Search Results: Authors starting with M from Auger Down Books

Great Britain, 1850. Broadside measuring 9 â…ž x 15 â…œ inches. Some chipping and wear to edge, ink number written in corner, two small section of loss due to improper mounting, very good overall. Coat of arms of the United Kingdom above printed text. Very Good. A scarce broadside relating to British postal rates across the Panama Route through the Chagres River, which supplied mail to California and Oregon beginning in 1848 before eventually being replaced by the Overland route in 1860. The service was characterized by long delay times, as steamships on either side of the isthmus were often not coordinated, causing major delays in the delivery. Several different steamship companies operated privately, some carrying express mail. The letters were transported by canoe or pack animal across the isthmus. Postmaster General Cave Johnson began establishing post offices in California in 1848. Johnson also oversaw the transition to the prepaid delivery system. The broadside here, of which we find no other… Read More

Maine, 1912. First Edition. Oblong album measuring 10 x 7 inches with 135 photographs and varied ephemera inside. Nearly complete with one photo missing, minimal wear, near fine overall. The first 100 or so photographs show campus life, the rest show students perhaps on summer vacation at beaches, etc. Near Fine. A particularly well preserved album of photographs documenting fraternity and campus culture at the University of Maine from 1908-1912, with many pictures of football, hazing rituals and students participating in the strikes of October, 1909, in which hundreds of students marched to downtown Orono to protest the suspensions of students who had participated in hazing rituals. As part of the hazing rituals, freshmen were beaten with paddles and submerged in the Stillwater River. This scrapbook was kept by John E. Ash, a member of the Sigma Mu fraternity, and offers a glimpse of what campus life for a fraternity member entailed in the early twentieth century, with other photographs showing… Read More

New England, 1850. First Edition. 6 1/2 x 9 inches. Fine. A charming broadside advertising the services of the itinerant photographer L.W.F. Mark of Boston and his photographic equipment. Itinerant photographers travelled through towns offering their services beginning with the invention of the daguerreotype in the late 1840s and continuing through the eras of varied photographic processes. This example is most likely from the late 1850s or early 1860s, though it is undated, as tintypes replaced ambrotypes by the early 1860s. The broadside advertises his "superior German Instruments, and the best of Stock," promises "to please even the most fastidious" and implores potential customers to "Come One, Come All, Give the Lame Man a Call!" It is unclear what this refers to, as the illustration of the photographer gives no hint as to his ailment. A fine example with minimal foxing to extremities. Three separate OCLC entries locate a total of six copies held institutionally.

N.P., 1972. . Poster measuring 14 x 22 inches. Some marks, a closed tear with tape repair edgewear and creasing, very good minus overall. Very Good. After John Conyers' efforts to create a national holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. failed in congress days following his assassination, the first celebrations of Martin Luther King's birthday began in 1969 when the newly created King Center, led by Coretta Scott King, organized events in King's honor on his birthday of January 15th. Observations of King's birthday followed in each subsequent year, with the SCLC collecting three million signatures in support of a national holiday in 1971. Despite these efforts, no bill honoring King would be signed into law until 1973, in Illinois. Offered here is a poster from one of these early celebrations in 1972. We can find no record of the artist - a J.L. - or similar surviving examples of this poster.

Haverhill, 1940. First Edition. Seven journals, each approximately 70 pages, with pages measuring 4 ½ x 2 ½ inches. Near Fine. These journals, by an unnamed member of the Dean family of Haverhill, were assembled around 1940 from collected family and historical photographs. Taken as a whole they provide a richly detailed social history of the region, from the perspective of a well-to-do military family with many ties to the local business community. They bridge the gap from the post-Civil War era, with reference to G.A.R. reunions and the like, to the late 1920s. The author's perspective - conservative, sometimes horribly bigoted, with a penchant for underlining key passages of her own writing - is on full display throughout. We have not identified the author, though she is shown in several photographs. Much of the journals recount the details of civic-minded local life, often with surprising detail. On an evening in city hall, she writes, "the walls hung with banners - flags and scrolls of… Read More

American, 1910. Silver gelatin photograph measuring 6 x 8 inches on larger mount. Some hand coloring to costumes. Some fading, chips and wear to mount, very good overall. Very Good. A photograph of a fraternal group in faux-Native American costume, likely a meeting of the Improved Order of Red Men or a similar organization. Spectators line the hill in the background.

Camp Low, 1865. Original partially printed document, 26cm x 77cm. Printed on both sides of the sheet, completed in manuscript. Darkening at folds from old tape repairs; partial splits to folds and extremities; complete and quite Good. Docketed verso, signed in ink by Lieutenant M[organ?] Owen. Lists twelve enlisted soldiers, most with Spanish surnames (two with French surnames). Fine. The formation of the California Native Cavalry in 1863 marked a significant chapter in the state's history. Comprising primarily Mexican-American individuals, colloquially referred to as "native" Californians, the California Native Cavalry unit was formed 1863. Initially commanded by Maj. Andreas Pico, a distinguished hero from the Mexican-American War, and later under Salvador Vallejo, the regiment drew its ranks from diverse backgrounds. Recruitment efforts began with vaqueros from southern California, expanding to include individuals from San José and San Francisco. The unit boasted a varied composition,… Read More

Vera Cruz, 1847. Folded letter to Wheeling, Virginia with learly struck two-line datestamp with "Paid 10" manuscript rate and blue "Steam" handstamp of New Orleans on 1847, with an unusual "Steam" marking applied in New Orleans. Fine condition. Fine. A descriptive and interesting letter from Captain George W. Clutter of Wheeling, Virginia, describing the scenes and food in Vera Cruz in detail. Clutter had enlisted a detachment of thirty-two men in early 1847 in Monongalia County for service in the war, who would eventually become known as the "Mountain Boys of Monongalia." Clutter was promoted to the captaincy upon the resignation of John Tyler. The company sailed in June of 1847 on the Brig "Tuckahoe" from Old Point Comfort to Point Isabel, where they marched to join General Taylor's forces. This interesting letter, written by Clutter from Vera Cruz, describes the city and cuisine of Vera Cruz in detail. He writes, "I am now boarding at the best Hotel in the city - it is called "Bells Stage… Read More

Mexico, 1833. First Edition. Mexico: May 23, 1833. Letter and chart on watermarked single folio sheets, approx. 13 x 16-½ inches, letter: [3] pp.; chart: [2] pp.;. Near Fine. Rare first-hand documentation of the growing trade tensions that eventually led to the French-Mexican "Pastry War" of 1838. Consul Hersant's gossipy report surveys the "commercial movement of the port [of Tampico] since it's opening in 1824 until the end of 1832." Hersant complains to his superiors that Mexican trade with the US and England far outpaces France; even the Hanseatic League has become a problem. The Consul includes a hand-drawn table tallying foreign ships and the weight of goods by country, a visual aid supporting his claim that French trade lags considerably behind other partners. Ultimately it is civil disorder that most disturbs the Consul; that is, smuggling assisted by the Mexican customs officers themselves: "se fait impunément et avec l'aide des douaniers eux-mêmes et peut porter au double la quantité… Read More

Burdeos [Bourdeaux]: Carlos Lawalle Sobrino, 1832. 8vo, full calf, 598 [2] pp. Chips to head of spine, ex-libris stamp to preliminary page, text block fine, very good to near fine overall. Very Good. A nice first edition copy of Tadeo Ortiz's second historical work, written during his time as Consul in Bourdeaux and printed in Bourdeaux after he had returned to America to work as official commissioner in Texas. Ortiz advocated free trade and was in support of colonization in the northern frontier. "This idealistic statesman approved of free trade for his country, although he also believed in government subsidization of economic development. He showed a remarkable interest in the geographical aspects of the economy. Though he never played an important role in the Mexican party struggles of his age, he searched and gained support mainly among such conservative politicians as Manuel de Mier y Terán." - Texas State Historical Association. OCLC 2636766, Sabin 57724.

San Francisco: San Francisco Examiner, 1950. Silver press prints, the images measuring 5 3/4x8 1/4 inches and slightly smaller, sheets approximately 7 ¼ x 9 inches. Some light wear, editorial marks to versos, near fine condition overall. Near Fine. Offered here is a series of fourteen photographs taken in a migrant workers' camp fourteen miles west of Phoenix, Arizona, in March of 1950. Juvenile Court Judge Thomas Croaff reported that 100 children were starving at the camp, drawing press coverage and state aid. The photographs show the workers and their families in camp. One shows a Creek family playing outside at the camp, with several camp structures shown in the background. Several show a nearby store offering aid to children from the camp. Though the judge's decision helped alleviate the situation in this instance, there were many other labor camps in similar situations, with Governor Dan Garvey calling attention to similar migrant farm worker camps in Mesa, Bisbee, and Pinal counties. While… Read More

Chicago: Jansen, McClurg and Co, 1876. 8vo, finely bound in ornate polished calf with all edges gilt, 258 pp. A finely bound copy of one of Miller's best-known works, bound in perhaps early 20th century fine polished calf. Affixed to the preliminary page is an effusive letter from Miller written to the Roberts Brothers complaining about their treatment of him.

Glenwood Springs, Colorado: Dennis, 1890. Albumen photograph, 7 ¼ x 4 ¾ inches on larger mount. Near Fine. An uncommon cabinet card lampooning the plight of the solitary miner through a series of drawings. The drawings show a man setting out to strike it rich before burying himself in a hole, from which he is eventually rescued. The final drawing shows him relaxing at home with a pipe and his foot in a cast. We find no record of the photographer, only a similarly named E.W. Dennis who was active in Canon City and Colorado Springs during the same era. Fine condition with minimal wear.

New York: Fisher and Brothers, 1851. 16mo, wraps, unpaginated. A few small holes to front wrap, fraying to spine, slight tanning, very good plus overall with a tight binding and bright contents. Very Good. An uncommon songster with woodcut illustrations published in 1851, marking the likely first appearance of "Old Folks at Home" in digest form. We are unable to establish priority between this songster and the Firth, Pond and Co. sheet music edition of the title, as both were published in 1851. The listing for "Old Folks at Home" contains a note at the introduction that Fisher has the "sole and exclusive permission to publish the words" to the song from Firth, Pond and Co. The remainder of the songster includes many songs credited to Christy's Minstrels, along with Jim Sanford, S.S. Steele, Lucy Long, Old Dan Tucker, Alen Clark, and F. McDermott. These are likely early digest form printings of many of these songs, though dating is difficult due to other Christy's songsters from the 1850s being… Read More

Mitchell, 1887. 8vo, wraps, 82 pp. Tears to wraps, partially disbound, contents very good, good overall. Good. An unrecorded promotional book written about the city of Mitchell four years after its founding and near the end of the Dakota Boom. The introduction states "No apology is needed for the publication at this point of a pamphlet setting forth the advantages of this city and the country tributary thereto... The east is overcrowded with people... the west presents the opposite condition. Business opportunities are plenty. A little money goes a great ways..." The book is illustrated with woodcut illustrations of the scenes and businesses of Mitchell, and a map on the rear wrap shows the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railway, for which Mitchell provides a junction of two of the branches. We find no record of this book, which overall provides insight into the city's early history and more broadly is an excellent example of promotional literature of the Dakotas in the period just before statehood.

New York, 1970. Six photographs measuring 8 x 10 inches. Fine condition. A collection of six photographs of Murray Louis Dance Company productions from the 1970s, with another portrait of Louis. The productions include Go Six, Personnae, Calligraph for Martyrs (two images), and Hoopla. A fine collection.

Washington: For the Author, 1866. 8vo, blue wraps, 42 pp. Apparently a gift copy from Curtis. Near fine overall with minimal wear. Near Fine. A scarce survival from Lorenzo Snow's trial in the U.S. Supreme Court for polygamy under the Edmunds Act, where two of his three convictions were eventually overturned as the court determined that the offense was continuous and therefore only warranted a single conviction. George Ticknor Curtis defended Snow, and published this edition of his speech himself. Curtis argued that Snow had lived continuously with one woman, and defended his right to have multiple "wives" as a matter of religious freedom. This copy with "From the Author" on the top margin of the title wrap, apparently presented as a gift from Curtis.

Mostly Los Angeles, 1939. Oblong quarto, containing 117 photographs. Sixty-two of the photographs involve motorcycles directly, either action shots or posed shots in attire, with many others showing scenery from motorcycle tours. Some photographs missing, those present are in excellent condition with fine contrast, very good condition overall. Very Good. A charming album documenting the lives of a couple from California and their love of motorcycle touring and racing in the late 1930s, uncommon for the many pictures of women in motorcycle clothing that are included. Some of the photographs document travels, some in the west such as the Boulder Dam, Arizona, Big Bear Lake, etc., and some at a motorcycle meet in Marion, Indiana. Several photos show a crashed U.S. Army bomber at Miner Field in Inglewood. Several show San Gabriel Canyon on Thanksgiving, 1937, with one showing a portrait of a woman captioned "Drunk Again." Another shows a national time trial race in San Diego. The photos seem to follow a… Read More

New York, 1940. Eighty-five pages, including sixty loose pages and a partial draft of Guthrie's Hard Hitting Songs for Hard Hit People, totaling twenty-five pages. With one handwritten page. One page - a typewritten copy of "The Ballad of Harry Bridges" - with a handwritten note by Guthrie to Ambellan. With photocopies of several letters from Guthrie to Ambellan included. Also with a broadside of the Carol Tree Carol by Alan and Elizabeth Lomax (1940) and a notecard with the lyrics to "Hawl Away Joe" written Inscription states "Here you are Harold, hope it aint late. Well if it is will be singing about old Harry for a many a day to come. Pour it on em, Boy. Woody G. A fascinating collection of material from the collection of Harold Ambellan, Woodie Guthrie's friend, collaborator and landlord during an important creative period for Guthrie in the 1940s. The group contains a partial draft of Guthrie's Hard Hitting Songs for Hard Hit People, which was written while Guthrie was living in Ambellan's loft,… Read More

New York, 1958. Silver Gelatin Photograph measuring 8 ½ x 11 ½ inches, with Schatt's marks verso with his notation "Vintage '58" in ink. A fine example, fine contrast. A striking image of Eartha Kitt and her band performing at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival, taken by the prolific photographer Roy Schatt, perhaps best known for his photographs of James Dean. This is a vintage example, likely printed in 1958 from the "1958" and "Vintage" marks to verso. We find no other record of this specific image, only a similar image from Kitt's performance taken by Schatt.