NOT SOLD (BIDDING OVER)
0.00USD+ applicable fees & taxes.
This item WAS NOT SOLD. Auction date was 2023 Mar 30 @ 08:00UTC-7 : PDT/MST
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A Pictorial View of California: Including a Description of the Panama and Nicaragua Routes, with Information and Advice Interesting to All, Particularly Those Who Intend to Visit the Golden Region. By a Returned Californian. By LETTS, John M. Sold Only by Subscription. New York: Henry Bill, 1853. 224 [1, ads] [1, blank] pp., 48 lithographed plates on toned grounds (including frontispiece) of scenes and views in the California Gold Rush, Mexico, and Central America after original drawings of George Victor Cooper. 8vo, publisher's original blind stamped gilt-pictorial plum cloth (illustration of miner on covers and spine). Spine faded, slightly shelf slanted, moderate shelf wear, interior and plates very fine and fresh with only occasional mild spotting. Early ink stamp of Henry C. Johnson on front flyleaf. Second edition (the first edition was published in 1852 and reissued numerous times that year, with varying numbers of plates; this copy is complete with 48 plates). Bradford 2980. Braislin 1148. Cowan I, p. 140n. Cowan II, p. 390n. Eberstadt 114:150: "Copies with all the 48 plates are the exception." Graff 2469. Cf. Hill II:1015. Cf. Howell, California 50:603. Howes L300. Littell 641. Norris 2055. Peters, California on Stone, pp. 97, 103-105 (John Cameron and George W. Casilear). Rocq 15917. Sabin 40723. Vail, Gold Fever, p. 20. Wheat, Books of the California Gold Rush 125n. Hill comments: "Letts embarked for California in January 1849. He sailed to Chagres and took the overland route to the Pacific.... He headed for the gold fields and worked at Mormon Bar and Auburn. Finding himself unlucky in this pursuit, he opened a store and did better in business.... The narrative is written in high good humor, relating numerous anecdotes and commonplace occurrences from a whimsical point of view." Despite the lightheartedness ascribed to Letts, his descriptions occasionally reveal the very dark side of his experiences. At the diggings, people are afflicted with a disease called "land scurvy." Of one victim, he remarks after the burial, "He grew to manhood, pledged his hand and heart to the one he loved, combatted, perhaps, with adversity, and finally bade farewell to his own offspring, to die a stranger in a strange land" (p. 122). This work is notable for the fine series of lithographed plates of California views and scenery by George V. Cooper. Peters, California on Stone, pp. 103-105: "From 1849 to 1852 [Cooper] was in California, traveling about the heart of the mining country...as the working partner of J. M. Letts.... Cooper has left us a pungent, graphic record of the long trip to and from the gold fields, of the young cities he found mushrooming there, of booming San Francisco and Sacramento, of the lovely vestiges of the mission-founding padres in early California, and of the actual life of the Forty-niners, with its flavor of roughing it, humor, hope, and all the luring magic of the yellow streak." One of the illustrations shows the author and artist at Fort Sutter, with Cooper drawing in his sketchbook. Many of the lithos are early views of California towns and cities. Mexican images include two views of Cabo San Lucas, three of Acapulco, and the Baja California coast. The large number of early city views in this work make it a valuable documentary source. Plates Include: [Frontispiece]: Port of San Francisco, From a sketch by G. W. Casilear; Chagres from the anchorage, Feb. 14th 1849; Interior of the castle, at Chagres; Entrance to the River Chagres; Preparing breakfast on the Chagres River; Passing a rapid, on Chagres river; New Granadean mother; Battery, Panama; Grand Cathedral, Panama; The Islands, from Panama; Sutter, 3 miles below Sac City; Encampment at Sac City, Nov. 1849. My own tent; Sutter's Fort 1849; Rear of Sutter's Fort, during the Spring months; Between Sacramento and the mines; Author and artist; Teamsters breakfasting. on the road to the Mines; Mormon Bar, on the North Fork, American River; J. C. Tracy and myself "prospecting."; South Fork, American River; Sutter's Mill, Coloma, the spot where the gold was first found; Coloma; The Yankees house at Hang Town So much lower than their heads that they had to crawl in and double up like jack knives, Placer Ville, (Hang Town); White Oak Spring; Looking down the Big Canon; The Plains near Sac City in the Flowery Season; Sacramento City, From the foot of J Street; St. Lucas, Lower California (Looking Northwest); Coast of Lower California, Showing the Peculiarity of the Sky; Santa Barbara, Upper California; Mission House at Santa Barbara; St. Lucas, Lower California (Looking East); Acapulco; Market place, Acapulco; Baraco Realejo; Church in Shinandagua [sic]; Bathing [sic] and washing corn, at Chinandaga [sic]; Harbour of Realajo [sic]; Our arrival at Masaya; Breakfasting on Shore, Nicaragua Lake; San Carlos, Nicaragua Lake at the entrance of the San Juan River; San Juan de Nicaragua; The Harbour at San Juan, Nicaragua; Castle at Acapulco; Panama, from the battery, Cerro Lancon in the background; Chagres, from the Castle, looking down. 1851; Coaling Up Kingston, Jamaica. Kurutz, The California Gold Rush 398e: Letts left New York on the bark Marrietta on January 27, 1849, headed for Chagres. In Panama City, he boarded the Niantic and arrived in San Francisco on July 4. From there, he went to Sacramento, Mormon Island, and other points. Drawing on his personal experience, Letts produced one of the best accounts of gambling, violence, and life in the mines. On November 22, Letts departed for Sacramento and, shortly thereafter, headed to Central America. In his note to the readers, Letts wrote: "A season's residence in the mineral regions enabled me to obtain a correct interior view of life in California." Letts added to his narrative the text of the new California Constitution. George V. Cooper, Lett's traveling companion and New York artist, drew the illustrations that embellish this work. His scenes, reproduced as forty-eight tinted lithographs, document the journey across Panama, San Francisco, Sacramento, life in the mines, and Central America. Cooper again drew all the illustrations for A Pictorial View. The appearance of this illustrated work, however, did not impress the editors of the San Francisco Alta California. On June 30, 1852, the Alta wrote that, from the house of Cooke & LeCount: "We have received a copy of a new 'California Book,'...full of spiritless plates and contains the usual quantity of incidents in the life of a gold adventurer, all of the usual quality. It is the production of a 'Returned Californian,' and is got up with some pretensions of beauty." The first issue included Letts' name on the copyright page and not the title page and a dedication to Miss Hetta P. Letts. The contents of the 1853 second edition are identical. As Cowan points out: "There was evidently a deficiency in the supply of engravings [lithographs] prepared; for the number varies greatly." Rare. A rare and important work for Gold Rush enthusiasts.
Date: 1853
Country (if not USA):
State: California
City:
Provenance:
Auction Location:
3555 Airway Drive Suite 309, Reno, Nevada, 89511, United States
Previewing Details:
Preview
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Nevada State Sales Tax
Taxes:
| Tax | Rate | Desc. |
| NSST |
8.375% |
Nevada Sales Tax |
| CSST |
7.25% |
California Sales Tax |
Buyer's Premiums:
| From (Incl.) | To (Excl.) | Premium |
| 0.00 |
Infinite |
25% |
Additional Fees:
Shipping Details:
SHIPPING & HANDLING: The customer is responsible for all shipping and packaging charges. We offer shipping service as a convenience to our buyers. Items are not shipped until the invoice and shipping charges are completely paid. Shipping costs will be calculated and billed separately after your items have been paid for. Purchases will be shipped via our approved, insured carriers: FedEx, UPS, USPS or DHL. Pick up is available from our Reno office, once you have received your invoice post auction, with 24 hours notice given to HWAC prior to pick-up.
Payment Details:
Due on receipt of invoice.
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TERMS AND CONDITIONS
This is a Live Auction conducted by Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC (HWAC).
1. The placing of a bid shall constitute the bidder’s acceptance of these terms of sale.
2. BUYER’S PREMIUM & INSURANCE: There will be a 25% Buyer’s Premium added to the sale price (hammer) of each lot. We accept cash, checks, money orders, wire transfers, credit cards and PayPal.
3. COINS, CURRENCY AND PRECIOUS METALS, Insurance. The buyer’s commission for this section is 20.5%. Coins and currency shall be defined as any regular Federal issue circulating coins and currency. Tokens are not considered coins. Precious metals shall be defined as ingots, silver or gold rounds, bullion items and gold nuggets. Mineral specimens are not considered under the precious metals category. Commemorative items such as metals and ribbons are not considered coins of precious metals. However, lots that consist entirely of gold or silver of high purity, including commemorative metals, are considered precious metals. Please contact our office if you need clarification on a specific lot.
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5. SHIPPING & HANDLING: The customer is responsible for all shipping and packaging charges. We offer shipping service as a convenience to our buyers. Items are not shipped until the invoice and shipping charges are completely paid. Shipping costs will be calculated and billed separately after your items have been paid for. Purchases will be shipped via our approved, insured carriers: FedEx, UPS, USPS or DHL. Pick up is available from our Reno office, once you have received your invoice post auction, with 24 hours notice given to HWAC prior to pick-up.
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10. NEW BIDDERS: Bidders unknown to us, who anticipate an expenditure in excess of $20,000, must provide commercial references or a deposit of 25% of the amount to be bid in order for the auction staff to execute bids. Deposits will be credited towards lots won and any balance will be refunded within 10 business days after the auction has concluded. New bidders will be given a spending limit at their initial request to participate. In order to increase this limit, you may be required to provide a letter of authorization from your bank in addition to providing references. Please contact our office at any time if you have questions regarding spending limits or references required to bid.
11. AGENT BIDDING: There are numerous professional agents available to assist you should you require this service. Please contact the office for a list or to arrange for representation on the floor during the live auction. HWAC is not responsible for any acts or omissions by agents acting on behalf of bidders at our auctions.
BE ADVISED: Auction participation through the live Internet bidding site is not 100% foolproof. The technology for this process is always changing, and the operation of it and the corresponding Internet connectivity issues are far beyond our control. Some folks have attempted to use the live Internet bidding process as their primary method of bidding, and have been quite successful. Others have failed completely. Depending upon your computer, server, host, and other factors, Internet signals may be delayed, such that bids may not be received in time. We cannot be held responsible for these delays, or for the lack of placed bids in a timely manner, or any other factors leading to unaccepted bids that are far beyond our control. Bidders should always have a backup plan for lots they highly desire. Live participation is best, followed by phone participation. We will not reopen lots for missed bids.
12. RESERVES: Most of the lots in this auction are unreserved. Precious metals may be reserved at or near or slightly below spot, at the auctioneer's discretion.
13. BIDDING INCREMENTS: All bids must be submitted in U.S. dollars and in whole dollar amounts only in the appropriate increments as outlined below. If you choose to submit bids in an increment not listed below, your bid will be rounded to the nearest increment and you will be expected to pay the amount to which the bid was rounded should your bid be the winning bid. If you have any questions about an appropriate bid amount, please call us.
14. BID REDUCTION: All winning absentee bids will be reduced, if necessary, to the next bidding increment up from the last competing bid, as long as the minimum bid requirement has been met. For example, if you submit an absentee bid of $1000 and the next highest competing bid is $250, then you will win the lot for $275.
15. BID INFORMATION: Collectors often ask in advance the price level of a particular lot. We will give out the current competitive high absentee bid until we close the day before the live auction. You may also view absentee bids online at www.holabirdamericana.com. While we try to update the absentee bids as often as necessary, bids received close to the bidding deadline might not be reflected online, and we disclaim any responsibility for any bids made in reliance upon inaccuracies on our website, which may be beyond our control. We do not own any of the live Internet bidding platforms, and thus many aspects of the Internet technology are out of our control.
16. BID CANCELLATION: If you wish to cancel or change a bid after you have submitted your bids to us due to an error, you MUST PHONE us to advise us of this. Bid cancellations through mail, email, or faxes are not advisable. Errors are easy to make. Please call us if you have any questions on this.
17. All stock certificates, checks, warrants, and other financial documents sold herein are sold as antiquities, and have no financial, securities, or public trading value whatsoever.
18. We reserve the right to reject any bid we feel is not made in good faith.
19. INVOICING: Invoices are mailed or emailed within two business days after the close of all portions of the sale. Within 15 calendar days of receipt of invoice, payment is due in full to Holabird Western Americana Collections, 3555 Airway Dr., #308, Reno, NV 89511. Late fees may be added if payment arrangements are not made within those 15 days. Sales tax will be added to all sales picked-up after the auction or shipped to Nevada addresses, according to Nevada State law, unless a resale certificate is provided.
20. PAYMENT: We accept Cash, Visa, Master Card, American Express, Discover, Money Order/Cashier’s Check, Wire Transfer, Personal Check or PayPal. All returned checks are subject to a $25 fee. Cash received in amounts greater than $10,000 is subject to the filing of IRS form 8300, as required by law.
21. Automatic Credit Card Billing: Internet bidders are subject to the payment terms and conditions outlined on the internet bidding platform they utilize, which may include the automatic payment of auction invoices with the credit card information on file at the time of registration.
22. NON-PAYMENT: HWAC reserves the right to cancel any invoice not paid in full within 15 days. A cancelled invoice does not relieve the bidder from their obligation to pay seller fees and buyer’s premiums compensating HWAC for its services in conducting the auction. Interest shall run on all outstanding balances at the highest rate permitted by law. HWAC shall have a lien against the merchandise purchased by the bidder, and any other of bidder’s property then held by HWAC or its affiliates, to secure payment of the invoice, and with respect thereto HWAC shall have all the rights of a secured creditor under the Nevada Commercial Code, including but not limited to the right of sale. HWAC may sell the lot(s) securing the invoice to any under bidders in the auction that the lot(s) appeared, or at subsequent private or public sale, or relist the lot(s) in a future auction conducted by HWAC. A defaulting bidder agrees to pay for the reasonable costs of resale (including a 10% seller’s commission, if consigned to an auction conducted by HWAC). The defaulting bidder is liable to pay any difference between his or her total original invoice for the lot(s), plus any applicable interest, and the net proceeds for the lot(s) if sold at private sale or the subsequent hammer price of the lot(s) less the 10% seller’s commissions, if sold at an HWAC auction. If HWAC refers any invoice to an attorney for collection, the bidder agrees to pay attorney’s fees, court costs, and other collection costs incurred by HWAC. Any bidder who fails to follow the terms of payment will be reported to iCollector, Live Auctioneers, Invaluable, or applicable bidding platform, and may be barred from participating in future Holabird Western Americana auctions.
23. CONDITION: We strongly recommend that you attend the live preview to see lots in their entirety. Conditions are not always noted, and large lots may not be itemized due to catalog restraints. For questions, detailed information, or additional images of any lot please contact our office at 775-851-1859. Bidders are responsible for understanding the condition of items. Conditions noted are subjective, and may differ person to person. High resolution images of all items are available online for inspection. HWAC is not responsible for condition discrepancies; it is the bidders responsibility to determine condition prior to bidding.
24. RETURN POLICY: All items are guaranteed to be authentic unless otherwise noted. If authenticity is challenged, please call our office for assistance. ALL SALES ARE FINAL. You may only return any piece that was significantly inaccurately described by calling our office within 10 days of receipt of item(s) and notifying us of the error and reason for return. We do not refund postage or insurance. Please call us if you require a more specific condition report. Any items that are returned must be returned in the exact, unaltered condition. When we receive your bids we will assume you have read the description in the catalog, viewed the image of the item, have contacted us regarding any questions you may have on any lot and/or have previewed the lot in person.
25. This sale is being held under the laws of the State of Nevada.
26. HWAC shall not be held responsible for any problem due to the bidder’s failure to follow the rules, terms and conditions of this sale, or any failure to bid due to the loss of the online auction process provided by any of the online auction networks; or missed bids, changed bids or cancelled due the bidder’s failure to follow the proper bidding procedure outlined herein.
27. By placing a bid or otherwise participating in the auction, Bidder accepts these Terms and Conditions, and specifically agrees to the dispute resolution provided herein.
28. HWAC shall not be responsible for consequential damages, incidental damages, compensatory damages, or any other damages arising or claimed to be arising from the auction on any lot. Bidder’s sole remedy for any proven act or omission shall be rescission of sale and refund of the amount paid by Bidder.
29. Any claim, dispute, or controversy in connection with, relating to and/or arising out of the Auction, participation in the Auction, award of lots, damages of claims to lots, descriptions, condition reports, provenance, estimates, return and warranty rights, any interpretation of these Terms and Conditions, any alleged verbal modification of these Terms and Conditions and/or any purported settlement shall be exclusively heard by, and the parties consent to exclusive in personal jurisdiction of, the Superior Court of Washoe County, Nevada. The parties expressly waive any right to trial by jury. Any claim must be brought within one (1) year of the auction from which the claim arose or the claim is waived. In every case, the prevailing party shall be entitled to an award of its attorney’s fees and costs.