Antique Maps, First Editions & Items from Burchuk-Warden Rare Music Collection at Waverly’s Sept. 11

Two maps of Virginia from the first half of the 17th century are derivatives of colonial pioneer John Smith’s map of Virginia from 1612 and credited to the renowned mapmakers Guillelmi Blaeu and Henrici Hondius. Each features graphics of Native Americans, is sized 14¾ inches by 19½ inches, and has an $800-$1,200 presale estimate.

A topographical map of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Delaware (as well as portions of other adjoining states) should garner $500-$800. The map, in color, was published in 1885 by G. B.W. & C.B. Colton & Company (New York). It measures 31½ inches by 44¾ inches and is in very good condition. Much attention is paid to roads and railways, and many towns are marked.

Also entered in the sale is a map of Oregon and upper California from surveys by John Charles Fremont and drawn in 1848 by Charles Preuss, under order of the U.S. Senate. It is expected to fetch $800-$1,200. An official map of Virginia from surveys taken in 1829 and 1862, corrected and revised by J. T. Lloyd to 1862, published by Wynkoop & Hallenbeck is estimated at $400-$700.

A star lot of the rare first-edition books category is an impressive six-volume set titled The Iconography of Mahnhattan Island, written by I. N. Phelps Stokes and published over a period of years (1915-1928) by Robert H. Dodd (New York). The books are profusely illustrated, showing outdoor scenes and luminaries. The bindings are artfully done. The estimate is $2,500-$4,500.

What serious book collector could resist a first-edition copy of Bram Stoker’s Dracula or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain? This auction has both. Dracula, published in 1897 by Archibald Constable & Co. (England), should realize $2,000-$3,000; while Huckleberry Finn, published in 1885 by Charles L. Webster & Co. (N.Y.), should command $1,200-$1,800.

A particularly beautiful book is the first-edition copy (in English, translated from the French) of Illustrations of Japan, written and compiled by M. (Isaac) Titsingh and published in 1822, with 25 images on 13 hand-colored plates. The book consists of private memoirs and anecdotes of the reigning dynasty of the Diogouns (or Sovereigns) of Japan. It should sell for $1,200-$1,800.

Other books of interest include a copy of John Steinbeck’s classic The Grapes of Wrath (Viking Press, N.Y., 1939), accompanied by a card signed in blue ink by Steinbeck, estimated at $1,500-$2,500; and a Limited Editions Club copy (#768 of 1,500) of James Joyce’s classic, Ulysses, published in 1935 and signed by the illustrator, Henri Matisse. It is estimated at $1,200-$1,800.

Important books in the Burchuk-Warden Rare Music Collection include a first-edition copy of Athanasius Kircher’s monumental work on music, Musurgia Universalis, published in Rome in 1650. The plates and pages of the book are in good condition, with the wear and repair expected of a mid-17th-century tome. The book was a huge influence on Bach, Beethoven and others. It’s expected to hit $500-$800.

Also from the collection is a lot comprising two volumes dedicated to the famous composer George Frederic Handel—one for his masterpiece The Messiah, from 1741, the other for The Celebrated Choruses (from his oratorios). Several esteemed authors collaborated on the books, published in the early 1800s and bound in half leather and boards. The estimate is $400-$700.

Another volume dedicated to Handel’s work, specifically two oratorios (Israel in Egypt) also carries a presale estimate of $400-$700. Also worthy of mention from Burchuk-Warden is Number 12 of Archangelo Corelli’s Concerti Grossi (or Sonatas). Its estimate is $400-$700.

Collectors of old photographs and militaria may collide over a group lot of six Civil War cartes de visite featuring Confederate and Union generals, including Ulysses S. Grant on the Union side and Jefferson Davis on the Confederate side. The images are presented in a wood tramp art frame with white marble decorations in the corners. The group of six expected to hammer for $400-$600.

Another Civil War-related lot consists of two tintypes - one of a Union soldier, possibly a sharpshooter, standing with a muzzle-loading rifle (3¾ inches by 2¼ inches) and the other a seated soldier, wearing an open single-breasted short jacket and scarf (2½ inches by 2 inches). They are estimated to bring $200-$400.

Still another Civil War image is an ambrotype of Private Nelson L. Oaks (or Oakes), of the Union Army Pennsylvania Volunteers, 11th Regiment - the regiment that was in advance of Bunker Hill. Oaks is shown seated in his dress uniform, with epaulets and sash. It is a hand-tinted, ninth-plate ambrotype in a partial leather case. It carries an estimate of $300-$500.

The Sept. 11 event will be held live at Waverly’s gallery, 360 Washington Street in Falls Church, Va., as well as online, via LiveAuctioneers.com. Previews will be held on Saturday, Sept. 6, from 10-2; Monday, Sept. 8, from 10-5; Tuesday, Sept. 9, from 10-7; Wednesday, Sept. 10, from 10-7; and on auction day from 10 a.m. until the first gavel falls at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

Waverly Rare Books is a division of Quinn’s Auction Galleries. The firm is always accepting quality consignments for future auctions. To consign a single item, an estate or a collection, call 703-532-5632 or email info@quinnsauction.com. To view a full catalog and register to bid for the Sept. 11 auction, please visit www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

First image: Map of Texas and the countries adjacent, compiled in 1844 for the U.S. State Department. Est. $3,000-$5,000. Courtesy of Waverly Rare Books.

Second image: Two works by the composer George Frederic Handel, including his masterpiece Messiah (Oratorios), will be sold as one lot. Est. $400-$700. Courtesy of Waverly Rare Books.