‘Yorktown, a Forgotten Capital,’ others in library silent auction

History, philosophy, exposition, fiction and poetry are represented in this week’s Professor Parsons’ Picks books in the Friends of the A.K. Smiley Public Library’s silent auction.

The books are “The Mariners of Brittany” by Peter F. Anson, “Yorktown, a Forgotten Capital” by W. Walter Bamany, “Moral Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rites of Freemasonry” by Albert Pike, “The Perennial Philosophy” by Aldous Huxley, “Freckles” by Gene Stratton Porter and “Silver Pennies” by Blanch Jennings Thompson.

The books and their bid sheets are in the silent auction area on the main floor of the A.K. Smiley Public Library, 125 W. Vine St., Redlands. The auction closes at 1 p.m. Tuesday.

The books are chosen by Ted Parsons, volunteer chairman of the Friends of the Library’s antiquarian committee. Following are Parsons’ descriptions of the books and his comments.

“The Mariners of Brittany,” published in 1931, is a first printing. It contains 61 finely drawn illustrations by the author, Peter F. Anson. This book examines the history of the Breton fishermen and their boats. It describes the sardine and tunny fisheries, paints in vivid color the language and hardships of the “Terre Neunets “ and makes the reader feel that he is sharing the life of the young Bretons. Ship lovers will revel in the section devoted to the local fishing craft and the types of vessels.

The dealer price is $20 to $45, and the minimum bid is $10.

“Yorktown, a Forgotten Capital” by W. Walter Bamany is a slim, privately printed volume that tells of the brief period of American history in which the Continental Congress removed from Philadelphia to Yorktown to run the Revolutionary War in comparative safety. The author relates some dramatic scenes in which the men and women of the “frontier capital” strove to secure the future of the emerging nation.

This scarce volume will be a welcome addition to a collection of Revolutionary War histories. Only three copies are currently on dealer offer. The dealers’ price is $17 to $22, and the opening bid is $9.

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Aldous Huxley (1894-1963), author of “Brave New World” (1932), wrote “The Perennial Philosophy” at the end of World War II and the defeat of National Socialism. In this book Huxley analyzes the major theologies and identifies common factors that can provide the reader with a standard of faith by which to judge people’s moral depravity as individuals and the insane, sometimes criminal, behavior of national societies.

This is a collectible edition, which is as relevant today as in 1944, Parsons said.

The dealer price is $21 to $55. The minimum bid is $10.

Collectors interested in Freemasonry will find the book “Moral and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rites of Freemasonry” (1921 edition) enlightening. This book was first published in 1781 and subsequently in 1906 and 1921. The author, Albert Pike, remains one of the most honored and influential American Freemasons of all time. The book endures as the complete exposition of Scottish Rites philosophy and is often referred to as the Masonic bible.

The dealer price is $20 to $50. The minimum bid is $10.

Those who enjoy an adventurous tale of overcoming adversity with pluck, love and determination will want to consider “Freckles” by Gene Stratton Porter (1864-1924). Published in 1904, this is the story of a courageous young man determined to overcome the hardships life has handed him.

Left as an abused child on the steps of an orphanage, Freckles is unwilling to let his past defeat him and sets out to make his way in the world. He applies for a job guarding timber in the swamp and is accepted despite his youth and the disability of having only one hand.

The dealer value is $9 to $20, and the minimum bid is $7.

“Silver Pennies” by Blanch Jennings Thompson is a charming volume of poems. Each poem is a “Silver Penny” intended to take a child to the fairyland of modern poetry. The poems are witty, often funny, and designed to be read aloud so the child can delight in the sounds of the language.

The dealer price is $15 to $50. The minimum bid is $8.

All proceeds from the auction help to support the A.K. Smiley Public Library.

Source: Friends of the A.K. Smiley Public Library
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