Sale 15BP02 | Lot 263

[CAPTIVITY NARRATIVE - JOHNSON, SUSANNAH] A Narrative Of The Captivity Of Mrs. Johnson, Containing An Account Of Her Sufferings During Four Years With The Indians And French

Catalogue: Rare Books, Autographs & Photographs

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Lot Details

Lot 263
[CAPTIVITY NARRATIVE - JOHNSON, SUSANNAH] A Narrative Of The Captivity Of Mrs. Johnson, Containing An Account Of Her Sufferings...
. Walpole, New Hampshire: David Carlisle, 1796. First edition, a thick paper copy. Contemporary calf with gilt rules to spine, original endpapers. 6 3/8 x 3 3/4 inches (16 x 10 cm); 144 pp. Some foxing and spotting but generally very clean within, the binding rubbed, the joints tender, lettering label lacking, a very clean and desirable copy in an original binding.
Susannah Willard Johnson and her family were captured during an Abenaki raid on Charleston, New Hampshire just after the outbreak of the French and Indian War in August 1754. Forced to march for three weeks after capture, Susannah, nine months pregnant, gave birth to a daughter on the journey, named Elizabeth "Captive" Johnson. The captives were held for several months at Saint-Francois-du-Lac, Quebec before being brought to Montreal to be sold to the French. In this harrowing tale, Susannah, separated from her children and left with only infant Elizabeth, is subsequently imprisoned, shipped to England in a prisoner exchange, and finally returned home at the end of 1757 only to lose her husband at Ticonderoga the next year. Her eldest boy was held by the Abenaki for several years and adopted Indian customs. One daughter did not return home until 1760. In 1796, Susannah recorded her memoir, which was published in this first edition by David Carlisle and Isaiah Thomas. One of the most important works in the captivity genre, the first edition is extremely rare, and we track only the Siebert copy in the recent auction records. Howes J153; Evans 30180 & 30641; Sabin 35324; Siebert 442.

C 

Estimate: $3,000 - $5,000

Sold for $4,062 (includes buyer's premium)

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Estimate: $3,000 - $5,000

Sold for $4,062 (includes buyer's premium)

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Rare Books, Autographs & Photographs

Mon, Nov 23, 2015 at 10am EST

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