Americana
Rare Americana Books, Manuscripts & More for Sale Online
If you’re looking for first edition books celebrating the American experience, you’ve come to the right place. At Raptis Rare Books we maintain an extensive collection of rare Americana, books, manuscripts and more. Browse through our entire collection online, use our sorting tools or search to find exactly what you’re looking for then call with any questions you may have or order online today.
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"I have never advocated war except as a means of peace": Rare Henry Shrady Ulysses S. Grant Bronze Bust
GRANT, Ulysses S.] Henry Merwin Shrady.
Ulysses S. Grant Bronze Bust.
Original bronze bust of Ulysses S. Grant by Henry Shrady, the famed sculptor of the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial on the west front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. Mounted on socle and base, the entire piece measures 18.5 inches in height. In fine condition. An exceptional piece of Americana.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 102885
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First edition of the second book on architecture published in America: Owen Biddle's The Young Carpenter's Assistant
BIDDLE, Owen.
The Young Carpenter’s Assistant; Or, A System Of Architecture, Adapted To The Style Of Building In The United States.
Philadelphia: Benjamin Johnson, 1805.
First edition of the second book on architecture published in America, second only to Asher Benjamin’s Country Builder’s Assistant’ published in 1797( Shaw & Shoemaker, 8018). Quarto, bound in full calf, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, gilt ruled to the front and rear panels, illustrated with 44 engraved plates, 2 folding. In very good condition. Scarce with only 2 copies having appeared at auction in the past 50 years.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 117672
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Nineteenth Century Portrait of George Washington
STUART, Gilbert. (George Washington).
George Washington Portrait.
Portrait of George Washington after Gilbert Stuart, American School, late 19th century oil on canvas portrait of President George Washington, after the Athaneum portrait by Gilbert Stuart. Housed in a Victorian giltwood frame with floral carved corner ornaments and oval opening. The entire piece measures 35 inches by 40 inches. An exceptional piece.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 78002
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Rare First Edition of Cox's Historical and Biographical Record of the Cattle Industry and the Cattlemen of Texas and Adjacent Territory
COX, James.
Historical and Biographical Record of the Cattle Industry and the Cattlemen of Texas and Adjacent Territory.
Saint Louis: Woodward & Tiernan Printing Company, 1895.
First edition of this work, one of the big four cattle books. Quarto, illustrated with color lithographic frontispiece, 16 plates, numerous full-page black and white and half-tone photo illustrations as well as illustrations in text, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. In near fine condition.
Price: $9,200.00 Item Number: 102643
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Rare Ostrich Egg engraved with a portrait of George Washington and the Great Seal of the United States; from the library of Lloyd Millard Bentsen
[WASHINGTON, George].
George Washington and Great Seal of the United States Engraved Ostrich Egg.
Rare ostrich egg engraved with a portrait of George Washington, the Washington Coat of Arms, the Great Seal of the United States, and the Masonic compass and trowel. Mounted on a decorative brass stand. From the collection of former four-term United States Senator Lloyd Millard Bentsen who ran as the Democratic Party nominee for vice president in 1988 on the Michael Dukakis ticket and served as the the 69th United States Secretary of the Treasury under President Bill Clinton. As a primary architect of the Clinton economic plan, Bentsen contributed to a $500 billion reduction in the deficit, launching the longest period of economic growth since World War II. More than 5 million new jobs were created during his tenure as Secretary. Bentsen was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1999. In fine condition. A unique piece of Americana and with noted provenance.
Price: $7,500.00 Item Number: 119684
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Rare original typographic portrait of Abraham Lincoln composed of his Emancipation Proclamation
LINCLON, Abraham; Designed and written by W.H. Pratt. Lithograph by A. Hageboeck.
Abraham Lincoln Emancipation Proclamation Typographic Portrait.
Davenport, Iowa: 1865.
Original typographic portrait of Abraham Lincoln composed of his Emancipation Proclamation, issued on January 1, 1863. In near fine condition. Double matted and framed, the entire piece measures 26.5 inches by 19 inches. An exceptional piece, a rare and desirable piece of Americana.
Price: $6,000.00 Item Number: 95831
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Rare first edition of James Wyld's General Atlas Containing Maps illustrating some important periods in Ancient History and distinct Maps of the several Empires, Kingdoms, and States in the World
WYLD, James. Engraved by N.R. Hewitt.
A General Atlas Containing Maps Illustrating Some Important Periods in Ancient History and Distinct Maps of the Several Empires, Kingdoms, and States in the World. From Original Drawings According to the Latest Treaties by J. Wyld: and Engraved by N.R. Hewitt.
London: Printed for John Thomson & Co. for Baldwin, Cradock & Joy, London & John Cumming, Dublin, 1819.
Rare first edition of celebrated cartographer James Wyld (the Elder)’s authoritative world atlas. Quarto, bound in three quarters contemporary calf over marbled boards with original printed paper titular label to the front panel, gilt titles to the spine, engraved frontispiece table of comparative heights of of the principle mountains of the world, engraved calligraphic title page featuring an engraved vignette of Wyld displaying a globe, containing 41 hand-colored numbered maps (including one double-page) engraved by N.R.Hewitt after Wyld, additional table of comparative lengths of principle rivers of the world. The maps include four of the ancient world, three world maps (including a double-page Mercator’s projection map), nineteen maps of European countries, eight maps of Asia, two of Africa, and five related to the Americas each featuring a miniature vignette of the country or area’s most famed palace, city, or attraction. The map of the young United States includes several important historical regions. One of the most unique and scarce features on early maps of the United States is the appearance of Franklinia. Franklinia was formed by settlers in 1784, but it was never recognized by Congress. Eventually it was annexed by North Carolina and later reverted back to Tennessee. This ephemeral state appeared on only a small number of maps into the early part of the 19th century, this being a later example. In near fine condition. Rare and desirable.
Price: $5,200.00 Item Number: 117109
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Portrait of George Washington By Artist Nicholas Alden Brooks
BROOKS, Nicholas Alden.
George Washington Portrait.
Portrait of George Washington, executed and signed by artist Nicholas Alden Brooks, 1840-1909. Pastel on paper. The portrait measures 21 inches by 25 inches. Framed, the entire piece measures In very good condition with light rubbing. Framed behind glass. The entire piece measures 25.5 inches by 30 inches.
Price: $4,800.00 Item Number: 73082
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"The Largest Portrait Engraving of Abraham Lincoln"; Rare Henry Gugler Life-Size Engraved Portrait of Abraham Lincoln
GUGLER, Henry. [Abraham Lincoln].
Henry Gugler Life-Size Engraved Portrait of Abraham Lincoln.
c. 1869.
Rare Henry Gugler engraving of President Abraham Lincoln, the largest engraved portrait of Lincoln produced. One of the foremost engravers of 19th century Germany, Gugler immigrated to the U.S. in 1853 where he found work with a New York firm specializing in bank note engraving. By the early 1860s he began working at the National Note Bureau, later known as the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, D.C. and in 1863, the National Note Bureau of Engraving and Printing hired him as one of their first vignette engravers. It was there that Gugler engraved the “The Pioneer” which appeared on the $5 and $20 United States bills. Gugler’s most famous engraving was this life size steel engraving of President Abraham Lincoln; his most important work completed in 1869 after two years of work. In very good condition. In a period wooden frame with gilt inner border. The entire piece measures 27 by 22 inches.
Price: $4,500.00 Item Number: 104856
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RARE NINETEENTH CENTURY PORTRAIT OF PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN
GARDNER, Alexander. (Abraham Lincoln).
Abraham Lincoln Portrait.
c. 1860.
Rare original painting of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. After a photograph by Civil War photographer Alexander Gardner. Scottish photographer Alexander Gardner immigrated to the United States in 1856 where he became best known for his photographs of the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln, and the execution of the conspirators to Lincoln’s assassination. In near fine condition. In a period frame. The entire piece measures 20.75 by 16.75 inches. Rare and desirable.
Price: $3,500.00 Item Number: 95830
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Rare first edition of History of Los Angeles County, California, with Illustrations Descriptive of Its Scenery, Residences, Fine Blocks, Manufactories, from Original Sketches by Artists of the Highest Ability
WILSON, John Albert.
History of Los Angeles County, California, with Illustrations Descriptive of Its Scenery, Residences, Fine Blocks, Manufactories, from Original Sketches by Artists of the Highest Ability.
Oakland: Thompson & West, 1880.
First edition of this early work on Los Angeles county. Quarto, original leather backed cloth, gilt titles. Illustrated with 86 lithographed plates (two of them double-page); hand-colored lithographed map. In very good condition. From the library of the Ebell of Los Angeles, inscription. Rare in the original binding.
Price: $2,850.00 Item Number: 120454
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"the most extraordinarily good portrait of my father I have ever seen": Photograph by Gutzon Borglum of the Bust of Lincoln; Signed by Him
BORGLUM, Gutzon (Abraham Lincoln).
Gutzon Borglum Signed Photograph of a Bust of Abraham Lincoln.
1907.
Photograph signed and dated “Gutzon Borglum 1907.” The photograph taken by Borglum shows his marble bust of Abraham Lincoln. On February 6, 1908, the President’s son, Robert Todd Lincoln, wrote to Borglum regarding the bust as, “the most extraordinarily good portrait of my father I have ever seen.” The sculpture is on display in the Crypt of the U.S. Capitol Building. A typed Lincoln quotation pasted to mount at lower left. In very good condition. Double matted and framed. The entire piece measures 15 inches by 17.5 inches.
Price: $2,500.00 Item Number: 87608
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“A house divided against itself cannot stand": Rare Relief Bust Portrait of President Abraham Lincoln
LINCOLN, Abraham.
Abraham Lincoln Relief Bust.
Rare caste metal relief portrait of President Abraham Lincoln in profile. Housed in a custom circular frame with gilt decorative floral reliefs. The entire piece measures 16 inches by 16 inches. A handsome example.
Price: $1,800.00 Item Number: 95124
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"Among the finest American portrait prints of the nineteenth century": Rare E.C. Middleton oleographic portrait of Abraham Lincoln
LINCOLN, Abraham.
Abraham Lincoln Portrait.
Cincinnati : E.C. Middleton, 1864.
Rare oloegraphic portrait of Abraham Lincoln by E.C. Middleton. With Middleton’s Warranted Oil Colors imprint to the verso of the frame dated 1864. Between 1861 and 1873, E.C. Middleton of Cincinnati published a series oval oleographic portraits intended to have the appearance of oil paintings including thirteen “Portraits of American Statesmen and Heroes.” Middleton invented the method of oleography which used the process of chromolithographic printing with oil based inks mounted on canvas. The portraits were exclusively sold in frames directly through agents by subscription. In fine condition. Framed. The portrait measures 17 inches by 14 inches. The entire piece measures 22 inches by 19 inches. Rare and desirable.
Price: $1,750.00 Item Number: 109547
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First Edition of In the Russian Style; Signed by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
ONASSIS, Jacqueline Kennedy.
In the Russian Style.
New York: The Viking Press, 1976.
First edition of this work by Jacqueline Onassis. Quarto, original cloth, illustrated throughout. Boldly signed by Jacqueline Onassis on the front free endpaper. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. This is one of the few books that she was responsible for at that time and was published under the name of “Jacqueline Onassis” as an editor.
Price: $1,250.00 Item Number: 89985
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Rare Jo Davidson Bronze Sculptural Bust of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
DAVIDSON, Jo. [Franklin Delano Roosevelt].
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Bronze Bust.
Sculptural bronze bust of the 32nd president of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, signed by the artist, Jo Davidson. Throughout his career, American sculptor Jo Davidson was commissioned to sculpt realistic, intense portrait busts and statues of an array of political and literary figures including Joseph Conrad, H.G. Wells, Gertrude Stein, Helen Keller, Gandhi, Walt Whitman , Carl Sandburg, John D. Rockefeller, and perhaps his greatest patron, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. Davidson did not require his subjects to formally pose for him; rather, he observed and spoke with them. Mounted on a white marble mount, the entire piece measures 9 inches in height. In near fine condition.
Price: $975.00 Item Number: 115567
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"The climate of the East Coast of Florida is nearer perfection than that of any other place on earth": Rare First Edition of Florida: Beauties of the East Coast
INGRAM, Mrs. H.K.
Florida: Beauties of the East Coast.
St. Augustine: Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Indian River Railway Company, 1893.
Scarce first edition of this early brochure for the state of Florida. Oblong octavo, original illustrated wrappers, gilt titles, with color illustrated frontispiece. Illustrated throughout with numerous plates from photographs. With text by Helen K. Ingram.
Price: $650.00 Item Number: 103179
