[BINDING - NEW YORK (?) 1824]. The Complaint: or, Night Thoughts

Hartford: Silas Andrus, 1824. Very good. 8vo. 234 pp. With 7 full-page plates by Richard Westall (1765-1836) engraved by Oliver Pelton (1798-1882). Contemporary polished calf, outer frame rolls in blind and gilt, in central panel a large rectangle, diamond, and "X" composed with black lines, at each conjunction a small or large gilt flower; four raised bands on spine profusely gilt, central compartment lettered direct; marbled pastedowns and endpapers, marbled edges. Text and plates foxed; minor wear to binding extremities, front blank leaf loosening. An attractive and unusual binding, suitable for exhibition. AN EARLY 19TH CENTURY AMERICAN BINDING OF A RARE TYPE, LIKELY BOUND IN NEW YORK CITY.

The only other example known to us was published in Papantonio's Early American Bookbindings, no. 49 (unidentified binder, but localized to "New York"). The two bindings share very similar designs and techniques: in central panels the black lines bisect to form a diamond and rectangles, at their conjunctions a small gilt dot or flower, the entire motif framed by gilt and blind rolls. Papantonio's binding formed part of a set of four books by Samuel Judah (New York, 1827), and he found two more in the Barrett collection at UVa. They all belonged to an early resident of New York City and Westport, NY.

Our binding features the letterpress bookplate of Oliver V. (Valentine) Amerman (a.k.a. Ammerman). Rev. Amerman was born in Brooklyn in 1804, and was orphoned by the age of sixteen. Rev. Averman became an itinerant Methodist Episcopal minister throughout the Northeast. In 1824 he began his career as an itinerant preacher in the Queens and Suffolk County (NY) circuits. "He afterwards labored at Suffolk and Sag Harbor, Stamford, Redding, Sag Harbor, Sag Harbor and Bridgehampton, Stamford, Fairhaven, Salisbury, Hillsdale, New Haven, Woodbury, Sangerties, Salisbury, Red Hook, Bedford Street (NYC) and Duane Street (NYC), Goshen, Rhinebeck, Red Hook, Sheffield, Shrub Oaks, Dobb's Ferry, Kensico and Northcastle, Hillsdale, and Fishkill Landing, thus closing forty-two years of effective service. The remainder of his life was spent as a superannuate" (SOURCE: McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia). Amerman died in Peekshill (Westchester County, NY) in 1879 and was buried in Green-wood Cemetery. His bookplate in our binding is annotated in MS: "No. 124," suggesting that he had at least 123 volumes (or titles?) in his collection. Where are they all now? Interestingly, a small group of Amerman's papers are at UVa.