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Jefferson-Signed Patent Act of 1793

Jefferson-Signed Patent Act of 1793 by THOMAS JEFFERSON

7 to 14 days for delivery
Standard Shipping: $3.50
Details
$150,000.00
( US$)
Seller: Seth Kaller, Inc.
Title
Jefferson-Signed Patent Act of 1793
Author
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Seller
Seth Kaller, Inc. (United States)
Condition
Fine
Description
Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson signs the second U.S. Patent Act, which played a signal role in the commercial development of the United States. A key difference between this act and the one it replaced was that, in addition to new inventions, patents could be issued for improvements to existing products. The measure helped foster American innovation, successfully ushering the nation into the Industrial Revolution. We locate no other signed copies of this milestone act. THOMAS JEFFERSON. Printed Document Signed as Secretary of State, An act to promote the progress of useful arts, and to repeal the act heretofore made for that purpose, February 21, 1793. Signed in type by George Washington as President, Jonathan Trumbull as Speaker of the House of Representatives, and John Adams as Vice President and President of the Senate. [Philadelphia: Francis Childs and John Swaine?, 1793], 4 pp. Evans 26309 Partial Transcript "… when any person or persons, being a citizen or citizens of the United States, shall allege that he or they have invented any new and useful art, machine, manufacture or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement on any art, machine, manufacture or composition of matter, not known or used before the application, and shall present a petition to the Secretary of State … it shall … be lawful for the said Secretary of State, to cause letters patent to be made out …." Historical Background In August of 1787, well into the proceedings of the Federal Convention, James Madison and Charles Pinckney recommended adding the power to issue patents to the draft U.S. Constitution. The delegates agreed without a dissenting vote. The clause appears in Article 1, Section 8, charging Congress with the promotion of "the progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries." The first Patent Act was passed by Congress on April 10, 1790. It gave complete power to grant patents to a board consisting of the Secretary of State, the Secretary of War and the Attorney General. As Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson personally examined all applications. "He was now able to keep his finger on the pulse of American discovery," Jefferson biographer Dumas Malone observed. "No compatriot of his was so well fitted to enjoy and fill such a position." Only 57 patents were granted during Jefferson's tenure, in part because of his strict interpretation of the requirement for originality and practicality. It wasn't long, however, before Jefferson and the other board members realized thatmore pressing duties left them with insufficient time to assess the applications. This 1793 Patent Act specifically addresses the problem, charging the Secretary of State with issuing a patent to any applicant who complied with a set of prescribed formalities, swore his invention was original, and paid a fee. Also, through Jefferson's private influence, it broadened the wording to include any "new and useful improvement" to an existing product, a definition that remains to this day. To reduce the Patent Board's responsibility, however, the 1793 Act left any claims of the novelty and validity of an invention for the courts to decide. This system remained in effect for more than 40 years, by which time patents—many of them for inventions that were not original—were being issued at a rate of 600 per year. To stem the tide of derivative and useless inventions, a revised act was passed in 1836, which returned to the practice of examining an application before the issue of a patent. Legislative measures signed by Jefferson as Secretary of State Following a law passed on September 15, 1789, Thomas Jefferson, as Secretary of State, signed two copies of each law, order, vote, or resolution of Congress for distribution to the executive of every state. (By the same law, a single copy was distributed to each U.S. senator and representative, though these did not require Jefferson's authentication. Surviving copies are unsigned and printed on much smaller paper.) As there were 15 states at the time this act was passed, it is likely that just 30 copies were signed by Jefferson. After checking WorldCat and OCLC FirstSearch, as well as catalogs for the American Antiquarian Society, American Philosophical Society, Huntington Library, Rosenbach Museum and Library, and Library of Congress, we have located no other signed copies of this act or of its predecessor, the 1790 Patent Act. We find no record of either one appearing at auction for at least the last 25 years.
ALLO / TROPES. AN ALCHEMY THRU A GLASS DARKLY -- WITH LINES EXPROPRIATED FROM TENNYSON & WORDSWORTH

ALLO / TROPES. AN ALCHEMY THRU A GLASS DARKLY -- WITH LINES EXPROPRIATED FROM TENNYSON & WORDSWORTH by (HERMETIC PRESS). GALLO, PHILIP

2 to 7 days for delivery
Standard Shipping: $14.00
Details
$2,028.00
( US$)
Seller: Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books and Medieval Manuscripts
Title
ALLO / TROPES. AN ALCHEMY THRU A GLASS DARKLY -- WITH LINES EXPROPRIATED FROM TENNYSON & WORDSWORTH
Author
(HERMETIC PRESS). GALLO, PHILIP
Seller
Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books and Medieval Manuscripts (United States)
Description
[Saint Paul]: The Hermetic Press, 2019. COPY "G" OF 26 LETTERED COPIES on 125 gsm Stardream paper (and five copies on 110 gsm Plike paper). 245 x 143 mm. (9 3/4 x 5 5/8"). [20] leaves. Original card covers wrapped in a shiny orange chemise, upper wrapper with title printed in dark orange. Printed in color throughout. ◆In mint condition. An alchemy of typography, color, words, and design, this is an impeccably printed work that plays on the word "allotropes"--a term used in chemistry that refers to the different states a particular element may take (such as graphite and diamond for carbon). As we admire the vibrant color combinations juxtaposed with shifting letter forms, the printer also invites us to consider the science and experimentation inherent to this work, using diagrams, chemical notations, and images that look as if they were taken from under a microscope to provoke our imaginations. The shimmering paper on which the text is printed here and especially the glistening orange cover make a very pleasing impression. The poet/artist/typographer/printer Phillip Gallo has been printing concrete and visual poetry since he founded his Hermetic Press in 1965. His books are in important collections around the world, including in the Museum of Modern Art and the Walker Art Center..
African American Family Sills Family Photo Album Documenting Military Service and Multigenerational Life from 1910 - 1990s

African American Family Sills Family Photo Album Documenting Military Service and Multigenerational Life from 1910 - 1990s by Black Multiracial Family

2 to 8 days for delivery
Standard Shipping: $15.00
Details
$950.00
( US$)
Seller: Max Rambod Inc.
Title
African American Family Sills Family Photo Album Documenting Military Service and Multigenerational Life from 1910 - 1990s
Author
Black Multiracial Family
Seller
Max Rambod Inc. (United States)
Description
1910. Sills family photograph album, circa 1910s to 1990s, documents multigenerational African American life in Woodbridge, Connecticut, with sustained evidence of military service, family continuity, and community formation across the twentieth century. The earliest image, a World War I era postcard portrait of William Sills in uniform, establishes a lineage of military participation that continues through subsequent generations represented in later photographs associated with World War II and the Vietnam era. The album situates the family within both local and national contexts, combining domestic life, education, and service with evidence of interracial social connections visible in mid-century group gatherings and extended family relationships. Photo album containing 228 photographs. Woodbridge, Connecticut and related locations, circa 1910s to 1990s. Images are primarily black and white silver gelatin prints ranging in size from approximately 2 x 2 inches to 7 x 5 inches. The album includes early military portraiture, mid-century family scenes, outdoor gatherings, and later school photographs of younger generations. Several images depict multiracial group settings, particularly in mid-twentieth-century outdoor environments. The album also contains newspaper clippings, including a notice of Lorraine Sills completing a trained attendant caregiver course in March 1950 within a multiracial class, and a clipping referencing Joseph Sills Jr., a Marine promoted to sergeant and stationed at the U.S. Naval Submarine Base in Groton. Original green boards, with photographs mounted across multiple pages. The album provides a longitudinal record of African American family life across major twentieth-century developments, including military mobilization, suburbanization, and expanding educational and professional opportunities. The presence of multiple generations in uniform aligns with broader patterns of African American military participation, while the inclusion of clippings and school imagery documents pathways of advancement and community engagement. The visual and documentary material together offer evidence of both continuity and change within a single family over several decades, including moments of interracial interaction that reflect evolving social dynamics in mid-century America. Album with chipping to pages and loose leaves; photographs generally sharp and well preserved; overall good condition.
[Manuscript File of Legal Documents Concerning Cuban Manumission Cases in the Late 1870s]

[Manuscript File of Legal Documents Concerning Cuban Manumission Cases in the Late 1870s] by [Cuba]. [Slavery]

2 to 4 days for delivery
Standard Shipping: $10.00
Details
$950.00
( US$)
Seller: McBride Rare Books
Title
[Manuscript File of Legal Documents Concerning Cuban Manumission Cases in the Late 1870s]
Author
[Cuba]. [Slavery]
Seller
McBride Rare Books (United States)
Condition
Overall good.
Description
[Various places in Cuba, 1878. Overall good.. [29] leaves, varying sizes. In contemporary, ad hoc selfwrappers, loosely stitched. Rear wrap tattered. Varying degrees of toning and wear. Scattered offsetting throughout. Fascinating gathering of documents and letters that present several cases of Cuban slaves applying for their own freedom in 1878. The gradual abolition of slavery on the island was enacted by Spain in 1880, but prior to this, there were several bureaucratic mechanisms by which enslaved people could apply for or purchase their own manumission. The most interesting case amongst the present manuscript documents is the claim of a male slave that states he was born free in Puerto Rico, but was somehow included in an inheritance as a young boy, transported to Cuba, and sold into slavery: "Un individuo que hoy se encuentran en la Cárcel del Alacranes, y que dice nombrase Juhan ó José Julian Quintana, y ser esclavo actualmente de Dn. Serapio Hernandez, dueño de los ingenios Escorial, ubicado en Colon, y Sta. Rosa [?], en Limonar, y vecino de esa Ciudad, calle del Rio, ha solicitado se le restituyan un derechos de libertad por haber nacídolibre en Puerto Rico, de donde á la edad de 5 ó 6 años le trajeron à esta Ysla y vencieron como esclavo." Interesting for the study of manumission in late-colonial Cuba, and certainly worthy of further research.
No image available

Autobiographies: Reveries Over Childhood and Youth and The Trembling of the Veil by YEATS, W. B.

7 to 14 days for delivery
Standard Shipping: $10.00
Details
$750.00
( US$)
Seller: James S. Jaffe Rare Books LLC
Title
Autobiographies: Reveries Over Childhood and Youth and The Trembling of the Veil
Author
YEATS, W. B.
Seller
James S. Jaffe Rare Books LLC (United States)
Condition
Preliminary front & back pages & edges very lightly foxed, otherwise a very fine copy
Description
London: Macmillan & Co, 1926. First edition. One of 2820 copies. Wade 151. Preliminary front & back pages & edges very lightly foxed, otherwise a very fine copy. 8vo, frontispiece portrait of Yeats, four illustrations including one tipped-in colorplate, unicorn design on endpapers, blind-stamped decorated green cloth, dust jacket. Preliminary front & back pages & edges very lightly foxed, otherwise a very fine copy.
No image available

A Palpable Elysium: Portraits of Genius and Solitude. Introduction by Guy Davenport by WILLIAMS, Jonathan

7 to 14 days for delivery
Standard Shipping: $3.50
Details
$75.00
( US$)
Seller: James S. Jaffe Rare Books LLC
Title
A Palpable Elysium: Portraits of Genius and Solitude. Introduction by Guy Davenport
Author
WILLIAMS, Jonathan
Seller
James S. Jaffe Rare Books LLC (United States)
Condition
As new
Description
Boston: Godine, (2002). First edition. With essays on Kenneth Rexroth, Thomas Merton, Robert Duncan, Jess, Lorine Niedecker, among others. Signed by Williams on the title-page. As new. 4to, illustrated, photographic wrappers. As new.
Yamataka Noboru 山高登, 橋本興家

Yamataka Noboru 山高登, 橋本興家 by [Bookplates]

7 to 14 days for delivery
Standard Shipping: $8.50
Details
$650.00
( US$)
Seller: Boston Book Company
Title
Yamataka Noboru 山高登, 橋本興家
Author
[Bookplates]
Seller
Boston Book Company (United States)
Description
Sekino Junichirō 関野準一郎, Takei Takeo 武井 武雄 Hashimoto Okiie et al. Editor unknown. Yamataka Noboru 山高登, 橋本興家. n.p. n.d. String bound fukuro toji 20 x 15cm with title slip in Japanese on front cover. A handmade album with a delightful collection of 52 color and monochrome bookplates and stamps by a range of Japanese artists in a variety of techniques. Most are tipped in, with the stamps laid in. Among the well-known artists represented are Sekino Junichirō 関野準一郎 (1914-1988) (1 bookplate), Takei Takeo 武井 武雄 (1894 – 1983) (5 woodblock prints and 3 stamps)、Yamataka Noboru 山高登 (2 bookplates), Hashimoto Okiie 橋本興家 (1899 - 1993) (1 bookplate). Techniques include woodblock printing and etching. Included is a handwritten guide in Japanese to each of the bookplates, with title, artist, name of book owner and some techniques identified, as well as a printed sheet with the artists’ names and the number of bookplates/stamps rendered. Made with great care and in very good condition.
Indian Pictures: Facsimiles of Paintings in Water-Colour and Engravings of Drawings in Black and White

Indian Pictures: Facsimiles of Paintings in Water-Colour and Engravings of Drawings in Black and White by Deming, Edwin Willard

7 to 14 days for delivery
Standard Shipping: $4.00
Details
$550.00
( US$)
Seller: Charles Parkhurst Rare Books, Inc.
Title
Indian Pictures: Facsimiles of Paintings in Water-Colour and Engravings of Drawings in Black and White
Author
Deming, Edwin Willard
Seller
Charles Parkhurst Rare Books, Inc. (United States)
Condition
Very Good
Description
New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1899. First Edition. Very Good. folio, unpaginated; 6 chromolith plates; publisher's pictorial paper covered boards, brown cloth spine. Beautifully illustrated by E. W. Deming, with "picture-writing" at foot of each plate. "The picture-writing at the bottom of each facsimile of a water-colour painting gives the story of the year, told in the way an Indian would record it on his robe or his lodge lining." Light soiling and staining to boards and spine; short closed tear to fore-edge of ffep and title page. Three small spots on ffep. Internally clean and bright, with no markings of any kind. Very good indeed.
No image available

The professor at the breakfast table; with the story of Iris by HOLMES, Oliver Wendell

7 to 14 days for delivery
Standard Shipping: $15.00
Details
$400.00
( US$)
Seller: Rootenberg Rare Books & Manuscripts
Title
The professor at the breakfast table; with the story of Iris
Author
HOLMES, Oliver Wendell
Seller
Rootenberg Rare Books & Manuscripts (United States)
Description
London: Sampson Low, Son & Co., 1860. FIRST ENGLISH EDITION. With 2 pages publisher’s advertisements dated November, 1860, and a 16-page publisher’s catalogue dated June, 1863, bound into the back (different leaf size). Original blue pebbled cloth, decorated in blind. Morocco bookplate of Alfred Sutro, small bookbinders label to rear paste-down. First English edition. Includes the poems The boys, A mother’s secret, The crooked footpath, and Iris, her book, amongst many others. C&T, p. 90.
The Making and Unmaking of Empires; Britain, India, and America, c. 1750-1783

The Making and Unmaking of Empires; Britain, India, and America, c. 1750-1783 by Marshall, P.J.

5 to 14 days for delivery
Standard Shipping: $6.00
Details
$275.00
( US$)
Seller: Swan's Fine Books
Title
The Making and Unmaking of Empires; Britain, India, and America, c. 1750-1783
Author
Marshall, P.J.
Seller
Swan's Fine Books (United States)
Condition
Fine
Description
(Oxford): Oxford University Press, 2005. First Edition. Hardcover. Fine/near fine. First printing, large octavo size, 398 pp. From the jacket flap: [this book] "provides a unified interpretation of British imperial history in the later eighteenth century. [Marshall] brings together into a common focus Britain's loss of empire in North America and the winning of territorial dominion in parts of India, and argues that these developments were part of a single phase of Britain's imperial history..." ___DESCRIPTION: Bound in full dark navy blue textured paper over boards, with an index at the rear; large octavo size (9 1/2" by 6 1/4"), 398 pp. In dust jacket with short author bio on the front flap, publisher's ads on the rear flap, summary of book on the back panel, unclipped and unpriced. ___CONDITION: Volume fine, the boards clean, straight corners without rubbing, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, and entirely free of prior owner markings; in appearance unread. The dust jacket near fine, not clipped, clean with a modicum of edgewear and a very light, stray mark on the front panel. ___POSTAGE: International customers, please note the following: (i) additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs, please inquire for details; and (ii) any taxes, duty, or tariffs charged by your country will, of necessity, be your responsibility. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
Buy It and Try It: Hints on Cooking and Living in Japan

Buy It and Try It: Hints on Cooking and Living in Japan by The Women's Society, Tokyo Union Church

7 to 14 days for delivery
Standard Shipping: FREE
Details
$100.00
( EU VAT US$0)
Seller: ReadInk
Title
Buy It and Try It: Hints on Cooking and Living in Japan
Author
The Women's Society, Tokyo Union Church
Seller
ReadInk (United States)
Condition
Good+
Description
Tokyo: The Women's Society / Tokyo Union Church. Good+. 1963. 3rd English Edition. Spiral bound. [moderately worn, with the kind of general handling wear and occasional light staining that you would expect from a cookbook that had actually been used; the rear endpaper contains an additional handwritten recipe (in English) by a previous owner]. (pen and ink drawings, advertisements) An introductory note reads: "We invite you into the kitchens of our church families. Members and friends of the church, and the missionary community in Japan, have contributed 'favorite' recipes as well as recipes created for the use of many new and unfamiliar foods found in Japanese markets. No attempt has been made to check the source of the recipes as they come from active kitchen practice in Japan." Includes sections on "Household Hints" and "Healthful Living." Almost all the text is in English, although there is a glossary of "English-Japanese Definitions of Cooking Terms." .
HISTORY OF THE PAN-HANDLE : Being Historical Collections of the Counties of Ohio, Brooke, Marshall and Hancock West Virginia 1879

HISTORY OF THE PAN-HANDLE : Being Historical Collections of the Counties of Ohio, Brooke, Marshall and Hancock West Virginia 1879 by J. H. Newton | G.G. Nicholas and A. G. Sprankle

5 to 14 days for delivery
Standard Shipping: $10.50
Details
$75.00
( EU VAT US$0)
Seller: Black Swan Books, Inc.
Title
HISTORY OF THE PAN-HANDLE : Being Historical Collections of the Counties of Ohio, Brooke, Marshall and Hancock West Virginia 1879
Author
J. H. Newton | G.G. Nicholas and A. G. Sprankle
Seller
Black Swan Books, Inc. (United States)
Condition
Near Fine binding
Description
Apollo PA: Closson Press, 1999. Reprint Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine binding. A clean tight copy of the reprint edition which was originally published in 1879. No marks of any kind. A few full page ilustrations. Near Fine binding.
Abraham Cruzvillegas: The Autoconstrucción Suites

Abraham Cruzvillegas: The Autoconstrucción Suites by CRUZVILLEGES, Abraham (artist); Clara KIM (editor); Olga VISO (introduction by); Patricia FALGUIERES (text by); Sergio GONZALES RODRIGUEZ

3 to 7 days for delivery
Standard Shipping: $7.50
Details
$65.00
( EU VAT US$0)
Seller: Riverrun Books & Manuscripts
Title
Abraham Cruzvillegas: The Autoconstrucción Suites
Author
CRUZVILLEGES, Abraham (artist); Clara KIM (editor); Olga VISO (introduction by); Patricia FALGUIERES (text by); Sergio GONZALES RODRIGUEZ
Seller
Riverrun Books & Manuscripts (United States)
ISBN
9781935963059
Condition
Generally a clean copy
Description
Minneapolis: Walker Art Center, 2013. First edition. Generally a clean copy. 13.5 x 9.75 inches. 240 pages. Profusely illustrated in color. Original pictorial wrappers. "Published on the occasion of the artist's first major survey, this volume explores the rich terrain of Abraham Cruzvillegas' (born 1968) work over the past ten years, rooting his sculptural language within the volcanic landscape of his childhood home in Ajusco, Mexico. The publication elaborates on Cruzvillegas' interest in autoconstrucción, a construction method arising from the constraints of poverty, in which parts are recycled and adapted for new purposes. Developed in collaboration with the artist, the volume features five essays examining autoconstrucción through the lens of art history, politics, architecture and urban migration in Mexico in the 1960s. Along with these texts, the publication includes sculptures by Cruzvillegas; snapshots of Ajusco, Mexico, taken by the artist; archival images of Ajusco from the Cruzvillegas Fuentes family album; titles that inform and inspire the artist's thinking about autoconstrucción; silkscreened posters of liberation movements in Latin America; and the artist's index of concepts and song lyrics written as allegories of his childhood" (the publisher).
An American Vision: Three Generations of Wyeth Art
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

An American Vision: Three Generations of Wyeth Art by Wyeth, N. C.; Wyeth, Andrew; Wyeth, James; with essays by James D. Huff ... et al.

7 to 14 days for delivery
Standard Shipping: FREE
Details
$35.00
( EU VAT US$0)
Seller: James & Mary Laurie Booksellers (A.B.A.A.)
Title
An American Vision: Three Generations of Wyeth Art
Author
Wyeth, N. C.; Wyeth, Andrew; Wyeth, James; with essays by James D. Huff ... et al.
Seller
James & Mary Laurie Booksellers (A.B.A.A.) (United States)
ISBN
9780821216521
Condition
Fine/Fine
Description
Boston: New York Graphic Society / Little, Brown & Co, 1987. 1st. Hardcover. Fine/Fine.
No image available

The Benedicts Abroad. by Benedict, Clare; Editor.

7 to 14 days for delivery
Standard Shipping: $6.00
Details
$25.00
( EU VAT US$0)
Seller: Lighthouse Books, ABAA
Title
The Benedicts Abroad.
Author
Benedict, Clare; Editor.
Seller
Lighthouse Books, ABAA (United States)
Description
London: Ellis, (1930). First Edition. Octavo, blue cloth (hardcover), gilt letters, uncut, xv, 751 pp. Illustrated with photographs. This copy was formerly a part of the Bath, N.H. Free Library, and bears several not-ugly marks accordingly, including an inked spine numeral. It also bears a bookplate stating the book was placed “With the Compliments / of/ Miss Clare Benedict.
No image available

Indian Trade Goods by Arthur Woodward

7 to 14 days for delivery
Standard Shipping: $5.00
Details
$14.95
( EU VAT US$0)
Seller: Ed's Editions Bookstore
Title
Indian Trade Goods
Author
Arthur Woodward
Seller
Ed's Editions Bookstore (United States)
Condition
Good
Description
Binford & Mort, 1976. 2nd Edition. Paperback. Good. 0x0x0. Clean, has a good binding, no marks or notations. 38 pages. Second Edition.

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