(DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA) [Lear Tobias] Observations on the Riv

Sale 2533 - Lot 113

Price Realized: $ 1,500

?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price

Estimate: $ 500 - $ 750

(DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.) [Lear, Tobias.] Observations on the River Potomack, the Country Adjacent, and the City of Washington. 29 pages. 8vo, original wrappers, worn, repaired, and re-stitched; light vertical fold throughout, minor wear to contents, light musty scent, lacking the folding plan as usual; numerous inscriptions on wrapper and title page. Laid into a 1953 cloth presentation folder. New York, 1793

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Additional Details

First edition of a detailed description of the newly named and yet unbuilt capital city and the surrounding area. It was written anonymously by President Washington's longtime personal secretary, who professed "a general knowledge of the Potomack and its Dependencies" and "an opportunity of obtaining the best information on the points mentioned." Evans 25711; Howes L166 ("b"); Sabin 101944. 6 copies in OCLC.
This copy has extensive provenance, with an 1840 signature of George A. Digges on the title page; an 1899 gift inscription on the front pastedown from Nathaniel Carusi of Washington to H.T. Taggart on the inner wrapper; a 1916 ownership signature below it; and finally a 1953 presentation card from the staff of the Bureau of European Affairs to Assistant Secretary of State George W. Perkins. If you're shopping for a gift, this pamphlet is tried and tested.