In February we attended two antiquarian book fairs in California, one in Pasadena and the other in Oakland. This list is filled the new material we acquired at those fairs. Selections include a few Christian texts in Native American languages, a signed Allen Ginsberg poetry collection, and a nice array of photography and ephemera.

Thomas S. Williamson was a physician and missionary of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. He lived among the Dakota people in what is now western Minnesota from 1835 until the Dakota War of 1862. Williamson helped found the Lac qui Parle Mission and made it his life’s work to translate the Bible “into the language of the Sioux nation,” which he accomplished about three months before his death in 1879 (Yale Obituary Record). This volume presents Exodus and Leviticus – the second and third books of the Old Testament – in Dakota, a Siouan language that is now considered critically endangered. Darlow and Moule, #3142 and #3143 (Historical Catalogue of the Printed Editions of Holy Scripture in the Library of the British and Foreign Bible Society. Volume 2, Part 1). $850

Reverend William Mason was a missionary who worked in the Rupert’s Land territory of British North America between 1840 and 1870. He worked closely with Reverend James Evans, a missionary known for creating the syllabic writing system for the Cree language. In 1843, Mason married Sophia Thomas, the daughter of a Cree woman and a governor for the Hudson’s Bay Company, and together they began a years-long process of translating the Bible into her native tongue. Mason returned to England in 1856 to oversee the publication of the “Cree Bible” and made the decision to only list his own name as translator on the title page. James C. Pilling’s Bibliography of the Algonquian Languages (pp. 339-340) discusses in detail the claims concerning the various people who deserve credit for this translation. It quotes from an 1886 letter Mason wrote to Pilling, in which he credited his wife and others for assisting with the translation. The Darlow and Moule entry for this volume (Historical Catalogue of the Printed Editions of Holy Scripture in the Library of the British and Foreign Bible Society. Volume 2, Part 1. #3130.) reads in part, “Translated by W. Mason, assisted by his wife, Sophia Mason, H. Steinhauer (an Indian pastor), J. Sinclair (a half-breed), and other natives… The O.T. and the N.T. were both issued separately, as well as bound together.” Regardless of translator, this is a striking and very early printed example of what is now the most widely spoken indigenous language in Canada. $2500

This poetry collection by counterculture icon and Beat Generation poet Allen Ginsberg was number 14 in City Lights’ famed Pocket Poets Series. The lead poem “Kaddish,” considered one of Ginsberg’s finest, is a stunningly emotional and confessional celebration of his mother’s life and lamentation of her death. $900

This booklet promotes the city of Pasadena, including the famous “New Year’s Day Rose Tournament,” and advertises “a delightful journey with beautiful scenery” from Chicago to Pasadena by train on the Salt Lake Route. $125

The Sanborn Map Company published maps of cities and towns throughout the U.S. that were used by fire insurance companies to assess their liabilities. These specialized and highly detailed maps outline building and property footprints; label streets and addresses; and even show building materials and the locations of doors, windows, and other features. The large-scale maps were lithographically printed and hand colored. They include an index for each city and also feature some general information such as population and prevailing wind direction as well as details specifically relevant for insurance companies like overviews of water facilities and fire departments. Daniel A. Sanborn founded the company in 1866, and by 1916 it had bought out all the competition and virtually become a monopoly. The company reached its peak in the 1920s then steadily declined as insurance companies consolidated and found alternative methods of underwriting. It created its last new map in 1961 and issued its final update in 1977. As with all Sanborn maps, this atlas is a fantastic resource for those interested the country’s urban development. Due to the large weight and size of this item, there will likely be an additional charge for shipping. $800

Small broadside advertising a real estate auction for the Woolsey Estate in Astoria on Long Island, New York dated Tuesday, May 6^th, 1890. Black lettering printed on a thin, light brown sheet that measures approximately 9 x 6 inches. Sheet has been folded in half both vertically and horizontally. Two inch tear running down vertical crease from top of sheet. One and a half inch diagonal tear on right side starting on horizontal crease. A few small creases and tears along edges. No copies found in OCLC as of February, 2022.

This broadside announces a public auction to be held by “J. Davidson, Real Estate Auctioneer,” to sell 800 building lots “upon the well known Woolsey Estate” in Astoria, what it calls “The Prettiest Spot in America!!” $35

This is the first book published by the "cowboy chronicler" Eugene Manlove Rhodes. The short western novel is set in El Paso and Juarez and follows cowboy Jeff Bransford as he is embroiled in mystery involving an attempted murder and a wealthy politician. $200

The Hill's Improved Eureka Gang Plow was manufactured by the Sweepstake Plow Company of San Leandro, California and sold by Baker & Hamilton, Agents in San Francisco and Sacramento. It was printed in San Francisco by Crocker & Co.'s Chromatic Press likely in 1876. The broadside declares that the Eureka Gang Plow was again pronounced "the champion gang plow of the Pacific Coast." No copies found in OCLC or in commerce as of February 2022. $495

This photograph depicts a driver and two men in a stagecoach. The stagecoach is on the muddy road of the Dragon-Vernal line and the Green River in the background. We found one other photograph of the Dragon-Vernal stage line taken for Uintah Railroad (found at the Denver Public Library), but we cannot confirm this was the case for this photograph. A rare shot of a Utah stage line. $425

Photograph depicts a construction scene in downtown Astoria, Oregon, possibly 12th Street, before the 1922 fire. Much of this waterfront city was built on wooden pilings, here seen mid-construction. Workers are grouped at the left of the image and there is great signage on the storefronts. Some signs that can be read include "Lower Columbian, an Independent Weekly", "American Express Co." and "John Raitanen, Tailor". In December 1922 a large fire swept through 24 blocks of downtown Astoria, its speed attributed to the wood pilings. A unique image with excellent detail. $135