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Q1112 Presidential Autograph and Americana Auction

Quinn’s Auction Galleries is pleased to present an auction of Presidential autographs, memorabilia, early books and Americana as well as early works on the invention of the telephone. The sale features over 150 rare and signed books and autographs. These include items such as signatures of the presidents from James Madison to Joe Biden. Coming up on the 150th anniversary of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell entered his patent for the telephone on Feb. 14th, 1876 and shortly had it granted, with surprising rapidity, on Mar. 10th 1876, a few days before the first words would be spoken on the telephone. Quinn’s is proud to offer highlights on this historical event, an event that shaped our modern world. We have the first instance of the relation of the telephone and its historic March 14th conversation with Bell’s 1876 Researches on Telephony. We also have Bell’s 2nd and 3rd Telephone Patents, the former being one of the two most influential patents on the Telephone, describing the telephone as a functioning device, first time offered at auction. Lastly, also for the first time at auction, we have for auction a collection of the Telephone Cases against Bell and his supposed invention of the telephone. This collection of an almost decade long litigation would ultimately declare Bell the inventor of the telephone and allow for an almost century long monopoly in telecommunications by AT&T. Books on early Americana include the first American and London edition of Noah Webster’s landmark American Dictionary of the English Language. We also have a set of the Dallas Reports on the early Supreme Court and Kent’s Commentaries on American Law, a foundation of jurisprudence in American legal history. The book selection also includes works by Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine and Marshall’s Life of Washington with the rare atlas volume. Quinn’s is also excited to offer on President’s day a large collection of Presidential autographs and memorabilia. We have a full Lincoln signed appointment from 2 months before the close of the Civil War and his assassination and a James Madison signed document. We have several examples of Martin Van Buren, James Buchanan, Theodore Roosevelt as well as autographs from Reagan and Bush to Frank Hodsoll, former director of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Lastly, we have several political buttons and ephemera including a 1861 Lincoln button pin, McKinley/Roosevelt jugate ribbon and a bust of Woodrow Wilson, while as president, executed by Jo Davidson. Open Preview: February 14, 2023 to February 17th from 11-5 PM February 20th from 11-1 PM. No preview available on the weekend. For shipping for this auction, UPS Store 4602 is the partner for our Presidential Autograph and Americana Auction. Please contact them for shipping: Store4602@theupsstore.com. Further questions regarding shipping? Email Shipping@quinnsauction.com

Auction ID: 1112 Presidential Autograph and Americana Auction
Location
360 S Washington St Falls Church, VA 22046
Starts Closing
Monday, February 20, 2023 7:00 PM
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Preview (Walk-in)
Tuesday, February 14, 2023 4:00 PM to10:00 PM
Preview (Walk-in)
Wednesday, February 15, 2023 4:00 PM to10:00 PM
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Thursday, February 16, 2023 4:00 PM to10:00 PM
Preview (Walk-in)
Friday, February 17, 2023 4:00 PM to10:00 PM
Preview (Appointment)
Monday, February 20, 2023 4:00 PM to6:00 PM
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    • Q1112 Presidential Autograph and Americana Auction

    Quinn’s Auction Galleries is pleased to present an auction of Presidential autographs, memorabilia, early books and Americana as well as early works on the invention of the telephone. The sale features over 150 rare and signed books and autographs. These include items such as signatures of the presidents from James Madison to Joe Biden. Coming up on the 150th anniversary of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell entered his patent for the telephone on Feb. 14th, 1876 and shortly had it granted, with surprising rapidity, on Mar. 10th 1876, a few days before the first words would be spoken on the telephone. Quinn’s is proud to offer highlights on this historical event, an event that shaped our modern world. We have the first instance of the relation of the telephone and its historic March 14th conversation with Bell’s 1876 Researches on Telephony. We also have Bell’s 2nd and 3rd Telephone Patents, the former being one of the two most influential patents on the Telephone, describing the telephone as a functioning device, first time offered at auction. Lastly, also for the first time at auction, we have for auction a collection of the Telephone Cases against Bell and his supposed invention of the telephone. This collection of an almost decade long litigation would ultimately declare Bell the inventor of the telephone and allow for an almost century long monopoly in telecommunications by AT&T. Books on early Americana include the first American and London edition of Noah Webster’s landmark American Dictionary of the English Language. We also have a set of the Dallas Reports on the early Supreme Court and Kent’s Commentaries on American Law, a foundation of jurisprudence in American legal history. The book selection also includes works by Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine and Marshall’s Life of Washington with the rare atlas volume. Quinn’s is also excited to offer on President’s day a large collection of Presidential autographs and memorabilia. We have a full Lincoln signed appointment from 2 months before the close of the Civil War and his assassination and a James Madison signed document. We have several examples of Martin Van Buren, James Buchanan, Theodore Roosevelt as well as autographs from Reagan and Bush to Frank Hodsoll, former director of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Lastly, we have several political buttons and ephemera including a 1861 Lincoln button pin, McKinley/Roosevelt jugate ribbon and a bust of Woodrow Wilson, while as president, executed by Jo Davidson. Open Preview: February 14, 2023 to February 17th from 11-5 PM February 20th from 11-1 PM. No preview available on the weekend. For shipping for this auction, UPS Store 4602 is the partner for our Presidential Autograph and Americana Auction. Please contact them for shipping: Store4602@theupsstore.com. Further questions regarding shipping? Email Shipping@quinnsauction.com
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    Presidential Autographs and Americana
    A History of the Campaigns of 1780 and 1781.
    Tarleton, Banastre. A History of the Campaigns of 1780 and 1781 in the Southern Provinces of North America. Dublin: Colles, Exshaw, et al, 1787. First Dublin edition. 8vo. Modern gray cloth and salmon cloth, black leather spine label. vii, 533 pp. Tarleton's well regarded history the Southern Campaign, beginning with the invasion of Savannah in Fall of 1779 and continues up to the Battle of Yorktown. Contains documents not be found easily elsewhere.. This edition was issued the same year as the London but without the maps and plates. Howes T37; Sabin 94397. Condition: Occasional spotting. Small stain to final 40 pages bottom left corner.$300-500 - Lot 1
  • $550.00
    • A History of the Campaigns of 1780 and 1781.
    Lot 1 - Tarleton, Banastre. A History of the Campaigns of 1780 and 1781 in the Southern Provinces of North America. Dublin: Colles, Exshaw, et al, 1787. First Dublin edition. 8vo. Modern gray cloth and salmon cloth, black leather spine label. vii, 533 pp. Tarleton's well regarded history the Southern Campaign, beginning with the invasion of Savannah in Fall of 1779 and continues up to the Battle of Yorktown. Contains documents not be found easily elsewhere.. This edition was issued the same year as the London but without the maps and plates. Howes T37; Sabin 94397. Condition: Occasional spotting. Small stain to final 40 pages bottom left corner.$300-500
  • $550.00
    • 2 vols. The Works of the Honourable James Wilson.
    Wilson, James. The Works of the Honourable James Wilson, L.L.D., Late One of the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, and Professor of Law in the College of Philadelphia. Philadelphia: at the Lorenzo Press, printed for Bronson and Chauncey, 1804. First edition. Volumes 1 and II (of 3). 8vo. xvi, 467 pp., frontispiece portrait in Vol. I. Contemporary full calf leather, red leather spine labels. Sabin 104632. James Wilson was one of the six founding fathers who signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. He assisted in drafting the Preamble and influenced the structure of the presidency, the electoral college, the judiciary, and the Three-Fifths Compromise as written in the Constitution. He was also one of the initial justices of the U.S. Supreme Court appointed by George Washington. This collection is mostly lectures delivered in 1790-1791 at the College of Philadelphia, covering common law, general principles of the law of nations and the law of nature, the U.S. Constitution. Condition: Moderate rubbing. Minor dampstaining to Vol. front endleaves, frontis to viii. Foxing. Blindstamp to title page and frontis to both volumes of Henry Hice (1834 - 1905$200-300 - Lot 2
  • $190.00
    • 2 vols. The Works of the Honourable James Wilson.
    Lot 2 - Wilson, James. The Works of the Honourable James Wilson, L.L.D., Late One of the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, and Professor of Law in the College of Philadelphia. Philadelphia: at the Lorenzo Press, printed for Bronson and Chauncey, 1804. First edition. Volumes 1 and II (of 3). 8vo. xvi, 467 pp., frontispiece portrait in Vol. I. Contemporary full calf leather, red leather spine labels. Sabin 104632. James Wilson was one of the six founding fathers who signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. He assisted in drafting the Preamble and influenced the structure of the presidency, the electoral college, the judiciary, and the Three-Fifths Compromise as written in the Constitution. He was also one of the initial justices of the U.S. Supreme Court appointed by George Washington. This collection is mostly lectures delivered in 1790-1791 at the College of Philadelphia, covering common law, general principles of the law of nations and the law of nature, the U.S. Constitution. Condition: Moderate rubbing. Minor dampstaining to Vol. front endleaves, frontis to viii. Foxing. Blindstamp to title page and frontis to both volumes of Henry Hice (1834 - 1905$200-300
  • $190.00
    • Works of the late Dr. Benjamin Franklin. 1794.
    Franklin, Benjamin. Works of the late Dr. Benjamin Franklin together with Essays, Humourous, Moral and Literary. New York: Samuel Campbell, 1794. 2 volumes bound in one. Small octavo. v, [1], 206; 142 pp. Engraved frontispiece portrait of Franklin. Contemporary tree calf, red leather spine label. ESTC W17369; Evans 27009. Condition: Moderate rubbing, slight loss to spine label. Toning. Scattered staining and soiling to pages.$300-400 - Lot 3
  • $800.00
    • Works of the late Dr. Benjamin Franklin. 1794.
    Lot 3 - Franklin, Benjamin. Works of the late Dr. Benjamin Franklin together with Essays, Humourous, Moral and Literary. New York: Samuel Campbell, 1794. 2 volumes bound in one. Small octavo. v, [1], 206; 142 pp. Engraved frontispiece portrait of Franklin. Contemporary tree calf, red leather spine label. ESTC W17369; Evans 27009. Condition: Moderate rubbing, slight loss to spine label. Toning. Scattered staining and soiling to pages.$300-400
  • $800.00
    • Paine. The Rights of Man.3 parts in 1. 1792.
    Paine, Thomas. The Rights of Man. London: Printed for H. D. Symonds, 1792. 3 Volumes in one. 1792. Rights of Man. Being an Answer to Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution. By Thomas Paine, Secretary for Foreign Affairs to Congress in the American War, and Author of the Works Intitled Common Sense, a Letter to the Abbe Raynal, &c. Part I. London: Printed for H. D. Symonds, Paternoster-Row. 1792. [title leaf], Preface [iii]-iv, text [5]-86pp, page 86 mis-paginated "6". Howes P31, ESTC N44151. ++ RIGHTS OF MAN; Part the Second. Combining Principle and Practice. By Thomas Paine, Secretary for Foreign Affairs... Author of... And the "First Part of the Rights of Man." London: Printed for H. D. Symonds, Paternoster-Row. 1792. [title leaf], [iii]-vii, [1], [9]-90, [1], App. [1]-3, blank [i], [1], lacking second/subsequent ads leaves. In this edition, last line of 2nd page of Appendix reads "are now at". Howes P32, ESTC T5879. ++ 3rd part's title: Miscllaneous Articles...London: Printed for J. Ridgway, 1792. 36pp. 8vo. Late 19th/early 20th ¾ leather over red cloth. Paine's Rights of Man, in 3 parts, including his 1792 polemical response to the Royal Proclamation against him for Sedition, written as a third volume of Rights of Man. "With a force and a clarity unequalled even by Burke, Paine laid down those principles of fundamental human rights which must stand, no matter what excesses are committed to obtain them. His own deep and bitter knowledge of revolutionary politics... enabled him to see where Burke's vision had been clouded both by horror and by his own experience of the stable realities of British politics... Considered apart from the turmoil which attended its first publication, however, Rights of Man... textbook of radical thought and the clearest of all expositions of the basic principles of democracy." -PMM 241. In Britain, Paine had been tried in absentia and convicted of sedition, the same crime of which Symonds was himself convicted. Condition: Minor toning and spotting. Minor rubbing.$500-800 - Lot 4
  • $700.00
    • Paine. The Rights of Man.3 parts in 1. 1792.
    Lot 4 - Paine, Thomas. The Rights of Man. London: Printed for H. D. Symonds, 1792. 3 Volumes in one. 1792. Rights of Man. Being an Answer to Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution. By Thomas Paine, Secretary for Foreign Affairs to Congress in the American War, and Author of the Works Intitled Common Sense, a Letter to the Abbe Raynal, &c. Part I. London: Printed for H. D. Symonds, Paternoster-Row. 1792. [title leaf], Preface [iii]-iv, text [5]-86pp, page 86 mis-paginated "6". Howes P31, ESTC N44151. ++ RIGHTS OF MAN; Part the Second. Combining Principle and Practice. By Thomas Paine, Secretary for Foreign Affairs... Author of... And the "First Part of the Rights of Man." London: Printed for H. D. Symonds, Paternoster-Row. 1792. [title leaf], [iii]-vii, [1], [9]-90, [1], App. [1]-3, blank [i], [1], lacking second/subsequent ads leaves. In this edition, last line of 2nd page of Appendix reads "are now at". Howes P32, ESTC T5879. ++ 3rd part's title: Miscllaneous Articles...London: Printed for J. Ridgway, 1792. 36pp. 8vo. Late 19th/early 20th ¾ leather over red cloth. Paine's Rights of Man, in 3 parts, including his 1792 polemical response to the Royal Proclamation against him for Sedition, written as a third volume of Rights of Man. "With a force and a clarity unequalled even by Burke, Paine laid down those principles of fundamental human rights which must stand, no matter what excesses are committed to obtain them. His own deep and bitter knowledge of revolutionary politics... enabled him to see where Burke's vision had been clouded both by horror and by his own experience of the stable realities of British politics... Considered apart from the turmoil which attended its first publication, however, Rights of Man... textbook of radical thought and the clearest of all expositions of the basic principles of democracy." -PMM 241. In Britain, Paine had been tried in absentia and convicted of sedition, the same crime of which Symonds was himself convicted. Condition: Minor toning and spotting. Minor rubbing.$500-800
  • $700.00
    • Paine. The Works. 1796.
    Paine, Thomas. The Works of Thomas Paine, containing Common Sense. Answer to the Abbe Raynal. Letter to the Marquis of Lansdowne. To the authors of the Republican. To the Abbe Syeyes. Part I. Rights of Man. Part II. Rights of Man. 8vo. Contemprary 3/4 leather over marbled boards, later reback with original spine. v, 480 pp. Not found in Gimbel or Howes; possibly a reprint of Sabin 58244. Condition: Minor rubbing, minor toning and spotting.$400-600 - Lot 5
  • $500.00
    • Paine. The Works. 1796.
    Lot 5 - Paine, Thomas. The Works of Thomas Paine, containing Common Sense. Answer to the Abbe Raynal. Letter to the Marquis of Lansdowne. To the authors of the Republican. To the Abbe Syeyes. Part I. Rights of Man. Part II. Rights of Man. 8vo. Contemprary 3/4 leather over marbled boards, later reback with original spine. v, 480 pp. Not found in Gimbel or Howes; possibly a reprint of Sabin 58244. Condition: Minor rubbing, minor toning and spotting.$400-600
  • $500.00
    • The Washingtoniana. 1802.
    Sketch of the Life and Death of the Late Gen. George Washington; with a Collection of Elegant Eulogies, Orations, Poems, Sacred to his Memory. Also, an Appendix, Comprising all his Most Valuable Public Papers, and his Last Will and Testament." Published by William Hamilton, Lancaster, 1802. 8vo. Modern quarter leather over marbled boards. Contains George Washington's Last Will and Testament and other writings by notable persons such as a proclamation by then president John Adams. Condition: Minor toning. Scattered foxing.$200-300 - Lot 6
  • $250.00
    • The Washingtoniana. 1802.
    Lot 6 - Sketch of the Life and Death of the Late Gen. George Washington; with a Collection of Elegant Eulogies, Orations, Poems, Sacred to his Memory. Also, an Appendix, Comprising all his Most Valuable Public Papers, and his Last Will and Testament." Published by William Hamilton, Lancaster, 1802. 8vo. Modern quarter leather over marbled boards. Contains George Washington's Last Will and Testament and other writings by notable persons such as a proclamation by then president John Adams. Condition: Minor toning. Scattered foxing.$200-300
  • $250.00
    • 2 vols. Life of John Jay. First Edition. 1833.
    Jay, William. The Life of John Jay: with Selections From His Correspondence and Miscellaneous Papers. New York: J. & J. Harper, 1833. 2 volume set. FIRST EDITION. Engraved portrait frontispiece in Volume I. 8vo. viii, 520; 502 pp. Contemporary 3/4 calf leather over marbled boards, black leather spine labels, gilt. PRESENTATION COPY. Inscription and tipped in letter from 1886 from the grand-daughter of John Jay, Ms. Elizabeth Clarkson Jay to front endpapers. Howes J-71. William Jay was an American abolitionist and jurist who was the son of the first U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice, John Jay. Condition: Minor rubbing. Foxing.$300-500 - Lot 8
  • $600.00
    • 2 vols. Life of John Jay. First Edition. 1833.
    Lot 8 - Jay, William. The Life of John Jay: with Selections From His Correspondence and Miscellaneous Papers. New York: J. & J. Harper, 1833. 2 volume set. FIRST EDITION. Engraved portrait frontispiece in Volume I. 8vo. viii, 520; 502 pp. Contemporary 3/4 calf leather over marbled boards, black leather spine labels, gilt. PRESENTATION COPY. Inscription and tipped in letter from 1886 from the grand-daughter of John Jay, Ms. Elizabeth Clarkson Jay to front endpapers. Howes J-71. William Jay was an American abolitionist and jurist who was the son of the first U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice, John Jay. Condition: Minor rubbing. Foxing.$300-500
  • $600.00
    • Webster's Dictionary. First Edition. 1832.
    Webster, Noah. An American Dictionary of the English Language... To Which are Prefixed, an Introductory Dissertation on the Origin, History and Connection of the Languages of Western Asia and of Europe, and a Concise Grammar of the English Language. S. Converse, New York, 1828. First Edition. 2 volumes. 4to. Unpaginated. Text in tripe column. Frontispiece portrait engraved in copper by A.B. Durand from the painting by Samuel F.B. Morse. Modern leather, red leather spine labels. Page ends washed yellow. The first edition of "the most ambitious publication ever undertaken, up to that time, upon American soil..." - Grolier, American 100, 36; "Webster was an ardent nationalist and he wanted to stress the political separation from Britain by the cultivation of a separate American language. Under the influence of his friend Benjamin Franklin he turned his attention to 'a reformed mode of spelling'; and although he rejected the radical phonetic innovations proposed by Franklin, he went far enough to give many printed American words a distinctive appearance" - Printing and the Mind of Man 291. Sabin 102335. With the engraved frontispiece which is often lacking. Condition: Sunning to spines. Dampstaining to boards and lower page markings. Scattered foxing.$3000-5000 - Lot 9
  • $6,000.00
    • Webster's Dictionary. First Edition. 1832.
    Lot 9 - Webster, Noah. An American Dictionary of the English Language... To Which are Prefixed, an Introductory Dissertation on the Origin, History and Connection of the Languages of Western Asia and of Europe, and a Concise Grammar of the English Language. S. Converse, New York, 1828. First Edition. 2 volumes. 4to. Unpaginated. Text in tripe column. Frontispiece portrait engraved in copper by A.B. Durand from the painting by Samuel F.B. Morse. Modern leather, red leather spine labels. Page ends washed yellow. The first edition of "the most ambitious publication ever undertaken, up to that time, upon American soil..." - Grolier, American 100, 36; "Webster was an ardent nationalist and he wanted to stress the political separation from Britain by the cultivation of a separate American language. Under the influence of his friend Benjamin Franklin he turned his attention to 'a reformed mode of spelling'; and although he rejected the radical phonetic innovations proposed by Franklin, he went far enough to give many printed American words a distinctive appearance" - Printing and the Mind of Man 291. Sabin 102335. With the engraved frontispiece which is often lacking. Condition: Sunning to spines. Dampstaining to boards and lower page markings. Scattered foxing.$3000-5000
  • $6,000.00
    • Webster. Dictionary of the English Language. 1832.
    A Dictionary of the English language: intended to exhibit I. The origin and affinities of every English word. II. The orthography and the pronunciation of words. III. Accurate and discriminating definitions. To which are prefixed an introductory dissertation on the origin, history, and connection of the languages of western Asia and of Europe; and a concise grammar ... By Noah Webster ... Reprinted by E.H. Barker, Esq. of Thetford, from a copy communicated by the Author, and containing many manuscript corrections and additions. With an appendix by the Editor. London, England: [Printed by Richard Taylor] published by Black, Young, and Young, 1831 - 1832. 2 volumes. 4to. Full contemporary deer, leather spine labels gilt. Manuscript note in Vol I. first blank by W.T. Russell, that this copy if bound in full suede deerskin by a buck shot by himself on Naushon Island in the Autumn of 1832. First English Edition of Webster"s "magnum opus" - it is worth noting that, according to Skeel the text of the lexicon itself "was reworked by the English editor and was not merely a reprinting." Skeel 589A; cf. Grolier Hundred 36; cf. Printing and the Mind of Man 291; cf. Sabin 102335 Condition: Dampstain to bottom of boards and text block to each volume.$800-1200 - Lot 10
  • $400.00
    • Webster. Dictionary of the English Language. 1832.
    Lot 10 - A Dictionary of the English language: intended to exhibit I. The origin and affinities of every English word. II. The orthography and the pronunciation of words. III. Accurate and discriminating definitions. To which are prefixed an introductory dissertation on the origin, history, and connection of the languages of western Asia and of Europe; and a concise grammar ... By Noah Webster ... Reprinted by E.H. Barker, Esq. of Thetford, from a copy communicated by the Author, and containing many manuscript corrections and additions. With an appendix by the Editor. London, England: [Printed by Richard Taylor] published by Black, Young, and Young, 1831 - 1832. 2 volumes. 4to. Full contemporary deer, leather spine labels gilt. Manuscript note in Vol I. first blank by W.T. Russell, that this copy if bound in full suede deerskin by a buck shot by himself on Naushon Island in the Autumn of 1832. First English Edition of Webster"s "magnum opus" - it is worth noting that, according to Skeel the text of the lexicon itself "was reworked by the English editor and was not merely a reprinting." Skeel 589A; cf. Grolier Hundred 36; cf. Printing and the Mind of Man 291; cf. Sabin 102335 Condition: Dampstain to bottom of boards and text block to each volume.$800-1200
  • $400.00
    • Webster. American Dictionary...Abridgment. 1836.
    Webster, Noah. An American dictionary of the English language: Exhibiting the origin, orthography, pronunciation, and definitions of words, abridged from the quarto edition. N. and J. White, New York, 1836. 15th edition. 8vo. Contemporary leather, leather spine label. Compared to the quarto edition of Webster dictionary, rebacked in modern cloth., the abridged octavo version issued by Converse in 1829, sold better than its higher priced parent edition. It would force Webster to make the 2nd edition of 1840 an octavo edition. Condition: Foxing.$100-200 - Lot 11
  • $500.00
    • Webster. American Dictionary...Abridgment. 1836.
    Lot 11 - Webster, Noah. An American dictionary of the English language: Exhibiting the origin, orthography, pronunciation, and definitions of words, abridged from the quarto edition. N. and J. White, New York, 1836. 15th edition. 8vo. Contemporary leather, leather spine label. Compared to the quarto edition of Webster dictionary, rebacked in modern cloth., the abridged octavo version issued by Converse in 1829, sold better than its higher priced parent edition. It would force Webster to make the 2nd edition of 1840 an octavo edition. Condition: Foxing.$100-200
  • $500.00
    • Babbage. Economy of Machinery and Manufactures.
    Babbage, Charles. On the Economy of Machinery and Manufactures. Third edition enlarged. London: Charles Knight, 1833. 8vo. Publishers brown cloth. Condition: Minor rubbing, small tear to head of spine. Rear hinge weak. Occasional spotting.$300-400 - Lot 12
  • $200.00
    • Babbage. Economy of Machinery and Manufactures.
    Lot 12 - Babbage, Charles. On the Economy of Machinery and Manufactures. Third edition enlarged. London: Charles Knight, 1833. 8vo. Publishers brown cloth. Condition: Minor rubbing, small tear to head of spine. Rear hinge weak. Occasional spotting.$300-400
  • $200.00
    • 3 vols. Morse's Work on the Telegraph.
    3 volume on Morse's invention of the Telegraph. (1) "Morse’s Electro-Magnetic Telegraph" [in] Report of the Commissioner of Patents. GPO, Washington, 1844. An illustrated patent report describing Morse’s telegraph and Ezra Cornell’s invention for laying the telegraph lines. Cornell subsequently founded Western Union. Morse's invention is described on pages 244-247 in the Report of the Commissioner of Patents showing the operations of the Patent Office during the year 1843. Morse also is listed as a patentee on page 375. Bound with the Report for the Year 1844 and Van Buren's State of the Union from 1839. 8vo. Contemporary quarter calf over marbled boards. Page ends washed yellow. 335 pp, 520 pp., 16 pp. (2) Electro-Magnetic Telegraphs [To accompany bill H.R. No. 713] April 6, 1838. Pages [3]-10. 8vo. Disbound. Rep. Francis O. J. Smith's report on his proposed bill to appropriate $30,000 for a line between Washington and Baltimore., after Morse approach Smith to receive government funding for an experimental telegraph line. (3) Chester, Charles T. On the Electric Telegraph of Prof. Morse. From American Journal of Science and Art. Second Series, Vol. 5. - May, 1848. B.L. Hamlen, New Haven, 1848. p 55-69. 8vo. Bound in modern black cloth. Library stamps to title page. Condition: Minor rubbing. Foxing and toning to text block.$200-300 - Lot 13
  • $100.00
    • 3 vols. Morse's Work on the Telegraph.
    Lot 13 - 3 volume on Morse's invention of the Telegraph. (1) "Morse’s Electro-Magnetic Telegraph" [in] Report of the Commissioner of Patents. GPO, Washington, 1844. An illustrated patent report describing Morse’s telegraph and Ezra Cornell’s invention for laying the telegraph lines. Cornell subsequently founded Western Union. Morse's invention is described on pages 244-247 in the Report of the Commissioner of Patents showing the operations of the Patent Office during the year 1843. Morse also is listed as a patentee on page 375. Bound with the Report for the Year 1844 and Van Buren's State of the Union from 1839. 8vo. Contemporary quarter calf over marbled boards. Page ends washed yellow. 335 pp, 520 pp., 16 pp. (2) Electro-Magnetic Telegraphs [To accompany bill H.R. No. 713] April 6, 1838. Pages [3]-10. 8vo. Disbound. Rep. Francis O. J. Smith's report on his proposed bill to appropriate $30,000 for a line between Washington and Baltimore., after Morse approach Smith to receive government funding for an experimental telegraph line. (3) Chester, Charles T. On the Electric Telegraph of Prof. Morse. From American Journal of Science and Art. Second Series, Vol. 5. - May, 1848. B.L. Hamlen, New Haven, 1848. p 55-69. 8vo. Bound in modern black cloth. Library stamps to title page. Condition: Minor rubbing. Foxing and toning to text block.$200-300
  • $100.00
    • 2 vols. Cooke. Telegraph & Telegraphic Railways.
    2 works on the Telegraph. (1) Cooke, William Fothergill. Telegraphic Railways, or, The Single Way recommended by Safety, Economy and Efficiency under the Safeguard and Control of the Electric Telegraph. Simpkin, Marshall, London, 1842. First edition of the first English book on railway telegraphy. 8vo. [2], 39, [1] pp.; 4 lithograph plates (one folding). Publishers original limp green cloth. Ottley 3279; Wheeler Gift 1011 (misstakenly calling for 5 plates). (2) Cooke, Thomas Fothergill. Authorship of the Practical Electric Telegraph of Great Britain; or, the Brunel Award vindicated; in VII letters, containing extracts from the arbitration evidence of 1841.Simpkin, Marshall, London, 1868. 4 lithographed plates. 8vo. Original blue cloth, paper title labels. After Cooke and Wheatstone were jointly awarded the Society of Arts' Albert Gold Medal, Cooke's brother, Thomas, who felt that Wheatstone should renounce the award in recognition of Cooke's "acknowledged exclusive right" to the invention, and wrote this book which includes many of the documents relating to the controversy. Condition: Minor rubbing. Minor soiling to endpapers of (1).$200-300 - Lot 14
  • $100.00
    • 2 vols. Cooke. Telegraph & Telegraphic Railways.
    Lot 14 - 2 works on the Telegraph. (1) Cooke, William Fothergill. Telegraphic Railways, or, The Single Way recommended by Safety, Economy and Efficiency under the Safeguard and Control of the Electric Telegraph. Simpkin, Marshall, London, 1842. First edition of the first English book on railway telegraphy. 8vo. [2], 39, [1] pp.; 4 lithograph plates (one folding). Publishers original limp green cloth. Ottley 3279; Wheeler Gift 1011 (misstakenly calling for 5 plates). (2) Cooke, Thomas Fothergill. Authorship of the Practical Electric Telegraph of Great Britain; or, the Brunel Award vindicated; in VII letters, containing extracts from the arbitration evidence of 1841.Simpkin, Marshall, London, 1868. 4 lithographed plates. 8vo. Original blue cloth, paper title labels. After Cooke and Wheatstone were jointly awarded the Society of Arts' Albert Gold Medal, Cooke's brother, Thomas, who felt that Wheatstone should renounce the award in recognition of Cooke's "acknowledged exclusive right" to the invention, and wrote this book which includes many of the documents relating to the controversy. Condition: Minor rubbing. Minor soiling to endpapers of (1).$200-300
  • $100.00
    • 2 vols. Cooke. Telegraph & Telegraphic Railways.
    2 works on the Telegraph. (1) Cooke, William Fothergill. Telegraphic Railways, or, The Single Way recommended by Safety, Economy and Efficiency under the Safeguard and Control of the Electric Telegraph. Simpkin, Marshall, London, 1842. First edition of the first English book on railway telegraphy. 8vo. [2], 39, [1] pp.; 4 lithograph plates (one folding). Modern gray paper, paper spine label. Ottley 3279; Wheeler Gift 1011 (misstakenly calling for 5 plates). (2) Cooke, William Fothergill. The Electric Telegraph: Was It Invented by Professor Wheatstone? Printed for the Author, W.H. Smith, London, 1854. 8vo. 48 pp. Modern gray wraps. Wheeler Gift 5016a. The patent for the invention of the telegraph was granted to Edward Cooke and Charles Wheatstone in 1837. The present work was written by Cooke to counteract his partner's claim to be the sole inventor, rather than merely a business partner. Condition: Near fine. Occasional spotting.$200-300 - Lot 15
  • $100.00
    • 2 vols. Cooke. Telegraph & Telegraphic Railways.
    Lot 15 - 2 works on the Telegraph. (1) Cooke, William Fothergill. Telegraphic Railways, or, The Single Way recommended by Safety, Economy and Efficiency under the Safeguard and Control of the Electric Telegraph. Simpkin, Marshall, London, 1842. First edition of the first English book on railway telegraphy. 8vo. [2], 39, [1] pp.; 4 lithograph plates (one folding). Modern gray paper, paper spine label. Ottley 3279; Wheeler Gift 1011 (misstakenly calling for 5 plates). (2) Cooke, William Fothergill. The Electric Telegraph: Was It Invented by Professor Wheatstone? Printed for the Author, W.H. Smith, London, 1854. 8vo. 48 pp. Modern gray wraps. Wheeler Gift 5016a. The patent for the invention of the telegraph was granted to Edward Cooke and Charles Wheatstone in 1837. The present work was written by Cooke to counteract his partner's claim to be the sole inventor, rather than merely a business partner. Condition: Near fine. Occasional spotting.$200-300
  • $100.00
    • Vail. American Electro Magnetic Telegraph. 1845.
    Vail, Alfred. Description of the American Electro Magnetic Telegraph: now in operation between the cities of Washington and Baltimore. Washington, J. & G.S. Gideon, 1845. First edition. 8vo. 24pp., 14 wood-engraved illustrations. Hook and Norman 208, Howes V5; Sabin 98292; Sterling and Shiers 6-003. Hook and Norman note that this is "One of the earliest publications of the 'Standard Morse' code that became the first widely adopted data code". The present work is widely recognized as the first American publication on Morse's telegraph. With a copy of Vail's The American electro magnetic telegraph: with reports of Congress, and a description of all telegraphs known, employing electricity or galvanism. Philadelphia, Lea & Blanchard, 1847. 208pp. Condition: Soiling to wrappers. Foxing, small stain to bottom blank page margins.$400-600 - Lot 16
  • $450.00
    • Vail. American Electro Magnetic Telegraph. 1845.
    Lot 16 - Vail, Alfred. Description of the American Electro Magnetic Telegraph: now in operation between the cities of Washington and Baltimore. Washington, J. & G.S. Gideon, 1845. First edition. 8vo. 24pp., 14 wood-engraved illustrations. Hook and Norman 208, Howes V5; Sabin 98292; Sterling and Shiers 6-003. Hook and Norman note that this is "One of the earliest publications of the 'Standard Morse' code that became the first widely adopted data code". The present work is widely recognized as the first American publication on Morse's telegraph. With a copy of Vail's The American electro magnetic telegraph: with reports of Congress, and a description of all telegraphs known, employing electricity or galvanism. Philadelphia, Lea & Blanchard, 1847. 208pp. Condition: Soiling to wrappers. Foxing, small stain to bottom blank page margins.$400-600
  • $450.00
    • Map of the Telegraph Lines of Europe, 1856.
    The Electric and International Telegraph Company’s Map of the Telegraph Lines of Europe, 1856. London: published under the authority of the Electric Telegraph Company, by Day & Son, lithrs. . . . , August 1, 1856. Large folding tinted lithographed map dissected and backed on linen. Housed in original brown cloth boards. First Edition. Sending messages with electrical signals developed quickly in the 1830s and became practical and commercial in the 1840s. Founded in Great Britain in 1846, the Electric Telegraph Company was the world’s first public telegraph company. It merged with the International Telegraph Company, an English-Dutch venture begun in 1852, in 1855. This is the first map of the consolidated company, showing the extent of the burgeoning communications system. Current and future telegraph lines are shown in full and dotted red lines; all of the English and Continental stations, between which messages can be sent, are indicated with red circles and listed on the map’s margins. According to the note at the top right, messages to and from the Continent had to be addressed “via Amsterdam.” Condition: Minor rubbing to boards. Minor toning to map.$800-1200 - Lot 17
  • $400.00
    • Map of the Telegraph Lines of Europe, 1856.
    Lot 17 - The Electric and International Telegraph Company’s Map of the Telegraph Lines of Europe, 1856. London: published under the authority of the Electric Telegraph Company, by Day & Son, lithrs. . . . , August 1, 1856. Large folding tinted lithographed map dissected and backed on linen. Housed in original brown cloth boards. First Edition. Sending messages with electrical signals developed quickly in the 1830s and became practical and commercial in the 1840s. Founded in Great Britain in 1846, the Electric Telegraph Company was the world’s first public telegraph company. It merged with the International Telegraph Company, an English-Dutch venture begun in 1852, in 1855. This is the first map of the consolidated company, showing the extent of the burgeoning communications system. Current and future telegraph lines are shown in full and dotted red lines; all of the English and Continental stations, between which messages can be sent, are indicated with red circles and listed on the map’s margins. According to the note at the top right, messages to and from the Continent had to be addressed “via Amsterdam.” Condition: Minor rubbing to boards. Minor toning to map.$800-1200
  • $400.00
    • Shaffner. The Telegraph Manual. 1859.
    Shaffner, Taliaferro Preston. The Telegraph manual : a complete history and description of the semaphoric, electric and magnetic telegraphs of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, ancient and modern. Pudney & Russell, New York, 1859. 8vo. Modern green cloth. Condition: Occasional foxing.$200-300 - Lot 18
  • $100.00
    • Shaffner. The Telegraph Manual. 1859.
    Lot 18 - Shaffner, Taliaferro Preston. The Telegraph manual : a complete history and description of the semaphoric, electric and magnetic telegraphs of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, ancient and modern. Pudney & Russell, New York, 1859. 8vo. Modern green cloth. Condition: Occasional foxing.$200-300
  • $100.00
    • Cyrus W. Field: Transatlantic Cable Segment. 1858.
    Segment of the first transatlantic telegraph cable from 1858, measuring 3.5" long, made into a souvenir and sold by Tiffany & Co. The cable is wrapped with a brass band, reading: "Atlantic Telegraph Cable, Guaranteed by Tiffany & Co., Broadway, New York, 1858." In fine condition. Led by Cyrus W. Field and the Atlantic Telegraph Company, the first complete transatlantic telegraph cable was laid from Valentia Island on the west coast of Ireland to Heart's Content on the east coast of Newfoundland. The first communications occurred on August 16, 1858, reducing the time of communication from North America to Europe from ten days—the time it took to deliver a message by ship—to a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, the cable functioned for only three weeks, but it proved the viability of the concept. Cyrus W. Field sold a quantity of the leftover cable to Tiffany's to be transformed into souvenirs of the historic telegraph line. Condition: Minor corrosion to cable, some patina to brass sections.$200-300 - Lot 19
  • $700.00
    • Cyrus W. Field: Transatlantic Cable Segment. 1858.
    Lot 19 - Segment of the first transatlantic telegraph cable from 1858, measuring 3.5" long, made into a souvenir and sold by Tiffany & Co. The cable is wrapped with a brass band, reading: "Atlantic Telegraph Cable, Guaranteed by Tiffany & Co., Broadway, New York, 1858." In fine condition. Led by Cyrus W. Field and the Atlantic Telegraph Company, the first complete transatlantic telegraph cable was laid from Valentia Island on the west coast of Ireland to Heart's Content on the east coast of Newfoundland. The first communications occurred on August 16, 1858, reducing the time of communication from North America to Europe from ten days—the time it took to deliver a message by ship—to a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, the cable functioned for only three weeks, but it proved the viability of the concept. Cyrus W. Field sold a quantity of the leftover cable to Tiffany's to be transformed into souvenirs of the historic telegraph line. Condition: Minor corrosion to cable, some patina to brass sections.$200-300
  • $700.00
    • Atlantic Telegraph Company. 1860 Proceedings.
    Atlantic Telegraph Company Verbatim Minutes of Proceedings at the Ordinary and Extraordinary General Meeting, Held at the London Tavern, Bishopsgate Street Within, On Wednesday, 29th February, 1860. William Brown and Co., London, 1860. 8vo. 24 pp. Original printed wrappers. Stab bound. These proceedings talk about the hope to re-establish the Atlantic telegraph route (which would occur in 1865) and talks of recouping some money buy resaling the cable remaining in the ocean. Condition: Soiling to title page and p.24.$120-220 - Lot 20
  • $190.00
    • Atlantic Telegraph Company. 1860 Proceedings.
    Lot 20 - Atlantic Telegraph Company Verbatim Minutes of Proceedings at the Ordinary and Extraordinary General Meeting, Held at the London Tavern, Bishopsgate Street Within, On Wednesday, 29th February, 1860. William Brown and Co., London, 1860. 8vo. 24 pp. Original printed wrappers. Stab bound. These proceedings talk about the hope to re-establish the Atlantic telegraph route (which would occur in 1865) and talks of recouping some money buy resaling the cable remaining in the ocean. Condition: Soiling to title page and p.24.$120-220
  • $190.00
    • Western Union Telegraph. Norvin Green ALS.
    Norvin Green. Autograph Letter Signed. On Exectuive Office Western Union Telegraph Company letterhead. 2 p. Ruled in blue. Written to the Singer Manufacturing Co. in New York, confirming a refund of $4.58 due to error in several messages sent out late the previous year. Dated March 14th, 1876, signed as Vice President of the company he would later become president of in 1878. Condition: Minor soiling.$100-200 - Lot 21
  • $450.00
    • Western Union Telegraph. Norvin Green ALS.
    Lot 21 - Norvin Green. Autograph Letter Signed. On Exectuive Office Western Union Telegraph Company letterhead. 2 p. Ruled in blue. Written to the Singer Manufacturing Co. in New York, confirming a refund of $4.58 due to error in several messages sent out late the previous year. Dated March 14th, 1876, signed as Vice President of the company he would later become president of in 1878. Condition: Minor soiling.$100-200
  • $450.00

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