As a book buff, I love perusing used book store looking for treasures. My personal interest is mostly in the information contained in the pages and not ‘first editions’ necessarily, although I wouldn’t pass up a rare text if it presented itself. My collection, which is at about 1200 books right now, and unfortunately about to bust out of our library, is quite eclectic. My true passion however is English history books, which are not as easy to find on the West coast of the US. Therefore, I must again sing the praises of eBay and the treasures it reveals.
I just received my 'brand new' 1836 edition of “Letter from the English Kings and Queens, Charles II, James II, William and Mary, Anne, George II, & C. to the Governors of the Colony of Connecticut, together with the Answers Thereto, From 1685 to 1749” (gotta love the verbosity of titles pre 20th Century!) This is a really interesting and rare type of text which, to look for physically, would take maybe a lifetime. Yet, through the miracles of the eMarketplaces, they have opened a new world to average consumers - I can sit at my desk in California and search centuries of literature from all over the world!
About the book itself, it was ‘written’ or I should say, the letters contained within were compiled, by R.R. Hinman, the Secretary of the State of Connecticut in 1836 and was issued to clarify facts about relations between the colonies and England in the early years (pre-revolutionary war). Also, according to the seller, the book was found “hiding behind a wall in the state house in conn.” – I am still waiting to see if the seller has any other information about the provenance as it sounds like it could be very interesting!