River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-05-28
MARE AMERICAN BOOKS.
The History Of Printing on This Side of the
Atlantic-Some Curious Works


A plain sign hanging over the en-
france to a narrow stairway on Nassau
street reads: Rare American Books. y
A long, narrow room In the rear of the
second story of the building contains
the stock to which the sign refers.
When asked yesterday by reporter
for The Mail and Express when book.
printing was first done on the Amer
can continent, the proprietor of this
bookstore said:
Printing on this side of the Allan
tic was first done in Mexico in 1886
The earliest American book extant is
dated 1889. 1t is doctrine of faith OF
the Roman Catholic church, entitled
'Doctrina Christians, and was printed
in Mexico in the Spanish language.
Another book to be numbered among
the oldest printed in America is 4
Mexican vocabulary, a dictionary OF
native Spanish and Mexican. 1t was
printed in 1871.
I'm the United States the first print
ing done was in 1889. In this year
| Freeman Oath aud almanac
we're printed in Cambridge, Mass. the
oath being printed on one side Of 4
half sheet of foolscap. Neither of them
is extant. The earliest printed book
now in existence of those priated in
this country is the book of Psalms,
which was published in Cambridge in
1910 The next place wheIe printing
was done was in Boston. We have
here in stock book printed in Cam
bridge in 1871, and it is one of the old
est we ever had.
The speaker then showed the report
er a small and very ancient looking
brown-paper pamphlet of thirty-four
pages 1t was partly torn and had
evidently seen hard usage. 1t was an
election sermon preached at Boston on
May 10, 1867, ON election day, by Rev,
Jonathan Mitchell, ''late pastor of the
Church of Christ. Cambridge. Its
title was Nehemiah on the Wall in
Troublesome Times" Another curl.
osity which was shown was a text book
used in Harvard college in 1853. 1t
was printed in Boston by John Draper
1t was a textbook of logic, and was
printed in Latin. Its title was Com
pendulum Logice Secundum Principal,
ID. Renati Cartelit ct Catechistice Pro
potitum.
A rare book also found here relating
to this city was in the Dutch language,
printed in Holland in 1861 Two vol
umes in vcllum were bound in one.
and it's price was $40. "This book, :"
said the proprietor, lis said 10 con
tain the first printed report of the
capture of New Netherland by the En-
glish in 1864. 1t is considered the most
complete and authentic account in eX-
istence of the war between Holland
and England, and includes a list of
vessels and goods captured by the En-
glish from the Dutch.
A curious volume in the stock was
selection of handbills circulated in
this city just previous to the general
state election in 1870. at is an anus
ing gubernatorial campaign docu-
ment," said the owner, appearing
mainly 10 Methodist and somwhat
to the Baptists. Jonas Platt was the
federalist candidate and Daniel ID.
Tompkins the republican. Brother
Elias Vanderlip and Samuel Winton.
of the Methodist church, were their
respective champions in this rattle
acrimonious controversy. Each as
sumes high moral grounds, and each de
precates the bringing of politics inside
the church, and OF course denounces
the other for doing 1t. Neither claims
his candidate as a communicate, or
even as an attendant of the Methodist
church, but seems to consider him a
good enough Christian until after
election.
An interesting volume seen was
written by Cadwallader ID. Golden
printed in 1925 1t was of half-morocco
binding with gilt top, and is held
at S13 1t is ''Memoir, Prepared at
the Request of a Committee of the
Common Council of the City of New
York at the Celebration of the Com
pletlon of the New York Canals. "
Many maps, views, and portraits are
included in the volume. Another in
teresting book is collection of the
laws of the legislature of this state,
"in force against loyalists and affect
ing trade of Great Britain and British
merchants and others having property
in that state" 1t was printed in Lon
don in 1886 and is held at $40. 1t
contains the conliscation act and gives
the names of many of the old residents
who were known as tories.
An odd book relating to the politics
of this city was the Report of the
Controller of Persons in Employ of
Corporations and their Salaries" 1t
contains 40 pages, and printed in
1888. THAT book contains the names
of the whole gang" said the proprietor,
with the amount If composition OPP
posite the names. Why, Aaron Clark
got $4,000 for being mayor, old
Hayes got $500, and Ira locker and
his compeers, who perhaps could not
control more than two or three votes
each. got 90 cents per night as watch
men
''Can you tell me something about
the celebrated Indian bible translated
by John ELLIOTT" asked the reporter.
Eyes, sir, | can, and its history is
one of great interest among all who
are in our line of business. There are
believed to be twenty or thirty copies
in existence, and have seen one of
them sold for 81, 900. There are very
few perfect copies extant, and there
are no reprints because even the In
dian tribe for which it was printed has
DtCOUlC buliI2 vi IIib IJttSb. hlNC
taken great interest in tracing one
copy OF the Indian bible and | think it
has been sold fully twenty times,
bringing hundreds of dollars. 1t is an
perfect copy, the printing
being remarkably clear. Its history
is this: 1t was printed in 1861 and
1868, the New Testament IN the form
er year and the Old Testament later
Then the two parts were bound to-
gether. 1t was printed at Cambridge,
and the first trace | have of it was
when it came into the possession Of
Mr. John A. Rice, of Chicago, col
lector, who paid 81. for it. He
bought it at the Bunce sale in this city
in 1868. When the Rice collection
was sold, in 1870, it was bought by
Mezies, of this city, for 81 $50.
This gentleman paid 500 for having
the book elegantly rebound. In 1876
it was sold to Mr.. Joseph j. Cook, of
for 5000, and upon his
death it was bought by Mr.. Brayton
Ives, of this city, for over $1,000
Tins gentleman now holds the precious
volume. My assistant here OWNS
copy of the Indian bible of later cdi-
ion; though it is imperfect it is worth
5000. -Ne1O York Nal and Express.
Garfield's Maiden Speech.
Gen. Garfield made his maiden
peech IN the house of representatives