Connecticut River Book Auction – Live In-Person Book Auction
FRIDAY, MARCH 8th, 2024 at 6pm
South Congregational Church, 949 Main Street in South Glastonbury, CT 06073.
ctriverbookauction.com

SOUTH GLASTONBURY, CONN. — The Friday, March 8, Connecticut River Book Auction offers travelers, at least those who use their imagination as much as their feet, with several treats. The first is two Seventeenth Century maps by the Visscher family of Amsterdam. For at least three generations this family was engaged in mapmaking. The family’s activities happily coincided with the “Dutch Golden Age” of exploration. The Dutch East India Company was formed in 1602, and the Dutch West India Company was formed in 1621. Maps were vital for their businesses, and the Visschers filled that need.

Both maps have Latin titles: the first, Orbis Terrarum Nova et Accuratissima Tabula (A new and very accurate map of the world) and second, Novi Belgii Novaque Angliae: nec non partis Virginae tabula multis in locis emendate by Nicolaes Visscher (New Belgium and New England: and also a map of parts of Virginia in many places amended by Nicholas Visscher.) New Belgium refers to “New Netherland,” the territory claimed by the United Provinces (the Netherlands) on the eastern coast of North America in the Seventeenth Century.

Both maps have an old, thin readable printed sticker on the back (likely from a dealer) stating the name of the map, the mapmaker and the date of the printing. Nicolaes Visscher II (1649-1702), the third generation of the Visscher cartographers, made both maps.

The map, Orbis Terrarum Novae, has a sticker pasted on the lower back that reads, “Seventeenth Century Globae Map by N. Visscher with California Depicted as an Island.” This is a double hemisphere map with both polar regions included at the top and bottom. The map features mythological scenes from the classical world drawn by Nicolaes Berchem involving Zeus, Neptune, Persephone and Demeter.

The second map, Novi Belgii, is an important map of America’s Northeast that contains an inset of New York City (“Nieuw Amsterdam”). The somewhat damaged sticker on the back dates it as 1682. It should be noted that the 1684 iteration of this map locates “Philadelphia” for the first time, so the 1682 date is probably accurate as there is no reference to Philly on this map. The map shows eastern North America from modern-day Canada to Virginia. Illustrations on the map include bears, beaver, deer, foxes, turkeys and rabbits, as well as Native American villages on land and Native Americans in boats at sea. Fort Kasimer has been added to the map following the Dutch capture of that landmark in 1655. Also, Albany appears on the map as “Fort Orangie.”

Traveling to your destination, an account of the trip should be made and in this regard the auction offers the typed detailed impressions of New Jersey residents Mary and William Dickson on their 1927 trip from New York Harbor to the Holy Land with photos and other material contained in a scrapbook. Looking for a more official account of an ocean voyage, then there is the Captain’s Log of the Malaina (Illyria from 1928-32) from June 23 to August 23, 1933, traveling from Venice to Glen Cove, Long Island. And lastly there is a collection of letters from Harold MacCartney to his mother during the mid-1920s with several detailing his experiences working for SOCONY in China. These letters are rich in sharing the after-work experiences of Americans and Europeans in China playing golf, going to parties and horse riding while describing the tensions that would soon erupt into war as this letter illustrates: “There are street brawls frequently one yesterday in which a combination of half a dozen Americans and Italian sailors had a free for all against a crowd of 150 coolies.”

The auction will be conducted at 6 pm at the South Congregational Church, 949 Main Street. For more information, www.ctriverbookauction.com or 860-908-8067.

Inspection begins at noon with the auction starting at 6 pm. ABSENTEE / PHONE BIDDERS call 860-908-8067 For Information
Just days away from Spring, this auction offers those interested in travel, history, literature, art and children’s stories a night of pleasurable discoveries.
Let’s start with travel. To get there one needs a map and we have several with two lots in particular featuring the work of Visscher. The first is titled “Orbis Terrarum Novae,” with the label on the back of the frame stating, “17th Century Globae Map by N. Visscher with California Depicted as an Island.” The second also by Visscher is titled ” Novi Belgii,” with the label on back of the frame dating this map to 1682. It depicts New England and Virginia but does not show Philadelphia as later editions do. Both are in full color.
Traveling to your destination, an account of the trip should be made and in this regard we have the typed detailed impressions of Mary and William Dickson in 1927 on a trip from New York Harbor to the Holy Land with photos and other material contained in a scrapbook. Looking for something more official then what about the Captain’s Log of the Malaina (Illyria from 1928-32) from June 23 to August 23, 1933 from Venice to Glen Cove, Long Island. Or consider several letters from Harold MacCartney to his mother during the mid 1920s detailing his experiences working for SOCONY in China. These letters are rich in sharing the after work experiences of Americans and Europeans in China during this time period and the growing tensions that would soon erupt into war.
For those who appreciate fine children’s books, there is a five volume grouping from Lafeadio Hearn (circa 1898 to 1903) of Japanese Fairy Tales. The titles are: No 1 (2nd Series) The Goblin Spider, No. 25 Chin Chin Kobakama, No. 24 The Old Woman Who Lost Her Dumpling, Boy Who Drew Cats, and The Fountain of Youth.” There is a signed limited edition by Arthur Rackham of “The Wonder Book,” and a Sendak signed copy of “The Art of Maurice Sendak.”
Continuing the theme of art, there are five 1st edition titles by Bruce Weber: (2014) “Detroit Has Been Good To Me,” (2017) “Glory Be,” (2018) “Facing the World,” (2019) “No Small Thing Desire,” and (2022) “That Towering Feeling.” There is also: Aubrun (1985) “Jules Bastien-LePage 1848-1884 Catalogue raison ne de I’Oeuvre,” and Vachon (1996) “W. Bouguereau.” Both are limited editions. We suggest you research these two 1st edition titles: Offenstadt (1999) “Jean Beraud The EpoqueA Dream of Times Gone By,” and Stephens et al. (1993) “The New Wave 20th Century Japanese Prints from the Robert 0. Muller Collection.”
If fiction is your bailiwick then how about these 1st editions by Mark Twain: (1889) “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court,” (1904) “Extracts from Adam’s Diary,” and (1906) “Eve’s Diary.” There is a 1928 pirated limited so-called signed edition by Lawrence of “Lady Chatterley’s Lover,” and signed volumes by Herman Wouk, Gore Vidal, Ellroy, and lots more.
For lovers of history, here are just a few of the 1st edition titles available: (1894) “Documentary History of the Constitution of the United States,” Palmer (1872) “Memoir of the Distinguished Mohawk Indian Chief Sachem and Warrior Capt. Joseph Brant,” and Caulkins (1852) “History of New London Connecticut from the First Survey of the Coast in 1612 to 1852.”
Several interesting ephemera lots of military material are joined by two lots one of Gordon Grant signed lithographs and another signed by Weidenaar (1948) titled “Six Ways to Draw on Copper.” Lastly, and not to be ignored is a 1st edition of Rachel Carson’s (1962) “Silent Spring.”
For more information on this 6 pm, Friday, March 8th book auction to be held at the South Congregational Church,
949 Main Street, South Glastonbury, CT 06073 visit ctriverbookauction.com
or call Tom at 1-860-908-8067.
South Congregational Church • 949 Main St, South Glastonbury, CT • www.ctriverbookauction.com • 860-908-8067