
AMERICAN GIFT BOOKS
[ PLUS THE OCCASIONAL ENGLISH OR EUROPEAN “GUEST” ]
“Forget-Me-Not”: A Rare Illustrated German Gift Book
(A
*GERMAN* ENTRY). Clauren,
H. Vergissmeinnicht ein
Taschenbuch für 1818. Leipzig: Friedrich August Leo, [1817]. 16mo. Engr.
t.-p., [2], 398 pp.; 8 plts.
$120.00
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The first volume of this German annual gift book, illustrated with
eight copper-engraved plates. A complete set consists of 19 volumes, with a name change to Rosen und Vergissmeinnicht dargebracht dem Jahre. . . . coming in 1827 — but only the University of Chicago reports ownership of any volumes!
Binding: Publisher's lavender paper–covered light boards, covers framed in purple floral roll, spine with purple roll and all edges gilt.
Lightly rubbed, lightly faded, paper mostly lost from spine. Front hinge (inside) cracked, sewing loosening, free endpapers lacking. Light staining to upper outer corners of first and last few leaves, only; otherwise clean. We judge that the rarity of this little book and its “siblings” is the direct result of inherent fragility! (27192)
Hand-Colored
Floral
Frontispiece
Goodrich,
Samuel G., ed. The token, or affection's
gift, a
Christmas
and New-Year's present. Hartford: S. Andrus &
Son, [ca. 1846]. 12mo. Frontis., 312 pp.; 4 plts.
$112.50
Reprint of the 1838 “Token” gift book, with different
plates and a hand-colored floral frontispiece offering pink roses. One of the
four uncolored plates is of a “Young American in the Alps,” by Healey
and engraved by Cushman; another and this cataloguer's favorite, “Sun
Set on the Hudson,” is by Weir, engraved by J.A. Ralph.
Binding:
Publisher's red cloth, covers and spine gilt-stamped with avian and foliate
designs; all edges gilt.
Faxon 786. Spine and edges moderately rubbed with front
hinge cracked; spots of staining to bottom part of front cover. Front free
endpaper with good portion torn away, back free endpaper lacking; waterstaining
in varying degrees to lower outer corners after p. 120 and some soiling. One
signature extruded and others heading for that; one plate shaved very very
close to image at top but image itself not quite touched! Not a fresh copy,
still, an interesting one. (12944)
“Our Ninth Annual Casket” — Verse & Prose Inspired by Charity
Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The Odd-fellows' offering, for 1851. Embellished with elegant engravings, and a highly-finished presentation plate. Contributed chiefly by members of the order, their wives and sisters. New York: Edward Walker, 1851 (© 1850). 8vo (22.3 cm, 8.75"). Add. engr. t.-p., 204, [10 (adv.)] pp.; 10 plts.
$100.00
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The 1851 volume of an annual gift book issued by the charitable fraternity. Among the poems and stories are several pieces on the principles and virtues of Odd Fellowship, as well as the first appearance of Sarah Josepha Hale's “Song of the Flower Angels”; the volume is illustrated with a total of 11 steel-engraved plates (including the additional engraved title-page and the
illuminated presentation plate, chromolithographed by Ackerman). One plate, “The Joyous Procession of the Law,” has an additional Hebrew title carefully inked in by hand.
Provenance: The front free endpaper bears a neatly inked ownership inscription dated 1860 (J.C.W. Kempe) and an additional inked “sold to” inscription dated 1871 (Aden Mc Bowman); Bowman also signed another blank, and the presentation leaf is made out to Kempe as “P.G.J.C.W. Kempe.”
Binding: Publisher's deep blue/black diced sheep in imitation of morocco, covers with gilt-stamped vignette of Friendship, Love, and Truth personified within an architectural frame; spine gilt extra with column motif. All edges gilt.
BAL 6877; Faxon 609. Binding as above, joints and extremities rubbed, spine gilt slightly dimmed. Inscriptions and presentation leaf as above. Poetry clippings, fabric swatch, and lock of hair laid in. Scattered staining, generally light, throughout; chromo very bright and nice. (27041)

“A Manual for
Those Just Entering the Marriage State”
James, John Angell. The marriage ring: or how to make home happy. Boston: Gould, Kendall, & Lincoln, 1843. 16mo (11.7 cm, 4.6"). [2 (adv.)], 126 pp.
$87.50
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Thoughts for both men and women on maintaining a Christian marriage, written by a crowd-pleasing British preacher and appearing here as a decorative and highly portable little gift book. This is the second edition, following the first of the previous year.
Binding: Publisher's textured green cloth, covers framed in a wide foliate blind roll; front cover with gilt-stamped floral and foliate ring vignette, the same in blind on rear cover. Spine gilt extra, all edges gilt, lovely green patterned endpapers.
Faxon 537e (for 1842 ed.). Bound as above; light wear to corners and extremities, cloth faintly mottled. Front fly-leaf with early pencilled ownership and gift inscriptions, also one not quite readable on free endpaper. Light to moderate foxing throughout; clean. (30500)
AMERICAN
Gift Book
— Two
ILLUMINATED
Leaves
The
ladies' wreath. A souvenir for all seasons. Boston: Phillips,
Sampson & Co., [ca. 1855]. 8vo (19 cm, 7.5"). [2 illuminated] ff., 288 pp.;
4 plts.
[SOLD]

Ornately bound gift book, illustrated with four steel-engraved
plates. This is a different work from both the New York item of the same name
published in 1847 and the literary collection of the same name edited by Sarah
Josepha Hale; the present volume opens with an illuminated presentation leaf
(left blank here) and illuminated additional title-page, while the text begins
with Felicia Hemans's “Woman and Fame” and closes with Southey's
“Remembrance.” The publisher issued the Wreath in the present
undated variant and also with a publication line giving 1855.
Binding:
Publisher's red morocco, covers and spine gilt extra in foliate designs with
cherubim at play. All edges gilt.
Faxon 457a. Binding as above, front joint just starting
at top and bottom, edges and extremities showing very slight wear, gilt slightest
bit rubbed in spots; overall bright and handsome. Light age-toning and spotting
throughout.
In
remarkably good condition, unusually bright. (20886)

Lovely Christian Gift Book — BEAUTIFUL Hand Coloring
Newell, Daniel. The Christian family annual. Vol. 3. New York: Daniel Newell, [1845]. 8vo (22.6 cm, 8.9"). Engr. t.-p., [4], [9]–432 pp.; 11 col. plts., 13 plts.
$125.00
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Third annual volume: The year's issues of the Christian Family Magazine, gathered into a collection of improving essays, short stories, poems, songs (with music), and meditations, edited and published by the Rev. Daniel Newell. The volume is illustrated with an engraved title-page and
24 steel-engraved plates, including 11 hand-colored images of flowers and birds.
Faxon 126. Contemporary half navy morocco and marbled paper–covered sides, spine gilt extra; lightly/moderately rubbed. Front free endpaper with early pencilled ownership inscription. Early leaves and plates with waterstaining along inner/lower portions and later leaves with scattered light spotting, regrettable but not devastating. (27103)
For
our other “GIFTABLES” mostly $150
& UNDER, please click
here.

Pleasant Thoughts on
Congenial Spirits
The Philipena, or friendship's token: A present for all seasons. Boston: G.W. Cottrell & Co.; New York: T.W. Strong, [1848]. 16mo. Col. frontis., 126 pp.
$75.00
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Petite, pretty gift book: stories and poems dedicated to the happy rewards of virtuous domestic life. The volume opens with an
illuminated color-printed frontispiece; present here are “Social Life, or the Plains of Matrimony,” “The Heart That's True,” “Marrying for Money,” “A Good Daughter,” “Worth and Wealth,” “Congenial Spirits,” etc.
Binding: Publisher's brown cloth, covers framed in blind, front cover with gilt-stamped urn of flowers, back cover with same design in blind. All edges gilt.
Faxon 655. Bound as above, corners bumped/rubbed and base of rear joint and spine a little rubbed; gilt bright. Endpapers with early pencilled inscriptions, frontispiece with adhesion of a sliver of paper from title-page along inner margin, title-page with brown spot in lower margin offset onto lower edge of frontispiece. Sewing loosening with some early and final leaves starting to separate, title-page all but separated. Pages generally clean, with a few scattered spots; one upper margin with pencilled inscription mostly erased. A read and cherished copy, still sweetly sentimental and interesting to look at. (30368)

“A
Faithful
Remembrancer of
Parental,
Social,
& Filial
Duties”
Pratt, Stillman, ed. The illustrated souvenir a gift book for the holidays ... for MDCCCLII. Boston: Stone & Pratt, 1852. 8vo (22.7 cm, 9"). Frontis., viii, 190, 190 (lacking pp. 33/34, text uninterrupted), [2] pp.; 7 plts. (2 incl. in pagination).
[SOLD]
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Christian-themed gift book gathering short stories, essays, poems, and songs (several with music), with much emphasis on the influence of mothers in education and moral development. Also here are brief pieces on natural history, including birds and cotton plants, and on
the World's Fair Crystal Palace.
In addition to a total of eight plates (six steel-engraved and two wood), the text is
illustrated with 34 wood engravings.
Binding: Publisher's red straight-grained cloth, both covers with gilt-stamped arabesque motifs and Queen Victoria vignette, spine gilt extra. All edges gilt.
Faxon 386. Binding as above, corners and spine extremities rubbed; back free endpaper neatly excised. Someone (a would-be au courant gift-giver?), added one final “I” to the roman numeral on the title-page; pp. 33/34 of second part absent with no discernible interruption. First two and last few signatures (including one plate) with offsetting and browning, pages and plates otherwise clean. A pretty and interesting gift book in pleasing condition. (30502)

“Kneel Side by Side”
Wise,
Daniel. Bridal greetings:
A marriage gift, in which the mutual duties of husband
and wife are familiarly illustrated and enforced. New York: Carlton & Phillips,
1852. 16mo. Frontis., 160 pp.
$42.50
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Second edition, following the first of 1850, of these dicta regarding proper Christian management of the connubial state. “If the reader expects to find highly wrought sentimentality or romantic fancies in the succeeding pages, he had better lay them down, and seek for gratification elsewhere,” (p. 3) — but there is some sweetness here in the exhortations to mutual dedication.
This has a very pretty engraved title-page, acting as frontispiece; between the arched words “Bridal Greetings,” above and below, is a bridal bouquet of emblematic flowers, signed F.E. Jones.
Binding: Publisher's textured red cloth, covers framed in blind, front cover with gilt-stamped rose vignette, spine gilt extra. All edges gilt.
Not in Faxon. Binding as above, cocked, extremities lightly rubbed, front cover with tiny dark spatter; joints each with small instance of insect damage. Front free endpaper with pencilled annotation. Moderate foxing throughout. (30370)

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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Dutch almanac cum gift book, featuring short stories and poetry (including a piece on Pieter Dirkszoon Hasselaar, brave defender of Haarlem) in addition to the calendrical information. The volume is illustrated with six steel-engraved plates depicting dramatic moments from the text.
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)
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