July 2022 Catalogue

Black Americana and Abolition – 22 – Bauman Rare Books - July 2022 “The First Black Church In Philadelphia And One Of The First In The United States” (PBS) 33. DOUGLASS, William. Annals of the First African Church, in the United States of America, Now Styled The African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, Philadelphia. Philadelphia, 1862. Small octavo, early 20th-century red cloth, custom clamshell box. $5500. First edition of Black abolitionist William Douglass’ 1862 history documenting the revolutionary beginnings of the Philadelphia church in the 1780s and its ensuing history, with rarely found frontispiece carte-de-visite of Reverend Douglass, in a presentation binding. This work documents the emergence of Philadelphia’s First African Church, which opened its doors in 1794, as the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, “making it the first black church in Philadelphia” (PBS). The book’s author, Black abolitionist William Douglass, was rector of the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas from 1834 until his death in 1862. Presentation binding giltstamped “John W. Jones.” Within is a twentiethcentury gift inscription to bibliophile Leon Gardiner, reading: “To my Highly Esteemed friend, Leon Gardiner, with all good wishes. Wm. H. Riley Jones, 4/7/36.” With tiny bit of occasional underlining, annotations, marginalia. Interior very fresh, faintest edge-wear to bright gilt-lettered cloth. Fine condition. “Opens A Window Into The Waterborne Underground Railroad” (Sinha) 34. DRAYTON, Daniel. Personal Memoir of Daniel Drayton, For Four Years and Four Months a Prisoner (for Charity’s Sake) in Washington Jail, Including a Narrative of the Voyage and Capture of the Schooner Pearl. Boston, 1853. Small octavo, original printed brown paper wrappers. $3200. First edition of Drayton’s important Memoir documenting his bold yet failed 1848 attempt to rescue fugitive slave families by ship from Virginia to Philadelphia, including his prosecution in the courts, crucial in shifting the “Fugitive Slave Law onto the national agenda” (Sinha), with engraved frontispiece, especially rare in fragile original wrappers. This book revealed “how the antislavery movement used the trial of one man to attack the system of slavery… [and] contains much of the testimony and legal arguments from his trials… The material was not published in any other form” (Finkelman, 181). Text quite fresh with small bit of soiling to frontispiece; trace of edge-wear, faint soiling to fragile wrappers. A near-fine copy, uncommon in original wrappers.

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