JFK letter to Churchill, toucan monograph lead Freeman’s May 20 sale

Lithographic plate from John Gould’s monograph on toucans, estimated at $20,000-$30,000

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — On May 20, Freeman’s presents a Books and Manuscripts auction beginning at noon Eastern time. The 131-lot auction will showcase a number of historically and culturally significant books, posters, prints, and letters, including an annotated draft of a missive from President John F. Kennedy to former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill; a selection of important World War II posters; many first and limited editions from such prominent authors as Henry David Thoreau, Charles Dickens, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Mark Twain, and T.S. Eliot; as well as significant scientific and medical texts. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

The auction offers much political material, but perhaps none so prominent as this annotated 1962 letter from President John F. Kennedy to former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on White House stationery, which carries an estimate of $35,000-$50,000. The framed letter chronicles Kennedy’s request to name an American Polaris nuclear submarine in Churchill’s honor, and offers a glimpse into the delicate nature of international diplomacy. Kennedy’s annotations and edits to his initial draft reflect his intellect, personality, and diplomatic skill; he wished to honor Churchill without creating displeasure or offense that, in the words of Lady Churchill, “his name should be so closely associated with a weapon whose purpose is mass destruction.” Ultimately, the naming of the vessel was not pursued, but this draft—a rare and significant piece of American history—was carefully preserved.

Annotated 1962 letter from President Kennedy to former British Prime Minister Churchill, estimated at $35,000-$50,000

Highlights among the many historical books and prints represented in the sale include a 1541 first edition of Walther H. Ryff’s opus Des aller fuertreflichsten…, a scientific text profusely illustrated with numerous woodcuts depicting anatomical and surgical diagrams. It is estimated at $8,000-$12,000. The text by Ryff, a 16th-century French surgeon, was both influential and controversial at the time of its publication for the charges of plagiarism brought against Ryff.

Illustration from Walther H. Ryff’s 1541 scientific text, $8,000-$12,000

Centuries later, English ornithologist John Gould published A Monograph of the Ramphastidae, or Family of Toucans, his first monograph of a bird family. The second edition folio, estimated at $20,000-$30,000, features 51 beautiful hand-colored lithographic plates of toucans in various settings. The period binding is a subtle compliment to the birds’ brilliance.

First edition of ‘Walden: or, Life in the Woods,’ estimated at $6,000-$9,000

Also on offer is a handsome first edition of Henry David Thoreau’s masterpiece Walden: or, Life in the Woods, 1854, estimated at $6,000-$9,000, and one of only 2,000 copies printed. This classic reflection on independence and self-reliance in nature is illustrated with an engraved vignette title page and an engraved map of Walden Pond itself, the idyllic Massachusetts site where Thoreau lived in solitude for almost two years.

In addition, the sale includes a large and fine selection of World War II posters from the golden era of poster design—from a group of 16 Women in WWII posters, collectively estimated at $1,000-$1,500, to a single one of Winston Churchill’s suggestion that we “go forward together,” estimated at $1,500-$2,500. A standout World War I-era poster illustrating Jewish efforts for self-determination following the fall of tsarist Russia, The All-Russian Jewish Congress Vote Zionist Slate No. 6 Poster, is also a collector’s opportunity That poster is estimated at $1,000-$1,500).

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