A few short lines scrawled, according to popular legend, on scratch-paper and the backs of envelopes, the Gettysburg Address ultimately became one of the most revered and brilliant documents in the history of the United States. On November 19, 1863, Lincoln arose after Edward Everett’s two hour
dedication of the cemetery at Gettysburg and “delivered the ‘few appropriate remarks’ requested of him, and in ten sentences did unforgettable justice to the thousands of young Americans who had struggled with incredible bravery” (Bruce Catton). We are pleased to offer the rare first book-form appearance of Lincoln’s magnificent Gettysburg Address in original wrappers for $42,000.
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Arguably Jefferson was the most famous of all American book collectors; his library and its meticulous organization have been called “a blueprint of his own mind.” A tireless book lover, he had built a library of 6700 volumes by 1815—easily the most significant library formed by an American at that point. In a letter to a friend, Jefferson wrote that he “spared no pains, opportunity, or expense” on his collection.

After the original Library of Congress was destroyed during the War of 1812, Jefferson sold his entire library to Congress to ensure that American government had access to the best books of the day. Almost 200 years have passed and his library still stands as a testament to the man and his distinctive taste: his pride in America, his fascination with modern science, and his emphasis on the importance of preserving knowledge. His library remains a reflection of his identity.

What pieces of history will you preserve? Browse our current books on and about Jefferson.

TRAVEL. EXPLORE. DREAM.
“I had ambition not only to go farther than any man had ever been before, but as far as it was possible for a man to go.” —Captain James Cook
Homer dreamt of travel—and Odysseus set out across the sea. Lewis and Clark explored a continent—with well-thumbed books in their pockets. Mark Twain saw hope in a nation’s restless genius and swept Huck out into the swift currents of the Mississippi. Ernest Shackleton braved frozen worlds in a testimony to the human spirit. These stories are recorded for all time in the pages of great books. They are the legacy of those who dared to dream.

Join the adventure. Let us at Bauman Rare Books help you to build a collection of exceptional and valued books that will let you see into the past and dream of the future. Browse our current Rare Book Travel inventory.

Some have led us into battle; others have guided nations and empires through their births, in their darkest hours, or to their greatest moments. And some have led by example, whether by persevering through adversity in the Antarctic or by quietly defying injustice on a Montgomery bus. Their courage has inspired us; their ideas have changed history.

Now it’s up to you to help pass on their legacies. Build a collection around the leaders who most inspire you. Our expert staff can help you to rediscover their courageous voices, captured in books and documents that will last for generations.

The items listed in our mini catalogue represent just a small selection of our offerings. Download our catalogue to begin building a valuable and enduring monument to history’s finest men and women: your own library.

“In War: Resolution. In Defeat: Defiance. In Victory: Magnanimity. In Peace: Good Will.” Churchill penned his monumental six-volume History of the Second World War only a few years after the war’s end, including in it details privy only to him as Prime Minister, and offering his singular observations and memories of the people and events that shaped the course of history.

While he has published a number of books prior to the war, this was the work that would seal his literary reputation. Published separately from 1948-1954, the six volumes in Churchill’s masterpiece achieved immediate popularity in both Britain and the United States and earned Churchill the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953. We offer a fine six-volume set of first editions, handsomely bound in morocco-gilt. Browse our current inventory.

A reluctant if inevitable choice for the presidency, George Washington had hoped he might find some way to decline. After his brilliant leadership, however, any successor’s road to the nation’s highest office seemed as unsteady as America’s place in history. With the course of a presidential election eloquently described by Jefferson as a “bloodless revolution,” America’s leaders stand at the center of its very identity—even if, as Abigail Adams wisely pointed out, their election comes after the course of a “whole year” in which its citizens seem to hear “nothing else but abuse and scandal.”

As America prepares to choose its next president, Bauman Rare Books is especially privileged to offer this select group of important presidential books, speeches, treaties, correspondence, photographs and more. In the words of Lincoln, Madison, Grant, Reagan, Kennedy, Truman, Jackson, Clinton, FDR, Carter, Nixon, Wilson, Monroe and others—found in these exceptional items—we find confirmation of the ongoing strengths and difficult choices of America’s leaders, as well as affirmation of the “bloodless revolution” that continues to steadfastly author our future. Browse our inventory.

Often not printed in large quantities, these first editions survived more perilous paths than many other books, as they usually ended up in children’s hands, where they were read, carried, dropped, drawn upon, tossed, clutched and loved.

These first editions have survived the vagaries of time because they were treasured, and in collecting them, we keep them safe for yet another generation. There is a tremendous pleasure in devoting one’s time, focus and energy to collecting such wonderful classics, and we invite you, in the books that follow, to rediscover the books you loved in your earliest years.

By 1820 the original Declaration of Independence showed serious signs of deterioration and wear from handling. Secretary of State John Quincy Adams commissioned William Stone to engrave an exact copy of the original onto a copper plate, and in 1823 Congress ordered 200 official copies printed on vellum. (Fewer than 40 of Stone’s printings on vellum are known to have survived.) All subsequent exact facsimiles of the Declaration descend from this Stone plate. Twenty years later Congress commissioned Peter Force to compile and publish The American Archives.

Basing his work on Stone’s original plate, Force prepared full-size prints of the Declaration of Independence on special rice paper – his printing proved to be one of the best representations of the original manuscript Declaration, with remarkably exact renditions of the signers’ signatures. While Congress authorized the printing of 1500 copies of American Archives, subscriptions for this elaborate and expensive multi-volume edition did not sell well; perhaps as few as 500 sets were ultimately issued.

We are pleased to offer a fine copy of what has come to be called the Force Declaration, unfolded to its majestic 26 by 29 inches and very handsomely framed. Browse our current selection.

In 1822, Thomas McKenney, Superintendent of Indian Affairs under four presidents, commissioned artist Charles Bird King to paint the portraits of famous Indian leaders as they visited Washington.
Over the course of 15 years dignitaries from more than a score of tribes sat for King. As the number of portraits grew, McKenney determined to publish the paintings in book form, to make this rich archive available to the American people and to future generations.

The expensive undertaking almost ruined him and his publishers, but it is fortunate that he persevered: in 1865 fire ravaged the Smithsonian, destroying many of King’s original oil paintings.

We are pleased to offer a very handsome set of this landmark American work, three large octavo volumes in the publisher’s deluxe morocco bindings, complete with 120 splendid lithographs, each finely colored by hand. Browse our current inventory.