Henry David Thoreau's Assabet manuscript to exceed $8,500?

A draft manuscript of Henry David Thoreau's The Assabet is set to lead at RR Auction, with bidding standing at $8,386.

The sale closes on November 12.

The lot dates to July 18, 1839 and was sent to Ellen Sewall - a woman with whom he fell deeply in love, but who ultimately rejected his advances.

Thoreau Walden
Thoreau wrote The Assabet in 1839

This is primarily due to the influence of her father, a Unitarian who took issue with Thoreau's transcendentalist philosophies.

The title refers to a river near his home in Massachusetts where he would often spend his time boating.

Bidding on a cheque signed by Abraham Lincoln starts at $7,667.

The lot dates to 1860 bears the title of Lincoln's bank, the Springfield Marine and Fire Insurance Company. It's a request to withdraw $50.

On the date of the withdrawal, November 21, the newly elected president got on a train to Chicago with his wife. It was there that he met his vice president, Hannibal Hamlin, for the first time.

Lincoln is a defining figure in the history of the US, with the result that signed material is in high demand. A handwritten note sold for $16,000 at RR Auction earlier this year.

We have these fragments of wallpaper from Lincoln's bedroom in Springfield, Illinois.

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