News | October 19, 2023

White House Copy of 1909 Plan of Chicago and Lafitau’s Moeurs des Sauvages Ameriquains at Quinn's

Quinn's

La Fontaine, Choix de fables de la Fontaine illustrees par un groupe des meilleurs artistes de Tokio under the direction of P. Baboutau, 1894, 2 vol., first edition illustrated with 38 color prints. Remarkable fusion of tradition Japanese prints and French fables. Estimate $300-$500

Early printings, illustrated books, Presidential autographs, and a Poe thriller go under the hammer at Quinn’s Rare Book, Autograph and Print Auction on October 26.

The scientific and historical section includes several volumes on American exploration. A complete set of the Pacific Railroad survey, spanning the years 1853 to 1860, is estimated at $2,000-$3,000, while an early and complete (50 volume) run of the Bureau of American Ethnology Annual Reports is expected to make $1,200-$1,600.

A 4-volume collection of early French Revolutionary pamphlets and publications, Constitution Civile du Clerge, focuses on the plight of the French Catholic Church from 1791 to 1793 and the effects of the Civil Constitution on the clergy. Comprising 28 pamphlets and publications in total, the lot is estimated at $300-$500. Another significant French production is Jesuit missionary Joseph Francois Lafitau’s Moeurs des Sauvages Ameriquains (Paris: Chez Saugrain & Hochereau, 1724). A two volume, first edition with comprehensive information on the Iroquois and other Native tribes of upper North America, it has 42 engraved plates, including a map of the Americas. Estimate: $1,500-$2,500

The first psychological sketch on childhood development, authored by Charles Darwin in 1877, appears in Volume 2, No. 7, pages 285-294 of Mind: A Quarterly Review of Psychology and Philosophy. The study is based on Darwin’s personal notes from observing the development of his first-born son, William Erasmus, from 1839-41. The pre-sale estimate is $2,000-$3,000.

Quinn's

Fritz Eichenberg (American, 1901-1990); Erasmus: In Praise of Folly (Aquarius Press, NY and Baltimore, 1972) with 10 woodblock prints by Fritz Eichenberg, each signed in pencil. 1 of 10 copies, number IV in Roman numerals. Estimate $600-$900

Quinn's

Daniel H. Burnham, Plan of Chicago, prepared under direction of the Commercial Club, Chicago, 1909. No. 757 of 1,650 copies, The White House Copy, stamped as such on copyright page with date March 3rd, 1913. Library of Congress bookplate over original Commercial Club bookplate. Numerous plans, plates and illustrations, some folding or in color. Estimate $800-$1,200

Quinn's

Ronald Reagan, An American Life, Simon & Schuster, NY, 1990, signed deluxe octavo first edition, 748 pps illustrated with plates from photographs, 892/2000. Blue leather with gilt lettering. Oak presentation case includes six cassette tapes of Reagan’s speeches, addresses and recollections. Estimate $2,000-$3,000

Quinn's

Antoine Saint-Exupery, The little Prince, Reynal & Hitchcock, NY, 1943. Octavo first trade edition, first printing, with five-line colophon at rear. Unclipped first-issue jacket with $2 price. Translated from French. Estimate $800-$1,200

Cryptanalysis, or the process of analyzing information systems in order to breach algorithms and decipher encrypted messages, is actually not a modern concept. The auction offers a copy of the first major work on subject – Elements of Cryptanalysis – which was written by William F Friedman for use as a War Department training pamphlet. A first-edition octavo dated May 1923, it is entered with a $600-$900 estimate.

The October 26 sale includes a virtual time capsule of Ronald Reagan’s presidential highlights as documented through cassette tapes of his most famous speeches, addresses, and personal recollections. The set of six tapes is presented together with a signed octavo first edition of Reagan’s An American Life (Simon and Schuster, NY, 1990). The stately suite of written and spoken materials is No. 892 of 2,000 copies. In fine condition, it is estimated at $2,000-$3,000.

The White House copy of the 1909 Plan of Chicago, prepared by Daniel H. Burnham under the direction of the Commercial Club, Chicago, is No. 757 of 1,650 copies. Its copyright page is stamped “By transfer The White House March 3rd, 1913" with a Library of Congress bookplate applied over the original Commercial Club bookplate. Containing numerous plans, plates and illustrations, some folding or in color, the book is offered with an $800-$1,200 estimate.

Antoine Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince (Reynal & Hitchcock, NY, 1943) goes under the hammer in an octavo first trade edition first printing with a five-line colophon at the rear. Retaining an unclipped first-issue dust jacket with the original $2 price, this English-language book translated from French and illustrated in color is expected to attract a winning bid in the $800-$1,200 range.

Elsewhere, Edgar Allan Poe’s The Pit and the Pendulum appears in The Gift: A Christmas and New Year Present (Philadelphia: Carey and Hart), a first-state octavo edition. An 1843 date is shown on both the title and copyright pages. Estimate: $800-$1,200

The auction also features many fine engravings (Winslow Homer, after Audubon, David Loggan, et al.), prints, folios, and ephemera and photographs signed by notable figures. Fritz Eichenberg’s (American, 1901-1990) Erasmus: In Praise of Folly (Aquarius Press, NY and Baltimore, 1972) is 1 of 10 copies and designated with the Roman numeral IV. It contains 10 woodblock prints by Eichenberg, each signed in pencil. Estimate: $600-$900.