George and Martha Washington-signed books that once sold for under $10 now bring thousands; Washington autographed book sold by relatives for $9 at 1876 public auction now valued at well over $25,000; the rarer Martha signature in a book received at Mount Vernon immediately following the President's death estimated at $12,500.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 13, 1996--Two rare books, one signed by George Washington and one by his widow Martha, along with important documents of every U.S. President, are to be offered at auction by the New York firm of R.M. Smythe & Co., Inc.

Smythe President Diana E. Herzog characterizes the Washington-signed books as "exceptional, because they were both originally in the President's personal library at Mount Vernon, and each has an interesting story."

The book signed by George Washington was a gift from the author, James Rennell, an English geographer who admired the American President. The privately printed, lavishly illustrated 1793 volume, Memoir of a Map of Hindoostan, was received by Washington in 1795 while he was president, signed, and deposited in his library at Mount Vernon. When Washington died in 1799, an inventory of the estate appraised the book at $8, a huge sum at the time. It passed through Washington relatives until offered for public sale in the 19th century, when it was purchased for $9 by a man named McAllister, whose family retained it into this century.

The book containing the rarer signature of Martha Washington was also a gift to the President, but it arrived at Mount Vernon after his death and, in an unusual step, was signed by the former First Lady in 1800. "Mrs. Washington seems to have had little to do with the Mount Vernon library. One result is that it's been several years since a signed book of hers has been available for public sale," states Herzog.

The Washington books are part of a major R.M. Smythe autograph auction which will include important letters and documents signed by every U.S. President from George Washington to Bill Clinton, as well as many items signed by First Ladies. The offerings include:

- George Washington's last order, written just 17 days before his death. A signed Washington document to Mr. John Gill of Baltimore ordering dry goods for his slaves. This item documents Washington's humane treatment of his slaves.

- A letter from Louisa Catherine Adams to First Lady Dolly Madison. The letter was written on the eve of her departure to Russia with husband, John Quincy Adams, where he was to become Minister. Letters from one First Lady to another are rarely encountered.

- An Abraham Lincoln-signed letter dated August 29, 1860, responding to a supporter after his becoming the Republican nominee for the presidency.

- A John F. Kennedy-signed cabinet appointment, countersigned by Dean Rusk. This is one of the first Kennedy appointments to be offered at auction.

In addition to the nearly 200 presidential lots, the sale contains documents signed by significant figures in aviation, finance, women's suffrage, the American West (including one of the Dalton boys), the Civil War, World War II, and more.

The auction sale will take place at The Hotel Dorset, 30 West 54th Street, New York City, Thursday, March 21, 1996 at 4:30 p.m. Bids may be made by mail, phone, fax, or in person. For more information about the auction, or to obtain a catalogue, at $15, please contact the Auction Desk, R.M. Smythe, 26 Broadway, Suite 271, New York, NY 10004, or call 800-622-1880 or 212/943-1880.

R.M. Smythe specializes in researching, auctioning, buying, and selling historic paper collections from around the world. In addition to its business in historic manuscripts and autographs, R.M. Smythe is the international authority on antique stocks and bonds, banknotes, and coins. The firm, established in 1880, is based in the Wall Street financial district of New York City.

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