A rare second edition copy of English language guide A Primer, for the Use of the Mohawk Children (1786) is expected to make $15,000-20,000 ahead of PBA Galleries' November 6 auction.
The book, designed for use by evangelist missionaries in converting Mohawk children to Christianity, was first printed in Montreal in 1781.
 The guide was first published in Montreal in 1781 |
Today less than 10 copies of the first edition are known to exist.
It features basic English language lessons (many using Biblical sources as examples) translated into Mohawk, and was written by a German immigrant named Daniel Claus, who spent many years working as an interpreter in the US government's Indian department.
A first edition copy of Beatrix Potter's The Tailor of Gloucester (1902) could make $7,000-10,000.
Potter had the book privately printed in small numbers prior to its purchase by Frederick Warne & Co. There are a number of variations between the texts, including a different cover illustration.
Another early book by the author, titled A Happy Pair (1890), is up for auction at Swann Galleries in New York with an $18,000-25,000 estimate.
Other lots include first editions of classic children's books Where the Wild Things Are and The Cat in the Hat.
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