The Weeks Sale - 1902

Weeks, William Raymond (collector). Henkels, Stanislaus Vincent (auctioneer). Davis & Harvey (auctioneers)

[ANTIQUARIAN BIBLIOGRAPHY - PRICED]. Valuable collection of Americana formed by Wm. R. Weeks, Esq., of New York. [Cover title]: The Valuable Private Library [...] Relating Entirely to American History [cover title].

Philadelphia: Henkels, 1902. First Edition. Small folio. [2], 140 pp., 997 lots, neatly PRICED throughout. Original printed wrappers (toned; chipped where extending over the fore-edges and bottom edges). Written on front cover: "Priced Catalogue / Priced by lot" and in another hand an early census of copies. ADDED: Contemporary NY Times clipping (browned) concerning the results of the sale (dated March 15, 1902). Very good. Item #3816

The Library of WILLIAM R. WEEKS, Esq. comprised much rare and valuable Americana, in particular relating to New Jersey and New York, and many record prices were realized according to a review of the sale by the NY Times (of which a copy is loosely inserted). The most important book in the sale was a superlatively rare Indian item (and one of the earliest books printed about New Jersey), namely "A True Account of the Dying Words of Ockanickon, an Indian King" (London, 1682) which realized $1,450.

Weeks owned an excellent copy of Horsemanden's History of the Negro Plot (lot 56: $200); numerous editions of Irving's History of New York by Diedrich Knickerbocker, including a copy of the First Edition (lot 60: $122), and the beautiful one issued by the Grolier Club (lot 77: $132); as well as significant works of Biography, Bibliography, Genealogy, the American Revolution, the formation of the Constitution, etc.

Lot 30 was a second edition of Vander Douck's "Nieuw-Nederlant" (Amsterdam, 1656) with the map which is not present in the first edition ($305). Lot 435 was Weeks's thick-paper copy of the Federalist (1788) bound in the Franklin's Head shop in NYC (ascribed to J. and A. M'Lean) which was subsequently in the Papantonio Collection (his Catalogue no. 16, failing to note that Winthorp was the buyer) and is now in AAS ($100). Lot 446 was Weeks's uncut copy in original boards of the same work, same edition ($110). Lot 632 was Washington's original military order book (87-pages) from June 22 to Aug. 8, 1779 written out by a member of the family ($210), which was actually LESS than a copy of Sabin's still-incomplete "Dictionary" (1868-1892, 20 vols. only) which realized $230 (lot 960, to E.M. Crane).

The full title of the catalogue is instructive, as we learn that Weeks also owned a copy of the Grolier Club's Bradford Laws of New York; Acrelius' New Netherlands; Washington's Copy of White's Military System for New Jersey cavalry, fine specimens of Zenger, Franklin, Armbruster, and other early printers, pamplets and tracts relating to the boundry line of New Jersey, Weems' Life of Washington, eulogies on Washington, a beautiful collection of early American chap-books, and much more.

Weeks (1848-1919), a lawyer by profession, was also a serious numismatist. It would appear that in order to pay for his many purchases of books, coins, and medals, he became involved in certain illegal activities, namely extortion and grand larceny. In 1901 he was arrested and imprisoned for plundering two important estates (to the tune of $37K). In order to raise money (while still imprisoned), he sold his autograph and historical papers at Davis & Harvey on Feb. 20-21, 1902 (likewise catalogued by Henckels) and the present library on March 5-6, 1902. None of this information was revealed in the catalogue or in the NY Times article (although the latter mentions that "a few of Mr. Weeks's best books were missing [...] and apparently had been disposed of at private sale").

Of the present catalogue we have located copies at NYPL, Cornell, UMich (Clements), LC, Duke, and Princeton (unpriced, but nonetheless digitized by Google Books).

Price: $250.00