Philadelphia Rare Books: Almanacs

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ALMANACS

If It Bleeds, It Leads!

(A Handsome Example). Dickinson, S.N. The Boston almanac for the year 1848. Boston: B.B. Mussey & Co. and Thomas Groom, [1847]. 12mo (13.7 cm, 5.4"). 189, [3] pp.; 1 fold. map.
$225.00

The volume opens with an oversized, folding map of the city, with a note that the map is a specimen of a new type of plate printing. An advertisement on the back free endpaper mentions that Dickinson has “sold out his extensive Printing Office . . . [and] will now apply his whole attention to his favorite business, the manufacture of Printing Type,” providing stereotyping and music printing as well as “more than 120 different kinds of Job Type.”

Binding: Signed by Damrell & Moore of Boston, with their blind-stamp on the back cover: Brown cloth embossed with foliate designs, front cover with gilt-stamped decorative title.

• Binding as above, covers with small, fairly unobtrusive spots of discoloration, cloth a bit rubbed over corners and edges and chipping over spine extremities. Map with small holes to two corners; pages clean, with memoranda leaves unused.

A Temperance Catechism — Improving Your Swine — “Hull's Physic”

Abell, Truman. New-England farmer's almanac, for the year ... 1834 ... Fitted to the latitude and longitude of the town of Windsor, Vt. but will serve without sensible variation, for all the adjacent states. Windsor, Vt.: Ide & Goddard, [1833]. 12mo. [24] ff.
$30.00

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First

almanac published by Ide & Goddard.

Advertisements on the last page, notably forpatent medicines.

• Drake 13678. Uncut copy; later stitching; corners cut. Slight dog-earing, title-page a little tattered. Early inked ownership signature at top of title-page and some marginalia or interlineations. (9959)

Slavery Abuses Depicted

American Anti-Slavery Society. American Anti-Slavery almanac, for 1840. New York & Boston: American Anti-Slavery Society, [1839]. 12mo. 48 pp.
[SOLD]

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14 wood engravings

• Drake 7699; American Imprints 53949; Library Company, Afro-Americana (rev. ed.), 304. Stitching perished; stapled. One leaf with clean cut. (27806)

A Large-Format Almanac

Columbian almanac for 1855. Being the third after bissextile, or leap year; and, after the 4th of July, the 79th year of American Independence. Containing 365 days. Philadelphia: Joseph McDowell, [1854]. Square 8vo. 34, [2] pp.; illus.
$37.50

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This includes, among other interesting morsels historical, moral, and agricultural, a long essay onshooting stars.

• Later sewing; spine reinforced with archival tissue. Title-page and last page with shallow tears in blank area of outer margin. Shallow dog-ears, occasional edge chips. Small hole on pp. 27/28, touching but not costing three letters. Light foxing. (27818)

“New, Useful, & Entertaining”

Daboll, Nathan. New-England almanac, for the year ... 1808 ... By Nathan Daboll. New-London [Conn.]: Pr. by Ebenezer P. Cady, [1807]. 12mo. [18] ff.
$75.00

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• Drake 707; Shaw & Shoemaker 13185. Removed from a nonce volume and resewn. (9489)

In a Nice Green Wrapper

The Family Christian almanac for the United States, for the year of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 1844 ... calculated for Boston, New-York, Baltimore, and Charleston. Astronomical calculations, in equal or clock time, by David Young, Hanover, New-Jersey. ; Boston, lat. 42° 21’ N. Long. 71° 4’ W. N. York, lat 40° 42’ 40". Long. 74° 1’. Baltimore, lat. 39° 17’. Long. 76° 38’. Charleston, lat. 32° 47’. Long. 79° 57’. New York: American Tract Society; D. Fanshaw, pr., [1843]. 12mo. 35, [1] pp.; illus., music.
$35.00

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• The two wood engravings in the text are signed “Hooper” (W.W. Hooper?). Front wrapper exists in two states: State 1 has vignette of farmhouse, cart, and ship landing; state 2 has vignette of mowers in a field. This copy is of state 2.

This features tidbits on A Religious Home, The Persecuted Waldenses, the United States Mail (a distributor of pernicious literature), Drugged Liquors, Missions, and how to make Apple Molasses — etc.

• Not in American Imprints?; Drake 8049. Publisher's green printed wrappers with vignette and a publisher’s catalogue. A good++ copy. (27934)

A LARGE “House-Keeper's Almanac” &
“Family Receipt Book” for 1854

Fisher’s improved house-keeper’s 1854 almanac, and family receipt book. Philadelphia & elsewhere: Fisher & Brother, [1853]. Square 8vo. [36] pp.; illus.
[SOLD]

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a large woodcut of a fine kitchen with servants preparing a meal, cauldron in fireplace, utensils and dishes on shelves, and hanging fish and fowl

Scarce: WoldCat reports only two holdings of this item.

• Later sewing. Tear extending halfway up spine, partly detaching first and last leaves. Tear within text of final leaf repaired some time ago, affecting a number of lines without loss of sense. Some shallow dog-ears. Toning and scattered staining. Good++. Charming and chock-full of matter. (27817)

ILLUSTRATED ALMANAC

Low, Nathanael. Low's almanack, and astronomical and agricultural register; for the year of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, 1819. Boston: Munroe & Francis, [1818]. 12mo. [36] pp.; illus.
$85.00

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“Balloon Voyage across the Irish Channel”

Provenance: Inscription of “Henry M. Pierce / Jersey City / NJ.”

• Shaw & Shoemaker 44628; Drake, Almanacs, 3826. Recent limp navy cloth, front cover with gilt-stamped title and date; extremities very slightly rubbed, otherwise very clean and fresh. Front free endpaper with inked ownership inscription as above. Pages age-toned with a few scattered spots; some pages trimmed closely, with headers occasionally touched but not taken. Nice! (29641)

Colonial-era AMERICAN Almanac

Mein and Fleeming's register for New-England and Nova Scotia. With all the British lists; and an almanack for 1768, being bissextile or leap year. Calculated for the meridian of Boston. Illustrated with a type of the eclipse of the sun of January 19th. Boston: Printed by Mein and Fleeming, and to be sold by John Mein at the London Book-Store, north-side of King-Street, [1767]. 12mo. 92, [4] pp.; illus.
[SOLD]

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Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society

Dictionary of American Biography

The last leaf, filled on both sides, lists a “Grand Assortment” of books available from “J O H N M E I N”; these are of a variety of sorts, but the one that gets an all-caps headline is a new edition of Fordyce's Sermons for Young Women!

• Evans 10687; Drake 3164; ESTC w22665. Sewn in original marbled wrappers. Usual foxing and light age-toning of almanacs of this era and region. Some dog-earing and “thumbing”; small piece of wrapper missing from lower spine. Else very good. (18214)

The

Female School at Fuh-Chau

Methodist almanac, for the year ... 1852 ... comprising also a summary view of Methodism throughout the world ... New York: Lane & Scott (Joseph Longking, Pr.), [1851]. 12mo. 60 pp., plus wrapper.
$30.00

• Original front wrapper present, but not rear one. Some chipping and definite wear, especially along spine. Old ink notations. A good copy. (9383)

“Take 500 Protestations . . . ”

Spofford, Thomas. Astronomical diary, or almanack, for the year ... 1819. ... Calculated for the meridian of Andover ... but will serve without any error of consequence for any of the New-England states. Boston: Hews & Goss, [1818]. 12mo. [18] ff.
$45.00

how to compose a “modern” love letter plus a (truly) humorous description of marriage.

• Drake 3819; Shaw & Shoemaker 43108. Uncut copy; old stitching. A very good copy. (9622)

Omens & Charms — Signs & Dreams

Spofford, Thomas. The Yankee. The Farmer’s almanack for the year of our Lord and Saviour 1832 ... Calculated for the meridian of Boston, (Mass.) lat. 42° 21’ north, but will serve for any of the states of New England; for New York, and Michigan Territory. .../ By Thomas Spofford. [7 lines of verse]. Boston: Willard Felt & Co. sold by him, and by David Felt, 1831. 12mo. 36 pp.
$25.00

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• Drake 4017. Uncut, stitched, partly unopened. (21434)

Period Interest & a Cool Cover (for $22.50)

Spofford, Thomas. The Yankee: Farmers’ almanac, for the year of our Lord and Saviour 1842. : ... Calculated for Boston, lat. 42[°] 21[’]; but will serve for all New England, NewYork [sic] and Michigan. ... / By Thomas Spofford. [20 lines of verse]. Boston: Thos. Groom & Co., 1841. 12mo. 36 pp.
$22.50

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• Drake 4251. Stitching renewed. Some loss of paper and small amount of text on first four leaves to hungry rodent. Waterstains. (21375)

“United States Register” —For English Reference, 1794

(U.S. Almanac). The American calendar, or United States register, for the year 1794. London: J. Debrett, 1794. 12mo (16 cm, 6.25"). 187, [1 (blank)] pp.
$650.00

• ESTC T105844. Period-style quarter calf with marbled paper–covered sides, spine with gilt-stamped leather title-label and gilt-ruled raised bands. Title-page and a few others stamped by a now-defunct institution. Some offsetting to margins of first and final leaves, pages otherwise clean. A nice little Anglo-Americanum, very evocative of its era.

LeUSEFUL Gift Book (Wallet Binding). Le souvenir, or, picturesque pocket diary for 1827. Containing an almanack, ruled pages for memoranda, corrected lists of both houses of Congress, intercourse with foreign nations, literary selections, and a variety of useful information. Philadelphia: A.R. Poole, [1826]. Frontis., engr. t.-p., [6], 17–32 (lacking 33–36), [34], 68 (lacking 55/56) pp.; 6 plts., illus.
$325.00

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• Not only a beautiful little gift, but genuinely practical: This contains a calendar, an engagement book (some leaves of which bear pencilled appointments and notes), and handy government "contact" information in addition to its selections of light reading, among which are a handful of Byron's poems and several highly melodramatic short stories. Should the bearer grow weary of reading, there are also a number of stamp-size engraved plates ready for admiration.

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• Faxon 763 (for the 1826 edition); Shoemaker 26110. Green straight-grain morocco wallet binding, framed in wide gilt rolls; worn, with portions of binding faded to brown and hinges tender. Back pastedown with pencilled ownership inscription; some engagement pages filled in. Several leaves removed, some leaving traces. Some plates with spots of foxing. Clearly not only used but actually carried around on a regular basis; still appealing and intriguing. (3714)

Dutch Gift Book“for Love & Country”

Women's Almanac. Almanak voor liefde en vaderland. Voor het jaar 1820. Amsterdam: L. Portman and Beijerinck & Willemsz, [1819]. 16mo (10.9 cm, 4.25"). [18], iv, 155, [1] pp.; 6 plts.
$175.00

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cum

Binding: Publisher's cream-colored paper, front cover with black-stamped lyre decoration, back one with black-stamped laurel wreath; spine with black-stamped decorations (no title). All edges gilt.

• Binding moderately rubbed, spine darkened. Two leaves with tears from margins extending into text, without loss; pages and plates clean. Inherently a bit fragile, this is standing up well to the years. (27087)

For an unillustrated, PDF-format catalogue of some 250+ almanacs,
please CLICK HERE.

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