As described by the title-pages, the volumes are “Illustrated by upwards of three hundred engravings, from sketches by the author. The steel plates executed [by J. Hamilton and others] under the superintendence of J.M. Butler, the wood engravings by Van Ingen & Snyder.” The plates total 20 altogether, including frontispieces.

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The characters used to print this work were the invention of Father Christian Leclercq, a 17th-century missionary, and later revised and improved by Abbé Pierre Maillard. More than 5700 types were cut and cast for the book, and the characters each represent words rather than sounds. This may well be the sole work printed in these characters.

This issue without English language front matter (i.e., pp. i–xii).

•  Pilling, Algonquian, p. 275 (ref).   Publisher's yellow-brown cloth with simply gilt-lettered spine, to which one stain and general light soiling; each cover creased vertically from an old bump. All edges red. Internally clean.  (25312)

Rare: We fail to trace this via NUC Pre-1956, OCLC, RLIN, and the OPACS of the Library Company, the Free Library of Philadelphia, and the Library of Congress.

•  Shallow tears in margin, folded once. Light age-toning. Very good.

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A later issue of the first edition, with a different title-page but printed from the same stereotype plates as the first edition, which was published in Cincinnati in 1871.

Provenance:  “Presented by / D. Johnstone to his / son Washington. / Brantford Setp. 12 '77.”

•  Howes K62; Newberry Library, Indian Captivities, 170; Graff 2296.   Publisher's blue cloth, salmon endpapers, title in gilt on spine with top and bottom of spine pulled; blind-stamped image of an Indian within borders on each cover, covers spotted. Interior clean and with remarkably little foxing; indeed, this appears only (and minimally) to the frontispiece.  (25972)

•  Stiff printed wrappers, center bit of top edge a trifle bumped. Near fine. (23499)

•  Very good, in publisher's cloth. Front free endpaper torn out. Preliminary pages with a few light creases in fore-margins probably created from paper clips being fastened to them at one time.  (10711)

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•  Wright, II, 1003.   Publisher's dark green textured cloth, spine with gilt-stamped title; corners and spine extremities rubbed, spine slightly sunned, sides with spots of lighter discoloration. Front free endpaper with pencilled and inked inscription (partly) dated 1862. Light to moderate foxing throughout.  (25992)

•  Not in Brown, Culinary Americana.   Publisher's printed paper wrappers, slightly age-toned, back upper outer corner minutely chipped. A clean, fresh copy — a fine one.  (26065)

•  Contemporary publisher’s mottled sheep; spine gilt extra. Fine abrasions or chipping to leather, especially to head and foot of spine. Offsetting from turn-ins; lightly foxed throughout. A closed tear without loss in pp. 327–28. All edges marbled.

•  Not in Brown, Culinary Americana.   Publisher's printed paper wrappers with hanging loop. Soiling/staining/spotting, and original staples mostly deteriorated with spine darkened around staple sites. Poor condition, but a charming “period” production.  (26087)

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Several bibliographies, including Pilling's Proof-sheets and Ayer, treat this as two distinct works. Indeed, the dictionary and the grammar do each have their own distinct title-pages, pagination, and signature markings. They were issued together, however, though sometimes separated for sale. The publisher’s original paper wrappers are bound into this volume.

•  Pilling, Bibliography of the Algonquian Languages, 283; Newberry Library, Indian Linguistics in the Edward E. Ayer Collection, Cree-93 & Cree-9; Pilling, Proof-Sheets of a Bibliography of the Languages of the North American Indians, 2155 & 2156. Not in Vancil, Cordell Collection. Recent black moiré cloth, spine with gilt-stamped leather title-label. Wrappers (bound in) dust-soiled and with edge chips; front wrapper partially adhered to half-title and back wrapper with Grammaire half-title affixed. Map partially adhered to an additional half-title. Page edges untrimmed; pages very slightly age-toned, else clean. Pagination jumps from 708 to 711 in pt. 1, but as the word listing goes from sagamité to sagamo it seems certain that the text is complete.

Binding: Publisher's red morocco, covers and spine gilt extra in foliate designs with cherubim at play. All edges gilt.

•  Faxon 457a.   Binding as above, front joint just starting at top and bottom, edges and extremities showing very slight wear, gilt slightest bit rubbed in spots; overall bright and handsome. Light age-toning and spotting throughout.In remarkably good condition, unusually bright.  (20886)

true first edition of the unofficial second series

The first series made its first appearance in book form in London, 1823. The authorized second series was not published until 1833, under the title The Last Essays of Elia; the pieces selected for the unauthorized American second series offered here are different from those contained in that volume, and mistakenly include three essays written by other hands.

•  Shoemaker 33813 & 33814; NCBEL, III, 1225; NSTC 2L2346.   Vol. I: Uncut copy. Publisher's quarter once-red cloth and paper sides, covers printed with “Elia” within a simple frame, spine with printed paper label; binding rubbed and lightly soiled, spine sunned to yellow. Repaired tear to one leaf, touching text without loss; remarkably clean and sound. Vol. II: Contemporary speckled sheep, spine with gilt-stamped leather title-label; rubbed, and head of spine chipped with old refurbishing. Ex–social club library: 19th-century bookplate and call number ticket on front pastedown, front free endpaper with inked numerals, title-page pressure-stamped. Author's name inked on title-page; front free endpaper and title-page reinforced at fore-edge (the latter from the back). Both volumes age-toned, with intermittent spots of staining; advertisements absent. The set now housed in a quarter blue morocco and blue cloth–covered clamshell case with marbled paper–covered sides and gilt-stamped spine.  (26434)

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Binding: Publisher's green cloth elaborately stamped and decorated in black on front cover and in black and gold on spine. Rear cover modestly embossed in blind. All edges red.

•  Bound as above. Ex–social club library: call number on front fly-leaf, two rubber-stamps on title-page, no other markings. A clean, bright copy.  (26367)

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Provenance:  Inscribed by the author to William C. Gannett, at top margin of p. [1]. Gannett spent three years in the 1860s working among freedmen in the South; he was afterwards to become a Unitarian minister and pastor of the church where Susan B. Anthony worshipped.

•  Original dark blue wrappers. A couple of tiny tears at top edge of front cover. Very good.  (20940)

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•  Howes L271. Publisher's blind-stamped cloth, worn and spotted; spine gilt-stamped with title and American eagle, much faded, head pulled. A very few pencil marks and some pages dog-eared; occasional spots of foxing.

•  Folded as issued. Very good condition.  (26013)

•  Sabin 40833; Howes L-317. On the binding, see: Krupp, Bookcloth in England & America, 1823–50, Mis6.   Publisher's brown cloth with nicely gilt-stamped spines; small strip of black tape at top of vol I. Ex–social club library: each volume with 19th-century bookplate, call number on pastedown, pressure-stamp on title-page, no other markings. Rear free endpapers of vol. I lacking; some soil and staining, more to vol. I than elsewhere, with paper strong and untattered. Both volumes sound; map, charts, and plate very nice.  (26348)