Time-travel Diaries

Sponsored by Swann Galleries

"While the power of time travel remains beyond the capability of science, nothing comes closer than a good manuscript diary,” said Rick Stattler, Books & Manuscripts Director at Swann, referring to several diaries illustrating critical moments in American history that will be on offer at Swann’s Printed & Manuscript Americana auction on November 20. 

The Revolutionary War diary of Benjamin Beal, a lieutenant from Hingham, Massachusetts, is one of the diaries on offer. Beal narrates the journey north in 1776 with his regiment to reinforce the Invasion of Quebec, only to find the shattered patriot army preparing for retreat, nearly ruined by a smallpox epidemic. Beal suffered from smallpox himself during the retreat, barely escaping with his life. 

“Beal was usually hungry, usually cold, and often quite ill, so this is a time travel adventure perhaps better enjoyed from a comfortable chair than in person,” said Stattler. “It is a bracing reminder of the sacrifices made for American liberty almost 250 years ago.”

Another war diary, from the American Civil War, will also be on offer. Written by Lieutenant Martin Andrews during his travels in East Tennessee with the Signal Corps in 1864, the diary includes eyewitness accounts of two lynchings and soon-to-be president Andrew Johnson delivering a patriotic oration.

Two diaries illustrating international travel with the rich and famous will also be offered for sale. The first is the diary of young Brooke Astor, later famous as a New York philanthropist, writing about her time in Peking, China, circa 1913. Her father had been stationed there as commander of the Marine Corps and the young Brooke was able to visit the Winter Palace and attend the funeral of Chinese Empress Dowager Longyu. Her diary even includes bite marks from a small dog, an incident Brooke comments on in the manuscript. Another diary, written by Mariano Floresca, a United States Navy mess steward, details a luxury cruise in 1935 with President Franklin D. Roosevelt and friends.

Three English brothers seeking their fortune in the Klondike gold fields in 1898 compose another of the diaries on offer in the November sale. After meeting a diverse group of fellow fortune-seekers, the trio, overwhelmed by logistical problems and with only a small take of gold to call their own, returned to England.

Perhaps the crème de la crème of the diaries on offer in November is Herbert Berri’s diary of his role in the 1901 expedition to deliver supplies to Robert Peary’s party in northern Greenland.  Berri sailed under Dr. Frederick Cook and went on a walrus hunt with Perry’s assistant Matthew Henson, renowned as the first great Black polar explorer. Berri was only a 19-year-old college student at the time but was witness to history in the making when the supply expedition met with Robert Peary and compatriots. By that time, Peary’s expedition had almost gone a year without interacting with the wider world. Berri’s diary is sure to attract the attention of collectors because “the Arctic always has a special romance,” said Stattler. 

All six diaries will feature in the November book auction at Swann.