Search Results: Authors starting with B from Stellar Books & Ephemera, ABAA

Stampless Autograph Letter Signed from Presbyterian Minister of Baltimore John C. Backus to Reverand William McDowell, Secretary Presbyterian Board of Missions, Philadelphia November 1842 Folded three-page bifolium stampless letter, 9.75 x 7.75 inches. Tear from wax seal; no loss of content but previous archival repair at tear. Light soiling and minimal separation at folds. Very Good condition. Interesting letter marked confidential from John Backus regarding the funding and activities of Presbyterian missions in the 'western country'. Backus previously had served as Assistant Secretary of the Board of Domestic Missions of the Presbyterian Church, before he was called to the pastorate of the 1st Presbyterian Church in Baltimore, Maryland in 1836, where he served the next 39 years. The recipient, William McDowell of Philadelphia was serving as the Secretary of the Board of Domestic Missions, a position he held for 17 years. As Secretary, McDowell travelled often visiting churches, presbyteries, and… Read More

1911. Loose Photos. Albert Henry Barnes. 18 photographs by Albert Henry Barnes (1876-1920) each measuring 8.25 x 6.25 inches, mounted to sheets which appear to be extracted from an album. Versos are blank. Sheets have edge wear; photos are in very good to fine condition. Contains a mix of signed photos in the negative plus three signed on actual photo; several copyrighted 1909-1911. All photos identified in manuscript on each album page plus several photos identified in the negative. Images include several Mount Rainier scenes, the Tacoma & Eastern Railway track above Elbe, Washington and a rare portrait of Philemon Beecher Van Tramp--a member of the first documented party to reach the summit of Mt. Rainier in 1870. The highlights in the collection, to my eye, are the close-up views of old growth timber including stands of cedar and fir alongside roadways in and around Mt. Rainier. Many well composed artistic images. Well known as both a regional photographer and an oil painter, Albert Henry Barnes… Read More

Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2015. First. Hardback. Fine/Fine. Arctic Ambitions--Captain Cook and the Northwest Passage; Edited by James K. Barnett and David L. Nicandri. University of Washington Press, Seattle, Washington, 2015. xvii, 429pp. plus Index. 9 x 11 inches. Book and jacket as new. Jacket has mylar wrapper and price sticker on back. Grey cloth with copper imprint on spine. Signed by James K. Barnett on title page. Slight glare from mylar jacket in photo. Beautiful book with hundreds of full color plates and charts from Captain James Cook's explorations of the Northwest on his third voyage.

[Isle of Wight] Vernacular Photo Album Filled with 99 Precious Images of an English Family 1909-1911 Three-quarter leather over green cloth commercial photo album sold by the Woollings Store in Sandown, Isle of Wight, England. 5 9/16 x 7 3/4 inches. Light rubbing. Binding fully intact albeit slightly loosening. Photo are 2.5 x 3.5 inch snapshots all slipped into sleeves and fully removable. Album is completely full of 96 photos plus three loose photos laid in. Majority of photos have excellent exposure and sharpness. 8 to 10 photos are fuzzy. Very Good Condition. Really enjoyable family album from the Isle of Wight. All of the photos examined are annotated and dated on back, however we only removed a dozen or so as we did not want to damage the album or the photos. Locales noted include Sandown, Waymouth, Portland Harbor and Carisbrooke. The Bruntsfield House and Greenhill House are identified as is the Newport Cemetery and Mount Joy Cemetery. The general feel of the album is of a wealthy family.… Read More

Good/None. County Atlas of Monroe Michigan Under the Superintendence of S.M. Bartlett from Recent and Actual Surveys and Records for F.W. Beers, New York, 1876. 12 1/2 x 15 7/8 inches, 130pp. Original boards with blind embossed design front and back plus a strong bold gilt design on front. Book has been re-backed with new brown cloth spine and new endpapers. Original boards have heavy wear to edges with minor loss to areas of the cloth. Interior is relatively clean with light foxing and toning, some edge wear to individual sheets and general soiling to the edges of the book block. Good Condition. Wonderful survivor of the Monroe County Michigan Atlas published in 1876 by F.W. Beers. Typical of the period, this atlas is filled with hand-colored maps and many illustrations of many important businesses and residences. Despite the somewhat funky pagination (sometimes blank pages are counted as a page, sometimes not), the atlas appears to be complete. 42 hand-colored plat maps on 33 sheets plus 101… Read More

Clinton, NJ: Amwell Press, 1988. Hardcover. Very good. Belmore Browne. Mountain Man: Story of Belmore Browne: Hunter, Explorer, Artist, Naturalist and Preserver of our Northern Wilderness, Robert H. Bates, Amwell Press, Clinton, NJ, 1988, xvii, 424 pp., 11¼ x 8¾ inches. Dark tan cloth with gilt titling to spine and gilt pictorial to cover, light scuffing to cover, sunning to spine, clean interior, tight binding. Very good condition. Slipcase shows minor shelf wear, small tear on back. Good condition. "Browne was a hunter, mountain climber, and explorer who toured the interior of Alaska in the early days of the twentieth century. At that time Alaska was still largely a white blank on the map and no collection had ever been made of the great mammals of the North. Later he became a nationally-known artist while working for the American Museum of Natural History.

Engraving by the German Artist Johann Wilhelm Baur Etching measures 2 3/4 x 5 1/8 inches. Trimmed unevenly. Unknown provenance. Arrived to us as part of a large collection of paper. Print is unsigned; previous dealer identified the item as that of Baur. Image is entirely consistent with his work, but we cannot provide certification that it is indeed that of Baur. Verso is lightly soiled. Very Good Condition. Johann Wilhelm Baur (1607-1640) was a German engraver, etcher and miniature painter. He is best known for a series of illustrations of Ovid's Metamorphoses, but also painted and sketched many scenes of daily life. This etching portrays a traveler leaving the city, crossing a bridge over a small body of water next to a cemetery.

Lyon, MS: The Derrydale Press, 1992. Fine/None. In the Shadow of Mount McKinley, William N. Beach, The Derrydale Press, Lyon, MS, 1992, xiii, 289 pp., 9½ x 6⅞ inches. Blue boards with title in gilt on cover and spine, faux marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, tight binding, clean interior. One of 2,500 copies, limited edition, reprint of 1931 edition. Illustrations throughout. Fine condition. A chronicle of the author's wanderings on the north side of the Alaskan Range, surrounding and including Mount McKinley. His knowledge of the area is extensive. Fording wild rivers and climbing mountains, his enthusiasm for the area is captured here.

1982. Archive of Westerns Writer Robert Vaughn Bell, 1980-1982 Two spiral-bound manuscripts, pp. 165 and pp. 230 + TLS, paperback book and snapshot photo Very Good Plus Robert Vaughn Bell was born on April 25, 1924, in Omaha, Nebraska. He was a paratrooper in the U.S. Army, earning a number of citations and medals, from 1941 to 1947. As writers are wont to do, Bell held a variety of odd jobs, including as a telephone lineman for Northwestern Bell and a manager of the Crosby Horse Ranch. He worked as a deep-sea diver in the Philippines and Mexico, and as a merchant seaman and tugboat captain on the Pacific Ocean. He was also a Deputy Sheriff in Trinity County, California and spent many years as a cattle rancher. Bell's articles have appeared in various publications, and he authored nine published novels between 1982 and 1989. He died in 1997. This small collection contains the original typed manuscript of Bell's book "A Valley Called Disappointment" signed by the author on July 28, 1980. The book… Read More

Moscow, Tennessee: W.D. Bell, 1906. African American Collection of Fifteen Stereoviews--Moscow, Tennessee Circa 1906 15 stereoviews from W.S. Bell, an amateur photographer from the Moscow, Tennessee, circa 1906. Most of the images in very good condition. Wear and light soiling to mounts. One view appears to be a double exposure. Several views slightly overexposed. Two images have pencil annotations (see photos) on verso; remaining backs blank. Stereoview plates include both glossy and matte images. W.S. Bell was best known regionally for breeding and raising hunting dogs but apparently always had his camera at the ready. Attribution for this set of photos arrived via collection of hunting dog photos purchased in same lot. Collection documents Jim Crow era sharecroppers in and around Moscow, Tennessee. Mostly posed photos of families including several children. Collection includes several candid photos next to W.J. Burdison's General Store in Moscow, TN plus a number of views posed in and around… Read More

Moscow, Tennessee, 1895. W.S. Bell. Large Archive of Stereoviews of Hunting Dogs, Circa 1895 Moscow, Tennessee (380 Images) W.S. Bell. 380 stereoviews on curved tan, cream or grey mounts. Generally, in very good condition. Typical edge wear to mounts. 22 cards have annotations on verso; rest are blank. These likely are amateur photos and the photo quality reflects this with a variety of exposures and some movement captured. Considering the circumstances of field photography, often in dense brush during hunts, the images are quite remarkable. We know little about W.S. Bell but luckily he left an amazing archive of photographs of late 19th--early 20th century hunting dogs in and around the small town of Moscow, Tennessee. According to the Amercian Kennel Club, the five most popular breeds of dogs in 1890 were working gundog breeds. While we are not experts in dog identification, the majority of dogs in these photos are probably English Setters and Pointers--both species in the top five of popularity… Read More

1764. Plan de L'Isle a Vache a la Cost de S. Domingue, Nicholas Bellin, Petit Atlas Maritime, 1764, 12.75 x 9.5 inches. Lime green coloration uneven in places, heavily applied near center left. Taped on verso to mat board. Will ship as such. Very Good condition. Map of the small Caribbean island, just off the coast of Haiti. Published in Nicholas Bellin's Petit Atlas Maritime in 1764. Bellin was the official mapmaker for the King of France.

[John C. Fremont] [Joseph Bonaparte] ALS from Clement C. Biddle to Thomas Aspinwall, Consul General of the United States, London--Letter of Recommendation for Gwinn Harris Heap, 1852 7 3/4 x 9 7/8 inch lined bifolium sheet with autograph letter signed, front and back only--inside is blank. Verso only contains docket. Previous folds. Very Good Condition. Short letter of introduction filled with important personalities of the mid 19th century. Ostensibly, this is a simple letter of introduction from Clement C. Biddle introducing Gwinn Harris Heap to the Consul General of the United States in London, Thomas Aspinwell. Clement Biddle was a prominent Philadelphia lawyer and member of the sprawling and influential Pennsylvania Biddle family who met Colonel Thomas Aspinwell in 1838 in London. Aspinwell served as Consul General for the United States from 1816-1854. They met at a dinner in Regents Park at the home of Joseph Bonaparte, former King of Spain and Naples, and elder brother of Napoleon… Read More

Glendale, CA: Arthur H. Clark Company, 1935. Good. Southwest Historical Series Volume III: Journal of A Soldier Under Kearny & Doniphan 1846-1847, George Rutledge Gibson, Ralph P. Bieber, The Arthur H. Clark Company, Glendale, CA, 1935, 9.5 x 6.5 inches, 371 pp. Mylar wrapped red boards with gilt stamped lettering to spine; gilt top edge; deckled fore- and bottom edge of text block. Corners lightly rubbed, bottom front corner slightly bumped, spine sun faded. Collated; all plates present; map entitled "Routes of Marches of George R. Gibson 1846-1847" tipped in to pg. 373. Good condition. Ralph P. Bieber (1894-1981) was editor of The Southwest Historical Series, a 12-volume series of historical documents depicting social and economic conditions in the Southwest during the nineteenth century. First edition Volume III, containing Mexican-American War journals written by George Rutledge Gibson, an American soldier from Mattoon, Illinois who served under General Stephen Kearny and Colonel Alexander… Read More

Glendale, CA: Arthur H. Clark Company, 1937. Good. Southwest Historical Series Volume V: Southern Trails to California In 1849, Ralph P. Bieber, The Arthur H. Clark Company, Glendale, CA, 1937, 9.5 x 6.5 inches, 386 pp. Red boards with gilt stamped lettering to spine; gilt top edge; deckled fore- and bottom edge of text block. Corners and head and foot of spine moderately rubbed; right half of front board slightly sun faded; multiple pages uncut. Collated; all plates present; map entitled "Map of Southern Trails to California in 1849" tipped in to pg. 389. Good condition. Ralph P. Bieber (1894-1981) was editor of The Southwest Historical Series, a 12-volume series of historical documents depicting social and economic conditions in the Southwest during the nineteenth century. First Edition Volume V, contains compiled historical documents including letters, newspaper clippings, illustrations, etc. concerning various aspects of the Gold Rush through the Southwest in 1849.

Glendale, CA: Arthur H. Clark Company, 1938. Very Good. Southwest Historical Series Volume VII: Exploring Southwest Trails 1846-1854, Philip St. George Cooke, William Henry Chase Whiting, Francois Xavier Aubry, Ralph P. Bieber, The Arthur H. Clark Company, Glendale, CA, 1938, 9.5 x 6.5 inches, 383 pp. Mylar wrapped red boards with gilt stamped lettering to spine; gilt top edge; deckled fore- and bottom edge of text block. Bottom corners, spine lightly rubbed and bumped; bookplate to front pastedown, and previous owner name in ink to first free endpaper and rear pastedown. Collated; all plates present; map entitled "Trails Explored by Philip St. G. Cooke, William H. C. Whiting, Francois X. Aubry 1846-1854" tipped in to pg. 387. Good condition. Ralph P. Bieber (1894-1981) was editor of The Southwest Historical Series, a 12-volume series of historical documents depicting social and economic conditions in the Southwest during the nineteenth century. First edition Volume VII, containing journals and… Read More

Glendale, CA: Arthur H. Clark Company, 1940. Good. Southwest Historical Series Volume VIII: Cattle Trade of the West and Southwest, Joseph G. McCoy, Ralph P. Bieber, The Arthur H. Clark Company, Glendale, CA, 1940, 9.5 x 6.5 inches, 435 pp. Mylar wrapped red boards with gilt stamped lettering to spine; gilt top edge; deckled fore- and bottom edge of text block. Bottom corners, spine lightly rubbed and bumped; spine slightly sun faded; multiple pages throughout book uncut. Collated; all plates present. Good condition. Ralph P. Bieber (1894-1981) was editor of The Southwest Historical Series, a 12-volume series of historical documents depicting social and economic conditions in the Southwest during the nineteenth century. First edition Volume VIII, reprint of Historic Sketches of the Cattle Trade of the West and Southwest, originally published in 1874 by Joseph G. McCoy (1837-1915); reprint contains original text in its entirety with advertisements and most "crude illustrations which have little or… Read More

Glendale, CA: Arthur H. Clark Company, 1936. Very Good. Southwest Historical Series Volume IV: Marching With the Army of the West 1846-1848, Abraham Robinson Johnston, Marcellus Ball Edwards, Philip Gooch Ferguson, Ralph P. Bieber, The Arthur H. Clark Company, Glendale, CA, 1936, 9.5 x 6.5 inches, 368 pp. Mylar wrapped red boards with gilt stamped lettering to spine; gilt top edge; deckled fore- and bottom edge of text block. Corners and head and foot of spine lightly rubbed; else clean copy. Collated; all plates present; map entitled "Routes of Marches of Abraham R. Johnston, Marcellus B. Edwards, Philip G. Ferguson 1846-1848" tipped in to pg. 371. Very good condition. Ralph P. Bieber (1894-1981) was editor of The Southwest Historical Series, a 12-volume series of historical documents depicting social and economic conditions in the Southwest during the nineteenth century. First edition Volume IV, containing journals written by three soldiers of the Army of the West during the Mexican-American… Read More

New York: James T. White & Co, 1934. Talcott Huntington Russell for the National Cyclopedia of American Biography, James T. White & Co. New York 1934. 16pp. 5.5 x 7.5 inches. Brown staple bound wrappers are spotted with several spots bleeding through to first leaf, otherwise clean interior. Biography of Yale and Columbia graduate Talcott Huntington Russell, Connecticut lawyer of note. No record found in OCLC as of April, 2023.

1960. [Authors] [Film] [Poetry] Manuscripts for Works by Noted Author, Publicist and Motion Picture Director Russell Birdwell, circa 1960s This is a small archive (about three inches) consisting of typed manuscripts for books by Russell Birdwell, perhaps best known as the publicist and press agent for "Gone With the Wind" and several other motion pictures. Birdwell was born in Texas in 1903. He worked for Hearst newspapers in Los Angeles and New York, directed two silent movies in 1929 and a short in 1933. He soon became head of publicity for David O. Selznick, who produced "Gone with the Wind" and "Rebecca," both Best Picture Academy Award winners. Birdwell opened his own office in 1939 and had offices in Beverly Hills, New York, London and Chicago. Among his many noteworthy clients were Carole Lombard, Marlene Dietrich and King Carol II of Romania. He also worked for the 1943 Western "The Outlaw," publicizing its star Jane Russell and director Howard Hughes. In 1939 Birdwell published the… Read More