MANUAL
OF THE
CORPORATION
OF THE
CITY OF NEW YORK
FOR
1852

by
D. T. VALENTINE

1852
FIRST EDITION
D. T. VALENTINE
NEW YORK

Hardcover, 504 pages
PLUS
FOLD-OUT MAPS & ENGRAVED PLATES

Valentine's Manuals, each volume officially titled, Manual of the Common Council of the City of New York, are a collector's valued treasure and a historian's basic reference. These books are a source of delight for the eye, containing a number of maps, lithographs and woodcuts of New York City at times long past, often of sites long demolished. The Manuals are surely the first illustrated histories of New York City, the first comprehensive portrait of the City, and the first to use prints and maps relating to New York City so extensively and effectively. They are also among the first to organize and present a governmental record of the Corporation of the City of New York, including lists of offices, office holders, election results and financial summaries. In addition, they contain statistics as to numerous social and religious institutions, banks, hospitals, schools and any number of other related materials.

Valentine's Manuals were published between 1840 and 1870 by D. T. Valentine. As a natural consequence of the growth of New York City, the later the edition, the more it contained. As for the price factor regarding the books as collectible though, the older they are the more they are worth, based to a large degree on scarcity. An 1840 edition is much more valuable than an 1870 edition, and so forth.

The illustrated portion of this book contains a number of interesting features, not all of which are displayed in the sample photos.

• 1852 FOLD-OUT MAP OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK
• 1656 FOLD-OUT MAP OF NEW NETHERLANDS WITH A VIEW OF NEW AMSTERDAM
• 1852 DIAGRAM OF THE ALDERMAN'S & ASSISTANT ALDERMAN'S CHAMBERS
• 1852 FOLD-OUT ENGRAVING, CASTLE GARDEN, NEW YORK
• 1695 FOLD-OUT MAP OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK
• ENGRAVING - A VIEW OF NEW YORK, GOVERNOR'S ISLAND, 1776
• ENGRAVING - GOVERNMENT HOUSE, NEW YORK, 1775
• TINTED FOLD-OUT ENGRAVING- LAUNCH OF THE STEAM FRIGATE, FULTON THE FIRST, AT NEW YORK, 20TH OCTOBER, 1814
• FOLD-OUT FACSIMILE OF HANDWRITTEN WEDDING BOND BY THOMAS JEFFERSON (witnessed by) FRANCIS EPPES TO MARRY MARTHA SKELTON, 1771
• FOLD-OUT COLOR LITHOGRAPH - VIEW OF MURRAY STREET, N.Y. WITH DR. MASON'S CHURCH, 1822
• TINTED ENGRAVING - THE PARAGON STEAM BOAT (Copied from a Drawing by Robert Fulton)
• FOLD-OUT MAP - PLAN OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK, 1808
• FOLD-OUT TINTED ENGRAVING - TONTINE BUILDING, WALL STREET, NEW YORK, 1797
• FOLD-OUT COLOR MAP OF NEW YORK, 1852 - Showing the original high water line and the location of the different Farms and Estates
• FOLD-OUT FACSIMILE - 1765 FREEMAN and CITIZEN CERTIFICATE for JOSEPH DRAKE (Shopkeeper) SIGNED BY THE MAYOR, JOHN CRUGER
• PLUS- Numerous smaller engravings- Institutional Buildings, Post Office, Sugar House, Richmond Hill House, Stuyvesant's House, Kip's Mansion, etc., etc.

While the illustrative content is the feature attractions, there is plenty of other historical information in this 1852 Valentine's Manual of New York City - City Officials - Aldermen, Commissioners, Supervisors, Governors, etc.; Bureaus, Police Dept., Fire Dept. etc; Calendars; Census; Courts, Convictions, Acquittals, etc; Table of Distances; Fare Rates for Hackney Coaches; Junk Shops; Biography of the Magistrates of New Amsterdam; Markets; LIst of Military Companies of 1738; Parks; Pawnbrokers; Schools, Prisons, Juvenile Reform School, Workhouses, etc.; Olden Times in New York; Papers Relating to the Restoration of New York to the English; Mr. Grimm's Account of the Great Fire of August 3, 1778; The Arrival of Henry Hudson at Sandy Hook, and much more.

You won't find many First Edition copies of this book, and if you do, you can bet they will be EXPENSIVE. This one is complete and intact, and outside of the binding issues, is in pretty good condition.

BOOK DESCRIPTION/CONDITION: First Edition. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. Dark brown cloth hardcover with illustration of New York emblem on front and rear cover in gilt, titles in gilt on spine. Light green endpapers. Part of spine covering partially affecting title gone. Corner wear and both spine ends chipped. Front hinge exposed (chipped) and weak, rear hinge better. Textblock stable. Name, etc. written in pen on FFEP. Scattered foxing throughout, mostly light and often sparse. General interior condition nearly Very Good considering all fold-outs, maps, illustrations present. 5" x 7 5/8" x 1 3/4"

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