The Country Builder's Assistant: Containing a Collection of New Designs of Carpentry and Architecture
Published by Thomas Dickman, Greenfield, MA, 1797
- Hardcover
- Used
Seller: Donald A. Heald Rare Books (ABAA), New York, NY, U.S.A.Donald A. Heald Rare Books (ABAA)
AbeBooks seller since May 9, 1998
Condition: Used
£ 15,000.68
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
(7 5/8 x 5 1/4 inches). [32]pp. Thirty engraved plates (two folding). Contemporary sheep, flat spine ruled gilt, morocco lettering piece A fine copy of the first edition of the earliest book of architecture written by an American and printed in the United States: a legendary rarity, a landmark work, and a cornerstone of any collection on American arts. "There is scarcely a village which in moulding profiles, cornice details, church spire, or farm-house does not reflect his influence" (DAB). Earlier architectural works printed in the United States were simply compilations or reprintings of British material (e.g. John Norman's Town and Country Builder's Assistant of 1786). Benjamin's work is a classic and important American architectural treatise, by the man who was most responsible for disseminating late colonial details throughout New England, beautifully illustrated with engravings of colonial buildings, elevations of churches and homes, ornaments, cornices, etc., reflecting the influences of the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders. "The career of the first American architectural writer, Asher Benjamin (1773-1845), covered several decades of the early nineteenth century. Both the books he wrote and the buildings he designed had an influence on building in New England that is still visible. He probably will be best remembered for his popularization of the federal style through his early books (and the Greek revival in his later ones)" (Thompson). Most copies of Benjamin's book were heavily used, accounting for its present rarity. Although the title states that each plate would be accompanied by textual descriptions, no descriptions were issued for plates 25-27. As a testament to its importance in the development of American architecture, the text appears in several relevant exhibition catalogues. These include: "The Sources of Classicism," Univ. of Texas, 1978 (later edition); "Printed Books on Architecture," Univ. of Illinois, 1960 (later edition); "The Builder's Guide," Colby College, 1969 (later edition), "The Colonial Scene," John Carter Brown Library, 1950; "A Society's Chief Joys," American Antiquarian Society, 1969; and "Wellsprings of a Nation," American Antiquarian Society, 1977. Rink 2482; Evans 31797; Hitchcock 111; Romaine 245:21; ESTC W11972; Hafertepe, K. American architects and their books to 1848, 2001, p. 145; Neville Thompson, "Tools of Persuasion: The American Architectural Book of the Nineteenth Century" in The American Illustrated Book in the Nineteenth Century (1987), p.142; Abbot Lowell Cummings, An Investigation of the Sources, Stylistic Evolution, and Influence of Asher Benjamin's Builders' Guides (Ohio State University, Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, 1950).…
Seller Inventory # 41936
Bibliographic details
- Title
- The Country Builder's Assistant: Containing a Collection of New Designs of Carpentry and Architecture
- Author
- BENJAMIN, Asher (1773-1845)
- Publisher
- Thomas Dickman, Greenfield, MA
- Publication year
- 1797
- Binding
- Small 4to
- Seller catalogs
- Americana & Canadiana, Colour-Plate & Illustrated, Miscellany
Donald A. Heald Rare Books (ABAA)
New York, NY, U.S.A.
Shipping rates within U.S.A.
| Item | 5 to 14 business days | 3 to 6 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 18.67 | £ 29.87 |
Payment methods
Store description
Donald A. Heald Rare Books offers the finest examples of antiquarian books and prints in the areas of Botany, Ornithology, Natural History, Americana & Canadiana, Native Americans, Voyages & Travels, Maps & Atlases, Photography and more. Founded in England in 1972, we have formed and contributed to important private and institutional collections. Items of note which we have placed include a unique copy of Abbot’s "Natural History of the Rarer Lepidopterous Insects of Georgia" with plates on vellum, an extremely rare extra-illustrated large paper Spanish edition of Blaeu’s "Atlas Mayor," Curtis's "North American Indian," a copy of the Federalist Papers in boards, the first separate printing of the Bill of Rights, and a large paper issue of Redouté's "Les Roses" with the plates in two states. We are renowned for our extensive print inventory which is unsurpassed in quality. Our Sporting collection recently incorporated the complete print stock of Ackermann & Son of London, established in 1783. We are members of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America, where Mr. Heald has served on the Board of Governors as Treasurer, Security Chairperson, and as Chairman of the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair. We are members of the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers, and the American Historical Print Collectors Society. Mr. Heald is a member of the Grolier Club, and the American Antiquarian Society.…
Specialty
Fine Bindings, Maps and Atlases, Voyages and Travels, Americana, Natural History, Illustrated Books, Historical and Decorative Prints, Colour-plate BooksAssociation member
Seller's business information
Donald A. Heald Rare Books (ABAA)
NY, U.S.A.
Terms of sale
To order, please telephone or e-mail. Payment may be made by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, America Express, check, or by wire transfer (please ask for details). Paypal funds should be sent to info@donaldheald.com. Any purchase may be returned within ten days of receipt. We ask that you notify us of the return as soon as possible. Donald Heald, Donald Heald Rare Books, 124 East 74th Street, New York, NY 10021. Telephone: 212-744-3505. Email: info@donaldheald.com.
Right of withdrawal
If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.
Information regarding the right of withdrawal
Statutory right to withdraw
You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.
The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.
To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.
To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.
Effects of withdrawal
If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).
We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.
We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.
We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.
You shall send back the goods or hand them over to Donald A. Heald Rare Books (ABAA), New York, New York, U.S.A., without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
Exceptions to the right of withdrawal
The right of withdrawal does not apply to:
- The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
- The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.
Shipping terms
Orders usually ship within 2 business days. We offer free Fedex 3-Day shipping within the United States. For international shipping, the rates listed are for US Postal Service. We are happy to ship via UPS or Fedex, at our cost, and can provide a quote for same upon request.