A historically significant archive of letters relating to the family life of Joseph Priestley (1733-1804), the West Yorkshire-born chemist, natural philosopher, theologian and political thinker whose work helped shape modern science, is coming up for sale at in Tennants Auctioneers’ Books, Maps & Manuscripts Sale on 15th April with an estimate of £3,000-5,000 (all figures exclude buyer’s premium). Priestley is best known for discovering oxygen in 1774, which he called “dephlogisticated air,” advancing the study of gases, contributing to the Chemical Revolution, and even inventing carbonated water. A dissenting minister, Priestley supported religious freedom and controversial political reforms, bringing him into conflict with authorities. After riots destroyed his home in Birmingham, he emigrated to the United States
The letters, which were written by Joseph’s brother Timothy, are all addressed to their sister Martha Crouch, and reveal that religion and theology were central to the Priestley family’s life, although money is another frequently discussed subject along with concern for Joseph. Timothy, like his brother, was primarily focused on religion and science; an independent minister, he also constructed ‘electrifying machines’.
A good first edition of Aeronautics by pioneering balloonist Vincenzo Lunardi will be offered with an estimate of £600-900. The book comprises a series of letters to his guardian, recording the landmark first aerial voyage in England, that took place in September 1784. Lunardi launched from the Artillery Ground in London in front of a crowd of around 200,000 spectators; whilst he was supposed to travel with his companion George Biggin, he allegedly took with him instead a dog, a cat and a pigeon. Travelling by hydrogen ballon across north Hertfordshire, he briefly set down in North Mymms to release the unwell cat, before continuing on to Standon Green End, covering a total distance of 24 miles.
Recording rather more far-flung travels is an extensive collection of Underwood & Underwood stereoscopic cards, which when viewed through a stereoscope merge into a 3D picture; popular from the 1850s to the 1920s, they provided immersive images of travel. The present collection dates from circa 1898 to 1918 and include hundreds of cards of countries such as Palestine, Australia Congo, Russia, and Norway alongside images of the Second Boer War and the First World War. Estimated to sell for £800-1,200, the collection also includes a rare complete set of images of China which incorporate images of the Battle of Tientsin during the Boxer Rebellion and the ‘Lama Temple’ in Beijing.
The sale will also include a good, small section of polar exploration books, which include British Royal Naval Officer and Arctic explorer Sir William Edward Parry’s three books detailing his three early 19th century voyages looking for the famed North-West Passage (estimate: £400-600). Also on offer is Alexander Mackenzie’s Voyages from Montreal, on the River St. Laurence, published in 1801 and offered with an estimate of £600-900. Finally, amongst the fictional works in the sale, is a nice first edition copy of H.G. Wells’ The Island of Doctor Moreau, published in 1896 (estimate: £300-500).
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