lot: two nineteenth-century German-language books printed in the United States 

First:

Lebensbeschreibung des Georg Waschington

(Life of George Washington) 

by Parson Weems 

printed in Philadelphia, 1838 

This is a delightful little book. Parson Weems' famous biography of George Washington was translated into German and published by Edmund Y. Schelly, a printer who produced books for the large German-American community. It includes a small print depicting the death of General Montgomery in the 1775 attack on Quebec. This copy was previously in the collection of Morningside College (Sioux City, Iowa), and has stamps related to its place in a college library (stamped as withdrawn). There is foxing on the pages and one loose page in the front, but they do not spoil the overall effect of this wonderful little piece of Washington memorabilia. 

Second:

Die Kirscheinweihung von Hammarby 

by Emilie Flygare-Carlén

printed in New York, circa1860s

This is an exceptionally rare edition of a novel by the Swedish writer Emilie Flygare-Carlén. Originally published in Swedish in 1841, many German translations were published in Germany. This edition was published in New York by S. Bickel, a German-language publisher with premises at 113 Rivington Street on the Lower East Side. The edition is not dated, but S. Bickel advertised in German-language newspapers with his 113 Rivington Street address in 1865, which is consistent with the overall appearance of the book. There is a little light pencil scribbling and a slight forward lean, but overall the book is in good condition considering its age and cheap printing. A wonderful book by a 19th-century female author that is also a lovely example of 19th-century German-language literary print culture in midcentury New York.