Shakespeare, William. The Way to Wealth - photo 1
Shakespeare, William. The Way to Wealth - photo 1

The Way to Wealth

Lot 181
15.10.2021 00:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
$ 4 750
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 627670
Lot 181 | The Way to Wealth
Estimate value
$ 2 000 – 3 000
FRANKLIN, Benjamin (1706-1790). The Way to Wealth, as clearly shown in the Preface of an Old Pensylvanian Almanack, intitled Poor Richard improved, Written by Dr. Benjamin Franklin. Extracted from the Doctor's Political Works. Courteous reader... London: Printed for J. Johnson, [1779].

"Early to bed, and Early to rise..." A rare broadside of Franklin's most beloved work, with unusual portrait of Franklin at the head. London printings for J. Johnson appear in the bibliographies, the text in the same 4-column format with footnote at end of column one and an identical or nearly identical header. However, the present is somewhat larger and it is the only example we find with either the profile portrait at the top or the publisher's imprint at the bottom. The price is in the imprint as well: "two-pence or twelve shillings an hundred."

As Franklin's bibliographer observes, this is "By far the most frequently reprinted of all of Franklin's works ... alternately called 'Father Abraham's Speech,' 'The Way to Wealth,' 'La Science du Bonhomme Richard,' or, occasionally, a bastardized form of these titles. In his autobiography, Franklin says he created 'the harangue of a wise old Man' called Father Abraham for the preface of the almanac of 1758. This was the last Poor Richard Improved ... that Franklin composed himself, the twenty-sixth in the series; it has become the foundation of the Franklin image throughout the world. The Franklin Papers identifies 145 separate reprintings ... before the end of the eighteenth century, and this is by no means a complete list ... Franklin observed with pleasure that it was 'reprinted in Britain on a Broadside to be stuck up in Houses.'"

In a footnote to column 1, the English printer comments that Franklin's fictional interlocutors, Richard Saunders and Father Abraham, "have proved...they are no common preachers. And shall we brother Englishmen, refuse good sense and saving knowledge, because it comes from the other side of the water?" A rather broadminded statement for circa 1779. See Ford 119.

Folio broadside (507 x 324mm). Printed in four columns, bold heading "The Way to Wealth." On laid paper without watermark. Wood-engraved profile portrait of Franklin signed "Lee" (toning and mat-shadow, edges stained from previous framing, about three tiny holes at fold intersections).
Artist:William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Applied technique:Pencil
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
01.10.2021 – 15.10.2021
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

More from Creator

Antiquities of Mexico
Antiquities of Mexico
$16 000
Verbiest's world map
Verbiest's world map
$12 000
A previously unknown invoice for furnishings
A previously unknown invoice for furnishings
$2 800
Iliad, in Latin
Iliad, in Latin
$1 500
New York City commissions a painting of Washington
New York City commissions a painting of Washington
$100
The East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere
The East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere
$1 000
Inscriptiones sacrosanctae vetustatis
Inscriptiones sacrosanctae vetustatis
$1 200
Huguan County, Lu’an Prefecture, Shanxi Province
Huguan County, Lu’an Prefecture, Shanxi Province
$1 600

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.
?>