Kolbe & Fanning
Auction 164 27 Aug 2022
View prices realized
► Sale information
Find similar lots
Woodward's 1869 Bibliotheca Americana
Woodward, W. Elliot. BIBLIOTHECA AMERICANA. CATALOGUE OF THE LIBRARY OF W. ELLIOT WOODWARD, OF BOSTON HIGHLANDS, MASS. Boston Highlands: L.B. Weston, Printer, 15 Guild Row, 1869. To Be Sold by Auction On Monday Afternoon, April 19th, 1869, and following days, by Leavitt, Strebeigh & Co., Clinton Hall Salesrooms and Art Galleries, Astor Place, New York City. 8vo, later tan linen, gilt; original printed front paper cover, printed in red and black, trimmed and mounted to front board. (2), 668 pages; 6810 lots; title printed in red and black. Title page torn and taped; final leaf torn with some loss, for which a photocopy is supplied; would otherwise be fine; very good, overall. A rare and very important Woodward sale, if mostly non-numismatic. Among the most important sales of American books to take place in the 19th century, with total sales of over $10,000. Woodward's library was composed almost entirely of American imprints, and is outstanding in local history and in Massachusetts works in general, with impressive offerings of Mather Family imprints and other early publications (his copy of Cotton Mather's Wonders of the Invisible World brought $290, an extraordinary price for the time). A handful of numismatic titles can be found throughout. One wonders why Woodward chose not to list this catalogue among his emissions. It is clear from the preface that the library belonged to him and that he catalogued it. In addition, a goodly number of antiquarian and current numismatic books are featured in the sale, including as he notes, "works relating to the paper money of the period of the Revolution." The omission becomes all the more perplexing when one considers the minimal numismatic content of some of his later numbered sales. In consequence of Woodward's silence, this sale catalogue is little known in numismatic circles. It is safe to assume that most of the copies extant are to be found in the libraries of collectors of books on America. It has been noted that the title page of this catalogue indicates nothing in the way of it being an auction catalogue. This particular copy, however, includes the original printed front paper cover, which provides the auction information. McKay 1434. Kolbe 949. Ex David F. Fanning Numismatic Literature, The Bookshelf, Issue 1, item 96; ex Cardinal Collection Library.
(Estimate: $300)
Woodward, W. Elliot. BIBLIOTHECA AMERICANA. CATALOGUE OF THE LIBRARY OF W. ELLIOT WOODWARD, OF BOSTON HIGHLANDS, MASS. Boston Highlands: L.B. Weston, Printer, 15 Guild Row, 1869. To Be Sold by Auction On Monday Afternoon, April 19th, 1869, and following days, by Leavitt, Strebeigh & Co., Clinton Hall Salesrooms and Art Galleries, Astor Place, New York City. 8vo, later tan linen, gilt; original printed front paper cover, printed in red and black, trimmed and mounted to front board. (2), 668 pages; 6810 lots; title printed in red and black. Title page torn and taped; final leaf torn with some loss, for which a photocopy is supplied; would otherwise be fine; very good, overall. A rare and very important Woodward sale, if mostly non-numismatic. Among the most important sales of American books to take place in the 19th century, with total sales of over $10,000. Woodward's library was composed almost entirely of American imprints, and is outstanding in local history and in Massachusetts works in general, with impressive offerings of Mather Family imprints and other early publications (his copy of Cotton Mather's Wonders of the Invisible World brought $290, an extraordinary price for the time). A handful of numismatic titles can be found throughout. One wonders why Woodward chose not to list this catalogue among his emissions. It is clear from the preface that the library belonged to him and that he catalogued it. In addition, a goodly number of antiquarian and current numismatic books are featured in the sale, including as he notes, "works relating to the paper money of the period of the Revolution." The omission becomes all the more perplexing when one considers the minimal numismatic content of some of his later numbered sales. In consequence of Woodward's silence, this sale catalogue is little known in numismatic circles. It is safe to assume that most of the copies extant are to be found in the libraries of collectors of books on America. It has been noted that the title page of this catalogue indicates nothing in the way of it being an auction catalogue. This particular copy, however, includes the original printed front paper cover, which provides the auction information. McKay 1434. Kolbe 949. Ex David F. Fanning Numismatic Literature, The Bookshelf, Issue 1, item 96; ex Cardinal Collection Library.
(Estimate: $300)