After spearheading the watchmaking department for numerous companies including legendary fine jeweler Mauboussin, industry veteran Richard Mille launched his eponymous brand in 2001. Since its inception, Richard Mille has been dedicated to utilizing the latest technical innovations to yield timepieces that are unmistakably modern. For Mille, tradition is something to be toyed with. That approach was evident from his very first piece, the RM01, a classically complex tourbillon with multi-dimensional, exposed gears housed in a sporty titanium case. The RM01’s marriage of reverence and experimentation set the template for the brand’s future models. Many of Mille’s most groundbreaking designs borrow materials and technology from the automotive and aviation worlds. The RM006 tourbillon introduced the first carbon fiber baseplate; the RM009 featured ALUSIC, a material employed in satellites and space stations; the RM 50-03 was developed in collaboration with McLaren and utilized TPT, one of the automaker’s proprietary materials, to craft the world’s lightest chronograph weighing in at less than 40 grams. Beyond the consistent championing of innovative technology, Richard Mille’s signatures include sleek tonneau cases—which are considerably harder to build complex movements for than classic round cases—and airy, skeletonized movements that display the architectural beauty of Mille’s intricate mechanics. The brand’s performance-minded machines have lent themselves to collaborations with sporting luminaries, such as the flyback chronograph created for Formula 1 racer Felipe Massa and the exceptionally light tourbillon (just 19 grams including the strap) designed for tennis star Rafael Nadal. Prized for their revolutionary design and especially rare due to their meticulous construction, Richard Mille watches are some of the most coveted timepieces today.

Richard Mille

Fine Watches

Dial: skeletonized Caliber: Cal.RM018 manual wind, 29 jewels Movement number: 08 Case: 18k white gold, sapphire display case back secured by four screws Closure: 18k white gold Richard Mille double folding clasp Size: 48mm x 39mm Signed: case, dial, and movement Box: yes Papers: no Accessories: Richard Mille presentation box and outer packaging

View 1 of Lot 321: RM018 AI WG Hommage a Boucheron | A unique white gold skeletonized tourbillon wristwatch with power reserve indication, Circa 2008

rm018 ai wg hommage a boucheron | a unique white gold skeletonized tourbillon wristwatch with power reserve indication, circa 2008

Important Watches

Dial: semi-skeletonised Caliber: cal. CRMA4 automatic, 37 jewels Movement number: no. 000'149, 3'312 Case: titanium, sapphire crystal display back secured by 8 screws Case number: 153 Closure: titanium Richard Mille double folding clasp Size: 47 mm diameter Signed: case, dial and movement Box: no Papers: no

View 1 of Lot 90: Reference RM63-02 Ti | A titanium a semi-skeletonized automatic world time wristwatch with date, Circa 2016

reference rm63-02 ti | a titanium a semi-skeletonized automatic world time wristwatch with date, circa 2016

Dial: semi-skeletonized Caliber: cal. CRMA1 automatic, 25 jewels Movement number: no. 000'151, 3'266 Case: 18k pink gold and diamond set, sapphire crystal display back secured by eight screws Case number: 193 Closure: 18k pink gold and diamond set Richard Mille double folding clasp Size: 52 x 34 mm Signed: case, dial and movement Box: no Papers: yes Accessories: Richard Mille traveling case, Warranty and diamond certificate dated 24 December 2015

View 1 of Lot 89: Reference RM037 AM RG | A pink gold and diamond-set semi-skeletonized automatic wristwatch with date, Circa 2015

reference rm037 am rg | a pink gold and diamond-set semi-skeletonized automatic wristwatch with date, circa 2015

Dial: skeletonized Caliber: cal. RMUL2, 24 jewels Movement number: 154'786 Case: TZP ceramic and titanium, case back secured by eight screws Case number: 014 Closure: titanium Richard Mille Size: 50 x 42 mm Signed: case, dial and movement Box: yes Papers: yes Accessories: Richard Mille winding presentation box with outer packaging, Warranty and purchase invoice dated 13 October 2014, and booklets

View 1 of Lot 91: Reference RM61-01 Yohan Blake | A TZP ceramic and titanium skeletonized wristwatch, Previously in the Collection of Guy De Vries, Circa 2014

reference rm61-01 yohan blake | a tzp ceramic and titanium skeletonized wristwatch, previously in the collection of guy de vries, circa 2014

<p>The <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/watches/watch/richard-mille" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Richard Mille</a> RM016 is the brand’s landmark first rectangular ultra‑flat automatic watch, launched in 2007. The present example features a 18k pink gold case, a skeletonised dial with a date display at 7 o’clock, and the in‑house calibre RMAS7 automatic movement with a variable‑geometry rotor. The elegant pink gold accents enhance its luxurious appeal, blending style with sophisticated engineering seamlessly.</p>

(Reference RM016).  A rose gold skeletonized automatic wristwatch with date. Circa 2018

<p><a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/watches/watch/richard-mille" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Richard Mille</a> faced the challenge of maintaining the strength and unique character of his models while expanding his design options. The RM016 was a game-changer in 2007 as Richard Mille ventured into two uncharted territories. Firstly, the rectangular shape of the watch was a departure from the brand's signature tonneau-shaped cases. Secondly, the ultra-thin movement marked the founding pillars of a more sophisticated and refined aesthetic, which can be seen in current references such as the RM067-01 and RM067-02. Available in excellent condition, the watch not only has a great wrist presence, it also established the foundation for further avant-garde case designs in Richard Mille.</p>

Richard Mille (Reference RM016). A rose gold diamond-set automatic wristwatch. circa 2017

The Jay T. Snider Collection of Benjamin Franklin

Roger Moore Poor Roger, 1756. The American Country Clmanack, for the Year of Christian Account 1756. Calculated according to art, and fitted to the province of Pennsylvania, but may without sensible error serve all the Provinces Adjacent. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by B. Franklin, and D. Hall, at the New-Printing-Office near the Market, [1755] [Bound after:] (Benjamin Franklin). Poor Richard Bmproved: being an Almanack and Ephemeris ... for the Year of our Lord 1756 ... Fitted to the Latitude of forty degrees, and a Meridian of near five hours west from London; but may, without sensible error, serve all the Northern Colonies. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by B. Franklin and D. Hall, [1755] 12mo (165 x 95 mm). Poor Roger: Woodcut borders and anatomical man; a few stray spots; some staining and soiling. Poor Richard: Woodcut borders and ornaments including the zodiac man and monthly panels, early marginalia; closed tears with neat tissue repairs, second leaf with more extensive repairs and some loss to text, scattered and faint foxing. Stitched self-wrappers, as issued, fastened with braided cord; some staining and soiling. Housed in custom clamshell case and folding chemise. One of only two recorded copies, and the only complete copy known. Franklin not only printed his own almanacs, but those of others as well. Roger More, also known as Thomas More, was the pseudonym of the unknown writer. Each a first edition. REFERENCES Poor Roger: Miller 610; ESTC W38352; Evans 7492; Bristol B1762; Hildeburn 1418; Drake 9778. Poor Richard: Miller 608; ESTC W22790; Evans 7420; Drake 9776

View 1 of Lot 71: Roger More and Benjamin Franklin | The only complete copy known of Poor Roger

roger more and benjamin franklin | the only complete copy known of poor roger

Benjamin Franklin Poor Richard improved: Being an Almanack and Ephemeris of the Motions of the Sun and Moon … For the Year of our Lord 1749. … Fitted to the Latitude of forty degrees, and a Meridian of near five hours west from London; but may, without sensible error, serve all the Northern Colonies. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by B. Franklin and D. Hall, [1748] 12mo (165 x 102 mm, uncut). Woodcut borders, anatomical man, and monthly panels; some browning, occasional spotting, and staining. Sewn self-wrappers; some browning and staining. Housed in custom folding-case. First edition, second impression, described by Miller as the first Poor Richard for which David Hall had full responsibility for printing. This copy was among those intended for local distribution, with a “Table for the more ready casting up of Coins, in Pennsylvania” printed on page 35. The section on “How to get riches” supplies the famous Poor Richard precept: “The Art of getting Riches consists very much in thrift.” REFERENCES Miller 442; ESTC W22784; Evans 6139; Drake 9706

View 1 of Lot 45: Benjamin Franklin | Poor Richard … for the Year 1749

benjamin franklin | poor richard … for the year 1749

Benjamin Franklin Poor Richard improved: Being an Almanack and Ephemeris of the Motions of the Sun and Moon … For the Year of our Lord 1752 … Fitted to the Latitude of forty degrees, and a Meridian of near five hours west from London; but may, without sensible error, serve all the Northern Colonies. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by B. Franklin and D. Hall, [1751] 12mo (162 x 90 mm). Woodcut borders, anatomical man, and monthly panels; title-page torn and worn with tissue reinforcements, final leaf with primarily marginal restoration, some scattered spotting, staining, and offsetting. Modern speckled calf, covers ruled in gilt, spine with raised bands in six compartments, second with gilt lettering-piece, others with repeat floral motif in gilt. First edition. In the preface Franklin discusses the history of the calendar, a discussion provoked by the Parliament’s alterations thereof. He also includes a “brief chronology” from the birth of Jesus Christ concentrating on the history of Britain and her colonies. REFERENCES Miller 529; ESTC ; Evans 6670; Hildeburn 1239; Drake 9738

View 1 of Lot 56: Benjamin Franklin | Poor Richard ... for the Year 1752

benjamin franklin | poor richard ... for the year 1752

Benjamin Franklin Poor Richard improved: Being an Almanack and Ephemeris of the Motions of the Sun and Moon … For the Year of our Lord 1750 ... Fitted to the Latitude of forty degrees, and a Meridian of near five hours west from London; but may, without sensible error, serve all the Northern Colonies. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by B. Franklin and D. Hall, [1749] 12mo (165 x 102 mm, uncut). Woodcut borders, anatomical man, and monthly panels; some browning and offsetting, stray spots, one or two closed marginal tears, longer closed tears neatly repaired. Stitched self-wrappers; some rubbing and soiling. Housed in custom slipcase, chemise. First edition—the Rosenbach copy. REFERENCES Miller 469; ESTC ; Evans 6320; Hildeburn 1154; Drake 9716 PROVENANCE A. S. W. Rosenbach (note laid in, "From the private library of A.S.W. Rosenbach.") — John Fleming

View 1 of Lot 49: Benjamin Franklin | Poor Richard … for the Year 1750

benjamin franklin | poor richard … for the year 1750

Benjamin Franklin Poor Richard Improved: Being an Almanack and Ephemeris of the Motions of the Sun and Moon … For the Year 1758 ... Fitted to the Latitude of forty degrees, and a Meridian of near five hours west from London; but may, without sensible error, serve all the Northern Colonies. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by B. Franklin and D. Hall, [1757] 12mo (150 x 84 mm). Manuscript table at front, woodcut borders and vignettes including anatomical man and monthly panels; some margins shaved costing a few letters and affecting borders, scattered spotting and soiling, final leaf with tissue reinforcement to gutter. Bound in boards of an original Sammelband, which at one point included other issues, contemporary brown calf; rebacked with repairs to corners. Housed in custom clamshell case. First edition and the last of the series written by Franklin. "In this … are assembled the cream of [Franklin's] proverbs and wit of the twenty-four previous issues. They are in the form of a speech, delivered by an old man at a country auction, which was soon reprinted as separates under the titles of Father Abraham's Speech, The Way to Wealth, and La Science du Bonhomme Richard" (Grolier/American 12). Aphorisms present here include "God helps them that help themselves," and "Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." "The Way to Wealth,"under various titles, "has been oftener printed and translated ... than any other work from an American pen" (Ford). REFERENCES Miller 657; ESTC W22792; Evans 7899; Hildeburn 1558; Drake 9796

View 1 of Lot 75: Benjamin Franklin | Poor Richard… for the year 1758—the last of the series written by Franklin 

benjamin franklin | poor richard… for the year 1758—the last of the series written by franklin

Benjamin Franklin Poor Richard...An Almanack For the Year of Christ 1747, It being the Third after Leap-Year... Philadelphia: B. Franklin, [1746] 12mo (175 x 100 mm). Uncut. Title and text within woodcut border; some browning and dampstaining, a few spots and stains. Stitched self-wrappers; spotted and stained, edges ragged with some loss. Housed in custom slipcase and folding chemise. First edition. This is the fifteenth number of Franklin's series. Scarce at auction—we locate only four other copies (three of which incomplete) offered in the last century. REFERENCES Miller 387; Evans 5771; Hildeburn 993; Drake 9682

View 1 of Lot 37: Benjamin Franklin | Poor Richard ... for the year of Christ 1747—an early and scarce issue

benjamin franklin | poor richard ... for the year of christ 1747—an early and scarce issue

[Richard Blackmore] Letters between Theophilus and Eugenio, on the Moral Depravity of Man, and the Means of His Restoration. Wrote in the East-Indies, And now First Published from the Original Manuscript. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by B. Franklin, MDCCXLVII (1747) 4to (195 x 154 mm). A persistent but diminishing stain in the lower margin, never touching the printing, the paper is brittle at the stain, causing some minor edge chips to the title-page and subsequent six leaves, all now expertly closed and reinforced with Japanese tissue, a few other largely marginal stains in the text, the title with some additional small chips and short tears at edges. Modern full brown leather, gilt spine. First American edition. Though once erroneously attributed to Benjamin Franklin, this religious work about the sinfulness and salvation of man is now believed to have been written by Sir Richard Blackmore, the English poet, physician, and theologian. He is best remembered for having been repeatedly satirized by Alexander Pope and others. The first edition was published in London in 1720, with the title Letters of Religion Between Theophilus and Eugenio. Quite scarce: according to Rare Book Hub, only three copies have appeared at auction in the last century. REFERENCES Miller 422; ESTC W13539; Evans 5985; Hildeburn 1019;Sabin 25528

View 1 of Lot 43: [Richard Blackmore]. Letters between Theophilus and Eugenio, a 1747 Franklin Imprint

[richard blackmore]. letters between theophilus and eugenio, a 1747 franklin imprint

Richard Peters (& Benjamin Franklin) A Sermon on Education. Wherein Some Account is given of the Academy, established in the City of Philadelphia, Preach'd at the Opening thereof, on the Seventh Day of January, 1750–51. … Idea of the English School, Sketch'd out for the Consideration of the Trustees of the Philadelphia Academy. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by B. Franklin, and D. Hall, at the Post-Office, MDCCLI (1751) Demy 8vo (202 x 126 mm). Two woodcut headpieces, one historiated (Miller 36 and 37), Franklin's Idea appended with separate signatures and pagination; some browning and foxing. Publisher's blue wrappers; stained, spine perished, sewing lost, but text block still neatly quired, with original stab-sewing holes. Blue cloth portfolio gilt. First edition; presentation copy inscribed by Benjamin Franklin on the front free endpaper: "For Mr. Sam'l Austin | one of the subscribers to the | Academy." Samuel Austin and his wife, Sarah Keen, were the parents of Sarah Austin, who was the second wife of Commodore John Barry, sometimes called “the father of the United States Navy.” Richard Peters (ca. 1704–1776) delivered this sermon on the occasion of the opening of the Academy. Clergyman and provincial councilor, Peters was one of the first trustees of the Philadelphia Academy, which in time developed into the University of Pennsylvania. He was president of the Board of Trustees and earlier helped Franklin to establish the Library Company of Philadelphia. Franklin was qualified to inscribe this volume not only as publisher, but as co-author. His Idea of the English School was first issued separately earlier in 1751, probably for private distribution among the trustees of the newly established Academy (see Miller 527). In his 1789 Observations Relative to the Intentions of the Original Founders, Franklin recalled that this essay was intended “for the Consideration of the Trustees” and “was printed, and afterwards annex’d to Mr. Peters’ Sermon.” Franklin outlines a rigorous and practical pedagogy of six successive classes of English-language instruction in subjects like orthography, reading, public speaking, composition and creative writing, mathematics, geography, accounting, history, and science. He concludes that the scholars of such instruction "will come out of this School fitted for learning any Business, Calling or Profession, except such wherein Languages are required; and tho’ unaquainted with any antient or foreign Tongue, they will be Masters of their own, which is of more immediate and general Use; and withal will have attain’d many other valuable Accomplishments; the Time usually spent in acquiring those Languages, often without Success, being here employ’d in laying such a Foundation of Knowledge and Ability, as, properly improv’d, may qualify them to pass thro’ and execute the several Offices of civil Life, with Advantage and Reputation to themselves and Country." In addition to his own thoughts on the colonial curriculum, Franklin added to Peters's sermon the text of the "Constitutions of the Publick Academy, in the City of Philadelphia." Peters and Franklin's joint work on the Academy of Philadelphia is surprisingly rare: over the past century, Rare Book Hub cites only three other complete copies. Only one other presentation copy is therein recorded, sold at Henkels, 21 March 1919, lot 101G, and inscribed with the same formula as the present to another subscriber to the Academy, Mr. John Kidd. ((For another work inscribed by Franklin to Kidd, see lot 61.) REFERENCES Miller 541; ESTC W29202; Evans 6754; Hildeburn 1234; Campbell 472 PROVENANCE Samuel Austin (presentation inscription from Benjamin Franklin) — Laird U. Park Jr. (Sotheby’s New York, 29 November 2000, lot 109)

View 1 of Lot 55: Richard Peters (& Benjamin Franklin) | Inscribed by Franklin to a subscriber to the Academy of Philadelphia

richard peters (& benjamin franklin) | inscribed by franklin to a subscriber to the academy of philadelphia

Benjamin Franklin Poor Richard, 1740. An Almanack for the Year of Christ 1740 ... Fitted to the Latitude of forty degrees, and a Meridian of five hours west from London, but may without sensible error, serve all the adjacent places, even from Newfoundland to South-Carolina. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by B. Franklin, at the New Printing-Office near the Market, [1739] Foolscap 8vo (162 x 92 mm, 11 of 12 leaves). Woodcut borders and anatomical man; final leaf in facsimile, some browning, staining, and foxing, long closed tear to second and third leaves, one or two instances of early marginalia. Half brown morocco and marbled paper-covered boards, spine gilt-lettered. Third edition—the Laird Park copy. This third edition was announced in the Gazette as "just published" on 10 January 1740 (Papers of Benjamin Franklin, ed. Labaree, 2:244). REFERENCES Miller 163; ESTC W22776; Evans 4364; Hildeburn 606a–b; Drake 9616–9618 PROVENANCE Daniel Brown (ownership inscription dated 1739–40 to margin of second leaf) — John Brown (contemporary signature to fifth leaf) — Laird U. Park, Jr. (his sale, Sotheby's New York, 29 November 2000, lot 97)

View 1 of Lot 15: Benjamin Franklin | Poor Richard ... for the year 1740

benjamin franklin | poor richard ... for the year 1740

Benjamin Franklin Poor Richard improved: Being an Almanack and Ephemeris of the Motions of the Sun and Moon … For the Year of our Lord 1757 ... Fitted to the Latitude of forty degrees, and a Meridian of near five hours west from London; but may, without sensible error, serve all the Northern Colonies. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by B. Franklin and D. Hall, [1756] 12mo (165 x 102 mm). Woodcut borders, anatomical man, and monthly panels; trimmed close with some borders and text shaved, some spotting and staining. Disbound; some spotting and soiling. Housed in custom clamshell case. First edition. REFERENCES Miller 635; ESTC W22791; Evans 7668; Hildeburn 1499; Drake 9786

View 1 of Lot 73: Benjamin Franklin | Poor Richard … for the Year 1757

benjamin franklin | poor richard … for the year 1757

Benjamin Franklin Poor Richard improved: Being an Almanack and Ephemeris of the Motions of the Sun and Moon … For the Year of our Lord 1754 ... Fitted to the Latitude of forty degrees, and a Meridian of near five hours west from London; but may, without sensible error, serve all the Northern Colonies. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by B. Franklin and D. Hall, [1753] 12mo (174 x 97 mm). Woodcut borders, anatomical man, and monthly panels; browned, scattered spotting and staining, a few closed primarily marginal tears, one or two creases. Stitched self-wrappers; verso of lower wrapper rubbed and stained, chips to edges. Housed in custom folding case. In the preface, Franklin discusses the history of almanac makers (primarily, by his own admission, just to fill the page), followed by statistics on the population of New Jersey, a recipe for curing gammons, and astrological information. REFERENCES Miller 570; ESTC W22788; Evans 7003; Hildeburn 1325; Drake 9756 PROVENANCE Rowland Ellis (signature to title and margin of later leaf)

View 1 of Lot 68: Benjamin Franklin | Poor Richard … for the Year 1754

benjamin franklin | poor richard … for the year 1754

Benjamin Franklin Poor Richard improved: Being an Almanack and Ephemeris of the Motions of the Sun and Moon … For the Year of our Lord 1751 … Fitted to the Latitude of forty degrees, and a Meridian of near five hours west from London; but may, without sensible error, serve all the Northern Colonies. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by B. Franklin and D. Hall, [1750] 12mo (151 x 88 mm). Woodcut borders, anatomical man, and monthly panels; some browning, staining, and spotting, tear to second page of December with tissue repair, some borders just shaved. Disbound; some spotting and browning. Housed in custom folding-case. First edition, "Roads Northeastward" issue. Rare, with four copies appearing at auction in the last century. REFERENCES Miller 502; ESTC W22786; Evans 6502; Hildeburn 1198; Drake 9727 PROVENANCE John Blakey (signature on title-page)

View 1 of Lot 53: Benjamin Franklin | Poor Richard … for the Year 1751

benjamin franklin | poor richard … for the year 1751

Benjamin Franklin Poor Richard. 1739. An Almanack For the Year of Christ 1739 ... Fitted to the Latitude of forty degrees, and a Meridian of five hours west from London, but may without sensible error, serve all the adjacent places, even from Newfoundland to South-Carolina. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by B. Franklin, at the New Printing-Office near the Market, [1738] Foolscap 8vo (158 x 90 mm, 9 of 12 leaves). Contemporary ownership signature to title and margins, woodcut borders and anatomical man; lacking final three leaves, three leaves just shaved at top margin, browned, some offsetting, scattered staining and spotting, primarily marginal short closed tears, some early marginalia. Contemporary drab paper wrappers; rebacked, largely disbound within wrappers, some soiling and loss. Housed in custom clamshell case. Exceedingly rare. The present is apparently the only copy to appear at auction in a century. REFERENCES Miller 147; ESTC W22775; Evans 4247; Hildeburn 585; Drake 9609 PROVENANCE George Lamel(?) (contemporary signature to title) — Mary Custard (early signature to margins of final two leaves)

View 1 of Lot 13: Benjamin Franklin | Poor Richard ... for the year 1739

benjamin franklin | poor richard ... for the year 1739

Benjamin Franklin Poor Richard, 1743. An Almanack for the Year of Christ 1743 ... Fitted to the Latitude of forty degrees, and a Meridian of five hours west from London, but may without sensible error, serve all the adjacent places, even from Newfoundland to South-Carolina. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by B. Franklin, at the New Printing-Office near the Market, [1742] Foolscap 8vo (151 x 85 mm, 9 of 12 leaves). Woodcut borders, anatomical man, and eclipse; lacking three leaves, browning and staining, some margins just shaved costing a few letters. Disbound, folds reinforced with Japanese tissue. Housed in custom clamshell case. Rare in any state. REFERENCES Miller 281; ESTC W22779; Evans 4956; Hildeburn 781; Drake 9646

View 1 of Lot 22: Benjamin Franklin | Poor Richard ... for the year 1743

benjamin franklin | poor richard ... for the year 1743

Benjamin Franklin Poor Richard improved: Being an Almanack and Ephemeris of the Motions of the Sun and Moon … For the Year of our Lord 1753 ... Fitted to the Latitude of forty degrees, and a Meridian of near five hours west from London; but may, without sensible error, serve all the Northern Colonies. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by B. Franklin and D. Hall, [1752] 12mo (152 x 88 mm). Woodcut borders, anatomical man, and monthly panels; top margin trimmed close with a few borders and letters just shaved, some browning and offsetting, stray spots, stain to anatomical man. Stitched self-wrappers; some spotting and browning . Housed in custom clamshell case. First edition. This printing of Poor Richard includes Franklin's instructions on "How to secure Houses, &c. from Lightning." REFERENCES Miller 552; ESTC W22787; Evans 6845; Hildeburn 1279; Drake 9747

View 1 of Lot 63: Benjamin Franklin | Poor Richard … for the Year 1753

benjamin franklin | poor richard … for the year 1753

Benjamin Franklin Poor Richard improved: Being an Almanack and Ephemeris of the Motions of the Sun and Moon … For the Bissextile Year, 1748. … Fitted to the latitude of forty degrees, and a meridian of near five hours from London; but may, without sensible error, serve all the Northern Colonies. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by B. Franklin, [1747] 12mo (156 x 88 mm). Woodcut borders; a few leaves just shaved at top, some browning, staining, and spotting. Contemporary drab paper wrappers; edges ragged. Slipcase, chemise. First edition of the rare Northern Colonies issue, with the first use of the title "Poor Richard Improved." The improvement is remarked upon by Franklin at the head of the title-page: "Note, this Almanack us'd to contain but 24 Pages, and now has 36; yet the Price is very little advanc'd." The almanack appeared in three different issues in an attempt by Franklin to customize it for regional markets. The present copy is the Northern Colonies issue. The Pennsylvania market issue had a list of the governors of Pennsylvania; and the Southern issue had a court schedule for Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The experiment was apparently unsuccessful since Franklin reverted to a single edition the following year. REFERENCES Miller 419; ESTC W22783; Evans 5952; Hildeburn 1037; Drake 9694

View 1 of Lot 40: Benjamin Franklin | Poor Richard ... for the year 1748

benjamin franklin | poor richard ... for the year 1748

Benjamin Franklin Poor Richard, 1736. An Almanack For the Year of Christ 1736 ... Fitted to the Latitude of forty degrees, and a Meridian of five hours west from London, but may without sensible error, serve all the adjacent places, even from Newfoundland to South-Carolina. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by B. Franklin, at the New Printing-Office near the Market, [1735] Foolscap 8vo (158 x 91 mm, 8 of 12 leaves). Contemporary ownership signature to title-page, woodcut borders and anatomical man; lacking final four leaves, right margin of title torn costing a few words on verso, long closed tear through anatomical man, some staining, spotting, and browning, burn hole to margin of two leaves, small hole to final leaf. Stitched self-wrappers; some soiling, creasing, and loss. Folding-case. First edition of the fourth Poor Richard almanac. Rare in any state, the present is the only the second copy to appear at auction in over half a century. "Poor Richard was one of the four key elements in Franklin's business. The newspaper, the almanac, the position as printer to the legislature, and the willingness to gamble as a printer-publisher-partner all contributed to Franklin's becoming the dominant printer of colonial America. … Today, perhaps the most surprising fact about Poor Richard's almanac is the continuing identification of Franklin with the persona Poor Richard. Franklin used hundreds of personae, but no other one has as frequently been used as synonymous with the actual Franklin. Among the possible reasons are the knowledge that Poor Richard was a mask of Franklin, the popularity of the Poor Richard almanac in the colonial period, the appeal of the persona (yet no one calls Franklin Bridget Saunders), the deliberate play in the almanacs between the persona and the publisher, the concern with identity, and the instability of the persona—but none of these possible considerations explains why Franklin has been so often identified with Poor Richard. … Franklin's egalitarianism permitted him to express and value this insight while playing the simple role of Poor Richard. That imaginary persona flatters us. Franklin as Poor Richard is more accessible than the fiercely hardworking Franklin who was a dominant figure in the second half of the eighteenth century in science, literature, and statesmanship” (Lemay, Life 2:190–191). REFERENCES Miller 103; ESTC W22774; Evans 3903; Hildeburn 524; Drake 9587 PROVENANCE Charles M. and Mary Elizabeth Meredith III (Freeman's, 20 May 2021, lot 10)

View 1 of Lot 11: Benjamin Franklin | Poor Richard … for the year 1736

benjamin franklin | poor richard … for the year 1736

Livres & Manuscrits

Cocteau, Jean Correspondance à Gérard Worms et à son épouse Jeannine. [Avec :] quelques lettres à d’autres correspondants. 1956-1962. Important ensemble d'environ 70 lettres (avec une carte postale et un télégramme). Nombreuses enveloppes conservées. Encre bleue, rouge, papier de crayon. Formats divers (in-12 à in-4). 2 lettres sont illustrées de dessins originaux. Les Éditions du Rocher : le dernier chapitre éditorial de Jean Cocteau. Fondées en 1943 à Monaco par Charles Orengo et Jean Mistler, les Éditions du Rocher connaissent quelques années plus tard des difficultés financières. Par l’intermédiaire de Francine Weisweiller — sœur de Gérard Worms, mais aussi égérie et mécène de Jean Cocteau — la maison est renflouée : Gérard Worms y entre avant d’en prendre la direction en 1959. Venu aux Éditions du Rocher par le rachat de plusieurs titres édités par Paul Morihien, Jean Cocteau contribue à en renouveler l'image et le catalogue. Entre 1954 et 1964, la maison adopte ainsi une politique éditoriale ambitieuse et affirme une identité littéraire plus marquée. "Les Éditions du Rocher, en faisant appel à des écrivains de premier plan, ont une politique centrée sur des titres destinés à rester dans leur fonds", explique O. Cariguel, qui précise toutefois : "L’influence de Jean Cocteau n’est pas négligeable, mais il ne semble pas qu’il ait servi d’agent recruteur pour la maison monégasque. Il y publie les scénarios de ses films, des albums reproduisant ses fresques, et Nouveau théâtre de poche. Il ne fait pas du Rocher sa maison exclusive comme il y avait songé un moment" (p. 154). Cette politique éditoriale, peut-être trop ambitieuse, fragilise cependant l’indépendance de la maison. Gérard Worms quitte les Éditions du Rocher en 1966, trois ans après la mort de Jean Cocteau. Ces lettres amicales et professionnelles à Gérard Worms (environ 39 lettres) et à son épouse Jeannine (environ 22 lettres et 1 carte postale) sont centrées sur leur collaboration autour des Éditions du Rocher dans les dernières années de la vie de Cocteau. Les lettres montrent un Cocteau extrêmement impliqué dans la préparation de ses livres, notamment les Paraprosodies (1958), suivant avec minutie les maquettes, les couvertures, les photographies, les corrections typographiques et les traductions. Corrigeant les épreuves, il s’emporte contre les fautes d’impression et refuse certains tirages jugés défectueux. En 1958, il s'inquiète souvent du tournage de ce qui sera son dernier film, Le Testament d'Orphée. Gérard Worms apparaît alors comme un médiateur, chargé de résoudre les problèmes techniques, de coordonner imprimeurs et photographes, mais aussi d’accompagner les inquiétudes d’un auteur souvent découragé par les obstacles matériels ou financiers. Cocteau partage ses épuisements, ses douleurs physiques, ses déceptions cinématographiques, ses angoisses devant l’échec ou la vieillesse. Jeannine Worms, qu’il encourage dans ses propres projets d’écriture dramatique, a aussi la charge de retranscrire ses manuscrits, parfois difficiles à déchiffrer. De cette abondante correspondance, nous ne citons ici que quelques extraits : [1]. Lettres à Gérard Worms. 1956. 1 lettre (1 page).1957, 1 lettre (1 page). "J’ai fait pour Mourlot une suite de lithographies espagnoles avec lesquelles le texte de la corrida du 1er mai irait à merveille […] vous me feriez un extrême plaisir en autorisant Mourlot, après notre cahier Vert à employer le texte de la corrida afin de le joindre aux épreuves".1958, 10 lettres (24 pages) et 1 télégramme. — 18 mars : télégramme à propos la couverture de Paraprosodies, qu’il n’avait pas compris devoir dessiner à la place d’un titre typographique. — 19 mars : "Voici les belles épreuves finales de notre photographe mais il préfère ne pas se dessaisir des clichés car il les interprète au tirage et voudrait une interprétation inexacte par rapport à la réalité." — 18 mai : il donne des dessins pour une couverture de disque de musique de chambre de Debussy dont Worms lui a fourni la maquette. — 26 mai, à propos de Paraprosodies : "Ce livre exige d’être impeccable. C’est pourquoi j’ai tant soigné les épreuves. Or il y a faute (temps par temple) et malfaçon (la dernière page). Je te prie de dire à l’imprimeur que je refuse les exemplaires. Je ne suis pas responsable de ces fautes". — Le 18 juillet, à la réception de Paraprosodies : "Avant de partir ce soir, j’ai eu l’exemplaire et je t’en remercie. Il est d’une grande élégance et sa solitude éclairée du dedans comme l’albâtre. Tu peux dire à Dauwen [Jean Dauwen, missionné sur l'œuvre de Cocteau] que si j’aime désobéir avec habitudes j’accepte d’obéir avec signes du sort. Peut-être vaudrait-il mieux remettre notre entreprise au printemps prochain." — 25 juillet : il supplie qu'on lui envoie "des exemplaires de Paraprosodies (je n’ai qu’un seul luxe)." Mme Lourau lui a confirmé la promesse de son mari de réaliser leur film, Le Testament d'Orphée. — 9 août : Cocteau est exaspéré des fautes qu’il voit dans Paraprosodies : il est empêtré dans les sottises et mensonges de l’imprimeur, tout marcherait à merveille sans les gaffes de Villefranche : "Figure-toi que le nouvel exemplaire de Paraprosodies a corrigé sa faute pour refaire une. Montre à la place de Monstre. Je renonce. Je ne corrigerai même plus, car c’est évident que le diable s’en mêle et mènerait le […] jusqu’à la fin des siècles. Malade et triste à mourir après l’échec du film. Je me retire dans une montagne à Valberg. Doudou [Édouard Dermit] m’accompagne. Peut-être ce changement d’air me rendra-t-il des forces. Il ne m’en reste aucune pour sauter les obstacles que cette ignoble époque donne (?) entre mes rêves te moi." — 23 août, à propos de conférences qu'il prononce dans le cadre de l'Exposition internationale de Bruxelles : "Je descends ce soir de Valberg où j’ai terminé le discours sur la poésie, pour les Belges." Au sujet du Testament d'Orphée, Gérard Lourau lui a dit que "ce serait un déshonneur pour lui de ne pas faire mon film et qu’il serait tourné en avril." — Le 27 août, il a bien reçu un exemplaire de luxe des Paraprosodies, mais veut recevoir une vingtaine d’exemplaires. Il s’inquiète des fautes de frappe, et souhaite établir un errata. — Le 30 août, il souhaite des exemplaires du Bal du comte d'Orgel de Radiguet qu’il a illustré en 1953, à envoyer à une dame. "J’ai mal partout et le docteur dit que cela relève de la scoliose". — 6 septembre : il réclame pour la même dame des exemplaires du Diable au corps. — 13 décembre : il aimerait que le Journal de la Belle et la Bête ainsi que Le Sang d’un poète soient traduits, s’inquiétant aussi pour son film : "je boucle la boucle et si je ne le fais pas c’est une chute mortelle au bout de ma courbe […] j’ai besoin d’une réponse précise. Admettons que Lourau se dégonfle malgré sa promesse formelle, il faudrait immédiatement s’adresser à Levi (Lévi est jeune et m’a fait demander par des danseurs du Bel indifférent une chose du reste impossible : tourner ce ballet en fin de mon tournage…" — Sans date : 6 lettres, dont l’une à propos du Testament d'Orphée : "Après de nouvelles insultes de Richard, j’ai décidé d’en finir avec ces histoires de Villefranche". On l’a traité de voleur, sans admettre que le prix de ses dessins avait changé : il est "incapable dans sa sottise de comprendre que c’est ma ruine et que les acheteurs rient au nez de ceux qui veulent vendre à nouveau prix, alors, disent-ils, qu’ils les trouvent à moitié prix et moins dans la boutique de gauche […] c’est très grave".1959 : 7 lettres (12 pages). — 27 janvier : venant de recevoir le volume de Poésie critique, il se plaint des erreurs d’impression : "Plein de fautes et avec des œuvres complètes complètement embrouillées avec une bibliographie de critiques. Je ne pense pas garder Bonalumi" [Louis Bonalumi, monégasque qui travailla au Rocher à partir de 1945-1946, employé par Orengo pour établir une édition critique des livres de Cocteau, qui s'impatiente de ne pas voir ce projet aboutir]. Il est navré que ce dernier soit malade, mais est visiblement exaspéré par ses nombreuses fautes. Il veut lui laisser faire le Discours, mais exige de relire les épreuves afin "qu’un correcteur spécialisé et sachant le français comme un pion les corrige." — 14 juillet : "J’ai défilé ce matin en grand uniforme en tête des vétérans de 70. Je me repose de cette fatigue à Milly où je termine la chapelle des Simples avec Triquenot. Il va falloir faire le catalogue, pareil à celui de Villefranche et de Menton. J’aimerais pour cela que tu alertes un merveilleux photographe qui pourra travailler tranquillement ce mois d’août ou bien ce mois de septembre". — 21 août (cachet postal) : il brosse un amusant portrait de Francis Palmero, le maire de Menton qu’il a rencontré, "cheveux rares genre bagne, il a longuement gémi sur les ‘malentendus ‘qui nous séparent et sur la froideur de Francine [Weisweiller] dont je ne lui ai pas caché qu’elle ne le portait pas dans son cœur. Il était avec une jeune asperge rose bonbon qu’il m’a présenté comme son collaborateur. Je lui ai longuement expliqué ce qui nous semblait étrange dans son attitude monégasque".Sans date : une lettre illustrée d’un dessin de deux profils affrontés. 1960. 9 lettres (11 pages) : 26 février (cachet postal) : "il a paru ce matin dans un très important journal allemand un article délirant et du reste magnifique sur le film" (Le Testament d’Orphée). — 1er mai : envoie le manuscrit d'une note à ajouter à un texte qu’ils sont en train d’éditer, "Soigne-la bien je n’ai que ce manuscrit". — 4 mars : "Je te remercie de ton envoi mais il m’est impossible de travailler sur une maquette approximative. Il faudrait que j’écrive sur des feuilles détachées avec des photographies en face car j’aurais peur de m’embrouiller." — 9 juillet 1960, probablement à propos du Nouveau théâtre de poche qui sortira en septembre : "Le travail de la dactylo était tellement absurde qu’il a fallu m’en tirer tant bien que mal. Je pense que seule Jeannine pourra se débrouiller avec les rejets et ma mauvaise écriture. Il m’était impossible, n’ayant pas de place entre les textes, de placer les plans oùi l faut et en clair."1962. 6 lettres (6 pages). 1er mars, à propos du Picasso de 1916 à 1961 qui sortira en mai : "J'ai déjà réexpédié le texte du livre Picasso et j'attends la suite des épreuves."Sans date. 5 lettres (7 pages). [2.] Environ 22 lettres et une carte postale à Jeannine Worms (28 pages et la carte), parfaite interlocutrice du poète pour la mise à jour des Paraprosodies, l'épouse de Gérard Worms fut par ailleurs dramaturge — 15 décembre 1957 : Jeannine connaissant bien son écriture, il lui demande d’établir une dactylographie de son recueil : "Voici le monstre et mes hiéroglyphes. Soyez un ange (genre Champollion) et tâchez d’établir le tout en machine à écrire. Si un mot est illisible laissez-le blanc. Vous me renverrez dactylographie et original et je m’appliquerai à établir un texte définitif ". ─ [Janvier 1958] : lettre illustrée d'un grand dessin, au crayon de couleurs (profil de jeune homme) : "Ma sœur vient de mourir il y a une heure. J'arrive. [...] La NRF ayant publié 'Avec des SI' nous sommes libres de nous mettre au travail." — 28 mai 1958 : "J’ai bien reçu les épreuves mais on a simplement oublié le principal poème AVEC DES SI (Première paraprosodie). Je n’y comprends rien. Voulez-vous réparer auprès de l’éditeur". —30 juin 1958 : "vous êtes adorable comme toujours il y a grand intérêt pour moi à triompher de la mauvaise humeur des intellectuels. […] Les poèmes suivant Avec des Si sont à vous et ne partent que chez vous. Je les garde pour vous et pour le gros ensemble à suivre". — 9 mai 1961 : "Mieux vaut n'importe quel silence que l'idée fausse d'une œuvre où la moindre virgule joue son rôle de mathématicienne." ─ 16 décembre 1961 : "Ton théâtre est admirable et d'un cristal qui fait ses prismes à ton insu. Par la seule science d'une taille robuste. Le poète manque de mathématiques. La poésie est une langue à part et sans certains règles la cristallisation rate. Mai son âme est celle d'un vrai poète." ─ 22 juin 1962 : "Après l'infamie que vient de me faire [André] Parinaud, j'ai perdu tout courage. J'ai beau savoir que c'est la règle et que l'échec est à la base de la noblesse. Paris et ses méthodes me dégoûte. Le seul espoir qui me reste c'est vous et Alain Bosquet, mais la tristesse reste tristesse et vous pénètre comme un poison". ─ 18 décembre 1962 : "Tu peux imaginer ce que représente un deuil où la personne perdue est vivante. Et d'habiter cette maison pleine de souvenirs, d'objets, de paperasses, de livres qui vivotent dans un no man's land sinistre. Francine ne répond même pas à mes nombreuses lettres que Doudou me reproche, estimant grave, outre l'offense du cœur, qu'on me traite comme quantité négligeable." ─ 1er janvier 1963, à propos du livre qu'il publie avec Picasso aux Éditions du Rocher, Picasso de 1916 à 1961 : "Picasso t'a préparé un exemplaire merveilleux et j'ai fait les pages pour les gravures. Les Picasso aimeraient avoir la visite de [Louis] Evrard. Voilà la commission transmise. J'ai traversé (?) une crise terrible de découragement. La pensée des amis m'aidera peut-être à reprendre mon équilibre". ─ Sans date : "le drame de cette syntaxe est de faire un seul bloc avec du signifiant voulu et de l’insignifiant à signification involontaire. C’est pourquoi je corrige sans cesse et tenais à la [?] afin d’éviter trop de corrections d’auteurs sur les épreuves". [3.] 9 lettres à divers correspondants, dont Gaston Gallimard et Henri Filipacchi : longue lettres à Franck [sans nom de famille], 19 mai 1962 : "Je ne suis qu'un type de mauvais poil et, même si j’accepte par faiblesse, qu’on passe outre le fait que cette télévision était basée sur une actrice ; Francoise Christophe, il est tout de même étrange et neuf qu’un auteur ne puisse avoir droit de regard sur une œuvre dont le public le rendra responsable. J’ai vu que les photographies de presse qui sont si loin de moi et de ma pensée que j’en éprouvais déjà de l’inquiétude…"à Gaston Gallimard [?], 6 décembre 1955 : "Pour tenir une promesse faite à ce pauvre Grasset avant sa mort j’ai décidé de conférer à sa maison une édition à tirage limité à 6000 exemplaires de l’ensemble de mon théâtre (comme celle de Giraudoux)."à Henri Filipacchi "chez Hachette", Noël 1960 : à propos d’une fâcherie et d’un projet avorté de publication d’un album de photographies sur son film.à Micheline Meunier, 14 juillet 1960 : "Quel mal vous ai-je fait ? Jamais, une seule minute, je n’ai cessé d’avoir pour vous de l’amitié, reconnaissance, admiration, respect". Avec une photocopie de lettres à cette même destinataire. M. Meunier avait publié en 1959 Méditerranée ou Les deux visages de Jean Cocteau et fera également paraître en 1964 Présence de Jean Cocteau ou Le sang d'un poète.à Hervé Mille, 3 août 1957 : lui envoie Gérard Worms pour arranger le "programme Chapelle-Mairie".à Juliette, 20 janvier 1958 : lui demande de remettre à Mme Worms les dessins de M. Bérard "qui représentent la Bête et qui se trouvent au mur de la bibliothèque du premier étage."à André Almuró, 19 mars 1955 (2 pages).2 lettres à de "chers amis", l'une à un médecin que Gérard Worms aimerait consulter, l’autre à propos de la phototypie d’un album des Éditions du Rocher. [On joint :] 2 contrats d’édition, signés, pour Jean Cocteau chez les Sirènes (1956) et Le Testament d’Orphée (1958). Pour d'autres manuscrits de Jean Cocteau ou d'Henri Michaux provenant de Gérard Worms, voir lots 124-129 et lot 155.

View 1 of Lot 128: Correspondance à Gérard Worms, directeur des Éditions du Rocher, et à divers. 1956-1962. Environ 70 lettres.

correspondance à gérard worms, directeur des éditions du rocher, et à divers. 1956-1962. environ 70 lettres.

Benjamin Franklin A Pocket Almanack for the Year 1765. Fitted to the Use of Pennsylvania, and the Neighbouring Provinces. With several useful additions. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by B. Franklin and D, Hall, [1764] 24mo (101 x 55 mm). Woodcut borders and symbols, interleaved with blank leaves, unaccomplished; very light browning throughout, one closed tear to interleaf. Contemporary floral Buntpapier wrappers; slightly rubbed. Half morocco slipcase, fitted chemise. First edition—the Laird Park copy. Franklin's Pocket Almanacks are fully as scarce as the Poor Richard series; this is only the second copy of the 1765 edition to appear at auction in 70 years. REFERENCES: Miller 831; ESTC W32646; Evans 9826; Hildeburn 2057; Drake 9879 PROVENANCE: Laird U. Park Jr. (his sale, Sotheby's New York, 29 November 2000, lot 125)

View 1 of Lot 97: Benjamin Franklin | A Pocket Almanack for the Year 1765

benjamin franklin | a pocket almanack for the year 1765

Abel Morgan Anti-Paedo-Rantism; or Mr. Samuel Finley's Charitable Plea for the Speechless Examined and Refuted: The Baptism of Believers Maintain'd; and The Mode of it, by Immersion, Vindicated. Philadelphia: Printed by B. Franklin, in Market-Street, M.DCC.XLVII (1747) 8vo (174 x 114 mm). Head- and tailpieces, separate title to Appendix, errata leaf at end; title-page browned, first few leaves with loss to top right corner, stain to top right margin roughly through first half, leaves toned and with scattered foxing, corners chewed in gatherings I and K, a few stray spots and stains, some contemporary marginalia. Contemporary speckled calf, covers ruled in blind, manuscript title to spine; overall scuffed and stained, joints starting, head and foot of spine with loss, short splits to front free endpaper at gutter. Red cloth slipcase, chemise. Franklin's imprint of Morgan's first response to Finley's treatise on baptism. In 1743, Presbyterian minister Samuel Finley and Baptist minister Abel Morgan preached sermons in New Jersey debating the baptism of infants, sparking a seven-year-long controversy. In 1746, Finley produced a pamphlet on the subject at William Bradford's press, to which Anti-Paedo-Rantism was Morgan's response. The present volume includes An Appendix to the Foregoing Work; being Remarks on some Particulars in a late Pamphlet, Entituled, Divine Right of Infant-Baptism, Written by another Hand, attributed to the Reverend Benjamin Griffith and also printed by Franklin in 1747. REFERENCES Miller 425; ESTC W37801; Evans 6013; Hildeburn 1022 PROVENANCE Richard Van Burkloe (inscription on title-page, "his book") — John Thomas (inscription on rear free endpaper, "John thomas this is book and if he loset and another fiend it let him be so kind as to Restoret back again") — George B. Storer (inscription on title verso, dated April 1908, "Bot. in Phila")

View 1 of Lot 42: Abel Morgan | Anti-Paedo-Rantism, 1747

abel morgan | anti-paedo-rantism, 1747

Benjamin Franklin Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth. Philadelphia: [by Franklin and Hall], in the year, M.DCC.XLIX (1749) 8vo (194 x 115 mm). Woodcut vignette to title-page; some foxing, browning, and offsetting, dampstaining to final few leaves, repair to upper corner of D3. Full antique brown calf. Covers decoratively paneled and ruled in blind and gilt. Housed in custom slipcase and folding chemise. First edition of the work that led to the establishment of the University of Pennsylvania. "It has long been regretted as a Misfortune to the Youth of this Province, that we have no ACADEMY, in which they might receive the Accomplishments of a regular Education" (Advertisement to the Reader). By 1740, Franklin was satisfied with his life in Pennsylvania; however, he regretted that no provision was made “for a compleat Education of Youth.” In 1743, he drafted a proposal for establishing an academy, and discussed his plan with the Rev. Richard Peters, whom he believed would be an appropriate leader for such an institution. Peters declined, and Franklin temporarily abandoned his plans. In 1749, Franklin revived his scheme, and gave notice of his project by reprinting Pliny’s letter on education in The Pennsylvania Gazette (24 August 1749). After raising the necessary capital, a board of twenty-four trustees was organized, and in November of 1749 Franklin was elected President of the new Academy. In 1753 it was incorporated, and in 1754 it was authorized to grant degrees. William Smith, author of the work which led to the establishment of King's College in New York, came to Philadelphia to join the new institution and, when it later became the University of Pennsylvania, became its first Provost. Rare—our records locate only two other copies at auction in the last century. REFERENCES Miller 470; ESTC W6822; Evans 6321; Hildeburn 1129 PROVENANCE Jo. Parker (signature on title-page)

View 1 of Lot 50: Benjamin Franklin | The work that led to the establishment of the University of Pennsylvania

benjamin franklin | the work that led to the establishment of the university of pennsylvania

[New Jersey — Proprietors of the Eastern-Division]

[New Jersey — Proprietors of the Eastern-Division] A Bill in the Chancery of New-Jersey at the Suit of John Earl of Stair, and others, Proprietors of the Eastern-Division of New-Jersey; against Benjamin Bond, and some other Persons of Elizabeth-Town, distinguished by name of the Clinker Lot Right Men. With Three large Maps, done from Copper-Plates. To which is added; the Publications of the Council of Proprietors of East New-Jersey, and Mr. Nevill's Speeches to the General Assembly, concerning the Riots committed in New-Jersey, and the Pretences of the Rioters, and their Seducers. These Papers will give a better Light into the History and Constitution of New-Jersey, than any thing hitherto published, the mMatters whereof have been chiefly Collected from Records. New York: Published by Subscription: Printed by James Parker, in New-York, 1747; and a few copies are to be sold by him, and Benjamin Franklin, in Philadelphia Folio (349 x 216 mm). Text in two columns, three folded engraved maps with contemporary outline color, engraved and printed by James Turner in Boston after Lewis Evans of Philadelphia, the third map on two sheets joined; Moderately spotted and toned throughout, a darker stain affecting leaves U2–3, a small area of offsetting in the lower margin of leaf 2C2, the maps with a few very short tears at edges and some inky marginal fingerprint marks (apparently originating in James Turner's printshop), Map No. II with a tiny paper repair at bottom edge, trimmed along the platemark at right edge without touching the printing, Map No. III with small chips, splits, and tears, but professionally restored and laid-down on Japanese tissue. Contemporary marbled boards backed with modern calf; boards quite worn, hinges reinforced. Half blue morocco folding-case. First edition. The Bill in the Chancery of New-Jersey, printed by James Parker and published in partnership with Benjamin Franklin, deals with a lengthy legal dispute between the colony's proprietors and the Elizabethtown Associates over land titles and taxation. The controversy eventually led to a major local uprising, now sometimes seen as a regional precursor to the American Revolution. The problems that this bill sought to resolve began in 1664, when Charles II granted his brother James, the Duke of York, New Jersey as a reward for having overthrown the Dutch in New York. Soon after, his colonial governor, Colonel Richard Nicholls, allowed a group of English settlers to buy a tract of land just to the West of Staten Island from the Lenni Lenape people. Their deed was confirmed by Nicholls in June of 1664. The tract was then surveyed, a town laid out, and Elizabethtown was established. Meanwhile, back in England, James gave his colony to Lord John Berkeley and Sir George Carteret. When their governor arrived, he demanded that the Elizabethtown settlers pay quitrents on the lands they had settled. The Elizabethtown Associates, as they came to be known, citing the lack of a provision for quitrents on their deed, refused to pay. "Thus began one of the most famous controversies in the early history of New Jersey. Over the years the numbers of disputants increased dramatically as more individuals began to own shares and fractions of shares of the proprietorship of New Jersey" (Felcone). The Associates continued to survey and sell their lands, while the proprietors repeatedly tried legal and civil suits against them. Over time, the dispute stretched into the third and fourth generations of Elizabethtown residents. The newer Associates, known as the Clinker Lot Right Men, even established a legal fund to help defend their titles. James Alexander, a surveyor and prominent attorney in New York and New Jersey, stepped in on behalf of the Proprietors to try and settle the dispute. In 1741, he suggested that the suit be settled in Chancery by English Bill, where one decree could settle all the individual suits simultaneously. Alexander prepared his bill (pp. 3–81), a legal argument "of great subtlety and complexity," and submitted it in April 1745 (Streeter). He then shifted his focus to having it printed and distributed. Lewis Evans, an associate of Franklin agreed to draw the maps, while James Turner, a Boston silversmith, would engrave and print them. The text sheets would be printed by Parker in New York. However, securing the funding took time. By April 1746, with a war of words ongoing in the New York press and the Clinker Lot Right Men riots at their peak (appendix, pp. 1–11), a second and third Bill were drafted to calm the situation (appendix, pp. 13–24, and pp. 25–39). The dispute between the Elizabethtown Associates and the proprietors would never, in fact, be fully resolved—it was still ongoing when the Revolutionary War broke outm making the claims of the proprietors moot. The three engraved maps are among the earliest American maps of the region. Per the imprint, the price of a bound copy with colored maps was 3 Pounds. According to Felcone, "it would appear that about 60 sets of the maps were 'colored.'" As such, this is a rare survival in the deluxe format of an important colonial text. The maps are: "Map I" shows the middle British colonies along the coastline from Boston Harbor to Cape Hatteras, the cartouche provides a key to place-names in English and Dutch, and a coloring guide. "Map II" is of New Jersey, centered on Essex County and Elizabethtown, also showing all of New York City, with "Part of Pensylvania" and "Part of New York" at the corners. "Map III" shows the disputed area in great detail, with a grid and individual properties marked and titled. The area is bordered with the Raritan River on the south, Hackinsack Bay and the shores of Staten Island to the east, the Cushetunk Hills at the west, and the North Mountains to the north. REFERENCES Miller 426; ESTC W2730; Evans 6021–6024; Felcone 197; Streeter sale II:918 PROVENANCE Bennington Gill (signature on title, dated 1855) — Fred Gerken (purchased from Roger A. Lyon, twentieth-century pencil inscription on front pastedown)

View 1 of Lot 41: New Jersey | A Bill in the Chancery of New-Jersey, with three of the earliest American maps of the region

new jersey | a bill in the chancery of new-jersey, with three of the earliest american maps of the region

(Benjamin Franklin) A Narrative of the Late Massacres, in Lancaster County, of a Number of Indians, Friends of this Province, by Persons Unknown. With some Observations on the Same. [Philadelphia:] Printed [by B. Franklin and D. Hall], in the year M,DCC,LXIV (1764) Demy 8vo (198 x 120 mm). Some very light browning to gathering B, scattered spotting. Nineteenth-century tree calf by M. Wood, covers with gilt frame of French fillet and dentelle-roll, spine gilt in six compartments with labels in second and third, marbled endpapers, gilt edges, a number of blank leaves bound at end; front joint worn, other extremities rubbed. First edition. “This account of the murder of twenty harmless Indians—7 men, 5 women, 8 children—at Conestogoe by the ‘Paxton Boys’ was written by Benjamin Franklin in an effort to persuade many Pennsylvanians terrified by marauding bands of hostile Indians and in part sympathetic with what the Paxton Boys had done to see the action for the lawless, unChristian massacre it was” (Miller). The terror on the western frontier of Pennsylvania was precipitated by Pontiac’s War, a three-year conflict begun in 1763 when a wide confederation of Indian peoples who had lived under French rule refused to accept the sovereignty of the British in what had been the Great Lakes region of New France after the French and Indian War. Warriors from more than a dozen tribes (including Ottawas, Ojibwes, Miamis, Weas, Kickapoos, Lenape, Shawnees, and Wyandots) captured British forts in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio territories, as well as in Pennsylvania. The Paxton Boys were a vigilante group who believed that the Pennsylvania government was not doing enough to protect the frontier. In December 1763, fueled by rumors of a raiding party seen at Conestoga Town, the mob vented their rage in a massacre of Susquehannock and Moravian Lenape people living peacefully near the Pennsylvania frontier settlers. Franklin’s anonymous text justifies Thomas Field’s later assessment that the Narrative of the Late Massacre “is another story of the method in which the cowards of the frontiers revenged upon innocent and helpless old men, and young children, the outrages of Indian warriors whom they dared not meet” (p. 288). Franklin introduces the victims by name, describing them as “the Remains of a Tribe of the Six Nations, settled at Conestogoe, and thence called Conestogoe Indians. … [T]here they have lived many Years in Friendship with their White Neighbours, who loved them for their peaceable inoffensive Behaviour.” The Paxton Boys, by contrast, are termed “barbarous Men who committed the atrocious Fact, in Defiance of Government, of all Laws human and divine, and to the eternal Disgrace of their Country and Colour.” Leonard Labaree describes the Narrative as “a stirring evocation of humanitarian sentiments and impulses and of the principles of morality and justice. Seldom in his life did Franklin, the rationalist, appeal so little to the reader’s head and so strongly and so warmly to his heart” (Papers 11:42–69). But, in fact, some of Franklin’s most convincing arguments are logical and not emotional: “There are some (I am ashamed to hear it) who would extenuate the enormous Wickedness of these Actions, by saying, ‘The Inhabitants of the Frontiers are exasperated with the Murder of their Relations, by the Enemy Indians, in the present War.’ It is possible; but though this might justify their going out into the Woods, to seek for those Enemies, and avenge upon them those Murders; it can never justify their turning in to the Heart of the Country, to murder their Friends. “If an Indian injures me, does it follow that I may revenge that Injury on all Indians? It is well known that Indians are of different Tribes, Nations and Languages, as well as the White People. In Europe, if the French, who are White-People, should injure the Dutch, are they to revenge it on the English, because they too are White People? The only Crime of these poor Wretches seems to have been, that they had a reddish brown Skin, and black Hair; and some People of that Sort, it seems, had murdered some of our Relations. If it be right to kill Men for such a Reason, then, should any Man, with a freckled Face and red Hair, kill a Wife or Child of mine, it would be right for me to revenge it, by killing all the freckled red-haired Men, Women and Children, I could afterwards any where meet with” (pp. 12–13). Franklin himself seemed surprised by the influence of his pamphlet. On 11 February 1764 he wrote to Richard Jackson, member of Parliament and agent for Pennsylvania and Connecticut, “In my last I mention’d to you the Rioting on our Frontiers, in which 20 peaceable Indians were kill’d, who had long liv’d quietly among us. The Spirit of killing all Indians, Friends and Foes, spread amazingly thro’ the whole Country: The Action was almost universally approved of by the common People; and the Rioters thence receiv’d such Encouragement, that they projected coming down to this City, 1000 in Number, arm’d, to destroy 140 Moravian and Quaker Indians, under Protection of the Government. To check this Spirit, and strengthen the Hands of the Government by changing the Sentiments of the Populace, I wrote the enclos’d Pamphlet, which we had only time to circulate in this City and Neighbourhood, before we heard that the Insurgents were on their March from all Parts. It would perhaps be Vanity in me to imagine so slight a thing could have any extraordinary Effect. But however that may be, there was a sudden and very remarkable Change; and above 1000 of our Citizens took Arms to support the Government in the Protection of those poor Wretches. Near 500 of the Rioters had rendezvous’d at Germantown, and many more were expected; but the Fighting Face we put on made them more willing to hear Reason, and the Gentlemen sent out by the Governor and Council to discourse with them, found it no very difficult Matter to persuade them to disperse and go home quietly. They came from all Parts of our Frontier, and were armed with Rifle Guns and Tomhawks” (Papers 11:76–78). Although Evans, Hildeburn, and Paul Leicester Ford assign the printing of the Narrative to Anthony Armbruster, Miller does not hesitate to ascribe the pamphlet to the Franklin-Hall press: “Franklin would normally make use of his own printing house in publishing a pamphlet in Philadelphia, and would certainly turn to his partner David Hall for assistance in such an emergency as the publication of this piece presented. The type evidence in no way contradicts this attribution to the Franklin press, but does refute that made by Hildeburn to the press of Anthony Armbruster, who owned no Caslon fonts.” REFERENCES Miller 807; ESTC W17009; Evans 9667; Hildeburn 1992; Field 1116; Sabin 25557; Streeter sale 2:968; Vail 556 PROVENANCE P. Collinson (signature, now faded, at foot of title-page; probably Franklin’s friend and frequent correspondent Peter Collinson, an English merchant and naturalist) — Wilberforce Eames (signature on front binder’s blank, but not traced in the sale of his Americana Library, Anderson, 17 May 1905) — Herman Le Roy Edgar (armorial bookplate; Anderson, 22 November 1920, lot 224) — G. A. Baker & Company, 29 April 1941, lot 75 (undesignated consignor; with Streeter’s note on front free endpaper, “bought by L[athrop]. C. H[arper], for me at Baker sale, April 29 1941”) — Thomas W. Streeter (booklabel; Parke-Bernet, 20 April 1967, lot 968) — Laird U. Park Jr. (Sotheby’s New York, 29 November 2000, lot 121)

View 1 of Lot 92: (Benjamin Franklin) | The most important Paxton Boys pamphlet, with distinguished provenance

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