May 1, 2024 10:00 EST
Rare Books, Autographs & Maps
233
Essay on the Impolicy of the Slave Trade, 1788
Estate / Collection: Property from the Rotondaro Collection
CLARKSON, THOMAS
An Essay on the Impolicy of the African Slave Trade. In Two Parts. London: Printed and Sold by J. Phillips, 1788. First English edition, a presentation copy inscribed "For Samuel Vaughan Esquire from the author, " with Samuel Vaughan's signature on the front paste-down; the first English edition was published the same year as the first American edition, with no priority established (the American edition was printed in Philadelphia with the addition of an essay by Brissot de Warville). Publisher's blue boards with cream (now darkened to tan) paper spine, housed in a custom quarter morocco clamshell box. 8 7/8 x 5 1/2 inches (22.5 x 14 cm); [11], iv, 134 pp. A fine uncut copy in original boards, minor toning. As noted, a presentation to Samuel Vaughan (who was a friend to Benjamin Franklin and George Washington); the front cover bears an inscription "James Wilson Esqr., Philadelphia, with a letter” written in elegant cursive on the front cover, directly beneath the faint initials “J.V.” (plausibly Samuel Vaughan's son John).
Clarkson famously experienced a Pauline moment while returning from Cambridge after receiving a prize for an essay against slavery. The realization dawned that "If the contents of the Essay were true, it was time some person should see these calamities to their end." At the moment when he realized that he had that moral obligation, the antislavery movement gained its greatest advocate. His initial publication was an expanded version of the Cambridge essay, and then, having researched for two years first-hand the iniquities of the slave trade, he issued the present work. Dedicated to Wilberforce, the Essay on the Impolicy of the African Slave Trade dismantles one by one the claims used to justify the trade, to devastating effect. This was to be followed in 1808 by his opus The History of the Rise, Progress, and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave-Trade by the British Parliament, which helped cement the concept of slavery as a moral crime.
This copy has an interesting and significant American provenance. Samuel Vaughan was a British merchant with plantations in Jamaica who, unusually for a planter, was opposed to the slave trade. He held close ties with George Washington, among other prominent figures. Indeed, he commissioned Gilbert Stuart's famous portrait of Washington that hangs in The National Gallery, and in another benefaction, gifted Washington a marble mantel for Mount Vernon. At some time after he received this copy from Clarkson, it was conveyed to Philadelphia, possibly by his son John. The Wilson who received this copy is most likely the Pennsylvania lawyer who was "one of the most influential members of the Constitutional Convention in 1787" and one of only six men to sign both the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.
Sold for $2,880
Estimated at $3,000 - $5,000
Includes Buyer's Premium
Estate / Collection: Property from the Rotondaro Collection
CLARKSON, THOMAS
An Essay on the Impolicy of the African Slave Trade. In Two Parts. London: Printed and Sold by J. Phillips, 1788. First English edition, a presentation copy inscribed "For Samuel Vaughan Esquire from the author, " with Samuel Vaughan's signature on the front paste-down; the first English edition was published the same year as the first American edition, with no priority established (the American edition was printed in Philadelphia with the addition of an essay by Brissot de Warville). Publisher's blue boards with cream (now darkened to tan) paper spine, housed in a custom quarter morocco clamshell box. 8 7/8 x 5 1/2 inches (22.5 x 14 cm); [11], iv, 134 pp. A fine uncut copy in original boards, minor toning. As noted, a presentation to Samuel Vaughan (who was a friend to Benjamin Franklin and George Washington); the front cover bears an inscription "James Wilson Esqr., Philadelphia, with a letter” written in elegant cursive on the front cover, directly beneath the faint initials “J.V.” (plausibly Samuel Vaughan's son John).
Clarkson famously experienced a Pauline moment while returning from Cambridge after receiving a prize for an essay against slavery. The realization dawned that "If the contents of the Essay were true, it was time some person should see these calamities to their end." At the moment when he realized that he had that moral obligation, the antislavery movement gained its greatest advocate. His initial publication was an expanded version of the Cambridge essay, and then, having researched for two years first-hand the iniquities of the slave trade, he issued the present work. Dedicated to Wilberforce, the Essay on the Impolicy of the African Slave Trade dismantles one by one the claims used to justify the trade, to devastating effect. This was to be followed in 1808 by his opus The History of the Rise, Progress, and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave-Trade by the British Parliament, which helped cement the concept of slavery as a moral crime.
This copy has an interesting and significant American provenance. Samuel Vaughan was a British merchant with plantations in Jamaica who, unusually for a planter, was opposed to the slave trade. He held close ties with George Washington, among other prominent figures. Indeed, he commissioned Gilbert Stuart's famous portrait of Washington that hangs in The National Gallery, and in another benefaction, gifted Washington a marble mantel for Mount Vernon. At some time after he received this copy from Clarkson, it was conveyed to Philadelphia, possibly by his son John. The Wilson who received this copy is most likely the Pennsylvania lawyer who was "one of the most influential members of the Constitutional Convention in 1787" and one of only six men to sign both the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.
Auction: Rare Books, Autographs & Maps, May 1, 2024
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Auction of Rare Books, Autographs & Maps on May 1, 2024 Totals $1.2 Million
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A Medieval Manuscript Rules of St. Augustine Achieves $102k
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Consignments Are Currently Being Accepted for Future Auctions
NEW YORK, NY -- Competitive bidding at Doyle’s May 1, 2024 auction of Rare Books, Autographs & Maps drove strong prices and a sale total that topped $1.2 million, surpassing expectations.
Featured in the sale was a fascinating selection of early manuscripts that achieved exceptional results. Highlighting the group was a 14th century manuscript of the Rules of St. Augustine from an English priory that soared over its $8,000-12,000 estimate to realize a stunning $102,100. The Rule of St. Augustine is among the earliest of all monastic rules, created about 400, and it was an influence on all that succeeded it. Other notable results included a 14th century Etymologiae of St. Isidore estimated at $5,000-8,000 that achieved $51,200 and a 15th century Prayer Book of Jehan Bernachier estimated at $10,000-15,000 that sold for $28,800.
A first edition of John James Audubon's octavo Birds of America sold for $41,600, far over its $25,000-35,000 estimate. Published in 1840-1844 in seven volumes, the first octavo edition was the final Birds of America publication overseen by Audubon in his lifetime.
The Fred Rotondaro Collection offered rare books and manuscripts on a range of subjects touching the African American experience in the United States over three centuries. A first edition copy of Frederick Douglass’ 1876 speech at the unveiling of the Freedman's Monument in Washington realized $12,800, far exceeding its $3,000-5,000 estimate. A first edition of the first issue of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin from 1852 also achieved $12,800.
Highlighting the range of offerings from the Ken Harte Collection of Natural History was a first edition Richard Bowdler Sharpe’s beautifully illustrated monograph of Kingfishers, 1868-71, that sold for $14,080, doubling its $6,000-8,000 estimate. It was accompanied by an inscribed copy of the rare unfinished chapter on the anatomy of the kingfisher by James Murie.
We Invite You to Auction!
Consignments are currently being accepted for future auctions. We invite you to contact us for a complimentary auction evaluation. Our Specialists are always available to discuss the sale of a single item or an entire collection.
For information, please contact Peter Costanzo at 212-427-4141 ext 248, Edward Ripley-Duggan at ext 234, or Noah Goldrach at ext 226, or email Books@Doyle.com
