Rare books from Nicholas D. Riccio Rare Books & Prints

Folio, recently rebound in calf, consists of 7 books in one volume, folding map (linen-backed), [30], map, 38, [2], 75, 238, [2], 128-222, 100, 88, 118, [4] pp. As usual, lacking errata leaves, and first two blanks, left half of map made up in facsimile, first signature A (AN ATTESTATION, which should be bound after the title page is placed before the map) is bound incorrectly after D (per Church and Holmes). All preliminaries are present. Minor marginal annotations, dampstaining affecting upper inner quarter of the first three books, some chips and folds in corners, occasional soiling, and wax remnant on title, leaves 6L2 and 6L3 with smaller margins, apparently taken from another copy; modern bookplate tipped in on front pastedown. First ad leaf out of register and trim, the other worn and extended at the inner margin, both with slight loss of text. Handsomely rebound in full panel calf, sewn endbands, title label on spine. The first edition of Cotton Mather's (1663-1728) Magnalia Christi Americana… Read More

12mo (6 ¾ x 3 ¾), period sheep, rebacked with modern leather, old spine label, two wood engraved frontispiece portraits, 326 pp. Housed in custom made half morocco folding box. Covers a little worn and scuffed, contents foxed with some browning and soiling; lower corner of pp. 29-30 torn off, affecting a few words, and a tear on pp. 81-82; otherwise very good. Some sources suggest there are one or two other plates in this title, but only the portraits are bound in this volume.The Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806) was the first overland expedition by the United States to go to the Pacific coast. This was an extremely important expedition because it laid the groundwork for the Western Expansion, and gave our government a first hand account of the resources we picked up with the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. The expedition was led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, but was greatly assisted by Sacajawea, their Native American guide and translator. This work was published because of the growing… Read More

8vo, original bull sheep with four raised boards, iii-viii, 280,168, 16pp. Benezet title is bound at the end (16 pp.). Binding very worn and rubbed, hinges weak, binding slightly warped, missing endpapers, pages 53-56 are torn, page 5 and 6 is torn in half in Harley’s A Discourse on Mistakes Concerning Religion, last page chipped and folded a bit, but with no material impact on text, internally somewhat, soiled, foxed and aged. Anthony Benezet (1713-1784) was born into a French Huguenot family that moved to London when he was two years old. At seventeen, his family moved to Philadelphia, and he became a Quaker. He became a teacher and established the first public school for girls in America, and along the way he managed to teach slave children from his home. In 1770, with the help of the Quakers, he set up the Negro School at Philadelphia, which he taught at until his death. The current work has the distinction of being one of the earliest and most important anti-slavery efforts printed in America… Read More

8vo, contemporary cloth, illustrated with frontispiece portrait of Boone, and 9 full page illustrations, 252pp. Binding shows some wear, and book has slight tilt. Frontispiece somewhat faded, the usual foxing, and a little staining. Has been rebacked, and overall is in very good condition. This is a first edition, second issue of Flint’s (1780-1840) popular biography of Boone. This work appeared in some 14th editions, and did much to establish Boone as a frontier legend. Not surprisingly, there is a lot of exaggeration in the work, which is illustrated with several illustrations showing Boone, in a coonskin hat, shooting panthers, fighting bears, and exploring the ‘wild frontier’. In reality, Boone (1734-1820) did live a colorful life, even if he didn’t shoot panthers off the backs of buffaloes. He was an Indian fighter, an explorer, and even fought in the French and Indian War. While Boone will forever be linked with the early settlement of Kentucky, he did live in West Virginia for ten… Read More

Group of three daily diaries for 1861, 1863, 1865, and two others for 1866 and 1867. Together five diaries. Various places: 1861-1867. Each 12mo morocco wallet style bindings, four black one red. Diaries for 1861 and 1863 in pencil, others combination of pencil and ink. All bindings are worn, 1863 is more so, and a couple have some tears along edges and hinges. The 1866 diary has more significant wear,m and some cracks along the edges. Group of 10 pages are loose in 1863. Condition of writing varies, but generally fairly legible. Overall the group is in very good condition.Herrick was from Syracuse, New York and served in Company D of the 110th Regiment of the New York Volunteers. However, information from the National Park Service archive suggest he served with the 12 Regiment out of New York. He appears to have served during the siege at Port Hudson, and did garrison duty at the infamous Union prison Fort Jefferson in Florida. The first diary covers his enlistment in April 1861 to the end of that… Read More

4 volumes, 8v0, later half calf & marbled boards, rebacked with original spines laid on, 3 folding maps & 9 folding tables, xxiv, 591, [1] blank, [16]; [ii], 717,[1], [21]; [ii], 523,[1],[16]; [ii], 610,[8] pp. Edges rubbed, maps with some separation at folds,, edge wear and repaired tears, and occasional light foxing. The Duke de La Rochefoucauld-Liancourt (1747-1827) was known to have some liberal political tendencies, but supported royalty through the French Revolution. Not surprisingly, he fled to England in 1794 shortly after the storming of the Bastille. He would travel to the United States and Canada in 1795, but would return to France four years later. During his travels in North America, he would tour New England, the Eastern Great Lakes, Upper Canada, and even the Southern United Sates. His commentary includes observations on farming, the quality of roads, shipping and whaling in New England, the Quakers, and Philadelphia society. He even makes a comment on how well read American women are.

Pamphlet 8vo, original wrappers, 27 pp. Backstrip partially lacking, and three small holes along left margin, not affecting text, chip on top margin, holes appear to be for loose-leaf storage, Moderate aging & toning, a few chips on top and corners of wrappers, small piece missing on top, crease in middle of pamphlet but not too obtrusive. Very good overall. This is a first edition of a rare and important work on Civil Rights, which is printed by Benjamin Bacon, one of the compilers of the first statistical study on African Americans in Philadelphia. The pamphlet actually contains some statistics on the numbers of African Americans in various cities in America at that time. While the main thrust of this work is on the refusal of the street car companies to allow African Americans to ride them, it also addresses some broader issues with respect to Civil Rights. He talks about equal rights in education and treatment of black Civil War veterans too. Interestingly, the author sometimes attributes the… Read More

8vo, full leather, morocco label on spine,, 55; [1], [2], 38, [1]; iv, 115 pp. Handsomely rebound in leather, with new endpapers. Internally a little browned but pretty clean, however one leaf is bound in backwards. George Whitefield (1714-1770) was born in Gloucester England in 1714. Although he was the son of an innkeeper, he did manage to get an education and graduated from Pembroke College at Oxford in 1736. He went on to become a very important religious leader in the 18th century, and he, not John Wesley, is believed to be the real founder of Methodism. During his career he made several trips to America, and became an important religious leader on both sides of the Atlantic. He had excellent oratory skills, and would often attract thousands at open air sermons. Benjamin Franklin in his autobiography refers to these skills, and mentions that after vowing to give Whitefield nothing because of a disagreement, ended up emptying his pockets completely after listing to Whitefield preach. His journals… Read More

Letterpress broadside, 18 7/8" x 11 3/4", bold black type for highlighted words. Paper evenly toned, some wrinkling, considerable archival conservation and restoration with archival paper repair; despite the imperfections it is still a decent copy with a nice impression. This appears to fall into the political dirty tricks department in an election between John Brodhead and Henry Bumm for city treasurer in Philadelphia. The broadside is supposed to highlight a letter from John Brodhead to Jefferson Davis in 1860. It has strong racist overtones, as Brodhead supposedly requests a position in Nicaragua, so he can "help open it up to civilization and Niggers." He goes on to state he is "tired of being a white slave at the North, and long for a home in the sunny South." These kinds of political tricks were not uncommon during the Civil War period (perhaps that's still true today), and the racist overtones would certainly not help one's chances in a Northern election.

Newspaper, disbound, 23" x 16", 8 pp. Probably removed, dbd, minor staining and browning, a little creasing and fading; otherwise very good.This is an early report under the heading "Important Assassination of President Lincoln." This is the second morning edition of April 15, 1865 with the 3 a.m. update from Edward Stanton, the Secretary of War, which indicates Lincoln was still alive, but in very bad shape. The article describes John Wilkes Booth, "the actor", as the alleged assassin of the president. It describes how Booth entered Lincoln's box and after shooting him, stating "Sic semper tyranis" before he leaped on to the stage. This report gives considerable detail about the how Washington reacted to the news, and the scene at Lincoln's deathbed. There is also a good deal of coverage of the assassination attempt on Secretary of State, William Seward. This paper represents an important piece of American history.

Architectural diagram plans for the construction of the Empire State Building. 8 items, all pencil on paper or tracing vellum, various sizes ranging from 8x13 inches to 36x48 inches. Included are 5 plot plans showing the building's outline and the surrounding streets and properties, 5 section plans of existing vaults and the machine room, 2 sub-basement plans, and the details of the pit for the refrigeration unit. Condition varies, but is generally very good; most of the plans have minor folds or tears in the margins. The freight elevator plan has some tape repairs on the reverse, but is not obtrusive. A plan showing a map of 34th and 33rd Streets has the most damage, with tears in the margin, some pieces missing, and some significant wrinkling; probably the least important plan in this collection. Eight of the plans will be shipped rolled. The 102 story landmark Empire State Building was completed in 1931 on the former site of the original Waldof-Astoria Hotel. The cost of construction was about $41… Read More

Bound volume of 89 acts, folio (11 3/4" x 7"), period full calf, 446 pp. Various paginations actual page count is done by hand, and a manuscript index at the front lists the acts and indicates the page it is on. Binding is worn, backstrip is gone, hinges are cracked (covers almost detached) and some signatures are loose, some early ink notations and page numbering are on top of pages, it appears there are some remnants of wax seals on the margin of the last page, some soiling at endpapers, normal aging and browning, but internally pretty clean; despite the mentioned flaws, the contents are in very good shape, but the binding needs work. While this collection of Acts passed under George II and George III is not sequential, a previous owner has provided a useful index as to the contents and location of various acts. The laws cover a very broad area of issues, from the more mundane, such as, dog stealing, punishments for disorderly houses, and preventing abuses in making bricks and tiles, to more… Read More

Folding map, [printed on thin banknote paper, 35 x 61.5 cm (13 1/2" x 24"), plus decorative boarder, folding into original embossed red cloth folder, lettered in gilt, Colton advertisement on top pastedown. Folder is 5 3/4" x 3 1/2". Very slight edgewear, very small fold tear, some darkening where attached, map bright and clean overall and near fine. J. H. Colton (1800-1893), founded the Colton map publishing company, and the Colton family published atlases for over 30 years. Colton's Atlas of the World was first published in 1855 in a large two-volume set. In 1857 it became Colton's General Atlas, and Colton's sons, George Woolworth and Charles B. would take over. However, during the 1850s, J. H. Colton was probably the most important U.S. geographic publisher. This is a handsome map of the United States that provides a good deal of detail on the Western Territories, including Oregon, Utah, Washington and New Mexico. According to Wheat the map shows explorations for Pacific Railroads. However, Wheat… Read More

8vo, period tree sheep, rebacked with tan calf, early morocco spine label, folding table of the Indians in Virginia; map of the Ohio River near Pittsburgh, [4], 436, [blank], 56 pp. Wear to corners; some foxing and soiling within, tape repair to front free endpaper, rear free endpaper detached, crease and tear on page 42, and tear on page 94, library plate and stamps on front pastedown and endpapers hinges a little weak, but firm; overall about very good. Early American edition of Thomas Jefferson's most important book published during his lifetime and considered one of America's first permanent literary and intellectual landmarks. The work appears to have its origins in a request from the French delegation in Philadelphia looking for information on Virginia. This edition includes the appendix on the murder of Logan's family. Lacks the frontispiece portrait and the large engraved folding map of Virginia. Formerly in the public library of Beverley, Mass., with bookplate dated 1856, old ink stamps,… Read More

Approx.20 items. A few are on printed letterhead, most wholly manuscript. A few signed by Carrington, most from Carrington are likely secretarial, one item is on blue paper, one item is a mostly printed document. Some staining and other wear, a few tears at folds, generally good to very good. Revealing glimpse into the Civil War service of Henry B. Carrington, to gain later fame in the post-war "Indian Fighting Army."
Henry B. Carrington 1824-1912) was an army officer and author, was born in Wallingford, Connecticut. According to American National Biography Online (ANB), while Carrington had a strong interest in the military, poor health prevented him from entering West Point. Instead, he entered Yale College in 1840, and graduated in 1845. Carrington moved to Columbus, Ohio, in 1848 and took up the practice of law. He enjoyed success in his legal career and also played an important role in founding the Republican party in Ohio. Friendship with prominent Republicans, notably Governors, brought him a… Read More