repaid. It made no new loans. There was a brief recession in the first half of 1834, but another bill to re-charter failed in the House on April 4. That was the last time the issue ever came before Congress. And so, the Bank was doomed. Its charter expired in April, 1836. Biddle's friends assert that his non-partisanship provoked Jackson's hostility, a claim denied by Jackson's admirers. After the Bank lost its national charter in April, 1836, it continued to operate erratically as a state-chartered bank, partially causing the Panic of 1837.

In 1839, Biddle resigned from his post of Bank President, and in 1841, the Bank finally failed. Biddle was arrested and charged with fraud; he was later acquitted. He died soon after while still involved in civil suits. He was important in the establishment of Girard College under the provisions of the founder's will. Girard had been the original promoter of the Second Bank and its largest investor. Girard died in 1831.

Rare Book by Shakespeare Head Press Book Kynge Arthur!

A stunning two volume set made in the tradition of William Morris who created a new look in making modern books by using the old techniques for making books and printing them. Morris's company which included everything from designing wall paper to the making and printing of books, re-created some of the most spectacular works printed before 1500.

Here to, Shakespeare Head Press set out and accomplished the goal of re-printing the 1498 Edition 'The Boke of Noble Kyng. Kyng Arthure Somtyme Kynge of Englande and His Noble Actes and Feates of armes of Chyvalrye, and His Noble Knyghtes and Table Rounde and is Deuyeded in to. XXI Bookes. Wynkyn de Worde, Westminster. 1498.

This edition is an exact copy of that rare and unusual work that includes the wood cut engravings found throughout the text. The Elizabethan scholar A. H. Bullen established the Shakespeare Head Press in Stratford-up-Avon in 1904. His original aim was to produce a good edition of Shakespeare's  works, and his ten volume Stratford Town Shakespeare was completed by 1907. After Bullen died in 1927, the press was acquired by a partnership including Basil Blackwell, the Oxford bookseller. Bernard Newdigate was appointed as typographer and under his direction the press worked within the Morris tradition: Ovid's Metamorphoses was the first book he produced as a limited edition. This 1933 limited edition of 350 copies reaches the goal of reproducing a book in the finest, ancient and lasting traditions. This rare book set is the only one we have located and only one other copy is found in the World Catalog of Libraries database. A rare book sold only online by Calix Books.

Heritage Auctions Rare Americana

We will keep this short and to the point. We are listing a number of very rare americana items, ephemera and rare books at the Heritage Auction site.You can view and bid on my entire consignment in auction #6043 at thefollowing link: http://historical.HA.com/common/search_items.php?Sale_No=6043&Consignor_No=59&type=friend-consignorlive-notice&FC=0 You can cut and paste this link and it will take you directly to the items but hurry, auction ends today!

All the best,

Richard Gabriel
Owner
Calix Books
#281
505 Paradise Rd.
Swampscott, MA 01907
781 477 9485 Phone
781 477 9484 FAX
http://www.calixbooks.com

Rare Books Fine Press Limited Editions

In 1932 there was a nifty little publication produced by R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company from Chicago, Illinois. The title of the book is: "You are Invited to View an Exhibition of Finely-Printed Books Since William Morris, of Which this is the Catalogue, at the Lakeside Press Galleries, September, October and November, 1932. Nine to Five, Week-Days." R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company 350 East Twenty-Second Street, Chicago, Illinois. There are 150 rare books listed in this little publication from the presses of 55 companies that were selected during the year as the best books available (for 1930). The most note worthy or the rare book houses represented are Kelmscott Press, Golden Cockerel Press, Ashendene Press, Grabhorn Press, John Nash, Nonesuch Press, Riverside Press, D. B. Updike and many others. The selection is not complete but in the authors view, the ones that are most acceptable to their tastes and that reflect different aspects of the book making business.

We ran through the list of books and found many of them available on the web and through the data bases for Advanced Book Exchange, and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers and priced them at the highest price shown and multiplied that number times the number of books that we searched so far. Their average price over the 55 books that we catalogued so far is a whooping $4,083 per book. We went back and looked at the some of the publication prices and they averaged about $50+ per book and since 1930 that represents a gain of nearly 102% per year over the 80 years. Astounding returns, however that gain should be taken with a huge block of salt, forget the grains. Probably for many years some of these book prices sat flat or actually may have fallen and some of the publishers listed in our little book, have gained less than 1% per year. A large part of the gains are from what we would call the heavy hitters, Kelmscott being one of the heaviest swingers, knocking estimates right out of the park. Why, William Morris…name sound familiar? If not, look him up.

So what’s the message? The message is buy quality, craftsmanship and books from small run numbers for their publications and of course, pristine protection of the asset. You can begin building your collection today but buying Nash, Cockerel, Ashedene and Grabhorn and fill in the collection with modern limited edition runs of the highest quality. If you run across one of these antiquarian books in your attic or your grandfather’s library and you are not sure, call us, email us, write us and don’t put it into a garage sale or just sell it. You might be sitting on a book worth quite a bit of money!

Rare Ephemera: Civil War and Britain

Britain and the American Civil War Rare Ephemera. SOLD AT THE AUCTION 6-15-2010!!!

The rare first edition rare ephemera document, written by George Bemis a preeminent Boston lawyer who was involved in many unique clashes, including the most notorious murder at Harvard Medical School and the prosecution of Harvard Professor John White Webster for the brutal murder of John Parkman (one of the first cases to use forensic evidence in a trial to convict in the U.S.). He was also involved in the pending dispute between the United States and Great Britain over Great Britain's role in supplying men-of-war ships to the confederacy during the conflict, while claiming neutrality in public. The honorable Judge A. H Bullock was a professor at Amherst College and a three time president of the college, first in 1851, then 1862 and finally 1871. Bullock and Bemis obviously knew each other or of each other as they were both very active in public issues and affairs. This piece is a rare item as it has Bemis's signature and a 'with regards' comment to Hon. A. H. Bullock by Bemis.

The focus of this document was on the CSS Alabama, a fast, sail and steam powered ship that confiscated and burned 65 vessels that belonged to Northern supporters or were supplying goods and materials to the North.

The attorney General of Great Britain took the untenable position that Great Britain was in fact ‘neutral’ in accordance with what the United States had done in earlier times, focusing on maritime actions during Washington’s presidency while he attempted to balance the interests of the newly formed United States and the conflict that was fully raging between Great Britain and France. Washington and his administration held a tight fist policy over neutrality and turned and confiscated ships that were either purchased by the French and outfitted for war in a U.S. port or were confiscated by the French and brought to an American port.

Bemis argues that Great Britain’s claim that the U.S. had also behaved badly was in fact a lie made up by the government of Great Britain to save face in the participation of Great Britain and practice of allowing ships like the Alabama not only be built but falsely protected and deliberately changed over to the confederacy in international waters

The Alabama was finally cornered by a U.S. Ship in Cherbourg, France by the USS Kearsarge and the USS St. Louis also proceeded to help blocking the CSS Alabama and its crew from escaping. Captain Raphael Semmes, deciding he would rather fight than watch his ship rot at the dock, sent a message to Captain John Ancrum Winslow the following: ‘My intention is to fight the Kearsarge as soon as I can make the necessary arrangements. I hope these will not detain me more than until to-morrow or the morrow morning at farthest. I beg she will not depart until I am ready to go out. I have the honor to by Your obedient servant, R. Semmes.” The battle was recorded and the Alabama fired nearly 370 rounds at her adversary, about one round per minute while the Kearsarge fired about half that number, instead focusing on accuracy. As it turns out, the Alabama was out gunned and out maneuvered by the Kearsarge and its crew, sinking the Alabama in the harbor. Nearly all the crew, including the Captain of the Alabama escaped to England on a private yacht called the Deerhound, denying Captain Winslow his opportunity to capture Captain Semmes and his crew. The Alabama’s chief medical officer, who remained behind on the ship while the wounded were being offloaded won the Confederate equivalent of the Medal of Honor for his selfless sacrifice in the sure face of death, as he could not swim, rather giving his berth on the rescue boats to the wounded.

During her two year career as a pirate raider for the Confederacy, the CSS Alabama racked up over $6.0 million in damages and the United States Government pursued restitution from Great Britain and won a settlement from Great Britain in 1871 only after the death of Lord Palmerston did Prime Minister Gladstone apologize to the United States while admitting no guilt in the matter and paid $15.5 million in compensation.

Bemis, in his argument with the attorney General of Great Britain, Sir Roundell Palmer, must have been gratified at the award as his circular helped contribute to the eventual settlement by setting the records straight that had been twisted by the British to avoid facing the fact that the Alabama had been built in Britain, armed in Britain and received coal and provision support in British ports across the world. A rare ephemera first edition item with some historical significance combined with a rare autograph of George Bemis.