An Introduction to Collecting Americana

“The United States themselves are essentially the greatest poem.” - Walt Whitman

From the earliest voyages of discovery to the American Revolution and the founding documents of the new nation, from the exploration and settlement of the West to the momentous battles of the Civil War, Americana is among the most important and desirable areas of rare book collecting. As the scope of Americana is vast, many collectors choose to focus on a time period or subject. Following are descriptions of some of the major fields of collecting in Americana.



The American Revolution

“These are the times that try men’s souls.” - Thomas Paine

The American Revolution is one of the most important and fascinating areas of collecting. From the first stirrings of colonial discontent and self-government to the creation of the documents proclaiming the birth of a new nation, the works of this crucial period represent, in Jefferson’s words, “the expression of the American mind.”



The writings of the founding fathers are of course central, especially those by Benjamin Franklin (his Autobiography, Poor Richard’s Almanac, Experiments and Observations on Electricity, and Political, Miscellaneous, and Philosophical Pieces), Thomas Jefferson (Notes on the State of Virginia, Memoirs and Correspondence and his political writings), John Adams (A Defence of the Constitutions of Government), and George Washington (his letters, papers and speeches, as well as John Marshall’s classic biography, The Life of George Washington). Among the political and philosophical works that directly influenced them were Locke’s Two Treatises of Government, Montesquieu’s Spirit of Laws, Sidney’s Discourses Concerning Government, Rousseau’s Treatise on the Social Compact, Hobbes’ Leviathan, Gordon and Trenchard’s Cato’s Letters and Price’s Observations on the Nature of Civil Liberty.



The American Revolution was being fought in the press long before the first shot was fired and the public debate continued well after independence was declared. All of the important political issues of the period were debated in fascinating (and often nasty) public exchanges printed in newspapers and pamphlets. Hundreds of pamphlets were printed on both sides of the Atlantic arguing with extraordinary passion every conceivable viewpoint of the political, economic, and military issues arising from the remarkable events of the period. Whether written by public figures here or abroad, by ordinary citizens or observers or published anonymously, these pamphlets are among the best contemporary accounts of the issues and events of the American Revolution.



The most important and influential pamphlet of the Revolution was Thomas Paine’s Common Sense. Within weeks of its original Philadelphia printing in January 1776, the work spread throughout the colonies and to England, igniting the drive for independence and leading directly to the Declaration of Independence. Although the first edition is virtually unacquirable, the other 1776 printings are more obtainable and extremely desirable. First and early editions of other important writings by Paine are also collectible, including The Crisis, The Rights of Man, and The Age of Reason.



The importance of the actions and writings of the Continental Congresses, detailed in a series of contemporary pamphlets, cannot be overstated. The first Congress met in September 1774, and foremost in the proceedings were a “Bill of Rights,” considered the forerunner of the Declaration of Independence, and the “Association,” an agreement cutting off trade with Britain if the Coercive Acts were not repealed. Within a month of the battles of Lexington and Concord, the second Congress met in May 1775 and, having chosen Washington as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, published their famous “Declaration on the causes and necessity of taking up arms,” written by Thomas Jefferson and John Dickinson. It is of course the events of 1776 for which the Continental Congress is best remembered, and printings of Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence, the most important of our founding documents, are of considerable value. Although the earliest government printings of the Declaration are unobtainable, early public printings are available in a variety of forms.



The early histories of the Revolution provide contemporary insights into events of the period, and of particular note are: William Gordon’s 1788 History of the Rise, Progress, and Establishment of the Independence of the United States of America, “the first full-scale history of this war by an American”; Charles Stedman’s 1794 History of the Origin, Progress, and Termination of the American War, “the best contemporary account of the Revolution from the British side”; and Mercy Warren’s 1805 History of the Rise, Progress and Termination of the American Revolution, the “first important historical work by an American woman.” Also of interest are William Robertson’s 1777 History of America, “the standard history of the discovery of the New World,” and Sir George Otto Trevelyan’s The American Revolution, “the classic history of the momentous revolt of the American colonies.”



The Constitution and the Bill of Rights

“We the people, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity do ordain and establish this Constitution of the United States of America” - The Preamble to the Constitution

The Constitution has been called the “second American Revolution.” Works relating to the creation and adoption of the Constitution and the foundations of our early government represent a major focus in building an Americana collection.



The delegates met in Philadelphia in May 1787 to revise the Articles of Confederation, but they created instead an entirely new and radical document, the Constitution of the United States of America. It was first publicly printed on September 18, 1787, and early printings, whether official government publications or public printings in contemporary periodicals, are quite valuable.



The ratification of the Constitution was far from certain, and the bitter debates within each state divided some of the founding fathers. Pamphlets, letters and speeches were published for and against the Constitution, the most famous being the series of essays known as The Federalist, written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, considered the most influential American political work ever written. The 1788 first edition of The Federalist is rare, but early editions are also desirable and less difficult to acquire.



The Constitution was narrowly ratified with the recommendation that a bill of rights be added to protect individual liberties, something deemed unnecessary by a majority of the framers but supported by the people. At the opening session of the First Congress of the new government in 1789, Madison introduced twelve amendments to the Constitution, of which ten were finally adopted as the Bill of Rights. Early printings of the Bill of Rights, which can be found in the acts of Congress and other publications, are of great importance.



The Civil War

“‘A house divided against itself cannot stand.’ I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.” - Abraham Lincoln

The Civil War, in some minds the central, defining event in American history, is one of the most popular areas of collecting, and Abraham Lincoln is by far the most significant figure of the period. Lincoln autograph material is extremely desirable, as are early printings of his famous Gettysburg Address, the Emancipation Proclamation, his two inaugural addresses, and his presidential debates with Stephen A. Douglas. Handsome sets of Lincoln’s collected writings are available, as are important biographies by John Nicolay and John Hay (his personal secretaries), Albert Beveridge, and Carl Sandburg.



Contemporary or eyewitness accounts of the war are also greatly sought after. The memoirs of military and political leaders, such as Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, Robert E. Lee, P. H. Sheridan and Jefferson Davis, provide powerful insights into important events, and original diaries, letters and printed accounts by soldiers and their families give a more personal perspective. Also popular are the comprehensive histories of the Civil War, such as Miller’s Photographic History of the Civil War, featuring over a thousand Mathew Brady photographs, Johnson’s Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, Tomes’ The War with the South, and Pollard’s Southern History of the War. The period continues to fascinate writers today, and modern accounts, both fictional and historical, are extremely popular, such as Michael Shaara’s The Killer Angels, Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain, and works by Shelby Foote and Bruce Catton.



The Native Americans

“Nothing short of the loss of my life shall prevent me from becoming their historian.” - George Catlin

Contemporary information about the Native Americans can be found in a variety of sources. Many of the important travel and exploration narratives contain excellent first-hand accounts of various tribes, such as those by Domenech, Heriot, Keating, Carver, Parker, Bartram, Schoolcraft and others. Significant works on the Native Americans include Adair’s History of the American Indians, Long’s Voyages and Travels of an Indian Interpreter, Bancroft’s Native Races of the Pacific States, and De Smet’s Letters and Sketches with a Narrative of a Year’s Residence among the Indian Tribes of the Rocky Mountains. Accounts of settlers taken captive by Indians are another noteworthy source of information.



Some of the most important and desirable works are the famous illustrated books about the Native Americans by McKenney and Hall, Karl Bodmer, George Catlin and George Curtis. Thomas McKenney and James Hall’s History of the Indian Tribes of North America is one of the great American color-plate books; its illustrations have been called “the most colorful portraits of Indians ever executed.” McKenney’s goal was to educate the American public about these exotic warriors and chiefs and to preserve their images in a series of beautiful portraits. Originally issued in a splendid large-folio edition, the work is acquirable in the handsome royal octavo editions (first published 1848-50), which are magnificently illustrated with 120 hand-colored lithographic plates after Charles Bird King’s original oil paintings. The paintings themselves were housed in the Smithsonian, where most were destroyed in a fire; this work is the only remaining record of the features and dress of the Native Americans who lived and died before the age of photography.