Photographs Showing Landscapes, Geological and other Features, of Portions of the Western Territory of the United States, obtained in connection with geographical and geological explorations and surveys west of the 100th meridian (seasons of 1871, 1872 and 1873).. Washington: War Department Corps of Engineers, 1874-75

This rare collection of 50 photographs is a monument of photography of the American West. “It is the individual nature of O’Sullivan’s production that makes him of such artistic importance today. Indeed, of all the photographers who worked on the great western surveys of this era, O’Sullivan remains the most admired, studied, and debated. It is to him, more than any of his peers, that contemporary photographers and historians first turn for inspiration and intellectual challenge” (Keith Davis, Timothy H. O’Sullivan: The King Survey Photographs, 9).

$680,000

The Federalist: A Collection of Essays Written in Favour of the New Constitution. New York: John and Andrew M’Lean, 1788

First edition. This splendid example of The Federalist is one of a very small number of special deluxe copies printed on thick paper.

$450,000

The Great West Illustrated in a series of photographic views across the continent, taken along the line of the Union Pacific Railroad, west from Omaha, Nebraska. New York: [by D. H. Prime] Published by Authority of the Union Pacific Railroad Company, 1869

First edition. One of the monuments of American photography, and Russell’s masterpiece, The Great West documents the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad and the land through which it ran. The 50 splendid large format albumen photographs depict scenes along the railroad, which ran from Omaha, through Wyoming and Utah, and ended in Sacramento.

$350,000

The Holy Bible, Conteyning the Old Testament, and the New: Newly Translated. London: by Robert Barker, 1613-1611

The Great “She” Bible, the “authorized version” or King James Bible, one of the greatest monuments of English literature.

$300,000

Leaves of Grass. Brooklyn, 1855

First edition, one of only 200 copies of the first issue of Whitman’s Leaves of Grass.

$270,000

Common Sense; Addressed to the Inhabitants of America . . . the third edition [bound with:] Large Additions to Common Sense. Philadelphia: R. Bell, 1776

FIRST EDITION, FIRST PRINTING sheets of Common Sense, here with the third edition title page and prefatory leaf. “It is not too much to say that the Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776, was due more to Paine’s Common Sense than to any other single piece of writing” (Streeter).

$250,000

Narrative of the Surveying Voyages of His Majesty’s Ships Adventure and Beagle, between the years 1826 and 1836. London: Henry Colburn, 1839

FIRST EDITION. An outstanding presentation copy inscribed by Beagle commander Captain Robert FitzRoy: “Dr. Lee, LL.D., a tribute of esteem and respect from Robt. FitzRoy. Sept. 19th, 1856.”

$175,000

History of the Expedition under the command of Captains Lewis and Clark, to the sources of the Missouri, thence across the Rocky Mountains and down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean, performed during the years 1804-5-6. Philadelphia: Bradford & Inskeep, 1814

FIRST EDITION of “the definitive account of the most important exploration of the North American continent” (Wagner-Camp-Becker). This is “the most important of all overland narratives. . . . American explorers had for the first time spanned the continental United States and driven the first wedge in the settlement of our new far western frontier” (Grolier 100 American Books).

$150,000

Typed Letter Signed as President to Lewis L. Strauss, Chairman, United States Atomic Energy Commission. The White House, Washington, DC, 7 June 1955

This is the document by which Eisenhower and the United States allowed Israel to become a nuclear power. Through Eisenhower’s Atoms for Peace initiative, the United States shared atomic energy material and technology with several countries. One of the first of these agreements was the one sharing the secrets of atomic energy with Israel, as authorized by Eisenhower in this letter. This document laid the foundation for Israel’s ultimate deterrence against destruction by its enemies. It was perhaps the greatest gift possible to the new Jewish state from its greatest ally, the American people.

$150,000

Signed autograph manuscript drawing of the Apollo 11 Moon landing mission. [Cincinnati], n.d.

ICONIC DRAWING OF AN EPOCHAL MOMENT IN HISTORY.

Neil Armstrong, first man to walk on the Moon, illustrates key elements of the Apollo 11 moon landing in this rare drawing. He notes the rotation of the Earth, marks the “dark” side of the moon, and shows the direction of the Sun’s rays. A dashed line around the Moon indicates the command module’s path in orbit, and the curve at the lower left of the Moon shows the path of the lunar module approaching the landing site.

$140,000