The Americana section includes a selection of material from notable American figures and firms like John James Audubon, Currier and Ives, and other political figures. Highlights include a presentation copy, first octavo edition of Audubon’s The Birds of America inscribed by Audubon in 1844 (lot 362; estimate: $40,000 – 60,000); and a large-format Currier and Ives lithograph with hand-coloring of The Great Chicago Fire (lot 392; estimate: $5,000 – 7,000).
Other highlights include first editions of all of Ian Fleming’s original James Bond novels (lots 218 through 229); a 19th century first edition by Humphry Repton on the theory and practice of landscape gardening from the Fred and Kay Krehbiel Collection (lot 266; estimate: $3,000 – 4,000); and a remarkable 15th century edition of Gaius Valerius Maximus’s Facta et dicta memorabilia (lot 281; estimate: $6,000 – 8,000).
Polar Exploration, Jane Austen First Editions, and Audubon at Hindman
Samuel Gurney Cresswell. A Series of Eight Sketches in Colour… of the Voyage of H.M.S. Investigator. L, 1854. The Rare Complete Set Of Views Of The Entrapment And Abandonment Of The H.M.S. Investigator In The Arctic Ice. First Edition. Estimate: $15,000 - 25,000
Hindman’s May 11 Fine Printed Books & Manuscripts including Americana auction pays tribute to trailblazers, with works related to explorers like Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and the crew of the H.M.S. Investigator, along with important editions by Jane Austen and Ian Fleming.
The Americana section includes an impressive selection of material by John James Audubon, Currier & Ives, and other important figures of American history from colonial times to the modern day.
The auction features first editions of each of Jane Austen’s major novels from the Estate of William D. Weiss, Jackson, Wyoming: Sense and Sensibility (lot 137; estimate: $20,000 – 30,000); Pride and Prejudice (lot 138; estimate: $25,000 - $35,000); Mansfield Park (lot 139; estimate: $10,000 – 15,000); Emma (lot 140; estimate: $10,000 – 15,000); and Northanger Abbey (lot 141; $5,000 – 7,000).
The auction begins with 125 lots relating to polar exploration from the 18th to 21st centuries including a rare complete first edition set of views of the entrapment and abandonment of the H.M.S. Investigator in arctic ice (lot 27; estimate: $15,000 – 25,000). The Investigator set sail in 1850 as a part of the second expedition to search for the ships of Sir John Franklin’s ill-fated attempt to find the northwest passage before becoming stuck in pack ice itself in 1853. Unlike the mystery surrounding Sir Franklin’s ships, the abandonment of the Investigator was well-documented including the sketches made by Lieutenant Samuel Gurney Cresswell offered in the auction.
A session on American exploration is highlighted by Mississippi River books from the Dudley Bell Priester collection sold at auction in 2009. Among the many highlights are an 1817 third English edition of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark’s telling of their famous expedition to find the northwest passage which features the important map as frontispiece (lot 319; estimate: $4,000 – 6,000). The map is considered to be one of the most important maps of North America, which served as the basis for many other 19th century maps drawn of what would become the western United States.
![John James Audubon. The Birds of America, from Drawings Made in the United States and their Territories. NY et al, [1839-] 1840-1844. 7 vols. 500 Hand-Colored Lithographed Plates. First Octavo Edition. Presentation Copy, Inscribed By Audubon. Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000](https://cdn.finebooksmagazine.com/sites/default/files/media-images/2023-04/lot-362audubon-john-james.jpg)
