SAN FRANCISCO – On Thursday, Dec. 15, PBA Galleries will offer the first edition of the monumental work The Holy Land, by David Roberts. The work is illustrated with 60 lithographed plates and 60 additional half-page lithographs. An outstanding success on its publication in 1842-43, never before had the ancient sites of Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem been portrayed on such a splendid scale with exquisite draftsmanship by Roberts. The volume is estimated to bring $15,000-$20,000. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.com.
The captivating color sailing card for the Fanny S. Perley is the highlight of 11 lots of Clipper Ship Sailing Cards in the sale. The color wood-engraved illustration (below) shows the fast clipper ship being loaded dockside in New York bound for San Francisco (est. $10,000-$15,000).
Also from the California Gold Rush Era are a copy of the earliest printing of the Constitution of the State of California from 1849, one of the first substantial works printed in San Francisco and considered a “model of advanced, liberal and democratic social and political thought” (est. $4,000-$6,000); the 1854 lettersheet version of The Only Correct & Fully Complete Map of San Francisco by Alexander Zakreski (below) with vignettes of important buildings in the city (est. $5,000-$8,000); and the rare Map of the Mining Region of California 1855 by George H. Baker, issued a as lithographed pictorial lettersheet.
The first English edition of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense bound with, as issued, Plain Truth, the answer to Paine’s advocacy for independence. Paine’s appeal for separation of the Americana Colonies from England paved the way for the Declaration of Independence (est. $5,000-$8,000).
There will be over 550 lots of rare, important, unusual and intriguing material on the exploration, history, culture, development and mapping of the United States, the Americas, and the World at large. Included are books, manuscripts, ephemera, photographs, maps and views, spanning the globe from the 16th century onward.
Manuscripts and printed documents from the American Revolution; slavery and the Civil War; the Gold Rush and movement westward across the plains; travels to the far reaches of Tibet and the bustling cities of China; rare maps by Linschoten, Blaeu, Ortelius and many others.
The sale will begin at 11 a.m. Pacific Time.
For more information, contact PBA Galleries at 415-989-2665 or pba@pbagalleries.com.
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