JOHNSON, SAMUEL
The Rambler. London: for J. Payne [and J. Bouquet], 1750-1752 [title-pages dated 1753]. An early collected folio edition from the original numbers. Although No 1 is second edition, the rest of the numbers appear to be the first. Period half tan calf over marbled boards, gilt-lettered black leather spine labels, boards detached. 11 7/8 x 7 inches; (30 x 17.7 cm); [10], 622; [10], [623]-1244 pp. Boards detached, spines chipped, offsetting from adhesives in the boards to preliminary and terminal leaves. Sold as-is, not subject to return. Bookplates of Strickland Freeman Esq. & Henry Eustatius Strickland to front pastedowns.
Courtney & Nicol Smith, pp 30-31.
JOHNSON, SAMUEL
The Rambler. London: for J. Payne [and J. Bouquet], 1750-1752 [title-pages dated 1753]. An early collected folio edition from the original numbers. Although No 1 is second edition, the rest of the numbers appear to be the first. Period half tan calf over marbled boards, gilt-lettered black leather spine labels, boards detached. 11 7/8 x 7 inches; (30 x 17.7 cm); [10], 622; [10], [623]-1244 pp. Boards detached, spines chipped, offsetting from adhesives in the boards to preliminary and terminal leaves. Sold as-is, not subject to return. Bookplates of Strickland Freeman Esq. & Henry Eustatius Strickland to front pastedowns.
Courtney & Nicol Smith, pp 30-31.
Auction: Rare Books, Autographs & Maps, Apr 16, 2026
NEW YORK, NY – Doyle's auction of Rare Books, Autographs & Maps on April 16, 2026 saw international competition drive strong results throughout the sale and a total that surpassed expectations.
Thomas Jefferson Letter on Toussaint Louverture
Highlighting the sale was a fascinating 1802 letter from Thomas Jefferson as president to Maryland Governor John Francis Mercer that achieved a strong $32,000. The remarkable letter captures a rare, candid moment in which Jefferson assesses, with striking clarity, the arrest of Toussaint Louverture, a leader of the Haitian Revolution, by French General Charles LeClerc, Napoleon’s brother-in-law. Jefferson perceptively warned that LeClerc’s actions would erode trust and likely spark further racial conflict—an insight that proved remarkably accurate. Beyond its sharp political foresight, the letter reflects the broader anxiety the Haitian Revolution provoked in the United States, which contributed to decades of diplomatic isolation of Haiti.
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