2 items:

• Henri Herz. La Californienne, Grande Polka Brillante, Op.167 (New York, William Hall, ca. 1854) 11 x 14”, 9pp. One of several American printings, of unestablished priority, after an original appearance in Germany.  Front and rear covers present but detached at spine.
• George Leybourne and Alfred Lee. The Flying Trapeze. Arranged by Gaston Lyle. (NY, C.H.Dittson, c.1868) 11 x 14”. 3pp. Pictorial cover

Herz, a French-Austrian, was probably the first classical music composer and pianist to come to California during the Gold Rush (he first performed in San Francisco in April 1850).  He composed this piece – among his eight piano concertos, and numerous sonatas, nocturnes, marches and waltzes - while still in California though it was not published until several years later.

“The Man on the Flying Trapeze”, as it was later known, was the music most closely associated with early American circus entertainment. Fuld (1966) was uncertain about the very first appearance, probably in England, but lists this Ditson imprint as  “one of three American editions copyrighted early in 1868”.