Making Our Nation: Constitutions and Related Documents. Sold to Benefit the Dorothy Tapper Goldman Foundation. Part 2

Supreme Court An Act for allowing certain Compensation to the Judges of the Supreme and other Courts, and to the Attorney-General of the United States. [New York: Printed by Childs and Swaine], 23 September 1789 1 page, folio (391 x 254 mm). Printed on a single leaf in one column below a four-line headline, signed in print by George Washington as President, signed by the Secretary of State ("Sam. A. Otis"), and Clerk of the House of Representatives ("John Beckley"); slight separation along old horizontal folds, a few small closed tears to edges, lightly creased. Reads, in part: "There shall be allowed ... the yearly compensations ... to the Chief Justice four thousand dollars; to each of the Justices of the Supreme Court three thousand five hundred ... and to the attorney-general of the United States fifteen hundred dollars..." REFERENCE: Bristol B7167; ESTC W17356; Shipton & Mooney 45689

View 1 of Lot 212: Supreme Court | A printed Act of Congress accomplished in the first session of the first U.S. Congress 

supreme court | a printed act of congress accomplished in the first session of the first u.s. congress

Fine Books and Manuscripts, Including Selections from the Collection of Barbara and Ira Lipman

[Yale] Engravings, Lithographs and Autographs collected by Wm. R Webb, Class of 53, Yale [New Haven: 1853] Thick 8vo (258 x 175 mm) 123 engraved portraits (often from daguerrotypes) of Yale students and faculty, including one mounted salt print photograph, numerous engraved views of the campus, interleaved with autograph sentiments from the class of 1853; scattered foxing. Original pictorial extra gilt morocco with depiction of Yale gilt-stamped to upper and lower covers, edges gilt; covers detached, some rubbing, spot of loss under last raised band on the spine. An elaborate production. One of the earliest Yale Yearbooks. Prior to 1852 students would exchange daguerrotypes and use their own autograph albums. For the present yearbook, they were asked to provide engraved portraits (though one student used a salt print photo). Notables herein include Andrew D. White, co-founder and president of Cornell University, ambassador to Germany; George Shiras, Jr., Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court; Cornelius Hedges, lawyer, miner, explorer of the area known as Yellowstone National Park and Yung Wing. Wing was the first Chinese student to graduate from an American university. He returned to China, a dedicated reformer and supporter of the court of the Taiping rebels in Nanjing, brokering deals with Europe and the United States to build an arsenal comparable to those of the West. His later career included being a founder of the Chinese Educational Mission, sending over 100 students to New England for higher education. His views on political reform in China resulted eventually on a large bounty, the equivalent of over $1,000,000 today, and the fled to Hong Kong from Shanghai. He was able to return to Yale at the end of his life to see his sons graduate from his alma mater.

[yale] | the first chinese student to graduate from an american university

The Passion of American Collectors: Property of Barbara and Ira Lipman | Highly Important Printed and Manuscript Americana 

Barber, John Warner A History of the Amistad Captives: Being a Circumstantial Account of the Capture of the Spanish Schooner Amistad, the Africans on Board; their Voyage, and Capture, near Long Island, New York; with Biographical Sketches of each of the Surviving Africans, Also an Account of the Trials ... Compiled from Authentic Sources. New Haven, CT: E.L. & J.W. Barber, 1840 8vo (225 x 142 mm), 32 pp., large folding frontispiece, partially handcolored, additional illustrations including 38 engraved profiles of the captives; minor foxing. Antique-style three-quarter calf, leather label and gilt tooling to spine. First edition, the only contemporary account of "the most famous of all the shipboard revolts," which galvanized the abolitionist movement; with the striking frontispiece depicting the death of Captain Ferrer An exceedingly rare history documenting one of the most important events of its time, published in the same year the New Haven court ruled the slave owners had no claim on the Amistad rebels, preceding publication of Adams's and Baldwin's 1841 Supreme Court arguments. Featuring the large folding engraved frontispiece depicting the death of the Amistad's captain, along with Barber's thirty-eight engraved profiles of the Amistad rebels made during his visits to jail, a map of Mendi and a Mendi village in Africa, and an engraving of nine Amistad Africans chained in the slave ship that took them to Cuba. "The rebellion became one of the most important events of its time. … Assisted in their legal battle by distinguished attorneys Roger S. Baldwin and former president John Quincy Adams, who made dramatic speeches before the U.S. Supreme Court in February and March 1841, the Amistad revels won their freedom. … The abolitionist movement claimed a great, historic, and altogether unlikely victory" (Rediker). REFERENCE Celebration of My Country 182; American Imprints 40-480; Afro-Americana Imprints 881; Dumond 24; Sabin 3324; Marcus Rediker, The Amistad Rebellion: An Atlantic Odyssey of Slavery and Freedom (New York: Viking, 2012)

View 1 of Lot 50: Barber, John Warner  | The only contemporary account of "the most famous of all the shipboard revolts"

barber, john warner | the only contemporary account of "the most famous of all the shipboard revolts"

Dallas, A[lexander]. J[ames]. Reports of cases ruled and adjudged in the courts of Pennsylvania, before and since the Revolution. Philadelphia: T. Bradford, 1790 (Vol. I); Aurora Office, 1798 (Vol. II); J. Ormrod, 1799 (Vol. III); P. Byrne by Fry and Kammerer, 1807 (Vol. IV) 4 volumes, 8vo (226 x 133 mm). Title to each volume; browning, foxing, and occasional dampstaining, some contemporary markings and marginalia. Full contemporary calf, covers bordered in blind; boards of Vol. I detached, rebacked (vols. II and IV) or spines and joints restored (vols. I and III), overall rubbed with occasional loss, browning and chips to endleaves. In custom half blue morocco slipcases and folding chemises, spines gilt-lettered; a few scuffs and instances of soiling. First editions — the first published reports of the United States Supreme Court Volume I is made up of cases in Pennsylvania, which preceded the establishment of the Supreme Court. The subsequent volumes contain the Supreme Court cases, ending with the seat of government's move to Washington, and John Marshall assuming the chief justiceship. Alexander Dallas was born in Jamaica, and came to the U.S. as a young lawyer in 1783. He quickly rose to political prominence, serving as Secretary of Pennsylvania, district attorney under Jefferson, and Secretary of the Treasury under Madison. As one of the chief lawyers arguing before the Supreme Court, he decided to collect and report its cases, as well as those of Pennsylvania's courts. PROVENANCE P.A. Knox (inscription and stamp, vol. I) — James Kinsey (ownership inscriptions, vols. II-IV) — Hudson County Bar Association (various stamps, vols. II-IV) REFERENCE DAB V:36-38. ESTC W33792; Evans 33598, 35374, and 22445; Federal Hundred 27

View 1 of Lot 128: Dallas, A[lexander]. J[ames]. | A landmark series of reports tracing the first decade of the Supreme Court

dallas, a[lexander]. j[ames]. | a landmark series of reports tracing the first decade of the supreme court

Fine Books and Manuscripts, Including Americana. Part 2

Property of a New York Collector Roosevelt, Theodore Typed letter signed ("Theodore Roosevelt") to the Hon. Richard Campbell ("My dear Judge"), downplaying his prospects for the 1916 Republican presidential nomination One page (253 x 178 mm), Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York, 13 May 1916; light fold creases. Following William McKinley's assassination, Teddy Roosevelt succeeded to the presidency in the midst of the Philippine-American War, during which time he perhaps made the acquaintance of Richard Campbell, judge of the Court of First Instance of the city of Manila. He here thanks Campbell for some recent correspondence, but tempers the judge's expectation that the GOP might again choose Roosevelt as its presidential standard-bearer. "That’s an awfully nice letter of yours! I will see Judge Moreland as soon as possible. Now, I wish I could see you and go over this situation. "I do not believe that the Republicans have any intention of nominating me. I only hope they will give us some man who will be the antithesis of Wilson. What a trump General Barry is!" Thomas Henry Barry—who had earlier been appointed by President Roosevelt as commander of the Army of Cuban Occupation and Pacification and had also served as Superintendent of West Point—was at the time the commander American troops in the Philippines and China. Roosevelt's 1912 third-party challenge to his former close ally and Secretary of War, William Howard Taft, put Woodrow Wilson in the White House. With the looming prospect of American involvement in the war in Europe as the central issue of the 1916 campaign, the Democrats nominated incumbent Wilson while the Republicans nominated Charles Evans Hughes of New York, then a sitting associate justice on the Supreme Court. Although the Progressive Party—popularly known as the Bull Moose party—nominated him again, Roosevelt, his disdain for Wilson even greater than before, and all too aware of the consequences of another split Republican vote, withdrew his candidacy and threw his support behind Hughes. By narrow margins in both the popular and Electoral College votes, Wilson was elected to a second term. Roosevelt continued his opposition to Wilson's policies, helping the Republicans gain control of both houses of Congress in the 1918 midterms and, with Henry Cabot Lodge, playing a significant role in keeping the United States out of the League of Nations, which Wilson was instrumental in founding.

View 1 of Lot 1154: Roosevelt, Theodore | "I only hope they will give us some man who will be the antithesis of Wilson."

roosevelt, theodore | "i only hope they will give us some man who will be the antithesis of wilson."

Fine Books and Manuscripts, Including Americana. Part 1

Property of a New York Collector Jefferson, Thomas Autograph letter signed ("Th: Jefferson") as third President, to his son-in-law John W. Eppes, commiserating on the death of Eppes's wife (and Jefferson's daughter) and anticipating his famous reconciliation with John Adams 2 pages (252 x 182 mm) written recto and verso on a sheet of wove paper, Washington D.C., 4 June 1804; worn and repaired at folds affecting a couple of letters of text, some light staining. "I have never withdrawn my esteem": an important and affecting letter, written by Jefferson shortly after the death of his daughter Maria, addressing his ruptured friendship with Abigail and John Adams: "I inclose you a letter I recieved lately from mrs Adams [not present]. the sentiments expressed in it are sincere. her attachment was constant. although all of them point to another object directly, yet the expressing them to me is a proof that our friendship is unbroken on her part. it has been a strong one, and has gone through trying circumstances on both sides. yet I retain it strongly both for herself and mr Adams. he & myself have gone through so many scenes together that all his qualities have been proved to me, and I know him to possess so many good ones, as that I have never withdrawn my esteem, and I am happy that this letter gives me an opportunity of expressing it to both of them. I shall do it with a frank declaration that one act of his life, & never but one, gave me personal displeasure, his midnight appointments. if respect for him will not permit me to ascribe that altogether to the influence of others, it will leave something for friendship to forgive. if Patsy [Jefferson's other daughter, Martha Jefferson Randolph] is with you, communicate the letter to her, and be so good as to re-inclose it to me. " The "midnight appointments" to which Jefferson refers, were John Adams’s appointments of several dozen judgeships in his last hours of his presidency. When Jefferson succeeded to the White House he and his secretary of state, James Madison, refused to honor these appointments, which they claimed had not been properly filed. These included William Marbury's appointment as Justice of the Peace for the District of Columbia. Marbury then sued Madison in the Supreme Court, asking that it issue a writ of mandamus to force the Jefferson administration to honor Adams's appointments. In the celebrated case that resulted, Marbury v. Madison, Chief Justice John Marshall, also an Adams appointee and an inveterate enemy of Jefferson, invoked the doctrine of judicial review to uphold the legitimacy of Adams's commissions. Jefferson felt that Adams had spitefully named Federalists to these positions, where they could only be removed by impeachment, when he should have allowed them to remain vacant until he assumed office and could fill the openings with candidates loyal to his Democratic-Republican party. Thomas Jefferson’s wife, Martha Wayles, had died nineteen years before he became president. His two daughters who survived to adulthood, Maria Eppes and Martha Randolph, each married to a talented Virginia politician, shared hostess duties at the White House. Maria, however, died at twenty-five on 17 April 1804, two months after giving birth to a namesake daughter, leaving behind a grieving husband and a devastated father. In the present letter Jefferson counsels his son-in-law on the upbringing his now motherless granddaughter and her three-year-old brother, Francis, while assuring Eppes that he will remain part of the president's family. "we consented to consign little Maria to the entreaties of mrs Eppes until August when she promised to bring her back herself. … while I live both the children will be to me the dearest of all pledges; and I shall consider it as increasing our misfortune should we have the less of your society. it will in no wise change my views at Pantops, and should considerations, which ought not to be opposed by me in the actual state of things, induce you to change the purpose of your residence at Pantops, I shall still do there what I had always proposed to you; expecting it will some day become the residence of Francis." Pantops had been Jefferson’s dowry to the couple on their wedding day in 1797. In 1787, the eight-year-old Maria made an indelible impression when she spent several weeks with the Adams family in London while travelling to Paris to join her father and older sister. Abigail Adams wrote to Jefferson that she had "never felt so attached to a child in my Life on so short an acquaintance," assuring him that "the pleasure she has given me is an ample compensation for any little services I have been able to render her." John Adams, for his part, confided to Jefferson, "I am extreamly sorry … that we are obliged to part with her so soon. In my Life I never saw a more charming Child." So when Mrs. Adams learned of Maria's death, she broke an epistolary silence of almost three years to write, 20 May 1804, the letter that Jefferson included with his own letter to Eppes (and which Eppes returned to him in his 14 June response). "Had you been no other than the private inhabitant of Montecello, I should e’er this time have addrest you, with that sympathy, which a recent event has awakend in my Bosom. but reasons of various kinds withheld my pen, untill the powerfull feelings of my heart, have burst through the restraint, and called upon me to shed the tear of sorrow over the departed remains, of your beloved and deserving Daughter, an event which I most sincerely mourn. The attachment which I formed for her, when you committed her to my care; upon her arrival in a foreign Land: has remained with me to this hour. … the tender scene of her seperation from me, rose to my recollection, when she clung arround my neck and wet my Bosom with her tears—saying, 'o! now I have learnt to Love you, why will they tear me from you[.]'" Jefferson may have taken Abigail's warm condolence as "a proof that our friendship is unbroken on her part," as he wrote to Eppes, but he should have noted that she closed her letter as one "who once took pleasure in Subscribing Herself your Friend." He answered her on 13 June, thanking her for her kind words—and her earlier kind acts—and regretting "that circumstances should have arisen which have seemed to draw a line of separation between us." But he also elaborated on his charge that her husband's "last appointments to office [were] personally unkind." This Mrs. Adams would not brook and she sent a withering response, 1 July, detailing her grievances against Jefferson, particularly his pardon of the pamphleteer James T. Callender, who had been prosecuted under the Alien and Sedition Act by the Adams administration. She also alluded to the removal of John Quincy Adams as a bankruptcy commissioner as "personally unkind" on Jefferson's part. The correspondence continued for another four letters before being terminated by Adams in October. Their disagreements, rooted in the party factionalism of the 1790s and the election of 1800, were still irreconcilable. "When Jefferson retired from the presidency in 1809, Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration that Adams and Jefferson worked to create, took it upon himself to renew their suspended friendship. He had no success until 1811, when one of Jefferson's neighbors [Edward Coles] visited Adams in Massachusetts. The neighbor returned to Virginia with the report that he had heard Adams say, 'I always loved Jefferson, and still love him.' In response to these words, Jefferson wrote Dr. Rush: 'this is enough for me. I only needed this knolege to revive towards him all the affections of the most cordial moments of our lives.' He asked Rush to persuade Adams to renew their correspondence. A letter from Adams was forthcoming, and they continued to write until their deaths" ("John Adams" in Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia: https://www.monticello.org/research-education/thomas-jefferson-encyclopedia/). In 1813, Mrs. Adams, who had closed her own correspondence with Jefferson nine years earlier, charmingly reopened it in a postscript appended to a letter from John to Jefferson of 15 July: "I have been looking for some time for a space in my good Husbands Letters to add the regards, of an old Friend, which are Still cherished and perserved through all the changes and vissitudes which have taken place since we first became acquainted, and will I trust remain as long as A Adams." REFERENCE: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, ed. McClure, 43:534–535, 458–459 (for Abigail Adams's letter of 20 May 1804); cf. The Adams-Jefferson Letters, ed. Cappon, 1:265–282, 2:283–289 PROVENANCE: Christie's New York, 19 June 2007, lot 263 (undesignated consignor)

View 1 of Lot 1013: Jefferson, Thomas | "one act of his life, & never but one, gave me personal displeasure"

jefferson, thomas | "one act of his life, & never but one, gave me personal displeasure"

Roosevelt, Franklin D. Typed notes related to Harry Bridges, with an autograph note by Franklin D. Roosevelt to Frances Perkins Lot includes: 1 page (278 x 215 mm). Typed notes, with autograph note in the hand of Franklin D. Roosevelt, initialed "FDR," in the upper margin in pencil, and one emendation in pencil, Washington, D.C., circa autumn 1940, with note in lower margin in ink in another hand; old folds. In custom clamshell case. "Raphael P. Bonham, District Director of the United States Immigration Service … states confidentially that he has definite proof that Harry Bridges is a member of the Communist Party and as such under the law should be deported." These notes summarize the findings of Ralph P. Bonham, then District Director of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. Roosevelt's note to Frances Perkins reads: "F.P. | Very confidential | Will you speak to me | about it? | FDR". In 1933, Roosevelt nominated Perkins as Secretary of Labor. As Secretary, Perkins became the first woman to hold a cabinet position in the United States, and, by extension, the first woman to enter the presidential line of succession. In 1939, Perkins was scrutinized by some members of Congress for refusing to deport Harry Bridges, the communist head of the West Coast International Longshore and Warehouse Union. Bridges was ultimately vindicated by the Supreme Court.

View 1 of Lot 405: Roosevelt, Franklin D. | A document related to Harry Bridges, with a note from Roosevelt to Frances Perkins

roosevelt, franklin d. | a document related to harry bridges, with a note from roosevelt to frances perkins

Adams, John Document signed ("John Adams") as President, appointing his twenty-nine-year-old son John Quincy Adams as Minister Plenipotentiary to Prussia Manuscript broadside on vellum (274 x 343 mm), written in a neat clerical hand, Philadelphia, 1 June 1797, countersigned by the Secretary of State ("Timothy Pickering"), embossed paper seal of the United States; some very light surface soiling, some abrasion and repair at lower left corner margin. Floated on a mat and framed with engraved portraits of the two Adamses. "John Adams- President of the United States of America To John Quincy Adams—Greeting "Reposing especial Trust and Confidence in your Integrity, Prudence and Ability I have nominated and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate do appoint you the said John Quincy Adams Minister Plenipotentiary for the United States of America at the Court of His Majesty the King of Prussia, authorizing you hereby to do and perform all such Matters and Things as to the said Place or Office doth appertain, or as may be duly given you in charge hereafter, and the said Office to hold and exercise during the pleasure of the President of the United States for the time being." Before he became the nation's sixth president, John Quincy Adams was one of the most significant diplomats of the early republic. His first appointment abroad came from George Washington, who in 1794 made Adams ambassador to the Netherlands. Adams, who would have preferred a career in law and academia, was encouraged to accept the position by his father. Although he discussed the Jay Treaty with its eponymous American negotiator and participated in the exchange of ratifications during this posting, Adams did not much enjoy his time in the Hague, where his principal responsibility was overseeing the repayment of U.S. loans from Dutch bankers. Two years later, Washington reassigned Adams to Portugal, but before he could make his way to Lisbon, his father succeeded to the presidency and appointed him to the more significant office of minister to Prussia (the Portuguese portfolio was given instead to William Loughton Smith). The younger Adams was keenly sensitive to charges of nepotism, and he had determined not to accept any office in his father's administration; in his diary, he characterized the posting to Berlin as Because he had resolved never to hold public office under his father’s nomination, he recorded the news as "some very unpleasant intelligence, personally concerning myself." Adams was recalled as a result of Thomas Jefferson's election to the presidency in 1800, but after a period as a Senator from Massachusetts—during which he taught at both Brown and Harvard—he returned to the diplomatic corps in 1809 when President Madison named him minister to Russia. (Adams had been to St. Petersburg before, however; in 1781, just fifteen years old, he acted as secretary and French translator for Francis Dana, the Confederation minister to Russia.) While in Russia Adams seemed finally to accept that his place was to found in diplomacy and politics, even declining an appointment to the Supreme Court. He helped to negotiate the Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812, before moving from St. Petersburg to London as ambassador to Great Britain. Adams then served as Secretary of State for the entirety of James Monroe's presidency, before succeeding himself to the White House in 1825. It was the posting to Berlin, commemorated in the present document, that likely determined Adams's future. Prussia allowed for close observation of revolutionary France, in addition to his regular duties, which included signing a new Prussian-American Treaty of Amity and Commerce. PROVENANCE: Bonhams New York, 10 December 2014, lot 171 (undesignated consignor)

View 1 of Lot 1011: Adams, John | The original nepo baby?

adams, john | the original nepo baby?

Reagan, Ronald Highly important series of 37 letters signed ("Ron") to Senator George Murphy ("Dear Murph"), his political mentor One autograph letter, the remainder typed, four signed with autopen, 39 pages, Sacramento, Los Angeles (various addresses), and the White House, with 30 envelopes, 4 June 1968 to 4 July 1990. [With:] an inscribed photograph of Ronald Reagan ("Why am I reminded of the S.AG. Board meetings? All the Best & Warmest Friendship. Ron"); an autograph letter signed by Nancy Reagan, 2 pages, n.d.; an inscribed photograph of Nancy Reagan, 1968-90; two printed invitations; three telegrams; two Christmas cards (unsigned). "… I am looking forward to putting our mandate into action. I'm aware it will be all uphill but we'll keep climbing. …" (14 November 1984). Ronald Reagan's letters to George Murphy, the fellow actor and Republican politician he referred to as "My John the Baptist." A revealing political correspondence to a long-standing friend and trusted ally, the vast majority written during his two presidential terms, touching on subjects ranging from Carter's mishandling of the Iranian hostage crisis, to glasnost and the changes in the Soviet Union, as well as the Iran-Contra affair, Apartheid South Africa, Supreme Court nominations, and the partisan battles of American politics. George Murphy (1902-92) was the first prominent Hollywood actor to launch a major national political career. The first of these letters dates from 1968 but the relationship between Murphy and Reagan went back to their careers in Hollywood in the early 1940s. Murphy had played Reagan's father in the wartime propaganda musical This is the Army, and the two men had served as successive presidents of the Screen Actors' Guild in the '40s and '50s. Their on-screen personae were very different—Reagan tended to play cowboys and other men of action, Murphy was primarily a song-and-dance man—but they and had similar political instincts. Murphy was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1964, two years before Reagan became Governor of California; they supported each other's campaigns in the 1960s and remained close friends and political allies through Reagan's presidency and beyond. The most significant letters in the current series are undoubtedly Reagan's two letters written after meetings with Gorbachev. In the first, Reagan sums up for his friend the 1985 Geneva Summit, where he had first met the new Soviet leader: "… it was worthwhile but it would be foolish to believe the leopard will change its spots. He is a firm believer in their system … and he believes the propaganda they peddle about us. At the same time, he is practical and knows his economy is a basket case. I think our job is to show him he and they will be better off if we make some practical agreement, without attempting to convert him to our way of thinking …" (19 December 1985). Three years later, in the aftermath of the Moscow Summit, Reagan had a clear understanding of the world-changing significance of the reforms within the USSR itself. This came as much from his evident astonishment at the warmth of his public reception in Moscow as from his meetings with the Soviet leadership: "… the people have, of course, heard of glasnost and evidently liked what they heard. Murph, for the first time I believe there could perhaps one day be a stirring of the people that would make the bureaucrats pay attention. The Estonians have demanded home rule and no one is shooting at them. In Leningrad a mob of 2,000 marched on the KGB headquarters and the KGB just stayed inside. If glasnost was just showboating, they may have to keep at least some of the promises or face a public they've never seen before …" (8 July 1988). While these letters are exceptional examples of Reagan as a clear-eyed statesman, taken as a whole the correspondence provides a narrative of a presidential career from its origins to its conclusion. In the earliest letters Reagan is Governor of California, but by June 1976 he is "busy job-hunting," having failed to secure the Republican Presidential nomination by challenging the incumbent Gerald Ford. In his letters from 1979 and 1980 Reagan assures Murphy of his careful preparation for the nomination, sizes up his opponents for the Republican ticket, and expresses his contempt for the Carter administration ("… Things don't get any better do they? As witness the bungled attempt in Iran …", 2 May 1980). Reagan engages with relish in the familiar cut and thrust of American partisan politics in his letters to Murphy. These are letters that reveal Reagan the politician, whether he is admitting to the political weakness of his ambitious tax policies ("… There is no question but that we're vulnerable on that one. They've done quite a job on me as 'favouring the rich' in our tax policies…", 14 February 1983), or expressing his satisfaction on the 1984 Republican convention that preceded his landslide victory that November ("We're just back from the convention and all in all think it was darn good. The press, of course, isn't happy—no blood on the floor …", 27 August 1984). He is comfortable taking direct aim at his enemies: Bobby Kennedy is "the playboy from Massachusetts" (11 August 1986), "the Mondale" is "lying through his teeth" on Social Security (10 September 1984); while the veteran Florida senator Claude Pepper, "Old Red Pepper," is mentioned in several letters. Murphy had retired to Florida and made Pepper a personal target, much encouraged by Reagan: "He's really a storm trooper and has done quite a hatchet job for almost 2 years now. He has quite a lot of our generation believing I eat my young …" (27 February 1984). Like many other American conservatives before and since, Reagan was deeply frustrated at what he believed to be liberal media bias, complaining in one letter of the "daily poison of the New York Times and Washington Post" and recommending a new book [The Coming Battle for the Media] by conservative author William Rusher "that documents with names, titles and dates how the media has been taken over and delivers the news in the framework of their bias. This is also true of the newsrooms of TV" (23 May 1988). Another familiar story is his determination to secure a strong conservative presence on the Supreme Court and the resulting clash with political opponents in Congress; having already had one nominee struck down, Reagan writes as he is about to nominate Douglas Ginsburg to the vacant seat ("… I promise you he'll be as conservative as Judge Bork. ...There is no way I'll go for a touch of liberalism to win over the lynch mob …", 29 October 1987). (Judge Ginsburg withdrew from consideration after it was revealed that he had used marijuana.) Reagan touches on the Iran-Contra affair in several letters from the final years of his presidency. He shows absolute confidence in his position, dismisses press furor as manufactured outrage ("… This whole fuss today is mind boggling … ") and Congressional investigation as transparently partisan and doomed to fail ("… Well, so far they haven't gotten the noose around my neck, and they won't because I've been telling the truth these last eight months …", 21 July 1987). He also agrees with Murphy in opposing sanctions against Apartheid South Africa, claiming that "I have some recent figures on Black resistance to punitive sanctions. The majority are well aware they would be the first to suffer, and many of their leaders flatly declare that the radicals who do want them want them because of the chaos they would bring" (11 August 1986). There are only a few letters dating from after Reagan's departure from the White House and in one—the only handwritten letter in the series—he returns to where he and Murphy began, the Screen Actors Guild, lamenting that it had not acted as a bulwark against the cultural changes that had swept Hollywood: "if it was what it used to be the Guild members would refuse to read lines with 4 letter words and profanity. I'm sure we would have ruled out the nudity and sex too" (25 August 1990). Arguably the most significant and revealing series of letters by Reagan as President to ever have been offered at auction.

View 1 of Lot 1066: Reagan, Ronald | A revealing series of letters by President Reagan

reagan, ronald | a revealing series of letters by president reagan

Fine Books and Manuscripts, Including Americana

Washington, George Autograph letter signed ("Go: Washington") as first President, marked "(Secret & confidential)," to John Jay, inviting him to become U.S. Minister in London 2 pages (229 x 185 mm) on a leaf of laid paper, Philadelphia, 29 April 1794, reception docket at foot of second page ("Washington to Jay. | April 29th 1794."), in unusually fresh condition. Tipped to a Japanese tissue guard and bound in a linen portfolio with engraved portraits of Washington and Jay. Housed in a half-blue morocco folding-case. At a critical moment for the nascent nation, President Washington, in a letter marked "Secret & confidential)," entreats Chief Justice John Jay to consider becoming the U.S. Minister in London. This remarkable letter by Washington resulted from the very embarrassing position brought upon the United States government by Gouverneur Morris, Resident Minister to France. Morris's reputation as a "monarchy man" was manifest in his distaste for the French Revolution, making him a serious liability and threat to Franco-American relations, so that his recall and replacement by a suitable figure was a matter of some urgency. Washington's first choice for a replacement was Thomas Pinckney, then U.S. Minister to Great Britain, but then Pinckney himself would need to be replaced. Hence Washington's appeal to Jay in the present letter. Jay, who was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, had already accepted the temporary post of U.S. Envoy Extraordinary to Great Britain. Now Washington was asking him to accept the permanent position of U.S. Resident Minister in Pinckney's place. "Receive, I pray you, the suggestion I am going to impart with the friendship and caution the delicacy of it requires.— "You are already informed that I am under the necessity of recalling Mr. Gouvr. Morris from France—and you can readily conceive the difficulty which occurs in finding a successor that would be agreeable to that Nation, and who, at the same time, would meet the approbation of the friends of that Country in this. "These considerations have induced me to ask you, if it could be made to comport with your inclination, after you shall have finished your business as Envoy, and not before, to become the Resident Minister Plenipotentiary at London; that Mr Pinckney, by that means, might be sent to Paris?—I mean no more than simply to ask the question, not intending (although the measure would remove the above difficulty) to press it in the smallest degree.—" Washington's almost apologetic tone in addressing Jay indicates that he expected the Chief Justice to decline the diplomatic post. Indeed, the day before he addressed this letter to Jay, Washington had been advised by Attorney General Edmund Randolph that "The arrangement of Mr J—y, as resident in London, might be a fortunate circumstance, if he would assent to it. But I doubt this; because he has eye immediately on the government of N.Y.—and ultimately on the Presidency." Washington's doubts were also underscored by his enclosing in this letter to Jay a contingency letter to Robert R. Livingston (not present) asking if that gentleman would find it "convenient and agreeable" to replace Morris as minister to France—an appointment that would only be necessary if Pinckney was not free to move from London to Paris. In closing, Washington instructed Jay on how to handle the letter to Livingston: "If you answer in the affirmative, be so good as to return the enclosed letter to me, and correspondent arrangements shall be made.—If in the negative, I pray you to forward it, through the Penny Post or otherwise according to circumstances, to the Gentleman to whom it is directed, without delay—and in either case to let the transaction be confined entirely to ourselves." The Chief Justice replied to Washington on 30 April, declining the proffered position while stating that "there is no public Station that I should prefer to the one in which you have placed me—it accords with my Turn of Mind, my Education & my Habits." Jay reported that Livingston was out of town and so "To obviate Delay and accidents, I sent it to his Brother [likely Edward], who will doubtless forward it immediately, either by a direct Conveyance or by the Post." Jay also strictly, and somewhat dramatically, observed Washington's request to keep this matter "entirely to ourselves": "Life is uncertain. whether I take your Letter with me or leave it here, it would in Case of my Death be inspected by others, who however virtuous, might be indiscreet. After much Reflection, I conclude it will be most prudent to commit it to you; without retaining any Copy or Memorandum except in my Memory, where the numerous proofs of your kind Attention to me are carefully preserved." Once Washington's letter reached him, Robert Livingston, too, declined the appointment, and Gouverneur Morris was eventually replaced—at the suggestion of Attorney General Randolph—by James Monroe. Pinckney, meanwhile, remained at the London posting until he was succeeded by Rufus King two years later. With these arrangements in place, Jay went to London in 1794 as U.S. Envoy Extraordinary to attempt to settle issues unresolved with Great Britain since the Treaty of Paris, particularly high British tariffs and British interference with American shipping. As Washington explained to the Senate when nominating Jay as envoy, "My confidence in our Minister plenipotentiary in London continues undiminished. But a mission, like this, while it corresponds with the solemnity of the occasion, will announce to the world a solicitude for a friendly adjustment of our complaints, and a reluctance to hostility. Going immediately from the United States, such an envoy will carry with him a full knowledge of the existing temper and sensibility of our Country; and will thus be taught to vindicate our rights with firmness, and to cultivate peace with sincerity." The result of Jay’s embassy was his eponymous treaty, which obtained the surrender by the British of the northwestern forts (already agreed to in 1783) and a commercial treaty with Great Britain that granted the United States "most favored nation" status. But most points of contention were left unresolved and led eventually, to the War of 1812. The treaty was deeply unpopular, but it did not prevent Jay—as predicted by Randolph—from being elected governor of New York while he was still in London. While remaining in London, Pinckney also took on additional diplomatic responsibilities in Spain, where in 1795 he negotiated the Treaty of San Lorenzo (also known as Pinckney’s Treaty), which defined the boundaries between the United States and Spanish colonies and guaranteed the United States free navigation rights on the Mississippi River. REFERENCE: The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series, ed. Patrick, 15:674–675; for Randolph to Washington, 15:668–669; for Washington to Livingston, 15:676; for Jay to Washington, 15:683–684; for Washington to the Senate, 15:608–609 PROVENANCE: Sotheby's London, 21 July 1988, lot 441 (undesignated consignor) — Sotheby's New York, 11 December 2007, lot 57 (undesignated consignor)

View 1 of Lot 1092: Washington, George | Autograph letter signed, Washington privately asks John Jay if he would replace Pinckney

washington, george | autograph letter signed, washington privately asks john jay if he would replace pinckney

Making Our Nation: Constitutions and Related Documents. Sold to Benefit the Dorothy Tapper Goldman Foundation. Part 1

Declaration of Independence In Congress, July 4, 1776. The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America. When in the Course of Human Events. … Washington, D.C.: engraved & printed by William J. Stone, 1823 or after Engraved broadside on paper (767 x 632 mm, sight). A few light creases and neatly repaired tears. Matted, framed, and glazed. In 1820, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams grew concerned over the fragile condition of the Declaration—which, after New York changed its vote on independence to yes, had its title altered from "A Declaration by the Representatives of the United States of America" to "The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America"—and, with the approval of Congress, he commissioned William J. Stone to engrave an exact copy on a copper plate. Stone’s engraving is the best representation of the Declaration as the manuscript looked prior to its now nearly complete deterioration. Stone worked on the engraving for close to three years, keeping the original in his shop. When the engraving was completed, the Department of State commissioned Stone to print 200 copies on vellum (he kept one for himself as well, later donated by his descendants to the Smithsonian). By a congressional resolution of 26 May 1824, the vellum copies were distributed as follows: "two copies to each of the surviving Signers of the Declaration of Independence (John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Charles Carroll of Carrollton), two copies to the President of the United States (James Monroe); two copies to the Vice-President of the United States (Daniel D. Thompkins); two copies to the late President, Mr. Madison; two copies to the Marquis de Lafayette; twenty copies for the two houses of Congress; twelve copies for the different departments of the Government (State, Treasury, Justice, Navy, War and Postmaster); two copies for the President's House; two copies for the Supreme Court room; one copy for each of the Governors of the States and one copy to the Council of each Territory; and the remaining copies to different Universities and Colleges of the United States, as the President of the United States may direct." (One of the copies given to Charles Carroll was sold earlier this year by Freeman's for $4,420,000.) After William J. Stone had printed 201 copies on vellum of his monumental facsimile of the signed Declaration on parchment, the legend in the upper margins "Engraved by W. I. Stone for the Dept. of State by order of J. Q. Adams, Sec. of State July 4, 1823" was burnished out. Stone then engraved his name in lower left quadrant, just below George Walton's signature: "W. J. Stone, SC Washn," which appears on copies printed on paper, possibly because Stone sold them on his own account. Years later, Stone received $1,524.74 for the use of his copperplate in Peter Force's American Archives (5th ser., vol. 1: 1848). As early as 1839, Force wrote to the Secretary of the Treasury: "Out of money coming due to us for the publication … pay to Stone." Congress had authorized the printing of 1,500 copies on fine rice paper for insertion in the publication, but subscriptions were few and perhaps only 500 were issued. Mrs. Goldman's copy of the Stone facsimile of the Declaration was exhibited at the Asia Society in 2020 as part of a special project of the Asia Society Triennial, "We The People: Xu Bing and Sun Xun Respond to the Declaration of Independence." REFERENCE Bidwell 7: "American History in Image and Text," in Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society (Vol. 98, part 2; 1989); Coleman, "Counting the Stones," in Manuscripts (Vol. 43, no. 2; Spring 1991), pp. 98, 105, n. 14; cf. Kaller, "America's National Treasure: The Declaration of Independence & William J. Stone's Official Facsimile" (2014)

View 1 of Lot 22: Declaration of Independence | A fine copy on paper of the first true facsimile of the engrossed Declaration of Independence

declaration of independence | a fine copy on paper of the first true facsimile of the engrossed declaration of independence

Declaration of Independence In Congress, July 4, 1776. The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America. When in the Course of Human Events. … [Washington, D.C.:] Engraved by W.I. Stone, for the Dept. of State, by order of J. Q. Adams, Sect. of State, July 4th, 1823 Engraved broadside on on an unfolded sheet of wove paper paper (776 x 660 mm). Three short closed tears at lower margin, nearly imperceptible repaired tears at left margin, not affecting the signatures, small stain at the right edge of William Williams' signature, some minor toning at margins (conserved by Susan Rogers of the Conservation Department of the Huntington Library). Matted, framed, and glazed. The earliest recognized of about six surviving proofs on paper of the first, vellum issue of William J. Stone's monumental engraving of the engrossed and signed Declaration of Independence. In 1820, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams grew concerned over the fragile condition of the Declaration—which, after New York changed its vote on independence to yes, had its title altered from "A Declaration by the Representatives of the United States of America" to "The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America"—and, with the approval of Congress, he commissioned William J. Stone to engrave an exact copy on a copper plate. Stone’s engraving is the best representation of the Declaration as the manuscript looked prior to its now nearly complete deterioration. Stone worked on the engraving for close to three years, keeping the original in his shop. When the engraving was completed, the Department of State commissioned Stone to print 200 copies on vellum (he kept one for himself as well, later donated by his descendants to the Smithsonian). By a congressional resolution of 26 May 1824, the vellum copies were distributed as follows: "two copies to each of the surviving Signers of the Declaration of Independence (John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Charles Carroll of Carrollton), two copies to the President of the United States (James Monroe); two copies to the Vice-President of the United States (Daniel D. Thompkins); two copies to the late President, Mr. Madison; two copies to the Marquis de Lafayette; twenty copies for the two houses of Congress; twelve copies for the different departments of the Government (State, Treasury, Justice, Navy, War and Postmaster); two copies for the President's House; two copies for the Supreme Court room; one copy for each of the Governors of the States and one copy to the Council of each Territory; and the remaining copies to different Universities and Colleges of the United States, as the President of the United States may direct." (One of the copies given to Charles Carroll was sold in 2021 by Freeman's for $4,420,000.) Printing on vellum, whether letterpress or intaglio, is very tricky, and Stone evidently thought it was prudent to pull a few proofs on paper before beginning the production of the vellum copies. When the present impression of his engraving first appeared in a sale at Christie's Los Angeles in 2002, it was believed to be unique, but a handful of other copies have subsequently come to light. The proofs are readily identifiable because they carry in the upper margins the full imprint that appears on the vellum copies: "Engraved by W. I. Stone for the Dept. of State by order of J. Q. Adams, Sec. of State July 4, 1823." After Stone had printed 201 copies on vellum, the legend in was burnished out. Stone then engraved his name in lower left quadrant, just below George Walton's signature: "W. J. Stone, SC Washn," which appears on a few copies printed on paper, possibly because Stone sold them on his own account. Years later, Stone received $1,524.74 for the use of his copperplate in Peter Force's American Archives (5th ser., vol. 1: 1848). As early as 1839, Force wrote to the Secretary of the Treasury: "Out of money coming due to us for the publication … pay to Stone." Congress had authorized the printing of 1,500 copies on fine rice paper for insertion in the publication, but subscriptions were few and perhaps only 500 were issued. The proof copies are printed on superior paper, from a scarcely used copper plate, and depict the Declaration as it must have appeared in the late eighteenth century. Young family tradition maintains that the present example was presented to Brigham Young, recently appointed Governor of the Territory of Utah, by Secretary of State Daniel Webster in 1851. The Declaration may have been included as part of package of materials "to which, under various acts of Congress the Territory of Utah is entitled" (Domestic Letters of the Department of State, 38:540). When it was first sold by Christie's in 2002, this proof copy was accompanied by a notarized affidavit, 25 August 1965, signed by Brigham Young's grandson Stuart M. Young, providing further details: "This facsimile of the Declaration of Independence was presented to my grandfather, Brigham Young. It hung in the Lion House in Salt Lake City until sometime after the death of my grandfather, when his wives, together with his children, who were living in the Lion House … were moved out. At that time my grandmother came to live with my parents, Alfales Young, at 67 E Street, Salt Lake City. Among other possessions brought there with her was this facsimile of the Declaration of Independence presented to my grandfather prior to his death. I am this date presenting this facsimile of the Declaration of Independence which was given to my grandfather, Brigham Young, to my very close friend, Mel Crader." (By the time the Brigham Young proof was resold at Christies, 2017, the affidavit seems to have been separated from the engraving.) PROVENANCE Brigham Young, by descent to — Alfales Young, by descent to — Stuart Young, by gift to — Mel Crader, by descent to — William Crader (Christie's Los Angeles, 13 January 2002, lot 2) — purchased by an unidentified owner (Christie's New York, 5 December 2017, lot 45) — purchased by the present owner

View 1 of Lot 1039: Declaration of Independence | Brigham Young's copy of the proof of the Stone facsimile

declaration of independence | brigham young's copy of the proof of the stone facsimile

Fine Manuscript and Printed Americana

The Gazette of the United States. A National Newspaper, Published at the Seat of Government… New York and Philadelphia: Published by the Editor (John Fenno,) at His Office Near the Exchange, 15 April 1789-18 September 1793

The Gazette of the United States. A National Newspaper, Published at the Seat of Government… New York and Philadelphia: Published by the Editor (John Fenno,) at His Office Near the Exchange, 15 April 1789-18 September 1793 4 volumes bound in 2, folio (404 x 254 mm). Title-pages to volumes one and two, text in three columns; index lacking, title-pages for volumes three and four lacking, second leaf of Number IV (22 April – 25 April 1789) lacking, closed marginal tears, scattered browning and foxing, some staining, old folds, creases, and rubbing sometimes costing a letter or two, a few instances of primarily marginal dampstaining, a few small holes, one or two instances of minor marginal worming, some instances of articles being clipped out at the end of volume four. Contemporary half sheep and marbled paper-covered boards; upper boards detached, rubbed with loss. (A list of missing issues has been provided at the end of the catalogue note.) (Sold as a periodical — not subject to return.) “He that is not for us, is against us." A remarkably comprehensive run of The Gazette of The United States, once owned by Jonathan Dayton, one of the Framers of the U.S. Constitution. Editor John Fenno’s Gazette of the United States was the leading Federalist newspaper during the late 1700s, a period in U.S. history that was rife with partisan politics. The paper, published on Wednesdays and Saturdays, defended the Federalist administration, and condemned anyone who questioned it. Its biggest champion was perhaps Alexander Hamilton, then Secretary of the Treasury. Hamilton organized the funding the Gazette, granted Fenno the Treasury Department’s printing contracts, and was even one of the newspaper’s (anonymous) contributors. The first issue appeared on 15 April 1789, and was published in New York City, the nation's capital at the time. In 1791, the paper relocated to Philadelphia, following the move of the capital, as Gazette became the de facto respaper of record for the federal government. The Gazette featured foreign affairs, political essays, letters, Hamilton’s Treasury Department papers and reports, and general news. It ran numerous articles and covered many events that would prove foundational in the development of the United States, such as George Washington’s inauguration, Washington’s letter to the Hebrew Congregations, early debates surrounding slavery, the first statute defining federal crimes, and many others. In the autumn of 1789, the Gazette published the earliest printings of the final Senate and full Congressional texts of the Bill of Rights, now regarded as the most profound guarantee of personal liberty ever incorporated into a written constitution (23 September and 1 October [corrected in manuscript to 3]). The House's proposed seventeen amendments were "printed for the consideration of the Senate," which, through debate and reconciliation, combination and elimination, produced a roster of twelve projected amendments, which are printed here on the front page of the 23 September issue, the same day they were proposed by the Senate. After further debate and refinement, the two houses of congress agreed to the final text of the proposed amendments to the Constitution. On 3 October 1789, the Gazette printed the final text of the twelve proposed amendments, incorporating the final revisions agreed to by both the House and the Senate. The most significant of these changes, documented in the texts printed here, involved what are known today as the First Amendment (rephrasing the prohibition of the establishment of religion) and the Sixth Amendment (concerning the right to trial by jury). Some significant issues present here include: The report of the first inauguration of a president of the United States, including a full printing of Washington’s inaugural address: “New-York, May 2. On the Tuesday last, agreeably to the resolution of both Houses of Congress, the inauguration of THE PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES was formalized” (29 April 1789, p. 23).The first congressional draft of the Bill of Rights: "Amendments to the Constitution” (1 August 1789, pp. 125-6).George Washington nominates six Supreme Court justices, thirteen federal District Court judges, thirteen US Attorneys, thirteen federal Marshalls, several infantry officers, and four others, 30: “New-York, September 30. The PRESIDENT of the United States has been pleased to nominate, and by with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint…” including "John Jay of New-York, Chief Justice… Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State. Edmund Randolph, Attorney-General. Samuel Osgood, Postmaster-General. William Carmichael, Esq. Charges des Affair from the United States to the Court of Spain" (September 1789, p. 195).Congress submitting the Bill of Rights to the states for ratification—the earliest obtainable printing of the Bill of Rights: “CONGRESS of the UNITED STATES…The conventions of a number of the States having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added ... Resolved, by the Senate and House of Representatives ... that the following articles be proposed to the legislatures of the several states, as amendments to the Constitution…” 1 October [sic: 3 October, with manuscript date emendation in ink] 1789 (p. 199).The First Presidential proclamation of Thanksgiving: “Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor—and Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their Joint Committee requested me ‘to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.’ Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States…” (7 October 1789, p. 201).A president gets paid: "An Act for allowing a Compensation to the President and Vice President..." The annual compensation is given as $25,000 and $5,000 respectively (24 October 1789, p. 224).News of North Carolina’s convention ratifying the Constitution: “New-York, December 5. IMPORTANT NEWS! By the Arrival of a Packet, in five days from Wilmington, North-Carolina, we have received the agreeable intelligence that the Convention of that State ADOPTED THE CONSTITUTION…” (5 December 1789, p. 271).One of the earliest discussions surrounding slavery in the United States: “Friday, February 12. Sketch of the Debate on the question for committing the Memorials on the Slave Trade” (17 February 1790, p. 354).An act marking the passage of a Federal budget: “CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES. At the Second Session… An act making Appropriations for the Support of Government…” (3 April 1790, p. 408).An act that enabled the formation of the Southwest Territory, what would become the state of Tennessee: "An Act to accept a Cession of the Claims of the State of North Carolina, to a certain District of Western Territory" (7 April 1790, p. 411).The creation of the Legion of the United States: "An Act for Regulating the Military Establishment of the United States” (8 May 1790, p. 445).The first statute defining Federal crimes: "An Act for the Punishment of Certain Crimes Against the United States" (12 May 1790, p. 449).An act calling upon President Washington to appoint a governor of the newly formed Southwest Territory (see above): “An Act for the Government of the Territory of the United States, South of the Ohio" (2 June 1790, p. 474).Rhode Island is last state to ratify the Constitution: (2 June 1790, p. 475; and 9 June 1790, p. 481).The first Federal copyright law: “An act for the Encouragement of LEARNING, by securing the copies of Maps, Charts, and Books, to the Authors and Proprietors of such Copies, during the times therein mentioned” (5 June 1790, pp. 478).The first address by a Jewish community to Washington after the election: "To the Hebrew Congregation of the City of Savannah." Levi Sheftal’s congratulations to President George Washington constitute the earliest address by a Jewish community to President Washington following the election. Both Sheftal’s address, as President of the Hebrew Congregation of Savannah, and Washington’s reply are printed (19 June 1790, p. 494).Establishing the seat of government: "An Act for establishing a temporary and permanent seat of the government of the United States." "Temporary" was a reference to Philadelphia (17 July 1790, p. 527).Assistance for veterans: "The bill for the relief of disabled soldiers and seamen, and other persons lately in the service of the United States, was passed..." (31 July 1790, p. 542). Such comprehensive runs are extremely scarce at auction, and rarer still with any title-pages present. Additionally, these volumes belonged to subscriber Jonathan Dayton, a framer of the Constitution. By the age of 19, Dayton had risen to the rank of captain in the Continental Army. He served under his father, General Elias Dayton, and the Marquis de Lafayette. He was also held prisoner by the British for a period, and also participated in the Battle of Yorktown (see lot 16). Following his military career, Dayton studied law, ultimately dividing his time between his legal practice and his political pursuits. He was chosen as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, and though he objected to some provisions of the Constitution, at the age of 26 he became the youngest person to sign the landmark charter. Following the Continental Congress, Dayton became one of the foremost Federalist legislators in the newly formed government. From 1791 to 1799, he served as a member of the House of Representatives for New Jersey, as a Senator from 1799 to 1805, and as the third Speaker of the House from 1795 to 1799. From the earliest printings of the final Senate and full Congressional texts of the Bill of Rights, to articles that addressed the problem of overcrowded schoolrooms, the newspaper encompassed many facets of American life. The Gazette of the United States stands as an invaluable record of the political activity and the debates that shaped a young nation. The present volumes are lacking the following issues, though it seems these gaps are organic to the run, rather than being removed after being bound: · Number LXXXIII: 27 January 1790 · Number LXXXVI: 6 February 1790 · Number 4/212: 11 May 1791 · Number 7/215: 21 May 1791 · Number 9/217: 28 May 1791 · Number 12/220: 8 June 1791 · Number 17/225: 25 June 1791 · Number 28/236: 3 August 1791 · Number 35/241: 24 August 1791 · Number 39/247: 10 September 1791 · Number 48/256: 12 October 1791 · Number 51/259: 22 October 1791 · Number 53/261: 29 October 1791 · Number 55/263: 5 November 1791 · Number 62/270: 30 November 1791 · Number 63/271: 3 December 1791 · Number 71/279: 31 December 1791 · Number 74/282: 11 January 1792 · Number 83/291: 11 February 1792 · Number 103/311: 21 April 1792 · Number 9/331: 30 June 1792 · Number 10-332: 4 July 1792 · Number 23/345: 18 August 1792 · Number 24/346: 22 August 1792 · Number 45/367: 3 November 1792 · Number 56/378: 12 December 1792 · Number 59/381: 22 December 1792 · Number 60/382: 26 December 1792 · Number 98/420: 8 May 1793 · Number 99/421: 11 May 1793 · Number 100/422: 15 May 1793 · Number 103/425: 25 May 1793 · Number 105/427: 1 June 1793 · Number 108/430: 12 June 1793 · Number 122/444: 31 July 1793 · Number 151/453: 31 August 1793 · Number 153/455: 7 September 1793 PROVENANCE: Johnathan Dayton (name accomplished in what is presumably a stationer’s hand throughout first bound volume, and occasionally in second, many trimmed) — W.D. Salter (ownership signature to front free endpaper of each bound volume)

View 1 of Lot 9: Gazette of the United States | A remarkable comprehensive run of a foundational periodical, with distinguished provenance 

gazette of the united states | a remarkable comprehensive run of a foundational periodical, with distinguished provenance

Adams, John Letter signed ("John Adams") as second President, to Nehemiah Fales, et al. ("the Grand Jury of the county of Norfolk in the State of Massachusetts"), thanking them for their support of his foreign policy with France and excoriating the French Directory 2 pages (250 x 200 mm) on a leaf of laid paper, body of the letter written in a neat clerical hand, Quincy, 28 August 1798; a few tiny holes at intersecting folds, short fold separation at left margin, a few light stains. Half red morocco slipcase, chemise. "The present rulers in France have indeed discovered … a contempt for our government & national character." A fine example—written to his home county—of one of a series of letters sent by President Adams to supporters in the midst of the XYZ affair and Quasi-War with France. President Washington's 1793 Neutrality Proclamation and the 1795 signing of Jay's Treaty with England greatly strained relations between France and the United States. Hoping to defuse a situation that he had inherited, recently inaugurated President Adams sent three envoys, John Marshall, Elbridge Gerry, and Charles Pinckney, to meet with French foreign minister Talleyrand, but they were refused reception, and it was suggested that a bribe should be paid to Talleyrand before the French would consider negotiating. Additional negotiations were carried on with French diplomats Jean-Conrad Hottinguer, Pierre Bellamy, and Lucien Hauteval, who were designated X, Y, and Z in the mission's dispatches to President Adams. President Adams made the diplomatic reports of these matters public, creating an uproar in the United States; many local governments sent addresses to Adams supporting his position. On 23 August 1798, Nehemiah Fales and his cohort from Norfolk County wrote to Adams, "when our freedom and laws are invaded by the hostile aggressions, and still more by the insidious arts of France, as they lead us coolly to confirm by our judgment, the prompt decision of our feelings, that it is better to support our Government and independence by the sword, than to maintain, (even if it could be so maintained) a scandalous peace, by tribute. … Indeed every true republican is greatly indebted, and ought to be grateful to you, Sir, and to your illustrious predecessor for administering our Government with such purity, firmness and wisdom, as have essentially contributed to its reputation, as well as success." The present letter is President Adams's grateful and impassioned reply: "I thank you for the obliging address you agreed on at the supreme court in Dedham. … It is not possible for a Grand Jury of honest and sensible men, to fulfill the duties assigned them by the laws of the land, without reflecting on the inestimable value of those laws, and the distinction as well as security of the freedom they confer exclusively upon us & the country of our ancestors. … I really question whether France ever doubted the spirit of Americans. She depended more on their ignorance of the world and their unsuspecting innocence and simplicity. The present rulers in France have indeed discovered by symptoms that cannot be misunderstood, a contempt for our government & national character. I cannot find, that they have respected any people, but such as are governed by Kings, or any governments, but monarchies & military dictatorships." In concluding, Adams alludes to his Norfolk County birth. "I thank you for your acknowledgement of me as a native of your country. Had the order of providence permitted me to have selected the place of my birth and residence, I would have prefer'd no other. Although my life cannot be much longer, I wish it may be continued, as long as you shall acknowledge it to be useful." By the time of this exchange, the Quasi-War, an undeclared naval war with France, was already underway, and would continue until the signing of the Convention of 1800 at Mortefontaine, 30 September 1800. PROVENANCE Christie's New York, 13 June 2018, lot 79 ("Property of a Lady and a Gentleman") REFERENCE https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/99-02-02-2895 (Early Access Document, The Adams Papers, with many textual variants from the sent letter)

View 1 of Lot 12: Adams, John | In the foment of the Quasi-War, President Adams excoriates the French Directory

adams, john | in the foment of the quasi-war, president adams excoriates the french directory

Property of a New York Collector Lincoln, Abraham Autograph manuscript signed ("A. Lincoln"), being Lincoln's official transcript of the "Subscription Book forthe Capital Stock of the Alton and Sangamon Rail Road Company," incorporated 27 February 1843, transcribed in early 1851 5 pages (203 x 160 mm) on 4 leaves of blue paper (watermarked Moinier's | 1849), comprising a title-page (headed "(Copy)" and titled in Lincoln's hand, as above), 4 pages with the names of 91 shareholders and the number and value of their shares listed beneath the shareholders' joint stock subscription statement, 2 blank pages, and Lincoln's filing docket on the eighth page: "Alton and Sangamon Railroad Company vs. James A. Barret. Copy of contents of subscription book mentioned in first count & referred to in second count"; very light vertical crease to leaves. Bound in blue morocco gilt by the Lakeside Press. After investing in its stock, Lincoln represents a railroad in a precedent-setting lawsuit: "I have labored hard to find the law." This list of stockholders, entirely in Lincoln’s hand, was filed as evidence in his first significant railroad case. Lincoln's own appearance in the shareholder list represents only the second known instance of a stock purchase by the future president. The Illinois Supreme Court’s ultimate ruling in favor of Lincoln and the railroad set an important legal precedent, upholding the binding nature of a stockholder’s contractual and financial obligations. "The decision, subsequently cited in twenty-five other cases throughout the United States, helped establish the principle that corporation charters could be altered in the public interest, and it established Lincoln as one of the most prominent and successful Illinois practitioners of railroad law (Donald, Lincoln, p. 155). The Alton and Sangamon Rail Road Company was chartered in 1847 to construct a line from Alton, via New Berlin, to Springfield. In 1850, however, the Illinois General Assembly approved a more direct route, bypassing the landholdings of some investors. Claiming breach of contract, James A. Barret refused to make further installment payments for his 30 shares of stock, as did several others who no longer stood to benefit from the new line. In 1851, Lincoln was hired to compel the defaulting shareholders to pay the balance of their promised investment. The case came at a pivotal moment in Lincoln's career. In an autobiographical sketch he sent to Jesse W. Fell in December 1859, Lincoln recalled that "From 1849 to 1854, both inclusive, [I] practiced law more assiduously than before. … I was losing interest in politics" (Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, ed. Basler, 3:512). Michael Burlingame explained the background of the case: "The antebellum supreme court of Illinois had a grave responsibility, as one of its members [John Dean Caton] recalled: 'The jurisprudence of the State was then in its infancy. We were then laying down rules which were to be followed by those who should come after us, and it was of the greatest importance, not only to ourselves, personally, but to the profession generally, that these rules should be such as to bear the test of time and of the closest scrutiny.' That challenge was especially marked in railroad cases, where no common law existed to guide courts. Lincoln helped establish important precedents in this area. One notable example dealt with stock subscribers who reneged on their pledges. To raise capital, railroad corporations issued stock which many Illinoisans, eager to have the tracks pass near or through their property, agreed to purchase. In time, some subscribers changed their minds and refused to pay. In Barrett v. Alton and Sangamon Railroad Company (1851), one of Lincoln’s first railroad cases, James A. Barrett maintained that when he agreed to buy thirty shares of the company’s stock, the rail line was projected to cross his property; later, when the company changed the route (but not the termini), Barrett understandably lost his enthusiasm and declined to honor his pledge. Lincoln, representing the railroad in both the circuit and the supreme courts, won at both levels. His principal argument was that 'Legislation and adjudication must follow, and conform to, the progress of society'" (Abraham Lincoln: A Life, the unedited manuscript hosted online by the Lincoln Studies Center, Knox College, pp. 977–978). Lincoln spelled out his tactical plan (including the summary argument quoted by Burlingame) in a 19 February 1851 letter William Martin, a commissioner for the sale of the company’s stock. Four suits were to be brought against stockholders who had subscribed to the initial offering, but had then failed to make the additional installment payments. In preparation, Lincoln listed the essential documents he would need in order to win a judgment. "We must prove," he advised Martin, "that the defendant is a Stockholder"; "that the calls have been made"; and "that due notice of the calls has been given." To show that the defendants were in fact stockholders, Lincoln explained, he needed to produce "the subscription book with the defendant’s name, and proof of the genuineness of the signature, together with any competent parole or evidence, that he made the advance payment" (Basler 2:98–100). The subscription book, which Lincoln meticulously transcribed, was a key piece of the evidence filed in Sangamon Circuit Court on 22 February 1851. The book includes Barret’s name, and the subscription statement (transcribed by Lincoln on page two) is explicit about the shareholders’ obligations: "We the subscribers to the Capital Stock of the Alton and Sangamon Rail Road Company … do hereby agree … by subscribing therefor, to pay the balance of the installments due on said stock by us subscribed, when the same may be called for by the board of Directors of said Company when duly organized in conformity with the Charter approved February 27th 1847." "A. Lincoln," with six shares for $600, is prominent among the ninety-one subscriber names. (The only other known record of a Lincoln stock purchase dates from 1836, when he bought one share in the Beardstown and Sangamon Canal.) In June of 1847, as head of a committee to promote subscriptions for the projected railroad, Lincoln wrote an open letter to the "People of Sangamon County," appealing for their support. Railroad construction was booming, and Lincoln anticipated that a line between Springfield and Alton would prove a lucrative investment for himself and his state. "The whole is a matter of pecuniary interest," he argued. "The proper question for us is, whether, with reference to the present and the future, and to direct and indirect results, it is our interest to subscribe. If it can be shown that it is, we hope few will refuse" (Basler, 1:396–98). The list of subscribers is itself of considerable interest. Shareholders include J. Heay (possibly the grandfather of Lincoln’s later secretary, John Hay, 2 shares), Ninian W. Edwards (1809–1889, husband of Mary Todd Lincoln’' sister, 20 shares), John T. Stuart (1807–1885, Lincoln’s law partner, 5 shares), Henry Yates (father of Illinois governor Richard Yates, 10 shares), N.W. Matheny (clerk of Sangamon County Court), and others. (In the subscription book, Henry Yates, hedging his bets, has added a condition—likely extralegal—beneath his name: "if the Road intersects the M. & S R R at New Berlin.") Lincoln was mindful of the critical issues raised by the Alton and Sangamon lawsuits, and "he put extraordinary time and effort into winning this case. He waited until the state legislative term was concluded before beginning his research, so as not to be distracted by politic" (Dirck, Lincoln the Lawyer, p. 93). To Martin, he pointed out the legal issues, adding "I have labored hard to find the law," in preparation for the trials. In the end, two of the defaulting stockholders paid their delinquent calls. The suits against James A. Barret and Joseph Klein came to trial in the Sangamon Circuit Court in August of 1851, with Lincoln handling both the trials and the appeals for the railroad. Lincoln’s preparation proved its value—the rulings were in favor of the railroad. "Illinois Supreme Court Justice Samuel H. Treat ruled that public utility superseded private profit. If Barret had won the case, other stockholders would balk at fulfilling their obligations. The rule of caveat emptor protected corporate management from stockholder’s personal interests and encouraged subsequent investment" (Lincoln Legal Briefs, October–December, 1990, no. 16). A highly significant Lincoln legal document, with distinguished provenance. REFERENCE: Exhibited: "Abraham Lincoln in New York," Federal Hall, 26 Wall St, 6 February 2009 to 30 April 2009; "A. Lincoln: Railsplitter to Rushmore," Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Simi Valley, CA., 2 May 2013 to 31 October 2013 PROVENANCE: Philip D. Sang Collection (Hindman, 15 April 1984, lot 135) — Ralph G. Newman — The Forbes Collection (Christie's New York, 22 May 2007, lot 56)

View 1 of Lot 1020: Lincoln, Abraham | A key document from Lincoln's legal career

lincoln, abraham | a key document from lincoln's legal career

Property of a New York Collector Washington, George Autograph letter signed ("Go: Washington") as first President, marked "(Secret & confidential)," to John Jay, inviting him to become U.S. Minister in London 2 pages (229 x 185 mm) on a leaf of laid paper, Philadelphia, 29 April 1794, reception docket at foot of second page ("Washington to Jay. | April 29th 1794."), in unusually fresh condition. Tipped to a Japanese tissue guard and bound in a linen portfolio with engraved portraits of Washington and Jay. Housed in a half-blue morocco folding-case. At a critical moment for the nascent nation, President Washington, in a letter marked "Secret & confidential)," entreats Chief Justice John Jay to consider becoming the U.S. Minister in London. This remarkable letter by Washington resulted from the very embarrassing position brought upon the United States government by Gouverneur Morris, Resident Minister to France. Morris's reputation as a "monarchy man" was manifest in his distaste for the French Revolution, making him a serious liability and threat to Franco-American relations, so that his recall and replacement by a suitable figure was a matter of some urgency. Washington's first choice for a replacement was Thomas Pinckney, then U.S. Minister to Great Britain, but then Pinckney himself would need to be replaced. Hence Washington's appeal to Jay in the present letter. Jay, who was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, had already accepted the temporary post of U.S. Envoy Extraordinary to Great Britain. Now Washington was asking him to accept the permanent position of U.S. Resident Minister in Pinckney's place. "Receive, I pray you, the suggestion I am going to impart with the friendship and caution the delicacy of it requires.— "You are already informed that I am under the necessity of recalling Mr. Gouvr. Morris from France—and you can readily conceive the difficulty which occurs in finding a successor that would be agreeable to that Nation, and who, at the same time, would meet the approbation of the friends of that Country in this. "These considerations have induced me to ask you, if it could be made to comport with your inclination, after you shall have finished your business as Envoy, and not before, to become the Resident Minister Plenipotentiary at London; that Mr Pinckney, by that means, might be sent to Paris?—I mean no more than simply to ask the question, not intending (although the measure would remove the above difficulty) to press it in the smallest degree.—" Washington's almost apologetic tone in addressing Jay indicates that he expected the Chief Justice to decline the diplomatic post. Indeed, the day before he addressed this letter to Jay, Washington had been advised by Attorney General Edmund Randolph that "The arrangement of Mr J—y, as resident in London, might be a fortunate circumstance, if he would assent to it. But I doubt this; because he has eye immediately on the government of N.Y.—and ultimately on the Presidency." Washington's doubts were also underscored by his enclosing in this letter to Jay a contingency letter to Robert R. Livingston (not present) asking if that gentleman would find it "convenient and agreeable" to replace Morris as minister to France—an appointment that would only be necessary if Pinckney was not free to move from London to Paris. In closing, Washington instructed Jay on how to handle the letter to Livingston: "If you answer in the affirmative, be so good as to return the enclosed letter to me, and correspondent arrangements shall be made.—If in the negative, I pray you to forward it, through the Penny Post or otherwise according to circumstances, to the Gentleman to whom it is directed, without delay—and in either case to let the transaction be confined entirely to ourselves." The Chief Justice replied to Washington on 30 April, declining the proffered position while stating that "there is no public Station that I should prefer to the one in which you have placed me—it accords with my Turn of Mind, my Education & my Habits." Jay reported that Livingston was out of town and so "To obviate Delay and accidents, I sent it to his Brother [likely Edward], who will doubtless forward it immediately, either by a direct Conveyance or by the Post." Jay also strictly, and somewhat dramatically, observed Washington's request to keep this matter "entirely to ourselves": "Life is uncertain. whether I take your Letter with me or leave it here, it would in Case of my Death be inspected by others, who however virtuous, might be indiscreet. After much Reflection, I conclude it will be most prudent to commit it to you; without retaining any Copy or Memorandum except in my Memory, where the numerous proofs of your kind Attention to me are carefully preserved." Once Washington's letter reached him, Robert Livingston, too, declined the appointment, and Gouverneur Morris was eventually replaced—at the suggestion of Attorney General Randolph—by James Monroe. Pinckney, meanwhile, remained at the London posting until he was succeeded by Rufus King two years later. With these arrangements in place, Jay went to London in 1794 as U.S. Envoy Extraordinary to attempt to settle issues unresolved with Great Britain since the Treaty of Paris, particularly high British tariffs and British interference with American shipping. As Washington explained to the Senate when nominating Jay as envoy, "My confidence in our Minister plenipotentiary in London continues undiminished. But a mission, like this, while it corresponds with the solemnity of the occasion, will announce to the world a solicitude for a friendly adjustment of our complaints, and a reluctance to hostility. Going immediately from the United States, such an envoy will carry with him a full knowledge of the existing temper and sensibility of our Country; and will thus be taught to vindicate our rights with firmness, and to cultivate peace with sincerity." The result of Jay’s embassy was his eponymous treaty, which obtained the surrender by the British of the northwestern forts (already agreed to in 1783) and a commercial treaty with Great Britain that granted the United States "most favored nation" status. But most points of contention were left unresolved and led eventually, to the War of 1812. The treaty was deeply unpopular, but it did not prevent Jay—as predicted by Randolph—from being elected governor of New York while he was still in London. While remaining in London, Pinckney also took on additional diplomatic responsibilities in Spain, where in 1795 he negotiated the Treaty of San Lorenzo (also known as Pinckney’s Treaty), which defined the boundaries between the United States and Spanish colonies and guaranteed the United States free navigation rights on the Mississippi River. REFERENCE: The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series, ed. Patrick, 15:674–675; for Randolph to Washington, 15:668–669; for Washington to Livingston, 15:676; for Jay to Washington, 15:683–684; for Washington to the Senate, 15:608–609 PROVENANCE: Sotheby's London, 21 July 1988, lot 441 (undesignated consignor) — Sotheby's New York, 11 December 2007, lot 57 (undesignated consignor)

View 1 of Lot 1010: Washington, George | "… let the transaction be confined entirely to ourselves."

washington, george | "… let the transaction be confined entirely to ourselves."

Books, Manuscripts and Music from Medieval to Modern

View 1 of Lot 155: Paul Wittgenstein. The Music Archive and Library of Paul Wittgenstein, late C19th to first half of the C20th

paul wittgenstein. the music archive and library of paul wittgenstein, late c19th to first half of the c20th

[da Gama, Vasco] — Manoel I, King of Portugal

[da Gama, Vasco] — Manoel I, King of Portugal Portugal's Renaissance Empire of Trade Manuscript document on vellum, written in a clear court hand, signed ("El Rey") conferring a noble title to Vasco da Gama, 1 page (245 x 355 mm). Evora, 29 December 1519, with pendant wax royal seal; seal worn and detached, very minor soiling and old folds to vellum. Red morocco gilt folding case. Manuel I grants explorer Vasco de Gama a nobility in recognition of "the great and signal service" rendered to the crown through "the discovery of the Indies." The present granted a hereditary title to the explorer of Count of Vidigueira, which encompassed Vidigueira and Vila de Frades, as agreed by the Duke of Braganza. “Dom Manuel, by grace of the King of Portugal and the Algarve, Dague(r) and the Sea of Africa, Lord of Guinea and the naval conquest and trade of Ethiopia, Arabia, Persia and India. To all who see this letter, we make it clear that we are giving the great and refined warrior, that Dom Vazguo da Gama, our governor of the Indies, and our great admiral, having made us aware of the discovery of Judea, of which our Lord made such a good and increasing contribution, and we hope that in the future he will bring much more honor and benefit to our Kingdoms and Lordships, as our Lord is known and known to all. By what justice do the nobles of so much merit, worthy of such memory, be remunerated with favors and honors, and by the very good will that we have for the said Admiral, and because we are pleased to grant him the favor. By this special letter we give him the title of Count of Vidrgueira and we make him Count of the same..." Vasco de Gama was the first European to sail from Europe to India (1497-1499), one of the great recorded feats of travel in history. Sailing a fleet of four ships from Cape Verde to South Africa was the supreme achievement of navigation of its time, far more impressive and arduous than that of Columbus. While Columbus route to the Bahamas was some 2600 miles, that of de Gama was 3800, without a the fair winds that helped Columbus and through the perilous South Atlantic. His reaching India on 28 May, 1498, eventually gave little Portugal largely uncontested (by European powers) access to Indian spice routes, with its lucrative trade in pepper, cinnamon, silks and gems, and established their maritime empire. Commerce for Portugal from Africa to India enriched the treasury for decades following de Gama's successful navigation of the Cape Route and in 1524 he was named Governor of India in 1524, with the title Viceroy, further recognition of his transformative achievement. These new trade routes were not without larger consequences on the widening geopolitical stage. As Portuguese trade grew, this burgeoning European empire had to gain control of the trade that came east from China, away from the Muslim merchants who had been enriching Turkey, Egypt and as far as Venice, with their unchallenged monopoly. De Gama helped pursue upstart Portugal's aims of dominance in the Indian Ocean, breaking the rule of the Eastern merchants. The friction of East-West trade for colonial powers that dominated the modern era had its roots in the Renaissance navigations of The Count of Vidigueria, Admiral of the Seas of Arabia, Persia and India - Vasco de Gama. Contemporary original material related to de Gama's epoch-defining journeys is scarce on the market. PROVENANCE: Sotheby's New York, 2 February, 1985, lot 96 ($22,000)

View 1 of Lot 20: [da Gama, Vasco] — Manoel I, King of Portugal | Portugal's Renaissance Empire of Trade

[da gama, vasco] — manoel i, king of portugal | portugal's renaissance empire of trade

English Literature, History, Science, Children’s Books and Illustrations Online

DONNE, JOHN The Melford Hall manuscript of Donne's poetry HIGHLY IMPORTANT COLLECTION OF SOME 139 POEMS BY DONNE, including “Songs and Sonnets”, erotic elegies and satires, epigrams, epithalamia, verse epistles, obsequies and elegies, ‘Metempsychosis’, and religious verse including “La Corona” and “Holy Sonnets”, the sequence also including a small number of poems by Thomas Overbury, John Roe, and Francis Beaumont, written in a single attractive italic hand, ruled in dry-point, with corrections and revisions throughout in a second hand, catchwords at every verso, 265 pages, 1620s or early 1630s; the volume also containing 10 further lyrics of the mid-17thcentury, including a series of six poems that are otherwise unrecorded (16 pages); sermon notes from the 1670s-80s in a single hand (89 pages); also, from the reverse, 12 popular songs of the 1750s (15 pages); altogether 365 pages, plus blanks, 4to (250 x 190mm), peacock watermark (see Heawood 172-174), contemporary gilt panelled calf with oval centrepiece, gilt edges, damp-staining at the foot of the volume, the binding conserved and rebacked by Brockman Bookbinders; housed in a buckram collector's box A UNIQUE CONTEMPORARY SCRIBAL COPY OF ONE OF THE SUPREME LITERARY ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE: THE POETIC WORKS OF JOHN DONNE, GREATEST OF THE “METAPHYSICAL POETS”. THIS NEWLY DISCOVERED MANUSCRIPT IS ONE OF THE LARGEST EXTANT MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS OF DONNE’S POEMS AND COVERS THE WHOLE RANGE OF HIS POETIC OUTPUT. NO COMPARABLE MANUSCRIPT SURVIVES IN PRIVATE HANDS. John Donne (1572-1631) was born (eight years after Shakespeare) into a recusant Catholic household, and several of his relatives fled abroad or risked a traitor’s death as members of the Jesuit mission. Martyrdom was not for Donne: he went to Oxford in the early 1590s (where he avoided subscribing to the tenets of the Church of England and did not take a degree) and then to Lincoln's Inn, where his rakish life provided raw material for his elegies and satires. He tried his luck as a soldier-adventurer then as secretary to the Lord Keeper, but lost that position in 1602 when he eloped with his employer’s niece. Eventually “Jack Donne” the man about town gave way to “Dr Donne” the divine: he converted to the Church of England and in 1615 was ordained into the priesthood. He became Dean of St Paul’s in 1621 and in his final decade Donne was one of the most renowned preachers in the kingdom (and a particular favourite of King James I). Throughout this extraordinary life Donne was writing poetry, and he left behind an extraordinary body of lyrics that are characterised by sceptical intelligence, jarring rhythms, wit, deliberate complexity, extended metaphor, paradox, theatrical arrogance, and frank eroticism. Donne’s poetry was highly prized in literary circles during his lifetime; Ben Jonson, the greatest poet-critic of the age, esteemed him “the first poet in the World in some things”. It was, however, poetry for the cognoscenti, and that was how Donne preferred it, for with a few exceptions Donne’s poems were not available in print. The poems instead circulated through social networks in scribal form, accessible only to an exclusive coterie. There was a thriving manuscript culture in England in the first half of the 17thcentury, focused on specific locations such as the Inns of Court and certain Oxford colleges. Donne’s poems were highly prized in these circles and were copied remarkably widely – Peter Beal’s online Catalogue of English Literary Manuscriptshas some 4000 entries for verse by Donne. Sometime individual poems were copied on loose leaves of paper to be enclosed with letters (although the ephemeral nature of these separates means their chances of survival is low), and many of the handwritten poetical miscellanies of the seventeenth centuries include a scattering of Donne’s verses. Of much greater importance, however, are the consciously assembled collections of poems by Donne, of which about thirty survive (all, other than this, in institutional libraries). The Melford Hall manuscript contains some 139 works by Donne, ranging from short lyrics to the 520-line ‘Metempsychosis’, making it one of the greatest compilations of Donne’s verse. The only collection that contains substantially larger number of poems is the O’Flahertie manuscript at Harvard (MS Eng. 966.5), and there are only three other manuscripts that have as many as 140 poems. The surviving textual witnesses of Donne’s have been subjected to extensive scholarly attention – indeed the ongoing Donne Variorum is without question one of the most ambitious editorial undertakings in the English canon – and comparison with other texts tells us something of where the Melford Hall manuscript fits into the textual tradition. Readings at textual cruxes have enabled editors to classify the surviving collections of Donne poems roughly into four groups. The current manuscript falls into Group II, a group which includes eight other manuscripts. Within that group, the Melford Hall manuscript has a particularly close connection to a manuscript miscellany in Dublin (Trinity College, Dublin, MS 877) which contains a similar number of poems. Many of the poems appear in the same order in the Melford Hall manuscript as they do in the Dublin manuscript. The two manuscripts are the work of different scribes, however, and differences in content and order confirm that whilst they may share a common (lost) source, or have been produced in parallel, neither the Melford Hall manuscript nor the Dublin manuscript were copied from each other – although in fact a contemporary copy of the Dublin manuscript does survive (Harvard, Houghton Library, fMS Eng 966.3). The Melford Hall manuscript was an elaborate bespoke production. It was written on expensive Italian writing paper with an unusual peacock watermark (paper with similar watermarks was used for drawing by Inigo Jones, and in a group of consort music part books of the 1630s, for which see Robert Thompson, ‘A Further Look at the Consort Music Manuscripts in Archbiship Marsh’s Library, Dublin’, Chelys, 24 (1995), 3-18 (pp.4-5)) and attractively bound with its edges gilt. The entire sequence of Donne poems is in the fine italic hand of a single scribe without any characteristics of the older secretary hand. The hand has a tendency to become looser and less careful as the manuscript progresses, and has an uneven slant, but retains numerous distinctive features such as the relative lack of ligatures; clubbed descenders most commonly on the minuscule “f”; an initial downstroke on initial majuscules, especially “A”, that descends well below the base line; sweeping loops on “g” “y” and long “s”; and the stem on “p” that starts above the bowl. This hand is not identifiable in any other major Donne manuscript (see http://donnevariorum.tamu.edu/gallery-of-ms-images/). Only one tiny sequence (ll.4-9 of ‘The Calm’) was clearly written out in a different hand. However, the manuscript also seems to have been checked over by a second individual whose corrections to the text are scattered through the volume, although most in the earlier part of the manuscript, written in a lighter ink (or, on a few occasions, in pencil). Sometimes the reviser corrected obvious mistakes or supplies missing words, but some of the corrections reveal that the reviser had access to a second manuscript source. To take one example, l.69 of ‘The Bracelet’ (here titled ‘Elegie’) the phrase “fantastique scenes” (which is found in all Group II manuscripts) is corrected to “fantastique schemes” (the more common reading in other textual sources). There are also occasions when the reviser introduced non-canonical readings (such as l.45 of ‘The Storm’ where “some coffind in theire cabbins lie; equallie” is changed to “some lie in cabbins coffind; equallie”). Further textual complexity is found in the ‘Elegy to Lord Harrington’ where the original scribe seems to have had before him two divergent texts and at various points gives two alternate readings at textual cruxes. The sequence of poems in the Melford Hall manuscript sometimes follows a logical order, but often no particular structure to the arrangement is immediately obvious. The initials “JD” are found frequently but not consistently in the margin, but on the few occasions where Donne was not the author the correct initials are always given – another indication of the care and knowledge with which the manuscript was assembled. The manuscript begins with six satires. Five of these are by Donne and one, ‘Sleepe next societie’, is correctly attributed to J[ohn] R[oe]. This is followed by ‘The Bracelet’ (simply titled ‘Elegie’), the renowned pair of early verse epistles ‘The Storm’ and ‘The Calm’ (incorrectly addressed to "Ci: Bow:" rather than Christopher Brooke), then ‘The Anagram’ (here untitled), two further verse epistles, six further erotic elegies, and four lyrics (those poems now known as the ‘Songs and Sonnets’) with their familiar titles, including ‘The Breake of Daye’, ‘Sunn Risinge’, and ‘Valediction. Forbidding mourning’. The next 31 poems continue this pattern as elegies and lyrics (sometimes untitled) are interspersed with small groups of occasional verse, mostly obsequies on high-ranking women, and also one poem each attributed correctly to F[rancis] B[eaumont] and R[ichard] Co[rbet]. There then follow a sequence of six verse epistles, then a group of five poems by other authors (notably ‘The Wife’ by Thomas Overbury), before the sequence of Donne’s verse epistles continues with another 16 poems (the Dublin manuscript has a slightly different arrangement of these epistles and more logically keeps them in a single sequence). Another 25 lyrics and elegies follow, then a short group of three “Songs which were made to certeyne Aires which were made before” (the most famous example being ‘The Baite’, which follows Marlowe’s ‘Passionate Shepherd’), 13 epigrams, and four longer occasional poems, including the ambitious Epithalamion for the Earl of Somerset. Donne’s 52-stanza philosophical work, ‘Metempsychosis’, follows, complete with its introductory epistle. The collection ends with a series entitled ‘Devine Poems’: the seven-sonnet sequence ‘La Corona’, the Holy Sonnets (in their “revised” sequence), ‘Resurrection’, ‘A Himne to Christ’, and ‘To Christ’. Once the sequence of Donne poems was complete the manuscript remained only half full. Subsequent owners added further content over a period of more than a century. The first addition was a group of five otherwise unrecorded poems and a song by Thomas Carew (‘The first Chorus of Jealousy’, beginning “From whence was first”), which were probably transcribed in the 1630s or 40s, followed by two further poems of a similar date in different hands. There are then three further unidentified poems and, in the same hand, a long sequence of sermon notes. These notes show that by the 1680s the manuscript was in Scotland either at Yester House, seat of the Hay family, then Earls of Tweeddale, or in the nearby village of Gifford, East Lothian. Most of these sermons are by the local minister, Robert Meldrum (c.1653-99) and there are clues to the identity of the compiler, who at one point appears to identify himself as “A.L.” (“Att Yester 8.1. May 1687 the heads of some sermons preached by Mr Robert Meldrum then minister of that paroch [...] heard & collected by A.L.”). It may be possible, with further research, to establish the identity of this individual – who was perhaps a secretary or similar highly literate member of the Tweeddale household – and thus gain a valuable pointer towards the origin of the manuscript and whether, for example, it was originally assembled for a Scottish patron. NO MANUSCRIPT CONTAINING SUCH A WEALTH OF DONNE’S POETRY HAS APPEARED ON THE MARKET IN RECENT DECADES. No such manuscript was in the exceptional Donne collection of Robert S. Pirie, although his collection did include a verse miscellany from the 1660s with five poems by Donne (sold Sotheby’s, New York, 2-4 December 2015, lot 816, $187,500), and the library of Abel E. Berland contained a miscellany with 6 poems and some prose by Donne (sold Christie’s, New York, 8 October 2001, lot 36, $105,000). The only autograph verses by Donne known to survive are a verse epistle (in the Bodleian) and two Latin inscriptions in printed verse (Cambridge and Harvard), and the few scribal manuscripts of comparable importance are also all in institutional collections. THIS IS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DONNE POETICAL MANUSCRIPT REMAINING IN PRIVATE HANDS. PROVENANCE: Sir William Parker of Melford Hall, 7th Bt. (1769-1830), (armorial bookplate dating from before his accession to the baronetcy in 1812); thence by family descent Sir William was the second generation of the Parker family to live at Melford Hall in Suffolk following its purchase by his father, Sir Harry Parker (1735-1812) in 1786. The house remains the family home of the Hyde Parkers to this day. Sir William was educated at Charterhouse School and was known as a sound and well-read scholar. He was employed by the Earl of Moira as his private secretary whilst Moira was in political office. After the death of his father Sir William lived as country gentleman and was active as a magistrate and as a colonel in the local militia. His extensive remodelling of Melford Hall included the construction of the present library. Please see Shipping Calculator Link: Click Here

donne, highly important manuscript collection of his poetry, c.1630

View 1 of Lot 1007: United States Constitution | A first-day publication of the United States Constitution, with contemporary newspaper context

Results for "US Supreme Court"