Confound those ifs and buts!

Increase Mather; Samuel G. Drake [intro.]

Early History of New England; being a relation of hostile passages between the Indians and European voyagers and first settlers; and a full narrative of hostilities, to the close of the war with the Pequots, in the year 1637; also a detailed account of the origin of the war with King Philip [Autograph Letter Signed by Drake Laid in]

Boston / Albany: Printed for the Editor / J. Munsell, 1864. Very Good. Item #26569

Boston / Albany: Printed for the Editor / J. Munsell, 1864. First Thus. Quarto (22.5cm.); publisher's pebbled green cloth, gilt-lettered spine, top edge gilt, brown glazed endpapers; 309,[1]pp. Spine ends a bit chipped and cloth rather darkened, textblock toned and a bit brittle due to inferior paper stock, 20th century ownership ex libris to front pastedown, else a Very Good copy of an uncommon edition of Mather's history, extensively annotated by Drake.

Offered with laid in one-page undated autograph letter signed by Samuel G. Drake to Larkin Turner with accompanying pictorial mailing envelope. "It would give me a deal of pleasure to perform the little service required--if--(o! confound that if) if I were able, satisfactorily to 'do' that Indian into English--but--(o! confound the buts too)--my knowledge of the Indian tongue is so limited I cannot do it with any satisfaction to myself." However, Drake does go on to translate the names of two New England lakes, Winnipissaukee (New Hampshire), "The Beautiful Lake of the high place"; and Massapog (Massachusetts), "The place of Many Ponds or Much Pond Place."

Price: $750.00