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- R. M. Grabowski Rare Books - Featured Items
- Featured items that R. M. Grabowski Rare Books plans to bring to RMBPF 2018.
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Featured Items
Description:
17.5 x 21.5”. A very scarce hand-colored map of the United States and Mexico, featuring early place names and borders. Note “Mandan District,” “Oregon District” and “Cohahuila and Texas”. Clean split along bottom fold and part of top fold, small tear in middle where all sections join. As issued (and still attached) in a very nice, clean copy of Thomas T. Smiley’s “A New Atlas” (9 x 11”, 7 maps including the U. S. and Mexico. The West Indies is double-page).
Stains to some maps but not the large one. Original printed paper covers intact and very good.
Genre: Maps
Price $1,100.00
Description:
Following the British invasion of Washington in August, 1814, and their destruction of the 3,000-volume Library of Congress (among other national treasures), Thomas Jefferson decided to offer for sale his substantial personal library to Congress. On September 21, he wrote to Samuel H. Smith, federal commissioner of the revenue and former publisher of the National Intelligencer, laying out his ideas and the parameters of the deal as he would want it.
Offered here are three 4-page issues of the National Intelligencer, dated October 18, 20 and 27 of 1814. The first reports on page 3 the House of Representatives taking up the Senate resolution to consider the purchase. The debate is dubbed “desultory”, as opponents proposed certain amendments to sabotage or delay the deal, such as an amendment to fund “a library” (not necessarily Jefferson’s), and another aimed at cherry-picking those parts of the library deemed suitable by the committee, both of which were “negatived” (voted down). In his letter to Smith, Jefferson explicitly insisted that his library stay intact and not be broken up. The third newspaper offered here prints Jefferson’s letter to Smith, obviously to inform everyone of his intentions.
The second paper reports an amendment to limit the purchase price to $25,000, which was also voted down. Ultimately, though, Congress bought the library for $23,950 on January 26, 1815.
Very good condition. Mostly separated at the folds between pages.
Genre: Newspapers
Price $495.00
Description:
One of the earliest available printings of the words to our national anthem, published less than two weeks after Key wrote his inspired verse on seeing the huge flag still flying over Fort McHenry. Printed at the top of page four of the National Intelligencer. Using data compiled by P. W. Filby In Star Spangled Books (1972) and auction records, this issue was preceded by only 6 earlier newspaper printings of the full poem, all very rare (an “excised” excerpt of the Baltimore Patriot printing of Sept. 20 — the first newspaper printing — brought $75,000 this year; the Daily Federal Republic printed in Georgetown on Sept. 22 sold for $$168,750 in 2017).
Old loss of upper left corner. Small marginal tear just into the double bar above DEFENCE. 2 x 3” section (unrelated to the poem) excised from page 1, wrinkled at bottom right area of page 1, mostly separated at center fold between pages, otherwise very good.
Genre: Newspaper, National Anthem
Price $12,500.00