Captain Hall in America by an American

[hanksbookcase]

Captain Hall in America by an American, printed by Carey & Lea, Philadelphia, 1830, 120 pages. 

Captain Hall is Captain [Basil] Hall.  The author of the book, an American, is [Richard Biddle].  The book is in the original paper wrap and is water stained and has lots of foxing and page folds. 

Although I’ve only just begun to read it, the book looks to me to be some sort of a response to Hall’s book Travels in North America, in the Years 1827 and 1828 (which I have not read).

The book, Captain Hall in America, seems to be uncommon.  Worldcat only has reprints listed (that I could find). None for sale (again, that I could find), other than modern reprints.  A scan of the book is available to read online.   I’m not looking to sell it, as I like to keep books I consider uncommon.  So…

Is it as uncommon as it seems to be to me?

Any thoughts on value?  Although I’m not going to sell the book, I like to have a general idea of what a book in my collection might be worth.

My thanks to all who respond.

[melda58 · Accepted solution]

There appears to be one copy listed now for $150 on abebooks.

Rita

[hanksbookcase]

Thank you very much.  I’d checked AddAll earlier today, which is supposed to search Abebooks, among others, and nothing came up for this book.  I just now checked Abe, and there is was.

[melda58]

You are welcome. Glad to help. 

Rita

[lludwig]

hanksbookcase - When you have a book and can not find it listed for sale, check to see if the author wrote another book(s) and then check to see if that book is listed for sale and at what price. That might help in ballparking a price. For instance, Richard Biddle also wrote A Memoir of Sebastian Cabot, with a Review of the History of Maritime Discovery (London, 1831). By checking to see if the Cabot book is for sale, it might give you even a better idea of of 'value.'

In case you did not research who Richard Biddle (1796-1847) was, he was from the Biddle family of Philadelphia. He moved to Pittsburgh where he was a lawyer. He also was a Congressman from PA. If you were to sell it, I would not be surprised if a Biddle would be interested. The Biddle family married into the Drexel family (Drexel University in Philadelphia) as well as many other prominate families. 

From Wiki: "The Biddle family of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was descended from English immigrants William Biddle (1630–1712) and Sarah Kempe (1634–1709), who arrived in the Province of New Jersey in 1681. Quakers, they had emigrated from England in part to escape religious persecution. Having acquired extensive rights to more than 43,000 acres (170 km2) of lands in West Jersey, they settled first at Burlington, a city which developed along the east side of the Delaware River.[1]

William Biddle, 3rd (1698–1756), and John Biddle (1707–1789), two third-generation brothers, moved from Mount Hope (1684) near Bordentown, also on the east side of the Delaware, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the 1720s and 1730s. They constituted the first generation of the Philadelphia Biddle family. The family became prominent in business, political and cultural affairs of the city."

On a side note, depending on your age, you may be familiar with the name Biddle as a result of Sydney Biddle Barrows (b. 1952), a New York City madam who was known as "Mayflower Madam" (1984). I knew one of the Philadelphia Biddles when we both used to work for the same organization.  He was in the Philly office while I was in the Harrisburg office. Nice guy.

[hanksbookcase]

Thank you, Lludwig, for the tip and information.  Interesting side note at the end.