Roosevelt, Franklin D. (32nd President) Photograph, inscribed and signed “For Mr. Jean Fardulli from Franklin Roosevelt”. [Washington, DC]: Harris & Ewing, n.d. 9 x 8-1/4 inches (sight); in a 12-1/2 x 11-1/2 inch wood frame bearing a brass plaque, “This wood was part of the White House Roof erected about 1817 and removed in 1927”. In addition, a small round brass medallion bearing the presidential seal is embedded in a corner of the frame. Though a common image, the frame makes this a most unusual collectible. Good tonality and an excellent ink inscription; the wood is very good with minor age rubbing only.

$3,250

Kafka letter written in the year of his death

Kafka, Franz, writer (1883–1924). Autograph Letter Signed. (N.-pl.): [Feb. 1, 1924]. 8vo. 1 page on double leaf.

To the actor Ludwig Hardt: “Hardt, vielen Dank für das Telegramm; ‘im Geistersaal’ lesen Sie, heisst es dort, nicht ganz ohne Verstand. Nun so fern ich von Berlin auch bin, so fern doch nicht, dass ich von den Vorträgen nicht auch ohne Telegramm gewusst hätte, nur leider, nur leider, ich kann nicht kommen. Nicht nur, weil ich heute nachmittag übersiedelt bin mit dem ganzen Krimskrams der mächtigen Wirtschaft, die ich führe (die Übersiedlung war noch einfach genug dank der Hilfe der freundlichen Überbringerin dieses Briefes Frl. Recha Fertig) sondern vor allem deshalb weil ich krank bin, fiebrig und die ganzen Berliner 4 Monate abends nicht aus dem Hause war. Aber könnte ich Sie hier in Zehlendorf einmal sehn nach so langer Zeit? Zum morgigen Abend kommt ein Frl. Dora Diamant, um diese Möglichkeit mit Ihnen zu besprechen. Leben Sie wohl und Segen über Ihren Abend. K.”

On February 1, 1924, Kafka had received a telegram from Prague informing him that Hardt would read on February 3 in the Berlin “Meistersaal” (including Kafka’s “Bericht für eine Akademie”). In the afternoon of February 1, Kafka and Dora Diamant had moved to Berlin-Zehlendorf, where they took quarters with the widow of the writer Carl Busse. On squared paper with small cut on the blank second leaf.

$29,500.

Jefferson, Thomas. Autograph Letter Signed to George Ticknor. Monticello, 31

January 1816. 1 page, 9.5 by 7.75 inches, plus integral address leaf.

Jefferson directs an American friend in Europe to buy him the works of Cicero. In 1815, Jefferson had sold his library to the U.S. government, providing the foundation for the Library of Congress. But almost immediately, the man who wrote “I cannot live without books” started buying more of them to form a second library at Monticello. Here, writing to George Ticknor, an American scholar in Paris, Jefferson asks him particularly to get several translations of Cicero, an author whose republican principles the former President greatly admired. Jefferson explains, “I wrote you a long letter on the 14th inst. and as it went by duplicates thro good channels, I am sure you will get it. But a gentleman going from hence to Paris direct, which he will probably reach before either of the other channels of conveyance, I will repeat from that letter but a single article, the request to add to the catalogue I formerly troubled you with, the underwritten books. referring therefore to that letter, I repeat the assurances of my friendly esteem and respect.”

He signed, “Th Jefferson,” and then below this, wrote out the titles and editions of the works he desires: “Oeuvres Philosophiques de Ciceron. 10. vols...Paris. 1796. this contains the translations of Durand, Desmarais, d’Olivet, Bouhier, Morabin & Barrett. Lettres familieres de Ciceron par Prevost....Paris 1800.1. Lettres de Ciceron et de Brutus...par Prevost. Lettres de Ciceron à Atticus...par Mongault. Fleschior in his Annuaire de la librairie of about 8. or 10. years ago, in announcing Goujon’s edition of

Prevost’s Lettres familieres de Ciceron, says that a like edition of all the other letters was then in hand, which have doubtless appeared long since.”

George Ticknor (1791-1871), Jefferson’s correspondent here, had an interesting connection to both of Jefferson’s libraries. Later a professor at Harvard and a pioneer in Hispanic studies, Ticknor visited Jefferson at Monticello in February 1815, arriving with a letter of introduction from John Adams. During the three-day visit, Jefferson received word that his offer to sell his library to Congress had been officially approved, making

Ticknor among the last to see the first library in place at Monticello. Upon learning that Ticknor was about to leave for study in Europe, Jefferson supplied him with letters of introduction to Lafayette, Du Pont de Nemours, Jean-Baptiste Say, and others. Ticknor, in return, offered to help Jefferson replace some of the “literary treasures” he was giving up by purchasing new copies for him on the continent. Jefferson accepted the offer, and Ticknor would prove especially important in securing for Jefferson works in the classics, “which actually provided his major literary ‘amusement’ in old age” (Malone, Jefferson and His Time, VI, 189). Jefferson later described Ticknor as the best “bibliograph” he had encountered, and kept up a correspondence with him until his death.

Jefferson had first sent Ticknor his long “catalogue” of the books he wanted him to purchase in Europe back on 4 July 1815. In the letter of 14 January 1816, which Jefferson mentions here, he had added to his list of wants these translations of Cicero, explaining, “you know in how defective and deformed a state his philosophical writings especially have come down to us....the corruptions of the text render the sentiment often indecypherable. translations aid us with the conjectures of those who have made it a particular business to study the subject and it’s text.” (This quote is taken from Jefferson’s retained copy of his 14 January 1816 letter, to be found in the online edition of The Thomas Jefferson Papers at The Library of Congress. No retained copy of the letter offered here is recorded in those Papers.)

The letter is in fine, fresh condition. The address leaf, which is addressed in Jefferson’s hand, is neatly inlaid; it has slight soiling and neat repairs to small seal tears.

$25,000

Harvard cannot compete with the new, and amply funded, Smithsonian Institution in acquiring a library!

Everett, Edward (1794–1865). Letter noting that Harvard cannot compete with the Smithsonian in acquiring a library. Unitarian clergyman, pastor of Boston’s Brattle Street Church; first Harvard professor of Greek; Representative from Massachussets; Senator; Governor; Minister to Great Britain; Secretary of State; vice presidential candidate for the Constitutional Union Party. Renowned as a brilliant orator, featured speaker at the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery on November 19, 1863, though overtime his speech has been overshadowed by President Lincoln’s simple words.

9? x 8 inches. Autograph letter signed while Harvard President (Cambridge, Mass., April 7, 1847) to C. F. Hagedorn. 2 pages.

Everett informs Hagedorn that with respect to the Count de Myans’ library he is “…of the opinion that it will be impossible for this institution [Harvard] to make the acquisition of it. The regents of the Smithsonian Institute at Washington have a large fund to expend in the purchase of a library & may possibly be disposed of acquiring this valuable collection.” Everett adds that he has been disappointed in making up a complete set of Harvard reports and publications for the Royal Library at Munich but has sent some to the Bavarian Consulate. In 1826, British scientist James Smithson drew up his last will and testament, naming his nephew as beneficiary, but stipulated that, should the nephew die without heirs (as he would in 1835), the estate should go “to the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.” The motives behind Smithson’s bequest remain mysterious—he never traveled to the United States nor corresponded with anyone here. In 1835, President Jackson announced the bequest to Congress. On July 1, 1836, Congress accepted the legacy and pledged the faith of the United States to the charitable trust. In September 1838, Smithson’s legacy, over 100,000 gold sovereigns, was delivered to the Philadelphia Mint, amounting to over US$500,000. After eight years of often heated debate, an Act of Congress signed by President Polk on August 10, 1846, established the Smithsonian Institution as a trust to be administered by a Board of Regents and a Secretary of the Smithsonian.

Very good condition, folds, slight edge wear.

$150

Resphigi, Ottorino. Autograph Musical Quotation Signed from his ever popular “I Pini di Roma” on a 3.5 by 5.5 inch card. Rome, April 1931. $1,275

Grant, Ulysses S. Partly-printed Document Signed as President of the National Rifle Association.

7.5 by 7.5 inches. New York, June 9, 1883, “U.S. Grant,” as president of the National Rifle Association, a lifetime membership certificate for one George W. Munson; countersigned by National Rifle Association Secretary George J. Teabury, with the notation, “Signed by Genl. Grant, Sat[urda]y June 20/[18]85. Died at Fort McGregor Thursday July 23rd 1885. Buried at River Side Park Sat[urda]y Aug. 8th,” in an unknown hand in bottom margin. Extremely rare, perhaps unique.

The National Rifle Association was founded in 1871 by two former Union Army officers, with the stated goal of “providing firearms training and encouraging interest in the shooting sports.” Former Union General Ambrose E. Burnside served as the organization’s first president, and Grant was elected to the position in 1883.

Small tear in upper margin, which is trimmed slightly; two horizontal folds; old glue staining on reverse.

$5,500

Brahms, Johannes. One page letter signed “J.Br,” October 11, 1887. To Hernn

Capellmeister Julius v. Bernuth, beginning with a musical quotation in Brahms’s hand of a section from Mozart’s The Magic Flute [mm 13–15 of the Andante a tempo of the Act I

Finale.] in which he explains through a musical quote and in his text how bitter he is about Vienna, but how much he also misses it: “So then it’s all deceitfulness! and this summer I extolled the friendly benevolence with which you wrote: silence means “No”! Can anyone keep silent more perfectly and completely than I? I was also silent about my

regrets, which I now express explicitly! Vienna is very fine and pretty, but so distant, which is often bemoaned by your “JBr” This is the only known example of a Brahms letter which he begins with music!

$9,500

John D. Rockefeller (1839–1937). Signed Standard Oil Stock Certificate. Rockefeller formed the first oil trust at the age of 30. He monopolized 85% of the industry and became the world’s first billionaire. He hated waste and would target poorly run segments of the industry, driving competition out of business. He became the most detested man in the country and had a bodyguard continuously. Rockefeller gave 3/4 of a billion dollars to science and education. In one of the first public relations campaigns in history, Rockefeller would give a shiny new dime to whomever he would meet.

Rockefeller signs a certificate for 100 shares of the Standard Oil Trust. His cosigner is Henry M. Flagler, who Rockefeller once described as “the brains behind the Standard Oil Trust.” Signatures that are very lightly cut cancelled and are superb. The eye appeal is outstanding. The signature of Rockefeller is especially large and bold. Nice portraits are included. Exceptional for many reasons! $2,500.

Clemens, Samuel (“Mark Twain”). (1835–1910). American humorist and writer. Autograph Quotation Signed “Mark Twain.” 1 page. Small 8vo. (N.-pl.): September 6, 1904. On the same sheet and dated the same day, is an autograph quotation signed (AQS) from his daughter Clara Clemens (1874–1962), signed “Clara Langdon Clemens.” On a page removed from an autograph album.

“We ought not to use our morals week-days, it gets them out of repair for Sunday.”

Below, his daughter has added the darker sentiment, “He who finds the serpent loses himself.”

In a November 6, 1905 interview published in the Boston Daily Globe, Clemens unveiled one of his latest witticisms—the aphorism he penned here nearly a year earlier. In it, the author, in typical fashion, offers his view on the hypocrisy of organized religion. These opinions were elaborated upon in Letters from the Earth and The Mysterious Stranger, both published posthumously. Our sheet also bears a line penned by Clemens’s 30-year-old daughter and literary executor, Clara, a talented pianist and singer. Clara studied music in Europe and while abroad met Russian-American pianist and conductor Ossip Gabrilowitsch, with whom she maintained a relationship after returning to New York in 1900. The somber tone of Clara’s sentiment may have several causes: Our quotation was penned just three months after the death on June 5 of Clara’s mother and her father’s wife of thirty-four years, Olivia Langdon. Additionally, that year she broke up with Gabrilowitsch and was hospitalized for a nervous breakdown. Clara and Ossip later married, however, and produced a daughter Nina, Clemens’ only direct descendant. Notwithstanding Twain’s 1905 interview, our quotation was published, with slight differences, in his 1898 Notebook, where it’s given as, “It is not best that we use our morals week days, it gets them out of repair for Sundays.” Lightly browned in several places (affecting Clara’s script and not her father’s), otherwise in very fine condition. $4,000

[Slavery—Rental Chart] “Hire of Negroes from 1815 to 1824 Inclusive.” Holograph chart, written either by the owner of or renter of six slaves: Moses, Stephen, Jenny, Airy, Let, and Jackson. 1 page, 7.25 by 6.75 inches, ca. 1825. Very good. Mildly, pleasantly age toned. Intriguing chart, with the years 1816 through 1825 (headed “Last settlemt. with County Court August 1815”) running down the left margin and, running across the top, columns headed by the name of each of these six slaves. Each column records the fee for renting that slave up through March 12 of that year. Thus we can see at a glance that in 1816 these six slaves cost $110, $75, $37, $30 and $40.12. Jackson’s column is left blank for this year. One can see the cost each slave rising year to year as their strength and productivity warranted it, and then declining as they aged and (as is noted for several slaves) “Dead.” Thus Moses’ rental history is as follows: $110, $100, $120, $123, $155, $130, $130, $100, Dead. Jenny’s rental history is more erratic: $37, $37, $60, $57, $84, $60, $27.50, $37.50, “would not hire,” and $25. The total cost of all slave’s rental for each year is tallied in the rightmost column. Rather cryptic, as no city or state is cited, but quite revealing and interesting. Title cited above appears on docket on verso. $475

Rachmaninoff, Sergei (1873–1945). Russian/American composer/pianist. Matte sepia Signed Portrait Photograph. 4to. ca 1920s. Photo by Kubey-Rembrandt of Philadelphia. Margins trimmed & two minor creases, not affecting signature. Uncommon to find such a nice full signature! $2,000.

Roosevelt, Theodore. “Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick”. This famous, original letter is cited by the Library of Congress as an “American Treasure,” being the first instance in which T.R. used this quote.

One basic principle was the underpinning of Theodore Roosevelt’s philosophy - his belief that, to accomplish anything great, “justice and generosity” must be combined with strength, as they “count most when shown not by the weak but by the strong.”

These beliefs were put to the test while he was governor of New York. He was under pressure to reappoint as Insurance Commissioner the corrupt Louis Payn, a life-long political friend of Sen. Tom Platt, the boss of the Republican Party. T.R. resolutely refused to agree, and he took the fight into the open to outmaneuver Platt, thus forcing the state’s Republican leaders to abandon their support for Payn. He was elated and wrote to his friend Assemblyman Henry Sprague summing up his successful policy.

Typed Letter Signed on his State of New York, Executive Chambers letterhead, two pages, Albany, January 26, 1900, to Sprague. “Your letter of the 25th really pleased me. Of course, I shall not feel real easy until the vote has actually been taken, but apparently everything is now all right. I have always been fond of the West African proverb: ‘Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.’ If I had not carried the big stick, the organization would not have gotten behind me, and if I had yelled and blustered, as Pankhurst and the similar dishonest lunatics desired, I would not have had ten votes. But I was entirely good natured, kept perfectly cool and steadfastly refused to listen to anything save that Payn had to go, and that I would take none but a thoroughly upright and capable man in his place. Unless there is some cataclysm, these tactics will be crowned with success. As for the Evening Post, Pankhurst and Company, they of course did their feeble best to try and get me to take action which would have ensured Payn’s retention and would have resulted therefore in a very imposing triumph for rascality. They have often shown themselves the enemies of good government, but in this case I do not think they are even to be credited with good intentions. They were no more anxious to see dishonesty rebuked than a professional prohibitionist is to see the liquor law decently administered.”

On January 31, the New York Senate confirmed Francis J. Henricks as Payn’s replacement, and T.R.’s triumph was complete. The phrase “Speak softly and carry a big stick” caught the country’s mood and fancy. It was taken up by the newspapers and cartoonists and almost immediately catipulted Roosevelt into fame. The timing was fortuitous, both for Roosevelt and the nation he was soon to lead.

As T.R.’s biographer Edmund Morris states, “The Big Stick took him as far as the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia,” where he was nominated for vice president just 5 months later. A year and a half after posting this famous letter to Sprague, T.R. was president of the United States. Roosevelt Changed America and the World He found a nation traditionally reticent about foreign affairs under a government that saw more limits to its power than opportunities for its exercise. He had a vision: An America assuming standing as a world power, a U.S. government strong enough to achieve national goals and pursue national greatness, a presidency powerful enough to effectively guarantee the public welfare and provide inspiration and leadership. He built America’s might and stature and made them felt around the world. Believing that government represents the public interest, he empowered it and achieved startling breakthroughs throughout national life.

His “Square Deal” was the first presidential “program”, and under it he crusaded for causes like the Food and Drug Act and labor and consumer rights. He was the father of American conservation and established the National Parks. In accomplishing all this, the principle by which he was guided is one that is still quoted and practiced today: “Speak softly and carry a big stick...” That phrase has became the best known motto of any American president. Roosevelt’s letterbook carbon copy of this monumental letter is in the Library of Congress as one of its “American Treasures.” This is the original mailed letter, exactly as received by Sprague.

$200,000