Autograph Letters Signed
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Exceptionally rare autograph letter signed by George Washington to revolutionary war ally Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau
WASHINGTON, George. [Alexander Hamilton; Rochambeau].
George Washington Autograph Letter Signed.
April 10, 1781.
Exceptionally rare autograph letter signed by George Washington as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army to French ally Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, whose military assistance in the Siege of Yorktown essentially ended the Revolutionary War. The body of the letter is entirely in the hand of Alexander Hamilton and dated 10 April 1781. In the spring of 1781, officials from Massachusetts approached Rochambeau with a proposal to attack the British post at the mouth of the Penobscot river which had been established in June 1779 to secure timber for shipyards in Halifax and to protect Nova Scotia from any American advance. On April 6, Rochambeau informed Washington that he was willing to send a detachment of troops and that Admiral Destouches would offer naval assistance, but observing that he was under Washington’s command, he would await his approval before approving the action (Rochambeau to Washington, 6 April 1781, Papers of George Washington, Library of Congress). Washington here responds offering his gratitude that Destouches, who had only recently lost a naval engagement with the British in an unsuccessful attempt to relieve Lafayette in Virginia, would be willing “to undertake the expedition to Penobscot and to you for your readiness to furnish a detachment of troops for the same purpose. The object is certainly worth attention and if it can be effected will be very agreeable to the States, particularly to those of the East.” He trusts that Destouches “can best judge from the situation of the enemy’s fleet how far it may be attempted with prudence, and Your Excellency from the information you have recently received what number of troops will be sufficient for the enterprise—I am persuaded it will be calculated how far it is probable the enemy may follow with a part of their fleet—whether the post can be carried by a coup de main, or may require so much time as to make it likely the operation will be interrupted before its conclusion—in case of a superior squadron being sent by the enemy what possibility there is of protection or a safe retreat for the ships and even for the land force (through an unsettled country in which numbers perished for want of provision in a former attempt)—All these are points too important not to have been well weighed, and your conversations with the Massachusetts deputies will have been able to enlighten you upon them.” Here, he is referencing the unsuccessful attempt by Massachusetts in 1779 to destroy the post, abandoned when British ships with reinforcements forced an arduous overland retreat by the Americans. Despite his assurances that Rochambeau and Destouches had matters well in hand, Washington took the “liberty to remark [on] two things—one that it appears to me frigates without any ships of the line will answer the purpose as well as with them and less will be risked than by dividing the body of the fleet. Frigates (especially the forty fours) will afford a safe escort to the troops against any thing now in those Seas, and with respect to a detachment from the enemy’s fleet, it would be always proportioned to the force we should send and if we have two sixty fours, they would even be an object for their whole fleet. The other observation I would make is, that dispatch being essential to success, it will in my opinion be adviseable not to depend on any cooperation of the Militia, but to send at once such a force from your army as you deem completely adequate to a speedy reduction of the post. The country in the neighbourhood of Penobscot is too thinly inhabited to afford any resource of Militia there, and to assemble and convey them from remote places would announce your design—retard your operations, and give leisure to the enemy to counteract you. Indeed I would recommend for the sake of secrecy to conceal your determination from the State itself.” On 15 April Rochambeau replied to Washington observing that while he had sufficient troops to spare, “your Excellency’s observations upon the Separation of our fleet, and upon the danger to be interrupted by superior forces, during the course of the Expedition, which Mr Destouches does not Look on as possible to be undertaken with his frigates only, are the motives which cause this project to be Laid aside for the present moment.” (Rochambeau to Washington, 15 April 1781, Papers of George Washington, Library of Congress). Soon Washington and Rochambeau‘s attention returned again to Virginia, and within months their combined forces would be closing in on Yorktown. In near fine condition. Exceptionally rare and desirable, being the only communication between the storied commanders of the Yorktown campaign to appear at auction in more than a century.
Price: $175,000.00 Item Number: 125872
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Rare Isaac Newton Manuscript highlighting his controversial theological views, which were kept hidden for hundreds of years
NEWTON, Isaac.
Isaac Newton Original Manuscript.
Rare full page folio autograph manuscript entirely in the hand of Isaac Newton, father of physics and modern science and author of important texts such as the Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, Opticks, and many more. One folio page with Newton’s handwriting and emendations on both the recto and verso. While Newton is mostly known for his scientific and mathematical pursuits and is considered to be one of the most influential scientists of all time, his controversial theological views, which were kept hidden for centuries, were as brilliant as his science and an extension of his search for truth. Many believe theology was actually his first love, as he wrote more about religion than he did about science. Of Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, he stated, “When I wrote my treatise about our Systeme I had an eye upon such Principles as might work with considering men for the beliefe of a Deity and nothing can rejoyce me more than to find it useful for that purpose.” He wrote in the Principa, “This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent Being. . . . This Being governs all things, not as the soul of the world, but as Lord over all. . . . The Supreme God is a Being eternal, infinite, absolutely perfect.” While he believed in a supreme God, early in his career at Trinity College, his theological research of original texts led him to believe that authentic Christianity had been corrupted by the early church fathers and that the brand of religion that was now accepted as orthodox by the Roman Catholic Church, and to some extent by the Church of England, was not completely true. He discovered that the final phrases of 1 John 5:7 ‘and these three are one’ was not present in any Greek version that he studied and came to the conclusion that it was a deliberate addition to the text to provide justification for the doctrine of the Trinity. He concluded that the orthodox notion of the Trinity was a fictional story that was invented in the early fourth century. This document is very important, as its contents deal with these controversial issues. Written in English and some Latin, he writes concerning an Epistle of Emperor Constantine regarding the Arian debate and the Council of Nicea, which laid out the famous doctrinal statement, the Nicene Creed. The Nicene Creed was adopted to resolve the Arian controversy. The Arian leader, Arius, a clergyman of Alexandria, “objected to Alexander’s (the bishop of the time) apparent carelessness in blurring the distinction of nature between the Father and the Son by his emphasis on eternal generation.” In reply, Alexander accused Arius of denying the divinity of the Son and also of being too “Jewish” and “Greek” in his thought. Alexander and his supporters created the Nicene Creed to clarify the key tenets of the Christian faith in response to the widespread adoption of Arius’ doctrine, which was henceforth marked as heresy. Because of these views, Newton’s theological writings, were marked “Not fit to be printed.” They were placed in storage and were not made available to the public until the economist John Maynard Keynes and Jewish scholar and businessman, Abraham Yahuda, acquired many of them in 1936. There are very few of these original writings left in private hands, as the majority of the manuscripts are in the permanent collections of the Cambridge University Library, Kings College Library (a gift of John Maynard Keynes), Jewish National and University Library (now National Library of Israel), the Bodleian Library at Oxford University, the Foundation Martin Bodmer in Geneva, and the Grace K. Babson collection now housed in the Huntington Library in California. Matted and framed with both the recto and verso visible. The manuscript measures 11.75 inches by 7.5 inches. The entire piece measures 23.5 inches by 19.5 inches. A scarce piece of history; essential to the collector interested in both Newton’s scientific and theological endeavors.
Price: $150,000.00 Item Number: 119750
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"The longest letter signed and entirely in the hand of John Adams obtainable": Exceptionally rare 16-page autograph letter signed by Founding Father John Adams defending the ultimate necessity of American sovereignty
ADAMS, John.
John Adams Autograph Letter Signed.
1809.
Exceptionally rare 16-page autograph letter signed by and entirely in the hand of Founding Father John Adams defending the ultimate necessity of American sovereignty and its precedence over international alliances. Sixteen pages, entirely in the hand of John Adams and written on both the recto and verso of each page, the letter is dated January 9, 1809 and addressed to Speaker of the House of Representatives, Joseph Bradley Varnum. Although France and America shared a strong alliance which proved crucial to winning the Revolutionary War, at the onset of the French Revolution in 1789, Washington’s fear that American involvement would weaken the new nation before it had firmly established itself created tensions and a new war between England and France broke out in 1793. The British Navy soon began targeting French vessels and trading interests across the Atlantic, and although many Federalists thought that America should aid its ally, Washington proclaimed that the United States would be “friendly and impartial toward the belligerent parties.” The Neutrality Proclamation was ignored by Britain and angered France, which then allowed its navy and privateers to prey on American trade. To protect American sailors and merchants without provoking Britain, in March 1794, Congress passed a 30-day embargo, which it then extended. Britain, the strongest sea power, began to seize American ships suspected of trading with France, and stepped up its practice of impressment. From 1806-1807, the British navy, in desperate need of men to oppose Napoleon, forced roughly 5,000 American sailors into service on the pretense that they were deserters. In 1807, King George III proclaimed his right to call any British subjects into war service and claimed that Britain had full discretion to determine who was a British citizen. The crisis reached one peak for America in June of 1807 when the HMS Leopard attacked the USS Chesapeake off the coast of Virginia. Three American sailors were killed, eighteen were wounded, and the Chesapeake surrendered after firing only one shot. The Leopard seized four American seaman, claimed as deserters from the British navy, and hanged one of them. Jefferson and Madison, his Secretary of State, responded with the Embargo of 1807, a ban on all American vessels sailing for foreign ports. Meanwhile, Russia allied with Napoleon and pressed Denmark to turn over her fleet. In September 1807, Britain preemptively bombarded Copenhagen and seized the Danish-Norwegian fleet. While Jefferson’s Republicans still generally favored France, a schism grew in the Federalist party. Men like Timothy Pickering downplayed impressments while focusing on trade and access to British manufacturing. On October 16, 1807, King George III aggravated already high tensions with American following the British attack of the USS Chesapeake off the coast of Virginia by issuing a Royal Proclamation expanding the British right to impressment (the King’s right to call any British subjects into war service and determine their citizenship). News of the King’s Proclamation arrived in the United States in December 1807 and, lacking military options, President Jefferson proposed an embargo to ban all U.S. exports on American vessels in order to protect American sailors’ lives and liberties, despite its potential to cripple American trade. The Embargo Act was signed on December 22, 1807, causing immediate economic devastation. In protesting the Embargo, rather than wrestling with the difficulty of defending American sovereignty, some opponents chose to declare the legality of impressments as defined by King George’s Royal Proclamation. John Adams’ former Secretary of State, Timothy Pickering, took a leading role in fighting the embargo, arguing that Jefferson was using it to draw America closer to Napoleon’s France. Given the devastating economic effects of the embargo, Pickering’s message found a wide audience. Adams, on the other hand, recognized the dire threat the King’s Proclamation posed in denying America the right to determine its own rules for citizenship and in December, took his arguments to Speaker of the House Joseph Varnum. As he stated in the present letter, “He [Pickering] thinks that as every Nation has a Right to the Service of its Subjects, in time of War, the Proclamation of the King of Great Britain, commanding his Naval Officers to practice Such Impressments, on board, not the Vessells of his own Subjects, but of the United States, a foreign Nation could not furnish the Slightest ground for an Embargo! … But I Say with Confidence that it furnished a Sufficient ground for a Declaration of War. Not the Murder of Pierce nor all the Murders on board the Chesapeake, nor all the other Injuries and Insults We have received from foreign Nations, atrocious as they have been, can be of such dangerous, lasting, and pernicious Consequence to this Country, as this Proclamation, if We have Servility enough to Submit to it.” Adams suggested repealing and replacing the Embargo Act with one that allowed international trade with all but the belligerents, while building up the navy. Varnum asked to publish it. Before assenting, Adams completely reworked his argument, mustering all the reason and rhetoric at his disposal into a stirring defense of sovereignty and citizenship, resulting in the present letter. On March 1, 1809, Congress repealed the Embargo Act, following Adams’ suggestion to replace it with the Non-Intercourse Act which allowed trade with all nations except Britain and France. In fine condition. A remarkable piece of early American history illustrating the second President of the United States’ impassioned devotion to the pursuit of American liberty. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. The longest letter signed and entirely in the hand of John Adams obtainable.
Price: $125,000.00 Item Number: 121560
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Scarce 1792 printing of An Act to extend the Time limited for settling the Accounts of the United States with the Individual States; signed by Thomas Jefferson
[JEFFERSON, Thomas].
Second Congress of the United States: At the First Session, begun and held at the City of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, on Monday the twenty-fourth of October one thousand seven hundred and ninety-one. An Act to extend the Time limited for settling the Accounts of the United States with the Individual States.
Philadelphia: Childs & Swaine, 1792.
Scarce printing of an early United States law providing for the funding of the national debt, signed by Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State. Folio, one page. The document, which also carries the printed signatures of President George Washington, Vice President John Adams, and House Speaker Jonathan Trumbull, was approved January 23, 1792. Individual acts and bills of the first Congresses were routinely printed for public consumption. A provision was made, however, to print a few copies of each act for dissemination to the states, and to have each copy signed by Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. One of the main priorities of the federal government in the early national period was to pay down the debt of the United States. The national debt was incurred during the Revolution and augmented in 1790 when the Congress passed the Assumption Act, in accordance with a plan devised by Alexander Hamilton. Because contacting the numerous and geographically dispersed holders of the debt proved more difficult than expected, it became necessary to extend the time allowed by law for making the relevant financial arrangements. The present act accomplished this, and made a special extension of five months for Vermont, which gave the new state time to calculate the amount of debt. Despite Jefferson’s vehement opposition to Hamilton’s plan when it was formulated, his position as Secretary of State necessitated his signature on the presentation copies of the acts that effected it. In fine condition. Housed in a custom half morocco folding case. Scarce, with only one other example signed by Jefferson located.
Price: $82,000.00 Item Number: 125388
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Elaborately bound collection of Presidential autographs; containing the autograph of each of the first 34 Presidents of the United States from George Washington to Dwight D. Eisenhower
WASHINGTON, George; John Adams; Thomas Jefferson; James Madison; James Monroe; John Quincy Adams; Andrew Jackson; Martin Van Buren; William Henry Harrison; John Tyler; James Polk; Zachary Taylor; Millard Fillmore; Franklin Pierce; James Buchanan; Abraham Lincoln; Andrew Johnson; Ulysses S. Grant; Rutherford B. Hayes; James Garfield; Chester A. Arthur; Grover Cleveland; William McKinley; Theodore Roosevelt; William H. Taft; Woodrow Wilson; Warren G. Harding; Calvin Coolidge; Herbert Hoover; Franklin D. Roosevelt; Harry Truman; Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Autographs of the Presidents of the United States of America.
1783-1956.
Elaborately bound collection of Presidential autographs, containing the autograph of each of the first 34 Presidents of the United States from George Washington to Dwight D. Eisenhower. Quarto, bound in full red morocco by Riviere & Son with gilt titles and ruling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt presidential seal to the front panel with white and blue morocco onlays, gilt arms and motto of George Washington to the rear panel with white and blue morocco onlays and his gilt signature in facsimile, centerpieces within quintuple gilt ruling with star emblems at each corner, blue morocco doublures with multiple gilt presidential signatures, blue silk endpapers. This complete series of autographs of the first 34 Presidents of the United States contains the signature of each mounted on an album leaf opposite a loosely tissue-guarded engraved portrait of each. The collection includes: the signature of George Washington on an envelope addressed to Major General Knox as Secretary of the Society of the Cincinnati, November 3, 1783; a clipped signature of John Adams; clipped signature of Thomas Jefferson; the signature of James Madison on an envelope addressed to Reverend Frederick Freeman of Manayunk, Pennsylvania; and inscription signed by James Monroe; the signature of John Quincy Adams on an envelope addressed to William Plumer jun. Esq. in Epping, New Hampshire; a partially printed land grant signed by Andrew Jackson dated 1831 registering the purchase of 20 acres in Detroit by Peter Aldrich; clipped signature of Martin Van Buren; clipped signature of William Henry Harrison; signed inscription from John Tyler; signed inscription from James Polk; clipped signature of Zachary Taylor dated Baton Rouge, March 5, 1841; clipped signature of Millard Fillmore; clipped signature of Franklin Pierce; clipped signature of James Buchanan on a document dated July 18, 1858; clipped signature of Abraham Lincoln; endorsement signed by Andrew Johnson as President; clipped signature of Ulysses S. Grant; card signed by Rutherford B. Hayes; inscription signed by James Garfield; large card signed by Chester A. Arthur and dated May 22, 1884; autograph noted signed by Grover Cleveland declining an invitation, dated November 16, 1890; an Executive Mansion card signed by William McKinely; clipped signature of Theodore Roosevelt; clipped signature of William Howard Taft; clipped signature of Woodrow Wilson; typed letter signed by Warren G. Harding as President, dated June 4, 1923 on White House letterhead; card signed by Calvin Coolidge; White House card signed by Herbert Hoover; typed letter signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, February 15, 1917. Laid in is a typed letter signed by Harry S. Truman as President, June 30, 1950, on White House stationery and a typed letter signed by Dwight Eisenhower. TLS as President, November 13, 1956, on White House stationery. In fine condition. Housed in a custom folding chemise and half morocco slipcase. An exceptional collection and presentation.
Price: $80,000.00 Item Number: 125384
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"ALL 'CLASSES' FOR EXPERIENCE AND LEARNING – BUT I DO PREFER 'NON-LITERARY' PEOPLE LIKE WAITERS, TRUCKDRIVERS, GIRLS, CARPENTERS, CLAM DIGGERS, RAILROAD MEN, SEA MEN, OLD MILLIONAIRES, ALL THE 'CHARACTERS'”; SCARCE JACK KEROUAC AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED LETTER
KEROUAC, Jack.
Jack Kerouac Autographed Manuscript.
1964.
Jack Kerouac’s candid handwritten reply to a young man’s questions about being a “Beatnik,” his life philosophy, his thoughts on Montana, and more. Students in Robert Dodd’s ninth-grade class were given an assignment to contact their favorite writer with their own unique series of questions relating specifically to that writer. The young Dodd chose Jack Kerouac, and the author replied at length to his questionnaire, which includes queries about his classification as a “Beatnik” (his answer: “I never was a Beatnik – it was the newspapers and critics who tagged that label on me….”), life philosophy (“My philosophy is ‘No Philosophy,’ just ‘Things-As-They-Are’”), career goals (“Be a great writer making everybody believe in Heaven”), the ideal way of life (“Hermit in the woods…”), his thoughts on fame (“My name is like Crackerjacks, famous, but very few people buy my books…”), and segregation (“[t]he Irish and Italians of Massachusetts never paraded in protest, just worked hard and made it”). Interestingly, Kerouac is most expansive in response to the final question: whether he has visited Montana. His answer fills three-quarters of the page, beginning: “Great day, my favorite state! – I wrote about Montana in ‘On the Road’ but the publishers took it out behind my back… I stayed one night, but up all night, in a saloon in Butte, to keep out of the 40-below February cold, among sheep ranchers playing poker.” Two pages with Dodd’s questions type-written and Kerouac’s responses handwritten in full. The letter reads in full, “To Robert Dodd from Jack Kerouac Feb. 28th 1964.” 1. In Town and the Country (Kerouac crosses out Country for City) your style of writing is much different from The Lonesome Traveler. Do you change your style with the type of story? Kerouac responds: “‘The Town and the City’ was my first, youngman novel when I was just starting out, trying to write like Thomas Wolfe – ‘Lonesome Traveler’ is a product of my own style which I developed in later years, ‘spontaneous writing’ with no looking back, in my own laws of story telling – OUTERSPACE PROSE! My own original invention.” 2. Many people have referred to you as a “beatnik” or a “way out” writer. Do you feel this way about yourself? “‘Way-out’ yes, but I never was a beatnik – it was the newspapers and critics who tagged that label on me – I never had a beard, never wore sandals, avoided the company of Bohemians and their politics and always had a job on the road like in ‘Lonesome T.’ on railroad, ships etc.” 3. Some people refer to your thinking as existentialism where man makes his own destiny. Just what is your philosophy of life? “My philosophy now is “no-philosophy,” just “Things – As – They – Are”. 4. What goal are you trying to reach in your career? “Be a great writer making everybody believe in Heaven.” 5. What do you think is the ideal way of life? “Hermit in the woods, one-room cabin, wood stove, oil lamp, books, food, outhouse, no electricity, just creek or brook water, sleep, hiking, nothing-to-do-(Chinese Wu Wei).” 6. Do you like fame or would you rather write and have only your works become famous? “My name is like Crackerjacks, famous, but very few people buy my books because they’ve been told by newspapers and critics that I’m crazy, so I’m almost broke now 1964 – I hate fame without fortune, which is really INFAMY AND RIDICULE, in my case.” 7. From your many books I see that you must travel a lot. Do you try to mix in with different classes or do you stick to one? “All ‘classes’ for experience and learning – but I do prefer ‘non-literary’ people like waiters, truckdrivers, girls, carpenters, clam diggers, railroad men, sea men, old millionaires, all the ‘characters’.” 8. Does the West coast influence an author’s style differently than the East coast? “No – I and the “Beats” came from the East Coast and just rode out there, no special difference in style except a little on subject matter, i.e. open-spaces country.” 9. What is your favorite subject matter? “That everybody goes to Heaven – read “Visions of Gerard” (about Lowell in 1926).” 10. Here in Boston there is much controversy over segregation of the negroes. What is your stand on the issue? “They need jobs, naturally, and education for better jobs – But the Irish and Italians of Massachusetts never paraded in protest, just worked harder, and made it.” 11. Do you plan to visit the East coast, especially the Boston area soon? “Yeh – “lecture” dinner at Harvard soon – I live in Long Island since 1958 so I can’t exactly “visit” the Ease Coast, hey,” – 12. Have you ever been to Montana and, if you have, what were your views on it? “Great day, my favorite state! – I wrote about Montana in “On the Road” but the publishers took it out behind my back – I stayed one night, up all night, in a saloon in Butte, to keep out of the 40- below February cold, among sheep ranchers playing poker (with sheep dogs at their feet), red-eyed drunken Indians drinking out of bottles in the john, Chinese gamblers, women, cowboys, miners – And outside of Butte, at Three Forks Montana, I saw the source of the Missouri River in the snowy valley – I also heard wolves howl in the Bitterroot Mountains – But I didn’t like Missoula much (skiers etc.) – I would like to have a summer cabin in Montana some day, the last truly “Western” state. Sincerely, Jack Kerouac.” In near fine condition. Matted and framed. The entire piece measures 31 inches by 18 inches. A rare and intimate glimpse into the thought an literary progression of one of the formative writers of the 20th century.
Price: $75,000.00 Item Number: 79098
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"One of the most fascinating regiments in American military history": Rough Rider Sergeant Craig W. Wadsworth's personal collection of of Rough Riders books, letters and photographs; with a first edition of The Rough Riders and typed letter signed by President Theodore Roosevelt
ROOSEVELT, Theodore and Craig W. Wadsworth.
Theodore Roosevelt and Craig W. Wadsworth Rough Riders Collection.
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1899.
Craig Wharton Wadsworth’s personal collection of books, letters and photographs from his time as a Sergeant in Roosevelt’s Rough Riders cavalry. The collection includes a first edition of Roosevelt’s best-selling work, The Rough Riders (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1899) signed by Roosevelt, “Theodore Roosevelt” and Wadsworth, “Craig W. Wadsworth Sergeant-Troop K”; Wadsworth’s 14-leaf photograph album bound in full pebbled leather with gilt titles to the front panel which read: “First United States Volunteer Cavalry (Roosevelt Rough Riders) 1898” containing 24 original photographs of the cavalrymen on their expedition to Daiquiri with annotations in Wadsworth’s hand and a lengthy introduction on the final leaf which reads, “The Rough Riders or the 1st Regiment U. S. Volunteer Cavalry was organized at San Antonio, Texas, between May 9 + 19, 1898. Comprised of men most from Arizona – troops A. B. C. from Oklahoma territory D, from New Mexico E, F, G, H, + I; New York + Eastern States K; from Indian territory L + M. May 29. the Regiment proceeded by rail to Tampa. June 8. troops A, B, C, D, E, F, G, K, L boarded the troopship Yucatan in Port Tampa Bay, forming the first military expedition to Cuba. June 22. arrived at Daiquiri June 23. marched to Sibony. June 24 marched to Las Guasimas + defeated the Spanish, losing 40 men in killed + wounded. June 30. marched to El Posa. July 1, participated in the San Juan engagement + faced the Spanish to Santiago, losing 89 men in killed + wounded. July 2-17. Duty in trenches — Santiago until surrender. July 18. marched to regular Camp at El Caney. Aug. 7. marched to Santiago, boarded troopship Miami and returned to the United States. August 15. landed at Montauk Point, L. 9.2.4., and went into — camp. August 19. marched to regular camp, rejoined troops C, H, I, + M, which remained at Tampa until Aug. 7, and performed regular duties until Sept. 15, 1898, when the regiment was mustered out of service.” The photographs are captioned as follows: 1 recto. “Rough Rider” Encampment, San Antonio 1898; 1 verso. [photo of a ship, text removed]; 2r. Getting ready, June 8., 2v. Cooke, Wadsworth, Tiffany, H. Bull, Carroll. June 8; 3r. Going aboard the “—” Henry Cooke, Willie Tiffany, Henry Bull, Craig Wadsworth June 8; 3v. “the Yucatan” leaving Tampa with the Rough Riders. troops A, B, D, E, F, G, K, and half of 2nd Infantry June 8; 4r. June 13. nearer [photo of a ship]; 4v. June 13. And nearer. [photo of a ship]; 5r. June 13. And nearer the Yucatan just misses big —. [photo of a ship]; 5v. The Miami [photo of a ship]; 6r. Bombardment of Daiquiri by U. S. Navy. June 22; 6v. landing at Daiquiri. June 22; 7r. The Rough Riders’ Camp at Daiquiri, June 23; 7v. The Rough Riders’ Camp at Daiquiri, June 23; 8r. —, Marshall, Harrison, Benlough, Green, Eatton; 8v. Resting after Las Guasimas engagement. June 24. under the blankets are left the dead body of Hamilton Fish; 9r. Dick Davis, Gen. Lawton, Col. Wood, Caspar Whitney, Gen Lawton; 9v. Fighting Ground of the 1st + 10th U. S. Cavalry; 10r. the “Bloody —” [Ford?] after the San Juan engagement. July 1st; 10v. Grave of Capt. Capron of troop L, the “Rough Rider” killed during the engagement at Las Guasimas. June 22; 11r. Stream where Gen. Shafter left. June 30th; 11v. El Paso after the bursting of the first shell. July 1st; 12r. On the roads to El Caney July 18th; 12v. — Warden, Joe Stevens Jack Carroll, Beu. Ha.; Wadsworth’s first edition copy of Inaugural Souvenir 1901 (Washington DC: Press of W. F. Roberts, 1901) in the original publisher’s boards, illustrated with engraved portraits of each American president from Washington to McKinley including frontispiece of McKinley and Roosevelt. With Warden’s ownership inscription, “Craig W. Wadsworth. Washington D. C. Sunday March 3 1901”; and a two-page typed letter signed by Roosevelt dated May 15, 1902 on White House letterhead addressed to Wadsworth at the Kinckerbocker Club in New York which reads: My dear Craig, You have now been made Secretary of the Legation at London. I am sure I need not tell you that because my representative, and I shall have a peculiar responsibility for you in England. You showed yourself in war worthy of your grandfather, a man who left his name as a heritage because of what he did in the Civil War. Now you must show yourself just as good an American in peace. You will be in a set of our countrymen over in London of whom there is not always cause to feel proud, and you must always keep before your mind that you are the representative of this country “as a whole” [Roosevelt has added this in his hand]; that every decent and self-respecting American, without the least reference to his social position, who comes from this side has a claim upon your courtesy and interest; and above all that no man of any other country will ever respect one of our men who is not himself genuinely and at heart a thorough-going American. I wish I could see you for a moment before you go abroad. Faithfully yours, “Theodore Roosevelt”. A prominent member of New York Society, Craig Wharton Wadsworth served in Troop K of Theodore Roosevelt’s Rough Riders in 1898. After the war, he served on Governor Theodore Roosevelt’s military staff as a major in Albany, New York. In 1902, he joined the U.S. Diplomatic Service as third secretary to the American Embassy in London. In very good to near fine condition. Original photographs and documents from the Rough Rider era are rare, those signed by Roosevelt and from the personal collection of a Rough Rider exceptionally so.
Price: $50,000.00 Item Number: 123510
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"I am enormously pressed for time this vacation, and I am ever afraid no such thing will have been done by me in time to be of use to you": Rare autograph letter signed by J.R.R. Tolkien with his list of Old English Literature Questions with annotations and corrections in his hand
TOLKIEN, J.R.R.
J.R.R. Tolkien Autograph Letter Signed and Annotated Old English Literature Questionnaire.
1920.
Rare autograph letter signed by the author of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, J.R.R. Tolkien regarding a list of 50 questions he has composed examining Old English Literature. One page, entirely in Tolkien’s hand, the letter reads in full, “1 Alfred Street St. Giles Oxford Mar: 17th 1920. Dear Miss Duncan, I enclose a ‘mixed bag’ of 50 questions on the OE period – some of them on ‘Beowulf’ (exclusive of special points of commentary), some more general. A few may be of use to you (many are culled from past papers etc.: those of last year are marked). They are not intended to by models of clear questioning , but to suggest enquiries. The easily available critical writings that might help are all 150 few. I hoped some time to make out something like a select bibliography but I am enormously pressed for time this vacation, and I am ever afraid no such thing will have been done by me in time to be of use to you. I am yours sincerely JRR Tolkien.” Three pages, typewritten and composed of 50 questions, the questionnaire is titled “Old English Literature Questions” with several annotations and corrections in Tolkien’s hand, including to question 1. “A gluttonous race of Jutes and Angles, capable of no grand combinations: [Tolkien has added “lumbering about in potbellied equanimity] not dreaming of heroic toll, and silence, and endurance, such as lead to the high places of this universe, and the golden mountain tone where dwell the spirits of the dawn’ (Carlyle). How far would your reading of Old English poetry land you to modify this estimate?” to question 10. “What may we imagine the effect of the introduction of Christianity (and the [Tolkien has added “subseq.”] attitude of the Church) to have been upon the preservation of the legends (and ideals) of Germanic past?” and to question 28. “Do you agree that compared with ‘The Battle of Maldon’ (which celebrated complete defeat) ‘Brunanburh’ [Tolkien has added “which celebrated a great victory”] is merely competent laureate work that any well educated gentleman of the time could have turned out on conventional models? Can you account for it?” Tolkien has also added a 51st question in his hand at the conclusion of the questionnaire, “Give an account of one important ins. of English poetry. Indicate its value for our knowledge of the subject as a whole.” In fine condition. An extraordinary pairing, offering a unique glimpse into Tolkien’s broad literary knowledge and influences.
Price: $50,000.00 Item Number: 121974
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Exceedingly rare new and revised edition of M. de Bourrienne's Life of Napoleon extra-illustrated with additional portraits and views and over 50 autograph letters and notes signed by Napoleon I, members of his family, and royal associates
DE BOURRIENNE, Fauvelet. [Napoleon].
Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte.
London: Richard Bentley and Son, 1885.
Exceedingly rare edition of M. de Bourrienne’s Life of Napoleon extra-illustrated with additional portraits and views and over 50 autograph letters and notes signed by Napoleon I, members of his family, associates, and the author bound in. Octavo, bound in three quarters scarlet morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt with others uncut, tissue-guarded frontispiece and full color portrait to each volume, illustrated with engravings issued in the initial publication and over 100 extra portraits and views bound in. With over 50 autograph letters signed bound in including 3 autograph letters signed by Napoleon I (bound into Vol. I page 201, Vol. I page 369, and Vol. III page 530), and autograph letters signed by Charles J. Bernadotte, King of Spain; Joseph Bonaparte, King of Spain; Fauvelet de Bourrienne; A.A.L. Caulincort, Duc de Vicenza; Marquis Emmanuel Grouchy; Napoleon’s second wife Marie Louise. Duchess of Parma; Joachim Murat, King of Naples; Comte Horace Sebastiani, and Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington among others. With the original compiler’s printed catalog of extra material detailing the location (volume and page number) of each added engraving and autograph letter signed. In near fine condition. Accompanied by an additional military endorsement signed by Napoleon during the Peninsular War, “Approuvé Np.” An exceptional collection of significant Napoleonic era signatures.
Price: $45,000.00 Item Number: 117078
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Autographed Signed Letters From Mohandas Gandhi
GANDHI, Mohandas K. [Mahatma].
Mohandas K. Gandhi Autograph Note Collection.
1926.
Rare autograph note collection in the hand of the Father of the Nation of India, Mahatma Gandhi, written at the height of the struggle for Indian Independence. The collection includes two autograph notes, two autograph letters, and three autograph postcards with Gandhi’s “Blessings” inscribed at the conclusion of each. The postcards are postmarked May 27, June 26, and July 25 1926. Gandhi took leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921 and led nationwide campaigns to ease poverty, expand women’s rights, and, above all, achieve Indian independence from British rule. In the wake of World War II, Gandhi opposed providing any help to the British war effort and campaigned against any Indian participation in the war. As the war progressed, Gandhi intensified his demand for independence, calling for the British to Quit India in a 1942 speech in Mumbai, hours after which he was arrested by the British government. Gandhi’s imprisonment lasted two years, although he was initially sentenced to six. He was released in May of 1944 due to failing health. Following the end of WWII, the new British government passed the Indian Independence Act of 1947, partitioning the British Indian Empire was into two dominions, a Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. In very good condition.
Price: $40,000.00 Item Number: 114068
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"High School introduced at young age (15 & 16) to Emily Dickinson, who is probably greatest American poet I realize now": Rare Graduate Student Questionnaire Completed and Signed by Jack Kerouac with a lengthy inscription
KEROUAC, Jack.
Jack Kerouac Autograph Questionnaire Signed.
1960.
Rare mimeographed questionnaire sent by a graduate student of City College of New York to Jack Kerouac; completed and signed twice by him with a lengthy inscription in conclusion. Two pages, partially printed the questionnaire begins with a typed letter signed by James A. Sherlock politely requesting Kerouac’s response which reads in part: “Dear Mr. Kerouac, I am a graduate student of City College of New York, working upon an original research project aimed at uncovering certain educational factors in the lives of successful writers. As you undoubtedly know, there always has been considerable interest in analyzing the psychological make-up of the writer, but seldom has the more prosaic factor of the writer’s education been taken into consideration. Through this questionnaire, I would like to find out if the average successful writer considers his high school education in English a help or a hindrance in preparing him for his profession. Did frequent composition assignments aid the writer in improving his skill? Did reading – either outside reading or reading assigned in the classroom – play a small or large part in preparing the writer for his work?” Completed by Kerouac, in his hand, the questionnaire reads: Reading During High School: 1. In your high school days, did you prefer to read fiction or non-fiction? “Both” 2. If you preferred fiction, what type did you prefer? (Novels, short stories, plays, poetry, etc.) “Novels (from Bronte to ‘pulp’ novels)” 3. If you preferred non-fiction, what subjects did you prefer to read about? “Encyclopaedias [sic], Atlases, Harvard Classics (of Elliot)” 4. Was most of your reading matter of your own choosing or reading material assigned in the classroom? “My Own Choosing mostly (cut classes to spend schooldays in Library)” 5. Did you favor one or two authors at this time in particular in your high school reading? If so, whom? “Just general” 6. As nearly as you can remember, approximately how many books did you read each month during your high school days? “Depended on activities (of course)” High School Instruction: 7. As nearly as you can remember, how often were written compositions assigned in your high school English classes? “Can’t remember” 8. In your opinion, what facet of English instruction did most to develop your skill as a writer? (Literature, composition, spelling, grammar, vocabulary study, others) “Literature” The least? “Composition” 9. As you recall, were your grades in English composition on the whole very good, good, average, fair, or poor? (Kerouac has checked good) 10. Do you recall ever having received special encouragement in your writing from a high school English teacher? “Yes, Joseph Pyne of Lowell High School (Mass.)” Early Writing: 11. At approximately what age did you first seriously consider becoming a writer? “17 (That is, a ‘serious’ writer) (wrote since 11)” 12. Did you engage in outside writing – above the usual writing required in every day life – to any degree at this time? “Yes – from 11 yrs. old on.” 13. Did you at this time consciously imitate the style of any particular author or authors in your writing? “Yes” If so, who? “Saroyan & Hemingway (at 17)” 14. In your opinion, how much did your high school English courses contribute to your success as a writer? (Kerouac has checked all four options: Very much, Some, Little, and Very Little) 15. What factor or factors, if any, would you say contributed more that your schooling to your success as a writer? “SELF IMPOSED READING SCHEDULES OUTSIDE CLASSROOM” Note: If you have additional ideas on the value or inadequacies of your high school English instruction, please feel free to state them on the back of this questionnaire. Name: “Jack Kerouac”. In response to the final question, Kerouac has added a full page signed inscription to the verso of the third page of the questionnaire, “English & American Lit course in High School introduced at young age (15 & 16) to Emily Dickinson, who is probably greatest American poet I realize now (at least equal to Melville & Whitman for sheer mental beauty & brilliance of emotion – description) – High School crucial time to teach Jack K. But writers are born, not made (ask Balzac).” In near fine condition. An exceptional example offering a rare and intimate glimpse into the education and influences of one of the formative writers of the 20th century.
Price: $38,000.00 Item Number: 117950
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Rare large format photograph of American cultural icon James Dean; inscribed by him to his photographer Sanford H. Roth
DEAN, James. [Sanford H. Roth].
James Dean Signed Photograph.
Rare large format Sanford H. Roth photograph of cultural icon James dean playing table tennis. Inscribed beneath his image, “To Mr. Roth best wishes James Dean.” The recipient, renowned American photographer Sanford H. Roth, was a close friend of Dean’s and photographed him frequently. Dean visited Roth’s home in California frequently and treated him and his wife Beulah almost as adoptive parents. Poignantly, Roth was in Dean’s Ford station wagon driving behind Dean’s new Porsche Spyder on the way to the Salinas Road Races on September 30, 1955, when Dean was killed in a late afternoon traffic accident. Roth took the now famous post-accident photographs. Beulah later denied that Sandy ever took any photos of Dean trapped in the wrecked Spyder. In near fine condition. The photograph measures 14 inches by 11 inches. The entire piece measures 19.5 inches by 16.5 inches. An exceptional association.
Price: $35,000.00 Item Number: 124398
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Rare collection of Oskar Schindler immigration documents and legal certificates; with an original photograph annotated by him
SCHINDLER, Oskar.
Oskar Schindler Document Collection.
Rare collection of original documents primarily obtained by Oskar and Emilie Schindler in preparation for their post-WWII emigration to Argentina in 1949. The collection includes a color photograph of Schindler seated on a couch annotated by him on the verso, “1957 in Amerika”, an Italian emigration certificate dated September 1949 authorizing Emilie Schindler to travel from Italy to Argentina, two boarding cards dated October 4, 1949 listing Oskar and Emilie Schindler as passengers aboard the Campagnia Genovese d’Armamento traveling from Genoa to Buenos Aires, legal certificates stating the Emilie had no criminal record, and a medical card for Emilie Schindler issued by the Delegacion of Argentina on October 10, 1949 with a small pocket on the verso containing a black and white X-Ray slide of her lungs. Oskar and Emilie exhausted their savings leasing and operating the German Enamelware Factory during World War II, which at its peak in 1944, employed over 1,000 Jews, saving them from deportation by the Gestapo. By the end of the war, Schindler had spent his entire fortune on bribes and black market purchases of supplies for his workers and in 1949, with financial help from a Jewish organization, he and Emilie moved to Argentina to begin a farming business. By 1957, the business went bankrupt and Schindler returned to West Germany alone. He never saw his Emilie again, although they remained married. In near fine condition. An exceptional collection.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 118106
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“I’VE JUST HAD THE HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE”: Exceptional letter signed by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to Nobel Prize-winning economist Friedrich von Hayek
THATCHER, Margaret. (Friedrich von (F.A.) Hayek).
Margaret Thatcher Autograph Letter Signed to Friedrich von Hayek.
1984.
Exceptional letter signed by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to Nobel Prize-winning economist Friedrich von Hayek. One page, on Thatcher’s official 10 Downing Street letterhead and dated May 22nd 1984, the letter reads, “Dear Professor Hayek,” I have it in mind on the occasion of the forthcoming list of Birthday Honours to submit your name to The Queen with a recommendation that Her Majesty may be graciously pleased to approve that you be appointed a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour. I should be glad to know if this would be agreeable to you. I shall take no steps until I have your reply. “Yours sincerely, Margaret Thatcher.” Accompanied by a large original black and white photograph of Hayek taken at the honorary appointment at Buckingham Palace in which, he was in fact, awarded the Companion of Honour Medal by Queen Elizabeth II. In fine condition. Matted and framed, the entire piece measures 24.5 inches by 19 inches. An exceptional piece of history.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 96254
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rare autograph letter signed by American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton
HAMILTON, Alexander.
Alexander Hamilton Autograph Letter Signed.
New York: 2 April 1799.
Rare autograph letter signed by Alexander Hamilton to the trustees of Isaac Riley, notifying them of the manner in which he will submit a mortgage payment despite Riley’s imprisonment. One page, folio, dated 2 April 1799, the letter reads, “I am informed that You are Assignees of Isaac Riley under the Insolvent Act. Some time since I purchased of Isaac Riley Eight lots in the Outward upon which as he then informed me there was a mortgage to Ebenezer Young for Two hundred & forty pounds which was deducted out of the purchase money & left to be paid by me pursuant to the Tenor of that mortgage. It appears that this mortgage was not recorded till within a fortnight past. In my opinion This will not defeat the right of Mr. Young’s Representations to receive payment from me in preference to the Trustees. But I have thought it right nevertheless to mention the affair to you. If I do not within four days from the date of this letter, being the second of April, receive notice of a claim from the Trustees with the assurance of an Indemnification… I shall act as if no such claim was intended to be made.” The Insolvent Act Hamilton here refers to was passed into law one day prior to this letter in New York State as “An Act to amend the Act entitled an Act for the relief of Debtors with respect to the Imprisonment of their Persons” and allowed a debtor lawfully imprisoned by his creditors to be liberated. In near fine condition. The entire piece measures 24 inches by 13 inches.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 120624
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“I’ve just had the happiest day of my life": Royal Companion of Honour Appointment: Presented to Friedrich von Hayek by Queen Elizabeth II and signed by her
HAYEK, Friedrich von [F.A.]. [Queen Elizabeth II].
Royal Companion of Honour Appointment: Presented to Friedrich von Hayek by Queen Elizabeth II.
Original Royal Companion of Honour Appointment presented to Friedrich von Hayek by Queen Elizabeth II. One page, with the Royal Companion of Honour Seal stamped in the upper right corner. Signed by Queen Elizabeth II at the head of the appointment, “Elizabeth R.” In fine condition.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 100139
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"Love, Jerry Salinger": Scarce autograph note signed and entirely in the hand of J.D. Salinger; signed by him two months and two days before he saw combat at Utah Beach on D-Day
SALINGER, J.D.
J.D. Salinger Autograph Letter Signed.
1944.
Scarce autograph note signed by J.D. Salinger on April 4, 1944, two months and two days before he saw combat at Utah Beach on D-Day. One page from an oblong octavo autograph album bound in full leather, the note is dated 4/4/44 and reads, “Dear Molly – I just don’t have anything bright to say. But I’d like to send you some of my work, and I’d like to take you to a nice place in London where we might get pretty drunk and mellow. Maybe later in The War or after. I’d like that. You remind me of very real things. There aren’t many left. – Love, Jerry Salinger.” The recipient, Molly Bocock was stationed at the School for Military Intelligence in Smedley’s Hydro, Matlock, Derbyshire where she befriended a number of American servicemen training at the school, including Salinger, then a young writer who had submitted several short stories to The New Yorker, all of which were rejected with the exception of his Manhattan-set story, Slight Rebellion off Madison, about a disaffected teenager named Holden Caulfield with “pre-war jitters”. Salinger was drafted into the army in the spring of 1942, several months after the United States entered World War II, where he saw combat with the 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. He was present at Utah Beach on D-Day, in the Battle of the Bulge, and the Battle of Hürtgen Forest. During the campaign from Normandy into Germany, Salinger arranged to meet with Ernest Hemingway, who was then working as a war correspondent in Paris. The meeting had a profound effect on Salinger and the development of his writing style; Hemingway was impressed by what Salinger shared with him of his early writing and the two corresponded frequently throughout the war. Salinger was later assigned to the 4th Counter Intelligence Corps in which he used his proficiency in French and German to interrogate prisoners of war and later witnessed the liberation of one of the Dachau Concentration Camps. Salinger continued to write and submit stories to the New Yorker throughout his wartime years, which would have a lasting effect on his life and writing. It was not until 1952 that Salinger’s first, and best-known, work The Catcher in the Rye was published to mixed initial reactions. The autograph album includes several additional signatures and inscriptions from American servicemen training at the School for Military Intelligence as well as a number of signatures from guests at the Cumberland Hotel, including the signature of Beverley Nichols. Laid in is a newspaper clipping from the March 5, 1968 issue of the Evening Standard featuring a book review of Salinger’s Raise High the Roofbeam, Carpenters and Seymour, An Introduction by Richard Lister. An exceptional note, signed by Salinger at a pivotal time in his life, before the wartime experiences that would plague him later in life and contribute to his withdrawal from society.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 117208
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"I was very happy to hear that you are going to be a mother, be allah willing": Rare typed letter signed by civil rights leader Malcolm X to his wife
MALCOLM X. (EL-HAJJ MALIK EL-SHABAZZ),.
Malcolm X Letter Signed To His Wife.
April 4, 1958.
Rare typed letter signed by celebrated civil rights leader Malcolm X. One page, typescript. The letter reads in full, “1431 W. Jefferson Blvd Los Angeles, California April 4, 1958 As-Salaam-Alaikum In the Holy Name of ALLAH, the One True God, to whom all praise is due; and in the Holy Name of His Divine Messenger, the Honorable ELIJAH MUHAMMAD. My Dear Wife: It was a pleasure to find your letter awaiting me here at the office this morning. ALLAH blessed us to come safely through three TORNADOES, one HAILSTORM, two THUNDERSTORMS, and a SNOWSTORM. We averaged a “good pace” all the way, and arrived safely in record time. Please take the liberty of giving all the Muslims the Greeting for me at the Temple Sunday, and tell them that they key to success at #7 is to stay ing[sic] unity, and follow the instructions that come from the officials there. The officials at number Seven, under Secretary John, and Captians Yusaf and Francis are doing a wonderful job, and I pray ALLAH will bless them with the reward of peace, prosperity and happiness. I was very happy to hear that you are going to be a Mother, be ALLAH willing. I was not surprised. My reaction was “as it was” only because I didn’t appreciate the timing you took to announce it to me. May ALLAH bless you with understanding so you will have peace of mind. Let me know when you need some more money, but spend AS LITTLE as possible, for it is costing me tremendously here to get things as the should be. The Messenger would consent to you visiting me, and would even provide the plane fare himself, but I am against it at this time. This does not mean that I do not love you, it rather means that I have a job to do, know the circumstances and conditions under which I best work, and try to create such. As for your becoming a Mother, you couldn’t give me better news. Concerning the project that the committee wanted: if they can get Bros John and Joseph to accept it, it will be alright with me. But have someone explain it to them other than yourself. That is a wonderful Committee, and had done great work. Be a FRIEND to everyone in the temple, and everyone in the temple will be a friend to you. May ALLAH bless you with Peace and Happiness. As-Salaam-Alaikum: your husband Malcolm X Tell Gloria 2X that she should really be proud of her husband, and that I am proud of HER, for making such grand sacrifice. ALLAH will really bless her. Signed by Malcolm X and with a post script in his hand, “PS: In your letter you sounded like an understanding wife.” In very good condition. An exceptional association. Letters signed by Malcolm X are scarce.
Price: $18,500.00 Item Number: 122553
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"I have been accepted in Boston University Graduate School as a regular student and a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the field of Systematic Theology": Exceptionally Rare Autograph Letter Signed by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. before beginning graduate studies at Boston University in 1951
KING, Jr. Dr. Martin Luther .
Martin Luther King Autograph Letter Signed.
Boston: 1951.
Typescript autograph letter signed by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. requesting housing upon his acceptance to Boston University Graduate School. The letter, dated June 15th 1951 and addressed to Dean Charles W. Alter, Boston University Graduate School, reads, “Dear Dean Alter, I have been accepted in Boston University Graduate School as a regular student and a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the field of Systematic Theology. I am now interested in finding living accommodations on the campus, or at least very near by. A single room would be preferable. If such is possible I would appreciate having it reserved. I am also interested in applying for a graduate Fellowship. Please send me the necessary information at this point along with an application blank. Thanks in advance for your cooperation, I am Sincerely yours, Martin L. King, Jr.” King later recalled his experience with housing bias in 1951 Boston in an interview with the Boston Globe in 1965, “I remember very well trying to find a place to live. I went into place after place where there were signs that rooms were for rent. They were for rent until they found out I was a Negro, and suddenly they had just been rented.” Double matted and framed, with a photograph of a young King. The entire piece measures 14 inches by 21.75 inches. This letter offers an extraordinary glimpse into the education of the great African-American Civil Rights leader, exemplifying his own experiences with the systemic racism in 1950s American society.
Price: $18,500.00 Item Number: 82416
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"I share entirely your view that it is vitally necessary for everyone in the Middle East to live in peace": Autograph Letter Signed by David Ben-Gurion
BEN-GURION, David.
David Ben-Gurion Autographed Letter Signed.
1970.
Autograph letter signed by the founder of modern day Israel and first prime minister David Ben-Gurion. It reads, “Sdeh. Boker, 28. 2. 70 Dear Mr. George P. Viegelmann, Jr. I share entirely your view that it is vitally necessary for everyone in the Middle East to live in peace. I am expressing a private view: I would be ready to give up a great Part of the areas which we hold since the six day war, if this would bring peace; by peace I mean friendship with our Arab neighbors and cooperation politically, economically and culturally, but perhaps only Russia can bring this about. I even doubt whether the American Gov. can achieve that. In the future there may be a change in Egypt. David Ben-Gurion.” This letter is a very unique piece of history, particularly in regards to Israeli-Arab relations and the study of peace in general. While publicly Ben-Gurion was the undoubted leader in Zionism, privately at the end of his life, he began to have other opinions. He desired peace even if it meant giving up land that they had fought to obtain. Ben-Gurion’s thoughts on peace in his latter years is corroborated by the recent documentary, Ben-Gurion, Epilogue. This movie features footage that was taken in 1968 and only recently discovered. In the footage he explains that Israel’s moral compass was inexorably tied to its treatment of the non-Jews living under its rule. Double matted and framed opposite a photograph of Ben-Gurion. The entire piece measures 15 inches by 16.5 inches.
Price: $16,000.00 Item Number: 82248
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"I'm wearing a necklace and ear-rings so that the mountains can enjoy looking at them!": Exceptionally rare collection of autograph letters signed by reclusive author P.L. Travers
TRAVERS, P.L.
Collection of P. L. Travers Autograph Letters Signed Archive.
1974-1993.
Exceptionally rare collection of 28 typed and hand written letters and notes signed by the author of Mary Poppins, P. L. Travers. 36 pages, the letters are a collection of 20 years of correspondence between Travers and close personal friends John and Jacqueline Rutherfurd and offer an intimate glimpse into Travers’ personal life and many travels. In one note dated August 10, 1981, Travers writes: “Dear Jaqueline, I write, with a newly overhauled portable (and see how it works and imagine what I will have to say to them when I get back to London!) from Chandolin, the highest lived-in-all-the-year-round village in Europe. Lovely high air and I try to come for a short time every year to get away from London sea level. And I’m wearing a necklace and ear-rings so that the mountains can enjoy looking at them!” Another letter, dated December 20, 1981, reads in part: “I am waiting for a photograph of me that was taken for my new book that is coming out here in the spring…I wish I could say when the book will be out in the U. S. but there are all sorts of goings on there; I’ve rewritten one of the stories, called Bad Tuesday in the first Mary Poppins book as the San Francisco library put it in the index as being ‘insulting to minorities.’” Another letter dated May 7th 1980 reads in part: “That was a lovely poem to have received at three o’clock in the morning, Jacqueline! Truly beautiful…I will certainly keep it. I put special things into books and then come upon them ages after and am refreshed all over again. That is why I don’t lend my books. I’m not going to let others see my letters, my comments in the margins; why let them into my communing with myself?” Additionally included are the original envelopes addressed to the Rutherfurds in Travers’ hand. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional collection offering a unique glimpse into the personality of the very private author.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 92809
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Rare Photographic Portrait of Robert E. Lee and his staff; Inscribed by Civil War Photographer Mathew Brady
BRADY, Mathew. (Robert E. Lee).
Original Photographic Portrait of Robert E. Lee Signed by Mathew Brady.
1865.
Photographic portrait of General Robert E. Lee flanked by his son, General George Washington Custis Lee, on his right and Colonel Walter Taylor on his left. Inscribed by one of the earliest photographers in American history, Mathew Brady, on a mount, “To Col. Robert Alexander Compliments of his friend, M.B. Brady.” The photograph was taken at Lee’s estate in Richmond, Virginia in April of 1865, only days after his surrender to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox. This is one in a series taken by Brady in the basement below the back porch of the estate and from the original wet plates in the Brady-Handy collection. “This photograph is one of the most celebrated images produced by Brady, who established his reputation in the 1850s as the preeminent portraitist in New York and Washington, D.C. In the aftermath of the Civil War, Brady sought out General Robert E. Lee, who had returned to the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia, after his surrender to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. At the photographer’s request General Lee reluctantly put on his uniform and posed at the back of his residence with his son, General George Washington Custis Lee (left), and his chief of staff, Colonel Walter H. Taylor (right). The image conveys the pathos of defeat for the Confederacy and for Lee personally. For Brady, who had been present at the first battle of the Civil War at Bull Run, this portrait completed his photographic coverage of the conflict” (WAM). Matted and framed. The entire piece measures 17 inches by 14 inches. An exceptional piece of Americana.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 89011
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Rare Presidential Commission appointing Baseball Hall of Famer Joe Dimaggio as a member of the Conference on Physical Fitness and Sports; signed by President Richard Nixon
NIXON, Richard; Joe DiMaggio.
Joe DiMaggio Presidential Commission Signed by Richard Nixon.
Washington, D.C: 1970.
Rare Richard Nixon Presidential Commission appointing Baseball Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio as a “Member of the Conference on Physical Fitness and Sports.” Dated September 25th, 1970 the appointment is signed by President Richard Nixon and Secretary of State William Rogers with the Presidential seal. Double matted and framed. In fine condition. From the personal collection of Joe DiMaggio. Included is letter of provenance from DiMaggio’s estate signed by his two granddaughters. An exceptional association linking two American icons. Double matted and framed.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 95202
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Rare American Embassy in London Guestbook signed by Winston S. Churchill, Elizabeth Queen Mother, Princess Margaret and Dwight D. Eisenhower among many others
[CHURCHILL, Winston S.; Princess Margaret; Clementine Churchill; Anthony Eden; Dwight D. Eisenhower; et al].
American Embassy in London Winston S. Churchill, Clementine Churchill, Elizabeth Queen Mother, Princess Margaret and Dwight D. Eisenhower Signed Guestbook.
[London]: 1951-1952.
Rare 1951-1952 guestbook from the American Embassy in London signed by an impressive array of world leaders and diplomats including Winston S. Churchill, Queen Elizabeth II, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Oblong octavo, bound in full leather with gilt stitching to the panels, watered silk endleaves. Signed by Elizabeth, Queen Mother (“Elizabeth R”), Princess Margaret (“Margaret”), Winston S. Churchill, Clementine Churchill, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Anthony Eden, Arthur Wellesley (“Wellington”), Margaret Truman, John Foster Dulles, Whitney Straight, Karl Taylor Compton, Gavin Simonds (“Simonds”), Harold Alexander (“Alexander”), William Ormsby-Gore (“Harlech”), Alan Lascelles, Hastings Ismay (“Ismay”), Lord Mayor of London Denys Lowson, John “Johnnie” Bigelow Dodge, René Massigli, Walter F. Boone, Ruth Draper, David Maxwell Fyfe, Tommaso Gallarati-Scotti, Florence Horsbrugh, Paul Nitze, Douglas Chandor, George F. Kennan, Charles Greville (“Warwick”), Robert Gascoyne-Cecil (“Salisbury”), Harold Macmillan, James Clement Dunn, William Joseph Jordan, William Henry Draper, Jr., Philip Cunliffe-Lister (“Swinton”), Perle Mesta, William Harcourt (“Harcourt”), Harry Brittain, John Anderson (“Waverley”), Lincoln Gordon, Dora Gaitskell, Louis Leisler Greig, William Rogers Herod, John Loder (“Wakehurst”), Margaret Wakehurst, Helen Rogers Reid, Stella Isaacs (“Stella Reading”), Matthew Ridgway, Guy Salisbury-Jones, Milton Katz, Leslie Hollis, John Slessor, Henry Fairfield Osborn, Jr., Ellsworth Bunker, David K.E. Bruce, Robert Daniel Murphy, Henry Herbert (“Porchester”), Edmund Pery (“Limerick”), George Cholmondeley, John H. Ferguson, Edward W. Barrett, Walter J. Donnelly, Julius C. Holmes, Alice Acheson, Roderic Hill, Leolyn Dana Wilgress, and Vernon Willey (“Barnby”) among others. In very good condition. An exceedingly rare and highly desirable collection of signatures.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 126088
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Jack Kerouac's Personal Advance Copy of Hugh Hefner's The Twelfth Anniversary Playboy Reader.
HEFNER, Hugh M. [Jack Kerouac].
The Twelfth Anniversary Playboy Reader.
Chicago: Playboy Press, 1965.
Jack Kerouac’s personal advance copy of The Twelfth Anniversary Playboy Reader. Quarto, original cloth. Laid in is the original transmittal letter on Hefner’s Playboy Press letterhead dated September 8, 1965, which reads in part: “Dear Mr. Kerouac: Here, with my personal compliments, is your advance copy of The Twelfth Anniversary Playboy Reader, which is being published by Playboy Press. It is a hallmark in the history of Playboy, a distinguished compilation of the very best prose we have published in our magazine during its first twelve years. Your work has contributed mightily to our success, and I am very pleased to have included it in this volume… Cordially, Hugh M. Hefner.” Signed by Hefner in facsimile. Kerouac was one of a staggering number of authors whose work was published in Playboy Magazine early in their writing careers, when they were still virtually unknown. Published to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the magazine’s first appearance on December 1, 1953, the impressive list of authors and interviewees featured in this volume include: Ian Fleming, Ludwig Bemelmans, John Steinbeck, P.G. Wodehouse, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Henry Miller, D.H. Lawrence, Aldous Huxley, Ernest Hemingway, Graham Greene, Albert Schweitzer, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Kerouac’s short story “Good Blonde” first appeared in Playboy. With Kerouac’s estate stamp to the front free endpaper. In near fine condition.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 126103
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"Humanity is the same the world over in whatever garb or colour she may be clothed": Signed Photograph of Mahatma Gandhi
GANDHI, Mohandas K. (M.K.).
Mohandas K. Gandhi Signed Photograph.
Rare signed photograph depicting Mohandas K. Gandhi in profile with his palms pressed together, inscribed in Gujarati (“[Truth at all costs]”) and signed in English M.K. Gandhi on the image in blue ink. With an autographed letter signed from Amrit Kaur, the secretary to Gandhi and later Health Minister of India, to Sgt. John McAleer, written on Gandhi’s behalf, enclosing the signed photograph and responding to his letter (“…Humanity is the same the world over in whatever garb or colour she may be clothed…”), 2 pages, Poona, 5 March 1946, with envelope; photograph of Gandhi and another in rickshaws being pulled by a ceremonial guard, stamped and inscribed “Bhullo chien Desia” on the reverse; and a newspaper cutting; altogether five items mounted and framed together. In very good condition with the inscription faded. Matted and framed, the entire piece measures 19.5 inches by 16.5 inches. A nice collection with noted provenance.
Price: $13,500.00 Item Number: 100048
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"Your affectionate husband and father, John Brown": Rare autograph letter signed by John Brown to his wife and children
BROWN, John.
John Brown Autograph Letter Signed.
Kingsport, Ohio: 1859.
Rare autograph letter signed by and completely in the hand of Abolitionist John Brown to his wife and children regarding his return home. One page, entirely in the hand of John Brown, the letter is dated 7th April, 1859, and reads in part: “Kingsport, Ohio Dear Wife and children All, I write you March 25th enclosing Draft for $150, saying write me Care of American House… to say what articles you need of provisions, clothing, shoes +c. Have you written? I still wish you to retain what money you can for a few days, as I hope to be at home to advise with you about laying it out. I have been entirely laid up for more than a week… All well in Hudson, Akron and West Andover lately. May write again before getting home. My best wish for you all is that you may truly love God and his Commandments. Your affectionate husband and father, John Brown.” In December of 1858, Brown led a successful raid in Missouri, freeing 11 slaves, and leading them to Canada in January, 1859. He then met with Frederick Douglass in Detroit where he made a final plea to convince Douglass of the necessity of violence in ending American slavery. Brown had conceived of the Harper’s Ferry raid in early 1859, and would return home to North Elba one last time in June, before going to Harper’s Ferry in July, ending with his raid on the Federal Armory there on October 16th. His wife would not see him again until she was allowed to visit him in the Jefferson County Jail on the eve of his execution. In very good condition. Double matted and framed. The letter measures 6.5 by 4 inches. The entire piece measures 20 inches by 16.5 inches.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 124158
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RARE AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED BY 'EL LIBERTADOR', SIMÓN BOLÍVAR TO JOSE FELIZ BLANCO
BOLIVAR, Simón.
Simón Bolívar Autograph Letter Signed.
1829.
Rare autograph letter signed by ‘El Libertador’, Simón Bolívar as President of Gran Colombia. One page, script in Spanish on both recto and verso. The letter is dated May 13, 1828, and offers the recipient, Colonel José Félix Blanco, Bolívar’s support in his struggle to maintain the security of Barinas (of which was made Governor in 1827) in the midst of heavy criticism from several officers including General José Antonio Páez. Bolívar notes that the offending officers have been dismissed in order to prevent the possibility of partial influence on the resulting hearings and regrets that he will be unable to the proceedings in Orinoco but expects Blanco’s reputation to be restored in four to six months. Signed by Bolívar at the conclusion of the letter. The recipient, Colonel José Félix Blanco, joined the war of independence in 1810, serving as chaplain, and was appointed intendant Governor of Barinas in 1827. He was among the defenders of Valencia in the first siege of the city and participated in the first battle of Carabobo. Active in a variety of military, government, and religious capacities over the course of several decades, he was later appointed commander of arms of the province of Maracaibo, Secretary of War and Navy in 1837, and Secretary of the Treasury and Foreign Relations in 1847 after an unsuccessful run for the vice-presidency of the Republic in 1844 and for the presidency in 1846. In near fine condition. Double matted and framed with a portrait of Bolívar with a glass pane on the verso of the frame, displaying the letter in full. A unique association.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 126183
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“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever": Rare Mahatma Gandhi Autograph
GANDHI, Mohandas K.
Mohandas K. Gandhi Autograph.
Rare Mohandas K. Gandhi autograph, signed at the height of the struggle for Indian Independence. Signed by Gandhi, “M.K. Gandhi 28-12-38 Segaon-Wardha.” Eight miles from the city of Wardha, the Indian village of Segoan became the site of Gandhi’s Sevagram Ashram, established in 1936 when Gandhi was 67 years old. Gandhi renamed the site Sevagram, meaning “village of service”, and resided there until his death by assassination in 1948. In near fine condition. Double matted and framed with a large photograph of Gandhi. The entire piece measures 21 inches by 16.5 inches.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 89151
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Rare Elaborately Illuminated nobility diploma signed by King Charles II Of Spain
KING CHARLES II OF SPAIN. [DON CARLOS],.
King Charles II Of Spain Autograph Signed Manuscript.
Madrid: May 28, 1699.
Rare elaborately illuminated nobility diploma signed by King Charles II of Spain, appointing Don Martin Damian Mendizabal the title of Marquis of Torre Gines. Quarto, bound in full red contemporary velvet covered boards with two metal clasps, containing five illuminated leaves, two fully illuminated in color with the Royal coat of arms and portrait of King Charles II, text in Spanish. Signed by King Charles II, “Yo el Rey” and additionally signed by several Royal secretaries. Bound with a printed manuscript of the Oath of Fidelity to the King of Spain with Royal stamps dated 1701 and with two autograph letters laid in, the first dated September 17, 1701 and signed by Philip V, and the second addressed to the Marquis. Exceptionally rare.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 107920
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Rare Signed Endorsement From President Abraham Lincoln
LINCOLN, Abraham.
Abraham Lincoln Autograph Civil War Era Endorsement.
Rare Civil War era endorsement signed by Abraham Lincoln as President. Dated March 14, 1864, the endorsement reads, “Submitted to the Sec. of War & Gen. Meade. A. Lincoln, March 14, 1864.” In fine condition. On March 14, 1864 Lincoln issued an order for the draft of 200,000 men to support the Union effort. Only two days prior, General Ulysses S. Grant assumed command of the Union armies. Matted and framed with and engraved portrait of Lincoln and gold biographical plaque. The endorsement measures 3.25 inches by 2.75 inches. The entire piece measures 22.75 inches by 19 inches.
Price: $11,800.00 Item Number: 109638
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Maurice Ravel Signed Autograph musical quotation signed and an autograph letter signed
RAVEL, Maurice.
Maurice Ravel Autographed Signed Letter and Signed Musical Quotation.
Autograph musical quotation signed and an autograph letter signed by Maurice Ravel. The quotation, 3 bars from his Chansons madécasses, notated on a two-stave system, with holograph title, lyrics, tempo directive and instrument labels. The letter in French is addressed to “My friend”, in French, stating that he received his note when leaving Geneva and mentioning two places he might be when he returns at Christmastime, dated Paris 15 December 1928 With Hotel D’Athènes” stationery. Both matted and framed together with a commemorative medallion. The entire piece measures 19 inches by 27 inches. A striking piece, rare and desirable.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 72755
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"But what does it matter what I suffer for you to enjoy? That I perish for a people to live" Rare autograph letter signed by 'El Libertador', Simón Bolívar to Ecuadorian independentista Manuela Garaycoa
BOLIVAR, Simón.
Simón Bolívar Autograph Letter Signed.
Bogota: 1827.
Rare autograph letter signed by ‘El Libertador’, Simón Bolívar as President of Gran Colombia. One page, script in Spanish. Sent from Bogota, the letter is dated December 6, 1827 and reads in full, “A la Senora Manuela Garaycoa. Umd. siempre se eccele a si misma on bondades para conmigo y me prodiga elofios ques ellos solo, bastarian para saviar la codica del mas ambivioiso de gloria. Y que otra cora podria yo esperar de las Garaycoas de esas amigas fieles de esas Colombians constantes de esa Gloriosa sin rival? Yo les doy las gracias a todas y seame tambien permitido congratulamme a mi mismo, ya que e algun modo be podidos sustitur la paz y la tranquilidad al corazon de los Guayaquilenos un sacrificio me ha cortado – el de mi reposo, pero que importa que paderca yo para que umds. gozen? Que yo peresac para que viva un Puebla? Tenga v, Senora, la bondad de coreesponder a las espreciones de toda su buena y amable familia. Digale mil cosas a Pepe, ese pepe tan bueno, tan patrista, y de quien esperaba yo nada menof de lo que ha hecho por su pais, y creame como he sido diempre. Su mas afectisimo amigo de corazon. Simón Bolívar” which translates into English as, “To Senora Manuela Garaycoa. My friend, who always shows kindness to me and lavishes praise on me that they alone would suffice to savor the greed of the most ambivalent of glory. And what other heart could I expect from the Garaycoas of those? Faithful friends of those constant unrivaled Glorious Colombians? I thank you all and let me also congratulate myself, since in some way I have been able to substitute the peace and the tranquility to the heart of the Guayaquilenos, a sacrifice has made me cut off – that of my rest, but what does it matter what I suffer for you to enjoy? That I perish for a people to live? Have you, Senora, the kindness to respond to the expectations of all your good and kind family, tell a million things to Pepe, so good… and from whom I expected nothing less than what he has done for his country, and believe me as I have always been. His most affectionate friend at heart. Simón Bolívar. ” The recipient, Manuela Garaycoa was an Ecuadorian independentista. She participated in the anti-colonial struggle in the second war of independence and, despite the death of her son Abdón Calderón at a young age in battle, maintained a strong bond with the independence struggle and frequently corresponded with Antonio José de Sucre and Simón Bolívar. In near fine condition. With a portrait of Bolivar.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 126188
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Rare autograph letter signed and entirely in the hand of Sigmund Freud to his colleague, fellow psychiatrist Dr. Karl Fahrenkamp
FREUD, Sigmund.
Sigmund Freud Autograph Letter Signed.
1929.
Rare autograph letter signed and entirely in the hand of Sigmund Freud to his colleague, fellow psychiatrist Dr. Karl Fahrenkamp. Dated June 9, 1929 and on Freud’s personal letterhead the English translation of the German text is as follows: “Very esteemed Doctor: I accept the photos with thanks. Basically, one cannot say anything else about their representations than what once was said in a simple way by a student in an introduction to a composition: ‘Already the old Romans knew about love.’ The most beautiful picture you sent is of a drink container of the King. I myself have such a delicate piece in my possession which Prof. Delgado brought to me from Lima. Very cordially yours. Sig. Freud.” The recipient, Dr. Karl Fahrenkamp, was recognized for his work on psychosomatic illnesses. Freud and Fahrenkamp both based their theories on the functional theory of organic disorders, or the argument that external causative factors could act as a major cause of psychological imbalance. Fahrenkamp was strongly influenced by Freudian views and explored the influence of emotions upon bodily disease in his work on psychosomatic illnesses. The letter was also, notably, written the same year Freud published one of his most important and widely read books, Das Unbehagen in der Kultur (The Uneasiness in Civilization). In near fine condition. The letter measures 9 inches by 5.5 inches. Double matted and framed with a portrait of Freud, the entire piece measures 18.5 by 15.5 inches. A significant association.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 110394
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First edition of Walt Whitman's Two Rivulets: Including Democratic Vistas, Centennial Songs, and Passage to India; one of only 100 copies signed and dated by Walt Whitman and with an autograph note signed by him tipped in
WHITMAN, Walt.
Two Rivulets: Including Democratic Vistas, Centennial Songs, and Passage to India.
Camden, New Jersey: Author's Edition, 1876.
Scarce first edition, first issue with the blank leaf between ‘As a Strong Bird’ and ‘Memoranda’ and single leaf of advertisements for Whitman’s books inserted between the back flyleaves. One of only 100 copies. Octavo, bound in full morocco with gilt titles and elaborate gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, triple gilt ruling to the panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentetlles, gilt top stain, marbled endpapers. With the frontispiece sepia photograph of Whitman signed and dated by him, “Walt Whitman 1881.” From the library of Richard Hoe Lawrence with an autograph note by Whitman tipped in. Addressed to Lawrence and dated March 11, 1881, the note reads, “Dear Sir yours of 10th enclosing #10 received – Walt Whitman.” Richard Hoe Lawrence served as president of the Grolier Club from 1906-1908. He was the great-nephew of Grolier Club co-founder and renowned bibliophile Robert Hoe III. With Lawrence’s bookplates to the pastedown. In near fine condition.
Price: $9,200.00 Item Number: 114654
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Rare original albumen photograph signed by Ralph Waldo Emerson
EMERSON, Ralph Waldo.
Ralph Waldo Emerson Albumen Photograph Signed.
Rare original albumen photograph of Ralph Waldo Emerson seated with a book. Boldly signed by Emerson beneath his portrait, “R.W. Emerson.” Matted and framed. The photograph measures 7 inches 4.5 inches. The entire piece measures 11 inches by 13.5 inches. Rare and desirable.
Price: $9,200.00 Item Number: 95206
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Rare Military Endorsement Signed By Abraham Lincoln as President
LINCOLN, Abraham.
Abraham Lincoln Signed Military Endorsement.
1864.
Rare Civil War era military endorsement signed by Abraham Lincoln as President. Two pages, the appointment is dated July 26th 1864, addressed to Secretary of War Edward M. Stanton and contains a request from J.M. Francis of Hudson County, New Jersey that Edward Z. Laurence be appointed Secretary of Subsistence in the Volunteer Army of the United States. The request is approved and endorsed at the conclusion by Lincoln, “Let the appointment be made, if his service can be made useful A. Lincoln Aug. 17 1864.” Framed. The entire piece measures 27 inches by 9.5 inches. In very good condition with a bold inscription from Lincoln.
Price: $9,200.00 Item Number: 114205
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"The Guggenheim has asked me for a recommendation for the new work she wants to do...": Autographed Letter Signed by Frank Lloyd Wright to Lewis Mumford
WRIGHT, Frank Lloyd.
Frank Lloyd Wright Autographed Letter.
Taliesin : 1940.
Important autograph letter signed by Frank Lloyd Wright to friend and architectural critic, Lewis Mumford. Letter is 19 inches by 8.5 inches. It reads, "My dear Lewis: I’ve read "The Brown Decade" you so kindly sent me and it is a useful work in your splendid style. I didn’t agree in total but admire and respect. I was sorry to see so little of you in New York- intending to see you if I saw no one else. And the stupidity of wandering around in the Lehigh Starret building while you were waiting for me at 41 west 12th street rises to plague me still. Dutchy and I saw something of Catherine Bauer in New York. The Guggenheim has asked me for a recommendation for the new work she wants to do and I my best- but wrote her what I thought of her thesis. You know what I must think about that. Enclosed is a copy of what I think about it for your files if you care for it. Wright would later accept the contract to build the Guggenheim three years later in 1943, Hilla Rebay, the curator stated to Wright that he wanted to build, "A temple of spirit, a monument!” Matted and framed.
Price: $9,000.00 Item Number: 3790
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"If your time to you is worth savin'then you better start swimmin' or you'll sink like a stone, for the times they are a-changin'": Rare original The Times They Are A-Changin' Vinyl; signed by Bob Dylan
DYLAN, Bob.
The Times They Are A-Changin’ Bob Dylan Signed Vinyl.
Modern pressing of Dylan’s third studio album The Times They Are a-Changin’. Inscribed by Bob Dylan, “To Dino Bob Dylan ’17.” Included is a letter of provenance from the original recipient which reads in part, “On April 26, 2017, I was at the Swiss Life Hall in Hannover…to see Dylan’s concert and meet some European tour managers…I had an ‘all areas’ pass which allowed me to access the external but reserved area of the concert hall. Dylan and his band had just got off the buses heading for catering/dressing room area…At that moment I presented him the LP ‘The times they are a-changin’ and a black marker. Bob did not say a word.” Matted and framed, the entire piece measures 26 inches by 19 inches. Signed examples of this particular album do not appear often.
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 96536
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“ALL THAT HITCHHIKIN. ALL THAT RAILROADIN. ALL THAT COMIN BACK TO AMERICA”: FIRST EDITION OF JACK KEROUAC’S LONESOME TRAVELER; WITH A RARE AUTOGRAPH NOTE SIGNED BY JACK KEROUAC LAID IN
KEROUAC, Jack.
Lonesome Traveler.
New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1960.
First edition of Kerouac’s deeply personal collection of autobiographical vignettes. Octavo, original half-cloth, illustrated with drawings by Larry Rivers. Laid in is an autograph letter signed by Kerouac which reads, “Dec. 3 1962 Dear Louis, Voila, contracts signed – Glad to hear too of Deutsch London reprint contract which means I can pay for my Sins – Jack Kerouac Tell Sterling I see him Dec. 29 or 28 & You too J.” Here, Kerouac refers to his novel Big Sur, first published in September of 1962 by Farrar, Straus and Cudahy, and subsequently by Deutsch in London. He also refers to Kerouac’s literary agent, Sterling Lord, who was responsible for the publication of Kerouac’s masterpiece On the Road (which took him four years to sell) and represented several other major names in American writing including Ken Kesey, Howard Fast, and Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Larry Rivers. The letter is in fine condition and measures 8 inches by 5 inches. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Rare.
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 117094
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“Competitive golf is played mainly on a five-and-a-half-inch course: the space between your ears": Bobby Jones Signed Portrait
JONES, Bobby (Robert Tyre Jones.
Bobby Jones Signed Portrait.
1930.
Rare signed portrait of Bobby Jones seated with his golf clubs after a painting by Margaret Fitzhugh Browne. Signed and dated by Bobby Jones beneath the portrait in the year the portrait was published in Golf Illustrated Magazine, “Robert T. Jones Jr. Dec 29, 1930.” In fine condition. Double matted and framed. The entire piece measures 17 inches by 14 inches. Unique and desirable.
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 95821
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"I am sorry but I think it's better that the creative process of writers continue to be a mystery": Rare Collection of Signed Author Questionnaires; completed and signed by Ray Bradbury, Norman Mailer, Shirley Jackson, and Rod Serling
BRADBURY, Ray; Norman Mailer; Shirley Jackson; Rod Serling.
Ray Bradbury, Norman Mailer, Shirley Jackson, and Rod Serling Autograph Questionnaires.
Rare collection of four mimeographed questionnaires sent by James A. Sherlock, a graduate student of City College of New York, to Ray Bradbury, Norman Mailer, Shirley Jackson, and Rod Serling, completed and signed by each. Eight pages, dated November, 1960, partially printed the questionnaire begins with a typed letter signed by James A. Sherlock politely requesting each author’s responses to several questions for “an original research project aimed at uncovering certain educational factors in the lives of successful writers” with the goal of “find[ing] out if the average successful writer considers his high school education in English a help or a hindrance in preparing him for his profession.” Questions include: “In your high school days, did you prefer to read fiction or non-fiction?”, “Did you favor one or two authors at this time in particular in your high school reading?”, “At approximately what age did you first seriously consider becoming a writer?”, and “In your opinion, how much did your high school English course contribute to your success as a writer?” Each author has completed and signed the questionnaire, Bradbury and Jackson have provided an additional typed paragraph at the conclusion. Bradbury has noted that his favorite authors during high school were “Edgar Allan Poe. Nathaniel Hawthorne”, that he preferred reading “Science-fiction novels, short stories”, that as a high school writer he consciously imitated the style of Edgar Rice Burroughs, and has left a lengthy typed paragraph at the conclusion of the questionnaire which reads in part, “Work habits should be impressed upon students, in high school. Only by writing and throwing away hundreds of stories can one learn to write… I did not go to college and do not feel it is necessary to do so to write… But high-school training if applied with zest and gusto, should throw the student out into the world ready to start writing… a story a week! No less than that! R.B.” Rather than complete the survey, Mailer has left a signed note, “Dear Mr. Sherlock – I am sorry but I think it’s better that the creative process of writers continue to be a mystery. Norman Mailer.” Shirley Jackson has noted that during high school she preferred reading “Novels, preferably fantasy or even fairy tales”, that she engaged in writing outside of school “Constantly. My mother has my first poem still. Singed ‘Shirley, aged six'” and has left a typed paragraph at the conclusion of the questionnaire which reads in part, “I left college at the end of my second year because I was bored and because I was kicked out, and decided that I would now enter seriously upon my career as a writer, a career I had determined upon — as I said — at the age of six.” Serling has noted that his “interest in people & problems” contributed more than his schooling to his success as a writer and that he first seriously considered becoming a writer at the age of 18. In near fine condition. Signed by all four authors. A rare and desirable collection offering unique insight into the education and influences of four of the formative American writers of the 20th century.
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 123507
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Rare genealogical archive documenting the life and heritage of the first President of the Confederation Congress John Hanson
THOMAS, Douglas H. [John Hanson].
John Hanson Genealogical Archive.
c. 1880-1885.
Rare genealogical archive documenting the life and heritage of the first President of the Confederation Congress John Hanson, whose biographers have argued to be the true first President of the United States. The archive is composed primarily of letters, historical records and biographical documents prepared by Hanson’s ancestors, most notably several biographical volumes composed by his descendant Douglas H. Thomas who, in his numerous biographical papers, promoted Hanson as the the true first President of the United States. Contents also include biographical accounts of Hanson’s father Philip Thomas, and his descendant John Hanson Thomas who served in the American Civil War. In near fine condition. A fascinating archive of first-hand accounts documenting the life, career, and heritage of one of America’s least recognized Founding Fathers.
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 116321
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Rare American Eagle Club Visitor Guestbook; signed and inscribed by Clementine Churchill, Queen Elizabeth II, King George VI, and many others during World War II
[CHURCHILL, Clementine; Queen Elizabeth II; King George VI].
Queen Elizabeth, King George VI and Clementine Churchill Signed WWII Guestbook.
Rare American Eagle Club, London Guestbook signed by Clementine Churchill, Queen Elizabeth II, King George VI, and 14 other visitors including many dignitaries. Oblong quarto, bound in full straight grain morocco with gilt titles to the front panel, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. Inscribed by Elizabeth II twice, on the first page of the guestbook, “Elizabeth R April 4th 1941” and the verso of the fourth page with George VI, “George R.I. February 10th 1942” and “Elizabeth R”. Additionally signed by Clementine Churchill, “Clementine Churchill May the 13th 1941”, influential NBC journalist and radio broadcaster Dorothy Celene Thompson, “Dorothy Thompson August 7. 1941”, American peace activist and champion of the United Nations Clark Eichelberger, “Clark M. Eichelberger October 6, 1941”, the “father” of the Royal Australian Air Force Richard Williams, “R Williams Air Marshall RAAF Melbourne Australia”, American playwright and screenwriter Edward Knoblock, New Zealand’s longest-serving high commissioner to the United Kingdom Sir William Joseph Jordan, Marchioness of Willingdon Marie Freeman-Thomas and Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon, William Sholto Douglas, 1st Baron Douglas of Kirtleside and Deputy Chief of the Air Staff. In near fine condition. A unique collection of signatures, signed at the height of the Second World War.
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 123095
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Musical Quotation Signed by Russian Composer and Pianist Dmitri Shostakovich
SHOSTAKOVICH, Dmitri.
Dmitri Shostakovich Autograph Musical Quotation Signed.
1947.
Handwritten musical quotation inscribed by Russian composer and pianist Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich in Russian above the opening three bars of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 in D minor (Op. 47) on a two-stave system with holograph tempo directive and title, “To Lionel Okvin from Dmitri Shostakovich 17th February 1947.” Double matted and framed with a photograph of Shostakovich. The entire piece measures 14.75 inches by 15.75 inches. Rare and desirable.
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 82418
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"The highest distinction of Venezuela": RARE Order of the Liberators Appointment signed by ‘El Libertador’ Simón Bolívar as President of Venezuela
BOLIVAR, Simón.
Simón Bolívar Signed Order of the Liberators Appointment.
1819.
Rare autograph letter signed by ‘El Libertador’, Simón Bolívar as President of Venezuela. One page, partially printed on Bolívar’s presidential letterhead bearing his title, ‘Supreme Head of the Republic, Captain-General of the Army of Venezuela and New Granada’, the letter is dated January 18 1819 and appoints Lt. Col. Laurencio Silva to the Order of the Liberators, the highest distinction of Venezuela, created by Bolívar in 1813 and awarded for outstanding merit and benefits made to the community under his exclusive authority. Signed by Bolívar in the lower right portion of the appointment. The recipient of the appointment, Jose Laurencio Silva was a Venezuelan soldier and politician who served as commander in chief of the Venezuelan army in the War of Independence. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel after the battle of Calabozo in February 1818 and acted in the Apure Campaign in 1819 where he stayed with Páez while Bolívar developed his offensive on New Granada. In 1821 he received the office of colonel and, after spending a year in Guayaquil and Quito, marched with Bolívar to Peru to take an active part in the liberation campaign. In very good condition. Matted and framed with a portrait of Bolívar. The entire piece measures 20.75 inches by 17.25 inches.
Price: $8,200.00 Item Number: 127430
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FIRST EDITION OF F. SCOTT FITZGERALD'S THE GREAT GATSBY; WITH A TYPED LETTER SIGNED BY HIS EDITOR MAXWELL PERKINS
FITZGERALD, F. Scott. [Maxwell Perkins].
The Great Gatsby.
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1925.
First edition, first state with “chatter” p.60, “northern” p.119, “sick in tired” p.205, and “Union Street station” p.211. Octavo, original dark green cloth with gilt titles to the spine. Accompanied by a typed letter signed by American editor Maxwell Perkins on Charles Scribner’s Sons letterhead. Best remembered for discovering F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, and James Jones, Maxwell Perkins made his first big find in 1919 when he signed F. Scott Fitzgerald. He was, at first, the only editor at Scribners that saw potential in The Romantic Egotist, the working title of Fitzgerald’s first novel, and it was rejected. Even so, Perkins worked with Fitzgerald to revise the manuscript until it was accepted by the publishing house. Its publication as This Side of Paradise (1920) marked the arrival of a new literary generation that would always be associated with Perkins. In near fine condition with the spine gilt exceptionally bright. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional example.
Price: $8,200.00 Item Number: 121440
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Signed Photograph of Sir Winston Churchill
CHURCHILL, Winston S.
Winston S. Churchill Signed Photograph.
1905.
Portrait of the seated Winston Churchill taken in 1920 by Edward Russell of Russell and Sons, boldly signed “Winston S. Churchill, 1921.” In February 1921, Churchill was appointed by Prime Minister David Lloyd George as Secretary of State for the Colonies, during which time he was a signatory to the Anglo-Irish Treaty that established the Irish Free State. Double matted and framed. The photograph measures 13.5 inches by 11.25 inches. The entire piece measures 21 inches by 17 inches. A very nice presentation.
Price: $7,800.00 Item Number: 102875
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"My Dear Stoker.....I don't know how to thank you enough. Sincerely Yours S.L. Clemens": Mark Twain Autographed Letter Signed To Bram Stoker
TWAIN, Mark [Bram Stoker].
Mark Twain Autographed Letter Signed To Bram Stoker.
1893.
Autograph letter signed from Mark Twain to Bram Stoker, who he thanks for a photograph of Henry Irving, “My Dear Stoker: It is a wonderful picture. I have never seen one of Irving before that could at all compare with it. I don’t know how to thank you enough. Sincerely Yours S.L. Clemens December 27, 93.” With the transmittal envelope in Twain’s, signed “From S.L. Clemens To Bram Stoker, Abby’s Theatre.” The famous British actor Henry Irving was one of the inspirations for Count Dracula, the title character of the 1897 novel Dracula. Matted and framed. The entire piece measures 14 inches by 18 inches. A nice association linking these two great writers.
Price: $7,800.00 Item Number: 31008
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Rare baseball signed by President Richard Nixon; from the collection of Baseball Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio
NIXON, Richard (Joe DiMaggio).
Richard Nixon Autographed Baseball Presented to Joe DiMaggio.
Rawlings Official Ball National League, .
Rare baseball signed by President Richard Nixon on the sweetspot. From the personal collection of Baseball Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio. Accompanied by an original black and white photograph of DiMaggio and Nixon shaking hands in the White House, also from DiMaggio’s personal collection. In near fine condition. Included is letter of provenance from DiMaggio’s estate signed by his two granddaughters. An exceptional association linking two American icons.
Price: $7,800.00 Item Number: 95226
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EXCEPTIONALLY RARE ORIGINAL DRAWING OF SNOOPY'S COMPANION WOODSTOCK; DRAWN AND SIGNED BY CHARLES M. SCHULZ
SCHULZ, Charles M.
Charles Schulz Signed Woodstock Drawing.
Exceptionally rare original drawing of beloved Peanuts character Woodstock in military attire. Drawn and signed by Charles Schulz , “For SPC 4 Britt Weise, best wishes – Schulz.” In near fine condition. Double matted and framed. The entire piece measures 16 inches by 14 inches. Original drawings of Woodstock are scarce.
Price: $7,500.00 Item Number: 119508
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Rare Imperial Decree Boldly signed by French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte
BONAPARTE, Napoleon.
Napoleon Bonaparte Signed Imperial Decree.
Rare Imperial Decree boldly signed by French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Two pages, partially printed in Italian, the decree outlines a proposal for the construction of a bridge over the Sesia River in Vercelli, to be financed by the Kingdom of Italy as part of Napoleon’s civic improvement plan initiated during his administration of Ital. Dated April 12, 1809, the decree reads in part, “Napoleon, by the grace of God & by the Constitution, French Emperor, King of Italy, Protector of the Rhine Confederation, have decreed and decree what follows: Art. 1. Our Kingdom of Italy will contribute the certain sum of 150,000 lire to the expense of building the Vercelli bridge on the Sesia. Art. 2. The payment will be made in installments at the rate of 50,000 lire per year starting from the current year. Art. 3. This expense will be carried into the budget of the Minister of the Interior, and to the head of the extraordinary works of water and roads. Art. 4. The Minister of the Interior is in charge of the execution of this decree. Given at our Imperial Palace of the Tuileries this day April 12, 1809″. Signed by Napoleon Bonaparte at the conclusion the decree, “Napole”. Double matted and framed with a portrait of Napoleon. The entire piece measures 31.5 inches by 21.25 inches.
Price: $7,500.00 Item Number: 120531
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Rare 1957 financial statement signed by both Hollywood Icon Marilyn Monroe and playwright Arthur Miller
MONROE, Marilyn and Arthur Miller.
Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller Signed Financial Statement.
Rare original 1957 Woodbury Savings Bank financial statement signed by both Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller in the beginning of their five-year marriage. One page, partially printed, the statement is dated September 9, 1957 and lists the couple’s joint annual income as $50,000+, total expenses as $30,000+ or -, and amount of life insurance as $50,000+. The preparer has also listed Monroe as self-employed and President of Marilyn Monroe Production with a suit pending against the company as a corporation. Monroe and Miller’s ages are also listed respectively as 31 and 41. Signed at the conclusion of the document, “Arthur Miller” and “Marilyn Monroe Miller.” In very good condition. Accompanied by a mimeograph of the loan agreement for $35,000 for which the statement was prepared.
Price: $7,500.00 Item Number: 114025
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Rare selection of letters and documents from the personal collection of F.A. Hayek; presented by him to his children with an autograph letter signed by him
HAYEK, Friedrich August von [F.A.] [Laurence Hayek].
Friedrich August von Hayek Autograph Letter and Personal Document Collection.
Rare collection of documents, letters, photographs, speeches, and invitations collected by Hayek throughout his career, with an autograph letter signed by him presenting the collection to his children. Dated March 3, 1965, the letter reads, “Dear children, Here is a selection from the presentation at the celebration of mother’s birthday which I pity you were not there! It is even worse of a pity that I shall not see you though I shall be in and out on the day before Ann’s birthday. I must fly to New York on the 10th and have arranged to stop over at London for 36 hours to attend the British Academy Dinner on the 8th. But I shall telephone on the 9th to learn how you are all doing. Love, Father.” Included in the collection are a large format portrait of Hayek, a ticket to the 1974 Nobel Laureates Reception, a photograph of Hayek meeting with Ronald Reagan, a photograph of his son Laurence meeting with George H.W. and Barbara Bush, several letters including four signed by Hayek’s children, papers, and programs, and a cancelled check signed by Hayek. In near fine condition.
Price: $7,500.00 Item Number: 114208
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"My country, 'tis of thee, Sweet land of liberty, Of thee I sing": Autograph Transcription of classic American anthem My Country 'Tis of Thee; Hand-written and signed by lyricist Samuel Francis Smith
SMITH, Samuel Francis.
Autograph Transcription Signed of My Country ‘Tis of Thee.
Autograph transcription of the first four stanzas of the American patriotic song My Country ‘Tis of Thee, which served as one of the de facto national anthems of the United States before the official adoption of The Star Spangled Banner in 1931. Transcribed and signed by lyricist Samuel Francis Smith all in his hand, “My country, ’tis of thee, Sweet land of liberty, Of thee I sing; Land where my fathers died, Land of the pilgrims’ pride, From ev’ry mountainside, Let freedom ring! My native country, thee, Land of the noble free, Thy name I love; I love thy rocks and rills, Thy woods and templed hills; My heart with rapture thrills, Like that above. Let music swell the breeze, And ring from all the trees Sweet freedom’s song; Let mortal tongues awake; Let all that breathe partake; Let rocks their silence break, The sound prolong. Our fathers’ God to Thee, Author of liberty, To Thee we sing. Long may our land be bright, With freedom’s holy light, Protect us by Thy might, Great God our King. Samuel Francis Smith.” Double matted and framed with a portrait engraving of Smith. The entire piece measures 18.5 inches by 18 inches. In near fine condition. A unique piece of American history.
Price: $6,800.00 Item Number: 82414
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Letter from Bobby Jones regarding the genius of Clifford Roberts
JONES, Robert T. (Bobby Jones) (Clifford Roberts).
Autograph Letter Signed From Bobby Jones Regarding Clifford Roberts.
1967.
Two page autographed letter signed by golfing legend Bobby Jones regarding Clifford Roberts. A significant letter in which Jones writes to Richard Gordin at the Ohio Wesleyan University regarding his dissertation on the influence of the design of the Augusta National golf course and on the genius of Clifford Roberts in organizing the Masters Tournament. Matted and framed with a photograph of Jones and Roberts. The entire piece measures 24 inches by 31 inches. An exceptional piece of golf history.
Price: $6,500.00 Item Number: 76540
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"I hope you will live to be a hundred, because guys like you come along so seldom": Autograph Letter Signed by Bobby Jones to fellow golf legend Walter Hagen
JONES, Robert Tyre [Bobby]. [Walter Hagen].
Bobby Jones Autograph Letter Signed to Walter Hagen.
1965.
Autograph letter signed by Bobby Jones to golfing rival and friend Walter Hagen. One page, typescript the letter is dated December 17, 1965 and reads, “Dear Walter: A little bird (not to be confused with birdie) whispered to me that on December 21st you are celebrating your seventy-third birthday. I very definitely want to be counted among those sending best regards and best wishes for many happy returns. I hope you will live to be a hundred, because guys like you come along so seldom. I sent a message to you not long ago by young Walter. I hope he remembered to deliver it. I was much concerned about you while you were in the hospital and have been thinking of you very often since that time. My wife, Mary, last February had an operation similar to yours. I am happy to say her results have been most satisfactory, but at least I got an education in these matters to know something of what you went through. I see nothing in all this to interfere with your enjoyment of those lakes and big pines you once told me about. Knowing you as I do, I am sure you will not miss a minute of this enjoyment. My warmest regards and all best wishes. Sincerely, “Bob.”‘ In near fine condition. Accompanied by the original transmittal envelope. A fine association.
Price: $6,500.00 Item Number: 114012
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Rare Signed Photograph of Sir Winston Churchill
CHURCHILL, Winston S.
Winston S. Churchill Signed Photograph.
1940.
Rare portrait of Winston S. Churchill boldly signed by him, “Winston S. Churchill” on the mount. In near fine condition. Double matted and framed. The entire piece measures 11.5 inches by 10.25 inches.
Price: $6,500.00 Item Number: 124876
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Rare Gelatin Silver Photograph of "the father of American literature" Mark Twain
TWAIN, Mark. [Samuel L. Clemens].
Mark Twain Signed Photograph.
Rare gelatin silver printed photograph of Mark Twain by A. F. Bradley. Signed by Twain on the mount with Bradley’s imprint dated 1907. A contemporary of Twain, American poet Ina Coolbirth was a prominent figure in the San Francisco Bay Area literary community. In 1906, her home in California was destroyed in a fire and subsequent earthquake. Twain sent her three autographed photographs of himself which sold for $10.00 each and was subsequently convinced by New York photographer A. F. Bradley to sit for 17 more studio photographs to add further to the fund. Framed. The entire piece measures 11.5 inches by 15 inches. In near fine condition.
Price: $6,500.00 Item Number: 116026