Morton A. Mort, from: Expressionist Woodcut Series, by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Roy+Lichtenstein&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Roy Lichtenstein</a>, 1980.<ul><li>Roy Lichtenstein (American, 1923-1997).</li><li>Woodcut in colors with embossing on Arches wove paper.</li><li>Hand signed, numbered and dated.</li><li>This work is presented unframed.</li></ul> This original woodcut in colors with embossing is hand signed in pencil "R. Lichtenstein" at the lower right margin. It is dated ‘80’ [1980] next to the signature. It is also numbered in pencil from the edition of 50, at the lower right margin. There were also 13 numbered artist’s proofs aside from the standard edition. The subject was printed by James Reid and Christine Fox at the studio of Gemini, G.E.L., Los Angeles, where it was also published. The paper bears the blindstamp of the publisher in the lower left margin and the inkstamp, verso. This work is often misidentified as a lone landscape within the portfolio of seven woodcuts, which are figurative in nature, however, Morton A. Mort is also a cleverly disguised portrait. Taking the form of a name, the title is a play on the Latin phrase ‘mort on amort’ meaning [death upon death], or ‘on the cusp of death’. With this in mind, the perceived alpine landscape transforms into the face of a reclining figure, with their mouth open ‘on the cusp of death’. This makes this composition special within the series as it truly embodies the German Expressionist interest in the human condition, the inevitability of death and the brevity of life. The Expressionists themselves were directly inspired by another longstanding artistic tradition ‘memento mori’ – used since Classical times as a reminder to enjoy life. Other impressions of this subject are held in the collections of LACMA, California (Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art), MoMA, New York (Museum of Modern Art, New York, The National Gallery of Art, Washington, The San Francisco Museum of Art, California and Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri. Please note: This item is excluded from complimentary shipping. Shipping quote will be calculated at time of purchase.

Morton A. Mort, from: Expressionist Woodcut Series

Inkspiration: Chinese Paintings Online

ink and colour on paper, hanging scroll signed, dated 1947, with 2 seals of the artist 77.8 x 35.3 cm 30⅝ x 13⅞ in. 袁松年　松陰樵話 設色紙本　立軸　一九四七年作 款識： 松陰樵話。丁亥冬日，袁松年作。 鈐印：「松年」、「來自田家」。 來源：一九六五年十二月得於新加坡 FROM A SOUTHEAST ASIAN PRIVATE COLLECTION (LOTS 584-599) | 南洋私人收藏（編號 584-599）

View 1 of Lot 589: 袁松年　松陰樵話 | Yuan Songnian, Woodcutters under Pine Trees

袁松年　松陰樵話 | yuan songnian, woodcutters under pine trees

The Jay T. Snider Collection of Benjamin Franklin

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

[John Armstrong] The Art of Preserving Health: A Poem. London, Printed: Philadelphia: Re-printed, and Sold by B. Franklin, M.DCC.XLV (1745) 4to (192 x 124 mm). Complete with all four section-titles, woodcut title-page ornament and tailpieces (Miller, appendix B, 19 and 21); dampstaining, early ownership marking on title page. Period-style full calf, blind-ruled, maroon morocco spine label. Dark blue slipcase, chemise. An exceedingly rare Franklin imprint: the first American edition of physician-poet John Armstrong's poem on health and well-being. John Armstrong (1709–1779), aScottish-born poet and physician, blended his two professions when he penned this long didactic poem in blank verse. It is divided into four books, each pertaining to a different pillar of good health: air, diet, exercise, and the passions. Despite having "a somewhat unpromising subject for poetic treatment [it] is gracefully and ingeniously handled" (John W. Cousin, A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature, London: J.M. Dent, 1910). The poem was very successful when first published in London by Andrew Millar in 1744, and it afforded its author a degree of contemporary fame. Armstrong published both prose and verse regularly after 1744, and was an active member in London's literary circles. He corresponded extensively with Tobias Smollett, James Thomson, John Wilkes, and others. He also practiced as a physician and published several medical works. It is a testament to The Art of Preserving Health's widespread success that Benjamin Franklin, across the Atlantic in Philadelphia, decided to reprint the poem so soon after it first appeared in London. Rare—ESTC lists only twelve copies in institutions; the last copy that sold at auction was in 1941 at Parke Bernet, and prior to that, copies appeared at Henkels in 1932, 1921, and 1917; Rosenbach offered a copy in 1917; the great Franklin collector Samuel Pennypacker never owned a copy. REFERENCES Miller 367; ESTC W872; Evans 5532; Hildeburn 913; Sabin 2023; R. B. Austin, Early American Medical Imprints 78;Lewis M. Knapp, "Dr. John Armstrong, Littérateur, and Associate of Smollett, Thomson, Wilkes, and Other Celebrities," in PMLA, Vol. 59, No. 4 (Dec., 1944), pp. 1019–1058 PROVENANCE Largely illegible early ownership signature on the title-page, possibly beginning with "A" and "G"

View 1 of Lot 35: (John Armstrong) | An exceedingly rare Franklin imprint

(john armstrong) | an exceedingly rare franklin imprint

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 — David Hall) The Pennsylvania Gazette. Containing the Freshest Advices, Foreign and Domestick. Philadelphia: Printed by B. Franklin, Post-Master, and D. Hall, 6 January 1757–1 December, 1757 46 weekly issues, numbers 1463–1510, without numbers 1488 and 1489, folio (381 x 248 mm). Each issue a bifolium of 4 pages, printed in three columns, with a woodcut armorial at the head of the first page, and occasional small woodcut illustrations in the text, number 1492 with an early ownership signature; Light toning, a few spots, generally quite minor excepting number 1497, some chipping and wear to corners and edges, trimmed close at the top edge, occasionally shaving a letter or a headline, infrequent tears and one loss at a corner, two holes near the gutter from a previous binding throughout, issue number 1510, the last in the series, with chipping and tears along edges, with losses to the printing on the second leaf at the lower corner and the top edge, and with a paper repair along the fold. Disbound; with remnants of a previous binding at spine, and much of the sewing intact. Half red morocco slipcase, chemise. A rare and extensive run of 46 weekly issues of Benjamin Franklin's newspaper, The Pennsylvania Gazette, covering nearly all of 1757 and encapsulating a year's worth of vital news for North America and especially Philadelphia. These newspapers are also an important source for information on The French and Indian War, which raged across North America from 1755 to 1763. In October 1729, Benjamin Franklin, already established as both printer and journalist, assumed control of an existing paper and shortened its name to The Pennsylvania Gazette. Franklin then changed both the paper's design and its content, and under his direction the Gazette became arguably the finest newspaper in the colonies, with the largest circulation, the most pages, the highest advertising revenue, and the liveliest editorial columns. Walter Isaacson, in his popular biography, characterizes Franklin the newspaper editor and journalist as one who was "charmed and amused by the world and delight[ed] in charming and amusing others... skeptical of both orthodoxies and heresies... earnest in [his] desire to seek truth and promote public betterment." As such, "Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette was filled not only with short news items and reports on public events, but also with amusing essays and letters from readers. What made his paper a delight was its wealth of this type of correspondence, much of it written under pseudonyms by Franklin himself" (Isaacson, p. 65). In 1748, Franklin took on David Hall as partner and stepped away from active printing. By 1757, the period covered in the present run, Franklin would not have been involved in the daily activities of the paper — he was engaged as Pennsylvania's Colonial Agent that year, and departed for England on 20 June. That said, Franklin continued to publish and occasionally write for the paper until 1765, when he sold his share of the printing business to Hall, a deal that was finalized on 1 February 1766. The Gazette itself continued to be published until 1815. These 1757 issues of The Pennsylvania Gazette are an especially important record for the French and Indian War, providing, for example, accounts of the French defeat of General Braddock in western Pennsylvania in July 1755, and the English rout of the French at Lake George later that September. There is also information about a variety of world events, including the concurrent Seven Years' War in Europe, and various proclamations and acts from King George and the English Parliament. The Gazette includes a variety of news from various colonial centers, including New York, Boston, Kingston, and Williamsburg. There is also information about colonists' interactions with Native Americans, including accounts of whites taken into captivity, and the texts of agreements between Pennsylvania and the Six Nations. The newspaper is also filled with information on Philadelphia, giving accounts of the votes and proceedings of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and serving as a veritable "who's who" for the city. Additionally, the advertising matter in the Gazette offers a fascinating record of colonial life in the city of Philadelphia, reporting on escaped enslaved persons and runaway servants, ship embarkations and arrivals, auctions, lottery schemes, real estate sales, legal notices, new publications by booksellers, and scores of artisans and professionals offering their services, including cabinet makers, silversmiths, grocers, textile merchants, and more. Some other notable inclusions in the advertisements are Lewis Evans's death and the auction of his maps, Franklin's selling of his own "Very Good Lampblack" at his printing office, information on Franklin's fire insurance company The Philadelphia Contributionship, and notices for books printed on Franklin's own press, such as The Trial of the late Admiral Byng. This run of 46 issues is among the three largest groups of Franklin imprint Pennsylvania Gazettes to have appeared at auction in the last century, per RareBookHub. REFERENCES Miller 662; Walter Isaacson, Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, New York: Simon and Schuster, 2003

View 1 of Lot 74: Benjamin Franklin — David Hall | A nearly complete 1757 run of "The Pennsylvania Gazette," Franklin and Hall's Philadelphia newspaper 

benjamin franklin — david hall | a nearly complete 1757 run of "the pennsylvania gazette," franklin and hall's philadelphia newspaper

Benjamin Franklin Experiments and Observations on Electricity, made at Philadelphia in America, … and Commuinicated in several Letters to Mr. P. Collinson, of London, F.R.S. London: Printed and sold by E. Cave, at St. John’s Gate, 1751 [bound with:] Supplemental Experiments and Observations on Electricity, made at Philadelphia in America, Part II. London: Printed and sold by E. Cave, at St. John’s Gate, 1753 [and with:] New Experiments and Observations on Electricity. Made at Philadelphia in America. … To which are added A Paper on the same Subject by J. Canton … and another in defence of Mr. Franklin against the Abbe Nollet, by Mr. D. Colden, of New York. Part III. London: Printed and sold by D. Henry, and R. Cave, at St. John’s-Gate, 1754 3 parts in one volume, 4to (228 x 170 mm). First work with folding engraved plate by T. Jefferys and final leaf of advertisements for Cave’s publications, part II with errata to first part on P4v, part III with woodcut text illustration; some scattered minor foxing and soiling, P4 with repaired tear at lower margin, part III evidently added to the first two parts at a somewhat later date and its final page quite soiled. Handsome retrospective calf-backed marbled boards using period materials, red edges to first two parts; rebacked. Half brown morocco folding-case gilt. First editions. “The most important scientific book of eighteenth-century America” (Printing and the Mind of Man). Franklin's published reports of his experiments in electricity, written as a series of letters addressed to Peter Collinson, made him the first American scientist to secure an international reputation and led to his election as the first colonial American member of the Royal Society. In addition to the famous kite and key experiment, Franklin's work with Leyden jars, lightning rods, and charged clouds is summarized. The three publications of Experiments and Observations were issued with continuous pagination and signatures despite their irregular publication. “The letters that Franklin had been sending to Collinson in London contained such novel and provocative experimental results and such a clear explanation of complex electrical phenomena, especially in using the recently discovered Leyden jar, that his letters were read at meetings of the Royal Society, and correspondence flourished with European savants engaged in electrical experimenting. Edward Cave, London publisher, perceived in Franklin's letters readership potential. With the sponsorship of Collinson, and Dr. John Fothergill as editor and writer of the unsigned preface, Franklin's Experiments and Observations on Electricity Made at Philadelphia, was published in London in 1751. The contents span a period reaching from a letter from Franklin to Collinson dated 28 July 1747; they discuss the properties of the Leyden jar and suggest eleven experiments in support of his conclusions. The book ends with ‘Opinions and Conjectures Concerning the Properties and Effects of the electrical Matter made in Philadelphia, 1749.’ In the 37 paragraphs of this lengthy letter Franklin emphasized the ‘operation of points’ in drawing off the electrical fire. He conjectured, ‘Now if the fire of electricity and that of lightning be the same, as I have endeavour'd to show at large in a former paper …’” (Dibner, 1976, pp. 13–14). Franklin’s experimental proof of his theory “that the Electrical Fire was not created by Friction, but collected, being an Element diffused among, and attracted by other Matter, particularly by Water and Metals,” was termed by Robert Andrews Millikan, the 1923 Nobel Prize winner in physics, “probably the most fundamental thing ever done in the field of electricity” (quoted in Lemay, Life 3:69). REFERENCES Dibner 57; Grolier/American 10; Grolier/Horblit 31a; Norman 830; Printing and the Mind of Man 199; Sabin 25505; Streeter sale 7:4151; cf. Dibner, Benjamin Franklin Electrician (1976) PROVENANCE Wakefield Mechanics Institute (ink stamp to title-page of Part III)

View 1 of Lot 59: Benjamin Franklin | “probably the most fundamental thing ever done in the field of electricity”

benjamin franklin | “probably the most fundamental thing ever done in the field of electricity”

Johann Arndt Des hocherleuchteten Theologi, Herrn Johann Arndts, Weiland General-Superintendenten des Fürstenthums Lüneburg, &c. sämtliche sechs geistreiche Bücher vom wahren Christenthum, das ist: von heilsamer Busse, hertzlicher Reue und Leid über die Sünde, wahrem Glauben, auch heiligem Leben und Wandel der rechten wahren Christen. Philadelphia: Gedruckt und verlegt bey Benjamin Fräncklin und Johann Böhm, 1751 Thick 8vo (182 x 118 mm). Six parts bound as one, printed in Fraktur types, with woodcut and typographic ornaments in the text, and with 64 engraved plates, including two frontispieces, the portrait of Arndt and David and Goliath, the plates at the beginning of each of the six parts, and the 56 emblems; toning, dampstaining, and occasional spotting, textblock trimmed close, touching a scant few headlines and one platemark, tiny losses and wear at the edges and short tears at the head of the frontispieces, tear to leaf 2P2 affecting the printed marginalia, leaves 3X3-6 sprung at the top of the gutter but holding, a tiny tear at the edge of leaf 4U2. Contemporary mottled sheep, blind-ruled, spine with raised bands in six compartments; light rubbing and a few small spots of wear mostly to extremities, superficial craquelure in the spine, joints expertly restored, hinges cracked but the sewing is sound. Half red morocco slipcase, chemise. "One of the great publishing feats of the colonial American German press, and a monument to the short-lived partnership of Franklin and Johann Böhm" (Miller). "The largest book printed in Philadelphia up to this time, and one of the rarest of Franklin Imprints" (Evans). This emblematic devotional text by Johann Arndt was first printed in Frankfurt between 1605 and 1609, and became very popular among German separatist Pietists. The engraved emblems were added by the end of the seventeenth century. Franklin and Böhm's edition is based on the text of the 1727 reprint of the 1696 Leipzig edition, which included additional emblems and explanatory text. Franklin would occasionally employ or partner with German-speaking printers. "Johann Böhm (d. July 1751) printed at least eight pieces with Franklin's German types from 1749 to 1751, using Franklin's name as co-printer" (Lemay, Life II, p. 398). They decided to publish this edition by subscription, priced at 12 shillings, in an edition of 500 copies bound in sheep, as stated in an advertisement that appeared in Saur's German-language newspaper, Pensylvanische Berichte, on 16 May 1749. In the end, they sold 511 subscriptions, mostly to German Reformed and Lutheran congregations throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. The engraved plates following the frontispieces were likely imported from Germany. "Edge marks suggest that the emblems were arranged in blocks of fours on the copper plates; they and the accompanying letterpress were separately machined and carry their own set of signatures: A-G⁸, a practice common in the German printing of large illustrated books, but rare in English colonial publishing" (Miller). Though a few copies of this work have appeared at auction in the past 25 years, this is an exceptional example — it is complete with all the called-for engravings, and is in a contemporary sheep binding, as Franklin and Böhm intended. REFERENCES Miller 520; ESTC W18571; Evans 6630; Hildeburn 1204 PROVENANCE Burton William Pearl (bookplate)

View 1 of Lot 57: Johann Arndt | The largest book printed on Franklin's press, a German-language devotional with engraved emblems

johann arndt | the largest book printed on franklin's press, a german-language devotional with engraved emblems

Thomas Cadwalader An Essay on the West-India Dry Gripes; with the Method of Preventing and Curing that Cruel Distemper. To which is added An Extraordinary Case in Physick. Philadelphia: Printed and sold by B. Franklin, M.DCC.XLV (1745) Small 4to (190 x 145 mm). Woodcut tailpiece ornament (Miller, appendix B, no. 19); head of the title-page trimmed with loss to the tops of letters "AN," light foxing and spotting, some dampstaining, tiny chips at fore-edge of leaves A1 and A2, a marginal tear in leaf F1 not touching the text, a témoin at upper corner of F3, and a small chip at the upper corner of F4. Early nineteenth-century quarter calf over speckled paper boards, red morocco spine label, with original rear wrapper bound in; rebacked, wear to extremities, a few small losses to the speckled paper along the board edges. Half morocco slipcase, chemise. "One of the earliest significant contributions to clinical medicine made by an American physician" (Norman). Thomas Cadwalader (1708-1779), an eminent Philadelphia physician, was among the founders of the Pennsylvania Hospital and an inaugural trustee of the University of Pennsylvania medical school. He was also a founder and director of the Library Company, and a member of the American Philosophical Society and the Society for Promoting Useful Knowledge. Later in life, when the Revolution broke out, he emerged as a strong supporter of the Continental Army and formed a committee to examine candidates for positions as surgeons in the Navy. This treatise, the only work Cadwalader published, deals with lead colic and lead palsy, two forms of lead poisoning that were increasingly common in colonial America. The doctor argues that the source of these ailments was Jamaican Rum, often distilled through lead pipes and served in punch. He recommends mild cathartics and opium as remedies for "dry-gripes." The second part of the treatise, "An Extraordinary Case in Physick," deals with an autopsy that Cadwalader undertook on a woman who had suffered from a severe case of osteomalacia (softening of the bones), one of the first such cases recorded in the United States. A landmark work in American medicine — the earliest text by an American physician based on original research that deals with the pathology of a specific illness and its treatment, and the earliest published description of an autopsy in America. Exceedingly rare, with only a handful of copies in institutions and, according to RareBookHub, one of only two copies (this one and the Norman—Snider copy, last auctioned at the Bloomsbury Snider sale in 2008) to have appeared at auction since 1998. REFERENCES Miller 369; ESTC W20303; Evans 5553; Hildeburn Norman, 385 PROVENANCE Freeman's, 19 September 19 2002, Lot 869 (undesignated consignor)

View 1 of Lot 33: Thomas Cadwalader | An important, early American medical work on lead poisoning, printed by Franklin

thomas cadwalader | an important, early american medical work on lead poisoning, printed 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

Modern & Contemporary Discoveries

Harland Miller b. 1964 Ace signed (at the bottom); numbered AP (on the reverse) woodcut printed in colours, on wove paper 168.5 by 119.5 cm. 66⅜ by 47 in. Executed in 2019, this work is an artist's proof aside from an edition of 50, published by The Paragon Press, London. ---------------------------------------------- 哈蘭德 · 米勒 1964年生 王牌 款識 藝術家簽名（底部），AP（作品背面） 彩色木刻版畫織紋紙 168.5 x 119.5 公分 66⅜ x 47 英寸 2019年作 版數 AP（藝術家自留版） 此作品共50版，此為藝術家自留版，由倫敦Paragon Press出版

View 1 of Lot 5888: Harland Miller 哈蘭德 · 米勒 | Ace 王牌

harland miller 哈蘭德 · 米勒 | ace 王牌

Shelf Life: Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper from the Library of Stanley J. Seeger and Christopher Cone

Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol. London: Chapman & Hall, 1843 FIRST EDITION, ECKEL'S FIRST ISSUE (red and blue title-page dated 1843, green endpapers, "Stave I", uncorrected text, blue half-title), 12mo (163 x 102 mm), hand-coloured engraved frontispiece, 3 hand-coloured engraved plates and 4 woodcuts in the text by John Leech, 2pp. advertisements at end, original cinnamon vertically-ribbed cloth stamped in blind and gilt, gilt edges, green endpapers, housed in a modern red quarter-calf box, front free endpaper with neatly repaired large tear, joints very slightly splitting at head of spine AN ATTRACTIVE FIRST EDITION OF DICKENS'S FIRST CHRISTMAS BOOK, THE NOVEL THAT ALMOST SINGLE-HANDEDLY INVENTED THE IDEA OF A JOYOUS CHRISTMAS. Dickens first had the idea in October 1843 and by the following month John Leech, introduced to him by George Cruikshank, was working on the illustrations. Dickens composed the story in his head while walking the streets of London at night. It was issued ten days before Christmas and 6,000 copies were sold on the first day. Dickens paid for the production on the understanding he took all the profit. It was, however, an excessively lavish and expensive production, so his profit was low even though sales were high. According to Eckel, first and second issues of the first edition have the same issue points except for the endpapers, which were originally green for the first issue, but were changed to yellow for the second issue. LITERATURE: Smith II: 4; Eckel pp. 110-115

View 1 of Lot 49: Charles Dickens | A Christmas Carol, 1843, first edition, original cloth

charles dickens | a christmas carol, 1843, first edition, original cloth

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

[Benjamin Franklin] Cool Thoughts on the Present Situation of our Public Affairs. In a Letter to a Friend in the Country. Philadelphia: Printed by W. Dunlap, M,DCC,LXIV (1764) 8vo (194 x 118 mm). Woodcut device to title, ornamental head- and tail-pieces; lacking half-title, scattered foxing and instances of finger-soiling throughout, final gathering dampstained at top edge, final blank lacking. Modern full red morocco, spine gilt-lettered. First edition of Franklin's pamphlet advocating against the Proprietary Government of Pennsylvania. Franklin, after criticizing what he saw as interference in the Assembly by Governor William Penn, here argues in favor of sending a petition to England requesting that Pennsylvania's proprietary government be removed and colonial governance be assumed by the British Crown. The work was first published as a supplement to William Bradford's Pennsylvania Journal, no. 1116, 25 April 1764. REFERENCES Evans 9663; Ford 270; Howes F-318; Sabin 25496

View 1 of Lot 95: [Benjamin Franklin] | Cool Thoughts on the Present Situation of Public Affairs

[benjamin franklin] | cool thoughts on the present situation of public affairs

New Jersey [New Jersey Session Laws] Anno Regni Georgii II. … At a General Assembly of the Colony of New-Jersey, continued by the Adjournments to the 17th Day of November, Anno Domini 1747, and then begun and holden at Burlington, being the fifth sitting of the second Session of this present Assembly. Philadelphia: Printed by B. Franklin, Printer to the King's Most Excellent Majesty for the province of New-Jersey, M,DCC,XLVIII (1748) Folio (310 x 185). Woodcut arms of George II on title-page; disbound, light spotting, a few minor creases, small chips, splits at the ends of the folds, and short edge-tears, the title, the upper corner of p. 3, and the last page lightly dust-soiled, paper repairs to the upper corners of the title, the top edge of the final leaf, and the lower corners of the final three leaves, with no losses to printing. Black cloth slipcase, chemise. A collection of 16 laws passed by the General Assembly of New Jersey in 1747–1748, the year Jonathan Belcher was appointed governor of the colony. The acts deal with a variety of topics, including livestock, infrastructure, slander, the punishment of counterfeiters, the importation of rum, and more. Two of the acts deal directly with the 1746 Land Riots, one being a pardon for the insurrectionists, known as the "Clinker Lot Right Men," and the other aimed at suppressing further unrest. Robert Morris was Chief Justice of the Colony of New Jersey when these laws were printed. Later on, as the deputy Governor of Pennsylvania, acting on behalf of the Penn family, he repeatedly clashed with Franklin and the Pennsylvania Assembly over the taxation of Penn family lands. His father, Lewis Morris, had been the colonial Governor of New Jersey until his death in 1746. This is the final piece of official printing that Franklin executed for the Province of New Jersey before Bradford took over. Franklin is mentioned on page 35, in a section detailing payments to the colony's official printers. For more on the Clinker Lot Right Men, see lot 41. Rare — only one copy of these laws has been sold at auction, the Ogden Goelet sale at Anderson Galleries in 1935, per RareBookHub. This copy includes an accompanying letter, evidently from a New York Bar Association librarian and laid into the clamshell case, referencing the Goelet sale and the fact that this copy was purchased from Newark Galleries. ESTC locates just four examples in institutional collections. REFERENCES Miller 449; ESTC W6242; Evans 6200; Hildeburn PROVENANCE Robert Hunter Morris (signature on title-page) — New York City Bar Association (purchased from Newark Galleries, 1935; Doyle Auctions, November 24 2014, lot 43)

View 1 of Lot 44: New Jersey Session Laws | Acts passed by the General Assembly of New Jersey in 1747-48, printed by Franklin

new jersey session laws | acts passed by the general assembly of new jersey in 1747-48, printed by 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

John Dickinson Lettres d'un fermier de Pensylvanie, aux habitans de l'Amérique Septentrionale. Traduites de 'l Anglois [by Jacques Barbeu-Dubourg]. Amsterdam [but Paris], Aux Dépens de la Compagnie, 1769 8vo (166 x 103 mm). Woodcut headpiece, numerous woodcut tailpieces, with terminal blank R2; occasional very light browning. Contemporary French mottled calf, smooth spine gilt in compartments with green morocco title label, endpapers and edges marbled en suite; extremities a bit worn. Half red morocco slipcase, chemise. First edition in French of John Dickinson’s seminal work, with distinguished provenance. Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania to the Inhabitants of the British Colonies was the first serious study of the legal rights of the British colonists in America. Dickinson’s letters first appeared in twelve successive issues of William Goddard’s Pennsylvania Chronicle, and Universal Advertiser, Nos. 46–57, 2 December 1767–15 February 1768. Goddard evidently recognized the immediate significance of Dickinson's letter-essays: eight of the dozen letters are printed on front pages. Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania were collected and reprinted as a pamphlet by Hall and Sellers in Philadelphia in 1768, and by the next year, at least eight editions—including the present—had been issued in the colonies and abroad. Dickinson was one of the leading colonial statesmen to advocate a peaceful reconciliation with—or separation from—Great Britain, but in this series of essays he first admitted that force of arms in the quest for liberty might be both necessary and justified. His evolving position on the relationship between the mother country and her North American colonies closely paralleled Benjamin Franklin’s own considerations on the matter, although Franklin became a much more radical voice. Benjamin Franklin was instrumental in having Dickinson’s work published in London and, in French translation, in Paris. He wrote the preface to Almon’s London edition, which is translated in the present: “When I consider our Fellow Subjects in America as rational Creatures, I cannot but wonder that during the present wide Difference of Sentiments in the two Countries concerning the Power of Parliament in laying Taxes and Duties on America, no Application has been made to their Understandings, no able learned Pen among us has been employed in convincing them that they are in the wrong, proving clearly that by the establish’d Law of Nations, or by the Terms of their original Constitution, they are taxable by our Parliament tho’ they have no Representative in it. … It is to that End I have handed the following Letters (lately published in America) to the Press here. They were occasioned by the act made (since the repeal of the Stamp-act) for raising a revenue in America by duties on glass, paper, &c. The Author is a Gentleman of Repute in that Country for his Knowledge of its Affairs, and it is said speaks the general Sentiments of the Inhabitants. How far these Sentiments are right or wrong I do not pretend at present to judge. I wish to see first what can be said on the other Side of this Question. I hope this Publication will produce a full Answer if we can make one. If it does, this Publication will have had its Use. No Offence to Government is intended by it, and it is hoped none will be taken” (Papers, ed. Willcox, 15: 110–112). Franklin had a copy of the English edition sent to his friend Jacques Barbeu-Dubourg, who had often translated Franklin’s own writings into French. Barbeu-Dubourg made the present translation and had it printed with a false Amsterdam imprint. The Snider copy belonged to Franklin—almost certainly the gift of the translator and perhaps specially bound by him—and his shelfmark (C69 N23) appears on the front free endpaper, probably added by his grandson Benjamin Franklin Bache. Edwin Wolf 2d and Kevin J. Hayes include Lettres d'un fermier de Pensylvanie in their catalogue, The Library of Benjamin Franklin (no. 860), noting that this copy was “acquired by William Reese for his private collection, 2001.” After Franklin’s death in 1790, most of his books were sold to Nicholas Dufief, a Philadelphia bookseller. In about 1802, Dufief, perhaps unable to sell a French-language work in Philadelphia, gave the book to John Dickinson, acknowledging his authorship in an inscription on a front blank leaf: “This French translation of an original work of General Dickinson is respectfully presented to him by his most abdt. sevt. N. G. Dufief.” This volume links two of the most crucial Founders and demonstrates their mutual respect despite frequent disagreements on the best methods of reconciling the colonist’s grievances with Great Britain. Indeed, Frankin arranged for Dickinson’s Letters to be reprinted even though he did not fully agree with their position. At the time, as noted by William Willcox in the Papers of Benjamin Franklin, “Dickinson accepted Parliament’s power to regulate commerce by duties; he distinguished it from the power to raise imperial revenue, which he denied that Parliament had. [Franklin] was moving hesitantly toward a realization that these two aspects of power were inseparable, and hence toward a denial of parliamentary jurisdiction in toto.” PROVENANCE Benjamin Franklin (shelfmark C69 N23 on front free endpaper; likely the gift of the translator); sold by his estate to — Nicholas G. Dufief, Philadelphia bookseller, who gave the volume to — John Dickinson (shelfmark J Q A L on front free endpaper) — William S. Reese (booklabel; Christie’s New York, 25 May 2022, lot 42)

View 1 of Lot 104: John Dickinson | Benjamin Franklin's copy 

john dickinson | benjamin franklin's copy

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

Abel Morgan Anti-Paedo-Rantism Defended: A Reply to Mr. Samuel Finley's Vindication of the Charitable Plea for the Speechless. Wherein His Repeated Objections against the Baptism of Believers Only, and the Mode of it by Immersion, are again Examined and Refuted. Philadelphia: Printed by B. Franklin, and D. Hall, in Market-Street, MDCCL (1750) 8vo (164 x 102 mm). Woodcut initials, head- and tailpieces; small hole to gutter of first two leaves, toned, foxed, and dampstained throughout, a few margins chipped. Contemporary calf ruled in blind, spine with raised bands in five compartments; overall rubbed, corners bumped. Franklin's printing of the final installment in the Morgan-Finley dispute over baptism. In the four years after Finley's first pamphlet on the subject in 1746, a total of four pamphlets were published, with the present work concluding the discourse. Franklin printed 500 copies of the present work for the Baptist Society in exchange for £53.13 (Miller). REFERENCES Miller 508; ESTC W11648; Evans 6555; Hildeburn 1186 PROVENANCE Thomas Lownds (stamp to front free endpaper and leaf A5v; signature dated 1783 to title) — presented to Mary Whiston, 28 June 1791 (inscription to front free endpaper)

View 1 of Lot 54: Abel Morgan | Anti-Paedo-Rantism Defended, 1750

abel morgan | anti-paedo-rantism defended, 1750

John Woolman Considerations on Keeping Negroes; Recommended to the Professors of Christianity, of Every Denomination. Part Second. Philadelphia: Printed by B. Franklin & D. Hall, 1762 8vo (185 x 158 mm). Woodcut titl-epage ornament (Miller, Appendix B, 29); evenly toned, dampstaining, very short tear to leaf C7, marginal wormhole affecting leaves D1–2, the rear endpaper and wrapper. Contemporary blue paper wrappers, stitched with open spine; staining and wear, early now-faded annotations, in original condition. Housed in a custom brown leather-backed slipcase and chemise. An important antislavery tract by the itinerant Quaker minister John Woolman, printed by Franklin and Hall. This is the second of two antislavery works by Woolman. The first tract, similarly titled, was published in Philadelphia by James Chattin in 1754. In this work, Woolman discusses racial bias, human rights, equality, The Golden Rule, and white America's complicity in perpetuating an unjust system. He also argues against creating a false distinction between African-born slaves, who were captured and sold into slavery, and African-American slaves, who were born into it. While many of Woolman's arguments are theological, based around scripture, he also draws on moral principles independent of theology. Franklin left scant few writings about his views on race, and his early thoughts largely dwell on slavery's effects on white society, rather than on its moral implications. However, it is apparent that he became increasingly concerned with issues surrounding slavery as he grew older, and especially near the end of his life. During his career as a printer, he published several antislavery tracts (the first in 1729), but he also owned slaves and advertised their sale in The Pennsylvania Gazette. In the late 1750s, Franklin came into contact with Anthony Benezet, an ardent Quaker abolitionist who had married Franklin's wife's cousin. It is likely that Benezet introduced Franklin to Woolman, among other abolitionists. Franklin's views on slavery seemingly started to change in the 1770s, perhaps because of an "emerging recognition of the incongruity between slavery and the American colonist's bid for freedom" (Lapansky-Werner, p. 288). What is clear is that, after returning from Europe in 1785, he was an ardent abolitionist. Soon after, in 1787, Franklin was elected president of The Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery, and for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage, and for improving the condition of the African race, and in his writings he "appeared to concentrate on the effect of slavery on the slave, asserting that the system was an 'atrocious debasement of human nature that stunts intellectual faculties and … social affections'" (Lapsansky-Werner, p. 292). While the reasons behind Franklin's abolitionist turn remain an enigma, it seems likely that his associations with Quaker abolitionists like Benezet and Woolman, and his printing of tracts like Considerations on Keeping Negroes, must have had a hand in preparing the ground for his later, full-throated condemnation of slavery. REFERENCES Miller 785; ESTC W37537; Evans 9314; Hildeburn 1863; Emma J. Lapsansky-Werner, "At the End, an Abolitionist?" in Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World, ed. Page Talbott (New Haven: Yale University, 2005)

View 1 of Lot 89: John Woolman | An antislavery sermon printed by Benjamin Franklin

john woolman | an antislavery sermon printed by benjamin franklin

(Benjamin Franklin) Plain Truth: or, Serious Considerations on the Present State of the City of Philadelphia, and Province of Pennsylvania. By a Tradesman of Philadelphia. [Philadelphia:] Printed [by Benjamin Franklin] in the Year MDCCXLVII (1747) 8vo in half-sheets (190 x 117 mm). Woodcut vignette on title-page verso, type-ornament headpiece and initial-frame, with terminal blank C4; title-page quite foxed, some scattered lighter foxing throughout. Late nineteenth-century blue morocco over marbled boards, marbled endpapers, red-sprinkled edges; extremities rubbed. Red cloth slipcase, chemise. First edition; very rare: only one other copy, in 1930 at Henkels, is recorded in Rare Book Hub since the 1905 Pennypacker auction. This is a previously unrecorded—and likely unique—second state of the first edition: the press correction to A2 recto has been made (deleting the repeated word "those" and rejustifying the final line of text), but the final leaf C4, which is genuine and conjunct with C1, is entirely blank; in the second edition the final leaf has been printed with an English translation of the Latin excerpt from Sallust that appears on the title-page. Written and printed by Benjamin Franklin in 1747, Plain Truth is one of Franklin’s most significant pre-Revolutionary works. Plain Truth is the first work in which Franklin combined the promotion of a nascent Americanism with criticism of British colonial authorities. Faced on the one hand with a pacifist, Quaker-dominated Pennsylvania Assembly and on the other with French and Spanish privateers on the Delaware River and the increasing confederation of French and Native American forces on the colony’s western border, Franklin’s pseudonymous pamphlet led to the creation of a voluntary Pennsylvania militia of 10,000 men. Many were persuaded of the necessity of an "Association for Defence" by Franklin's argument that "The Way to secure Peace is to be prepared for War." The first edition of Plain Truth was 1,000 copies, nearly three times as many as a typical political pamphlet or sermon of the time. Franklin gave these copies away, but the demand was so great that two weeks later he printed a second edition of 1,000 further copies. The second edition, significantly more common than the first, can be distinguished because the final leaf, which is blank in the first edition, has printed on it an English translation of the Latin extract from the Roman historian and politician Sallust that appears on the title-page. (Franklin also arranged to have Plain Truth translated and printed in German by Gotthard Armbrüster for the use of the extensive Pennsylvania German community.) Plain Truth is also significant for its use of a woodcut illustration of "Hercules and the Wagoneer," printed on the verso of the title-page, that Franklin had first used earlier in 1747 to illustrate one of Aesop’s Fables in Thomas Dilworth's schoolbook, A New Guide to the English Tongue. In this context, however, J. A. Leo Lemay, the preeminent Franklin scholar and biographer, calls the woodcut—in which Hercules urges the wagoneer to try to move his mud-bound wagon on his own before asking others for help—"the earliest American political cartoon" (Life 1:230). Copies of the second edition appear on the market periodically, although none have since 2004. However, we have been able to trace only one true first edition of Plain Truth in the auction records since the celebrated Pennypacker sale of 1905—and that single post-Pennypacker offering is itself nearing a century ago. Adrian Van Sinderen recognized the importance and rarity of Plain Truth, including it in Foundation Stones, the survey of highlights from his Americana collection, and describing it as a "spicy exposition." Plain Truth is the first work by Franklin that foreshadows an independent America—and his own passionate involvement with civic affairs. Because of close similarities to the thesis and language of the pamphlet, Lemay attributed two unsigned contributions to the Pennsylvania Gazette to Franklin's pen: "'Queries' urging establishing a Pennsylvania militia" (6 March 1733/4) and "The Necessity for Self-Defense" (Postscript to the 19 December 1747 issue). REFERENCE Miller 416; ESTC W2472; Evans 5948; Hildeburn 1010; Campbell 355; Sabin 25563; Van Sinderen, Foundation Stones, pp. 84–85; Benjamin Franklin in Search of a Better World, p. 31; cf. Lemay, The Canon of Benjamin Franklin nos. 55, 85 PROVENANCE Adrian Van Sinderen — by descent to an undesignated consignor (Sotheby's New York, 20 July 2023, lot 1003)

View 1 of Lot 39: (Benjamin Franklin) | A very rare work written and printed by Franklin, containing "the earliest American political cartoon"

(benjamin franklin) | a very rare work written and printed by franklin, containing "the earliest american political cartoon"

Benjamin Franklin A Pocket Almanack for the Year 1747. Fitted to the Use of Pennsylvania, and the neighbouring Provinces. With several useful Additions. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by B. Franklin, [1746] 24mo (100 x 51 mm). Woodcut borders and symbols; title-page foxed, one or two stray spots, very light browning. Contemporary marbled paper wrappers; worn with some loss, backed with paper. Housed in a custom slipcase and folding chemise. First edition, and a rare example of Franklin's Pocket Almanack, in original wrappers: "B[enjamin] F[ranklin] lists only the 600 copies he sent to Parks in Williamsburg, Green in Annapolis, Fleet in Boston, and Mrs. Timothy in Charleston" (Miller). Very rare. REFERENCES Miller 386; ESTC W4105; Evans 5770; Hildeburn 992; Drake 9681 PROVENANCE Laird U. Park Jr. (Sotheby's New York, 29 November 200, lot 101)

View 1 of Lot 36: Benjamin Franklin | A Pocket Almanack for the Year 1747

benjamin franklin | a pocket almanack for the year 1747

Benjamin Franklin Experiments and Observations on Electricity, Made at Philadelphia in America. … To which are added, Letters and Papers on Philosophical Subjects. The Whole Corrected, Methodized, Improved, and now First Collected into One Volume. London: Printed for David Henry; and sold by Francis Newbery, at the Corner of St. Paul's Church-Yard, MDCCLXIX (1769) 4to (226 x 170 mm). Half-title, errata/advertisement leaf, 7 engraved plates (2 folding, 5 full-page) by T. Jeffreys, T. Hulett and B. Cole, woodcut text illustrations, headpiece and decorative initial, pp. 111–112, 416–417, and 465–472 duplicated in the pagination as issued, 16-page index at end; light browning and occasional light foxing. Near-contemporary vellum over boards, red morocco spine label, plain endpapers, blue-sprinkled edges; spine gilt-stamped; light soiling and rubbing, label faded. Vellum folding-case, large black morocco spine label. Presentation copy, now obscured by Franklin's inscription on the half-title—"Father Frisi | From the Author"—having inexplicably been erased (although still just legible). Paolo Frisi (1728–1784) was an Italian priest, mathematician and astronomer, who played a major role in the compilation, interpretation, and dissemination of the work of scientists such as Galileo, Newton, Cavalieri, and d’Alembert. Frisi also worked on electricity and was the first to introduce the lightning conductor into Italy. Although only one letter between him and Franklin is recorded, they were evidently in contact for many years and met at least once in London. The fourth, first collected, and most desirable edition of Franklin’s most significant scientific publication. "This edition is especially important because it includes additional material not present in the first edition of 1751" (Norman). This edition is the first to include complete notes on all of Franklin’s important experiments on electricity, as well as many other subjects. It includes the first appearance of his letter to Oliver Neave, encouraging him to learn how to swim and extolling the “enjoyment in so delightful and wholesome an exercise,” which was subsequently often reprinted under the title “The Art of Swimming.” REFERENCES ESTC T101040; Ford 307; Howes F320; Lipman/Celebration 43; Norman 830; Sabin 25506; Wellcome III:62; cf. Printing and the Mind of Man 69; cf. Antonio Pace, Benjamin Franklin and Italy (American Philosophical Society, 1958), passim PROVENANCE Paolo Frisi (erased presentation inscription) —C. E. Rappaport, bookseller, Rome (label) — Albert Edgar Lownes (bookplate) — S. S. Dunham (pencilled signature on front free endpaper) — James S. Copley (bookplate; Sotheby's New York, 15 October 2010, lot 588)

View 1 of Lot 105: Benjamin Franklin | Presentation copy of the first complete Experiments and Observations on Electricity

benjamin franklin | presentation copy of the first complete experiments and observations on electricity

(Benjamin Franklin & Samuel Rhoads) Some Account of the Pennsylvania Hospital; From its First Rise, to the Beginning of the Fifth Month, called May, 1754. Philadelphia: Printed by B. Franklin, and D. Hall, MDCCLIV (1754) [accompanied by:] Continuation of the Account of the Pennsylvania Hospital; from the First of May 1754, to the Fifth of May 1761. With an Alphabetical List of the Contributors, and of the Legacies which have been Bequeathed, for Promotion and Support thereof, from its First Rise to that Time. Philadelphia: Printed by B. Franklin, and D. Hall, MDCCLXI (1761) Together 2 volumes, pot 4to (245 x 185 mm; Continuation slightly smaller). Woodcut printer’s device (Miller no. 29) on title-page of Account, eleven lines of epigraphic scripture from Deuteronomy and Mark on title-page of Continuation; some light browning, Continuation a little chewed at lower margin. Contemporary stiff blue-gray boards; Account soiled and rebacked, Continuation creased on front cover and restored at spine. Half maroon morocco folding-case gilt, dual chemises. First edition of both parts, the Account a presentation copy, inscribed on the front wrapper by Franklin, “For Mr. John Kidd.” Kidd had earlier subscribed to another project headed by Franklin, the Freemasons Hall, and Franklin undoubtedly thought the gift of this book might result in a gift to the hospital; however, Kidd does not appear among the lists of contributors. (For another work inscribed by Franklin to Kidd, see lot 55.) Tipped to the front of the volume is a typed letter signed by Edwin Wolf 2d, 2 November 1976, Librarian of the Library Company of Philadelphia on Library Company letterhead stating “I examined the copy of Benjamin Franklin's Some Account of the Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, 1754, many years ago when it was in the possession of Mr. W. Logan Fox. I have it before me as I write. I was then and am now confident that the inscription on the front cover: ‘For Mr John Kidd,’ is in the autograph of Franklin. John Kidd was a merchant, a member of the American Philosophical Society and a subscriber to the first Dancing Assembly. In 1762, with William Bradford, he established the Philadelphia Insurance Office under the name of Kidd & Bradford. It seems likely that Franklin sent Kidd the pamphlet in hopes of getting a contribution for the hospital.” The Pennsylvania Hospital was the first hospital in British North America, founded in 1751 by Benjamin Franklin and Dr. Thomas Bond; Franklin was the institution’s principal promoter, first secretary, and first chairman, as well as its historian. The Account, written by Franklin, and its Continuation, written by a committee of trustees directed by Samuel Rhoads, were both intended as fund-raising devices. “By 1754 the trustees felt they owed their supporters some accounting of their activities before seeking more contributions and asked [Franklin] to write this brief history which includes the texts of most of the founding documents,” as well as a list of contributors. Franklin “completed the manuscript on May 28, 1754, and by July 27, 1754, the 1500 copies ordered were off the press” (Miller). For Franklin’s own summary of the genesis of the Pennsylvania Hospital, see the preceding lot. REFERENCES Miller 587, 764; ESTC W3479, W30541; Evans 7197, 8972; Hildeburn 1363, 1722; Guerra a272, a324; Norman 831; Sabin 25558; Streeter sale 2:956 PROVENANCE W. Logan Fox (inserted letter) — Stuart Karu (Sotheby’s, 16 June 1992, lot 61) — Dr. John R. Hansell

View 1 of Lot 61: (Benjamin Franklin & Samuel Rhoads) | Presentation copy of Some Account of the Pennsylvania Hospital

(benjamin franklin & samuel rhoads) | presentation copy of some account of the pennsylvania hospital

John Jerman The American Almanack for For the Year of Christian Account 1731. Fitted to the Latitude of forty degrees north, and a Meridian of five hours west from London, but may without much error serve from Newfoundland to Carolina. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by B. Franklin and H. Meredith, at the New Printing-Office near the Market, [1730] 8vo in half-sheets (157 x 92 mm). Woodcut borders; title silked, margins with Japanese tissue repairs, browning and soiling. Full antique brown calf, covers decoratively tooled in blind. Slipcase and chemise. This is the earliest surviving almanac printed by Franklin, and the only known copy in private hands. REFERENCES Miller 21; ESTC W9241; Evans 3292; Hildeburn 403; Drake 9544 PROVENANCE Stuart E. Karu (Sotheby’s, 16 June 1992, lot 6) — Dr. John R. Hansell

View 1 of Lot 6: John Jerman | The American Almanack ... for 1731 — the only known copy in private hands

john jerman | the american almanack ... for 1731 — the only known copy in private hands

[Pennsylvania Constitution] Minutes of the Proceedings of the Convention of the State of Pennsylvania Held at Philadelphia, the Fifteenth Day of July, 1776. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by Henry Miller, in Race-Street, MDCCLXXVI (1776) Folio (329 x 195 mm). Originally issued in ten parts, with continuous pagination, woodcut title-page ornament, typographic ornaments in text; tiny nicks to the edges of the title-page, a few very minor instances of pale spotting or light soiling, expert paper restoration to lower margins with infill to catchwords and sometimes the final line of text, a small repair at the upper corner and a barely discernable early ownership signature to the final leaf. Bound to style in half calf, marbled paper boards, the spine and red leather title label gilt; thin lines of wear along the joints, a scratch to the rear board. The exceedingly rare primary account of the convention that passed Pennsylvania's Constitution of 1776, the most liberal of the early state constitutions. The Pennsylvania Convention was held at Independence Hall between 15 July and 28 September 1776, beginning just days after the Second Continental Congress had passed the Declaration of Independence. The minutes of the proceedings were documented in a series of weekly publications, which were issued in parts. Pennsylvania's Constitution of 1776 is often deemed the most liberal of state constitutions. The convention's ninety-six delegates, led by its president Benjamin Franklin, created a unicameral legislature, a weak executive who was elected annually, and broad suffrage that allowed all "free" taxpaying men to vote, as opposed to restricting voting only to landowners. They also instituted an uncommon degree of government transparency and, as such, this was one of the few state constitutional conventions to make its deliberations public, and the only one to do so while still in session. Due to the way the convention was formed, with eight delegates from each of the eleven counties and eight delegates from Philadelphia, the "country" vote had overwhelming representation. This accounts for the high level of distaste in centralized government that is reflected in this Constitution. Copies of this critical, firsthand account of the proceedings are extremely rare, and this is probably the only one to change hands in the last hundred years. We locate just three institutional copies, at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Library Company of Philadelphia, and the State Library of Pennsylvania. For a contemporary copy of the text of the Pennsylvania Constitution, see following lot. REFERENCES ESTC W19588; Evans 14977; Hildeburn 3417; Lipman/Celebration 68 PROVENANCE Nancy Channerly (faintly discernable early ownership inscription on p. 67) — The New York City Bar Association (the ghost of a library stamp on title; sold at Doyle Auctions, 24 November 2014, lot 94) — Barbara and Ira Lipman (Sotheby's New York, 13 April 201, lot 377)

View 1 of Lot 114: Pennsylvania Constitution | Minutes of the Pennsylvania Convention, where the Constitution of 1776 was passed

pennsylvania constitution | minutes of the pennsylvania convention, where the constitution of 1776 was passed

George Whitefield Three Letters From the Reverend Mr. G. Whitefield: viz. … Letter III: To the Inhabitants of Maryland, Virginia, North and South-Carolina Concerning their Negroes. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by B. Franklin,at the New Printing-Office near the Market, M,DCC,XL (1740) 8vo (193 x 109 mm). Woodcut title-page ornament (Miller, Appendix B, no. 19), typographic ornaments in text; light soiling, mostly to title, some minor instances of pale spotting, a few short marginal tears, and an early paper repair at head of title next to the gutter. Twentieth-century dark green morocco, gilt title to upper board, gilt ruled boards and gilt decorated spine; spine lightly faded, a few very small spots of rubbing at spine ends and corners, two scuffs to upper board, front hinge starting. Half red morocco slipcase, chemise. Rare first edition, printed by Benjamin Franklin, of three letters by the Anglican reformist preacher Reverend George Whitefield. The first two letters are critiques of the writings of the seventeenth-century Archbishop of Canterbury John Tillotson, who Whitefield asserts "knew no more of true Christianity than Mahomet." The third letter, addressed to the inhabitants of Maryland, Virginia, and North and South Carolina, deals with slavery. "Commentators on Whitefield's life have long recognized the ambiguity in his attitude toward blacks. Some have tried to balance his desire to establish schools for the training of blacks with his campaign for the legalization of slavery in the colony of Georgia" (Stein, p. 243). In this letter, the clearest statement Whitefield ever made about his humanitarian feelings towards the enslaved, he criticizes slaveowners—"God has a quarrel with you for your abuse and cruelty to the poor negroes." He goes on to argue that, even worse than the physical abuse, slaveowners were neglecting slaves' religious needs. Nonetheless, Whitefield stops short of passing a moral judgement on the institution of slavery, and he does not advocate for its abolition. Rare, especially in trade, with only one incomplete copy offered at auction in the last century, per Rare Book Hub. REFERENCES Miller, 224; ESTC W29543; Sabin, 103599; Stephen J. Stein, "George Whitefield on Slavery: Some New Evidence" in Church History, Vol. 42, No. 2 (Jun., 1973), pp. 243–256 PROVENANCE Douglas Frost Jr. (Bbookplate)

View 1 of Lot 19: George Whitefield |  A rare Franklin imprint featuring Whitefield's critique of the treatment of slaves

george whitefield | a rare franklin imprint featuring whitefield's critique of the treatment of slaves

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

Titan Leeds The American Almanack for the Year of Christian Account, 1728. ... Fitted to the Latitude of 40 degrees, and a Meridian of five hours west from London, but may without sensible error, serve all the adjacent places, even from New-found-land to Carolina. Philadelphia: Printed by S. Keimer in Second-Street, Philadelphia, and sold by W. Heurtin Goldsmith in New York, David Humphreys at Flushing on Long-Island. (Beware of the counterfeit one, [1727] 8vo (160 x 102 mm). Woodcut borders, headpiece to title, and anatomical man; lacking final leaf, neat marginal repairs, a few leaves lightly browned, a few stray spots and stains. Stitched self-wrappers; some rubbing and soiling. Slipcase and chemise. The almanac maker Titan Leeds was a frequent target of Franklin's satire, although he was a client of Keimer's shop, where Franklin worked. Because of Leeds's interest in astrology, Franklin caricatured him as "Titan Pleiades" in several Silence Dogood essays, and in the first, 1733, Poor Richard, Franklin went so far as to claim that financial necessity would have motivated him to begin publishing an annual almanac much earlier, “had it not been [for] my Regard for my good Friend and Fellow-Student Mr. Titan Leeds, whose Interest I was extremely unwilling to hurt: But this Obstacle (I am far from speaking it with Pleasure) is soon to be removed, since inexorable Death, who was never known to respect Merit, Has already prepared the mortal Dart, the fatal Sister has already extended her destroying Shears and that ingenious Man must soon be taken from us. He dies, by my Calculation made at his Request, on Oct. 17. 1733.” Leeds in fact survived until 1738. This almanac is very rare; there have been no copies sold at auction since 1924 (possibly this copy). REFERENCES ESTC W22964; Evans 2892; Drake 9527; Hildeburn 308

View 1 of Lot 3: Titan Leeds | The American Almanack for the Year of Christian Account, 1728

titan leeds | the american almanack for the year of christian account, 1728

[Pennsylvania and Delaware] The Charter of Privileges Granted by William Penn, Esq; to the Inhabitants of Pensilvania and Territories. Philadelphia: B. Franklin, 1741 (bound with:) Laws of the Government of New-Castle, Kent and Sussex upon Delaware. Philadelphia, B. Franklin, 1741 Two works bound together, folio (293 x 175 mm). Woodcut armorial to the title-page of the Charter, ownership signatures to title of the Charter and leaf [a]2, leaf [a]2 also with a bookseller ink stamp in the margin, ownership signatures and a few manuscript annotations in the text, ownership inscription to final leaf of the Laws; old paper repairs to the upper and inner margins of Charter title-page, and to the top edge of the three subsequent leaves, not touching the printing, light toning and occasional pale spots or stains, the worst of it affecting gatherings 2Z to 3S and [4C] in the Laws, marginal tear to upper edge of leaf 3Z1, the final leaf in the Laws trimmed about a third of the way up the leaf, not affecting the text. In period-style full speckled calf, the spine gilt decorated with five raised bands and with a red morocco label lettered in gilt, the boards bordered with decorative blind-rolls, the board edges gilt; expert restorations to joints, a few white stains to boards, overall a very nice and finely bound copy. Black leather folding-case. Two rare documents relating to the founding of Pennsylvania and Delaware colonies, both printed by Franklin and bound together as intended. William Penn's Charter of Privileges of 1701 was Pennsylvania's foundational political document, and the colony's constitution until the Revolutionary War. It would later become the basis on which the Constitution and the Bill of Rights would be drafted in 1787. The Charter, signed during Penn's second visit to his colony, replaced the three earlier "Frames of Government." It institutionalized religious tolerance, due process, and legislative independence. It also allowed for the Three Lower Counties to form their own independent legislature. The Laws of the Government of New-Castle, Kent and Sussex contains the foundational legal statutes of Delaware, after it separated from Pennsylvania in 1704. Franklin's 1741 edition of the Laws, offered here, "is the first collected Laws of the Three Lower Counties, and is as well the first collection of laws of one of the original thirteen states" (Streeter). A revised and expanded edition would be published in 1752 by Franklin, after additional laws were enacted that year. This book belonged to James Gorrell, a British colonial officer during the French and Indian War. In the late 1750s he served in western Pennsylvania and along the New York frontier. In 1761 he was sent to the Great Lakes region, first to Detroit, and then to "La Baye," now Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he was put in charge of a dilapidated fort. "Besides protecting the British traders and maintaining a sense of law and order at this frail outpost of the empire, Gorrell's main function was to try to secure good relations with the Menominees, Foxes, Sauks, Winnebagos, and Sioux" (Dictionary of Canadian Biography). Later on, he served again in the Great Lakes region around Albany and Detroit, and was finally assigned to the West Indies, where he likely died of disease in 1769–70. Prior to his military career, however, Gorrell was officially empowered by the General Assembly of Delaware to sell property in the town of Dover, and he is explicitly mentioned in the Laws of the Government of … Delaware. In 1683, William Penn decided that a court town called Dover should be built in Kent County. That year, he signed an order to survey and lay out the town. With 200 acres around the courthouse surveyed and divided, it was long since time to sell the properties. On pages 130–132 of the Laws, Penn's plan for Dover is put into action with "An Act impowering John Holliday, James Gorrel, and Thomas Skidmore, jun. of Kent County, Gentlemen, to sell and dispose of all such of the Lots of Ground within the Town of Dover. …" REFERENCES Miller 252, 232; ESTC W7472, W26381; Streeter sale II:953; David A. Armour, "Gorrell, James," in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Vol. 3 (2003); Delaware Public Archives — https://archivesfiles.delaware.gov/markers/pdfs/KC_A6_3.pdf PROVENANCE James Gorrell (signature on title of the Charter) — George Cummons (early signature on leaf [a]2) — Issac Carty (early 19th century ownership inscription on final leaf) — Sarah Doughless (illegible nineteenth-century signature on title, and a legible one in the text) — E. Ellery Antiquarian Book-Store (twentieth-century ink stamp on leaf [a]2)

View 1 of Lot 20: Pennsylvania and Delaware | Two foundational documents for Penn's colonies, printed by Franklin

pennsylvania and delaware | two foundational documents for penn's colonies, printed by franklin

Thomas Short Medicina Britannica: or a Treatise on such Physical Plants, as are Generally Found in the Fields or Gardens in Great-Britain. … With a preface by Mr. John Bartram, Botanist of Pennsylvania, and his notes throughout the work. London Printed: Philadelphia Re-printed, and Sold by B. Franklin, and D. Hall, at the Post-Office, in Market-Street, MDCCLI (1751) 8vo (179 x 109 mm). Woodcut tailpiece ornament (Miller, appendix B, no. 33); light toning, pale spotting, occasional staining, leaf X5 with loss at lower corner restored and supplied in facsimile, a short tear at the top edge of leaves X5 and X6. Recent period-style blind-ruled calf. The first American edition, third edition overall, of Thomas Short's English herbal, with a preface and expanded text by John Bartram. The additions to the text include information on "where many of the described plants are to be found in these parts of America, their differences in name, appearance and virtue, from those of the same kind in Europe, and an appendix containing a description of a number of plants particular to America, their uses, Virtues &c." Only two copies of this work have appeared at auction in the last 100 years, per Rare Book Hub. REFERENCES Miller 546; ESTC W3995; Evans 6783; Hildeburn 1240; Sabin 80573

View 1 of Lot 58: Thomas Short | The first American edition of this herbal, printed by Franklin

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