Collections

2009 Adopt-A-Book Catalog

1. ART GALLERY CATALOG.
Adopted by David F. Tatham

A. A. Childs & Co. Studio Building gallery of paintings, 110 Tremont St., Boston ... descriptive catalogue. [Boston]: A. A. Childs & Co., 1869.

An unrecorded and fascinating commercial art gallery catalog marketing contemporary oil paintings to the Boston carriage trade. Fourteen works are described—copies of Old Masters (Murillo), historical scenes ("Admiral Farragut's Fleet"), allegories ("Truth Unveiling Falsehood"), and especially European and American landscapes ("West Hampton Beach, L.I.", "The White Hills in October")—some with extensive commentary on the artist and image. Most of the paintings were immense, measuring up to 13 x 9 feet, though others are described as "charming parlor picture[s]." Visitors were charged 25 cents admission, which presumably included copies of this (unpriced) catalog. A. A. Childs & Co. is also known to have sold stereoviews.
~ David Whitesell

2. ALADDIN'S LAMP.
Adopted by Cleota Reed

Aladdin or the wonderful lamp. (Little Delights). New York: McLoughlin Bros., [ca. 1868-1874]

This copy of Aladdin is an excellent example of McLoughlin Bros.' attractive editions of fairy tales in an economical eight-page format.
~ Laura Wasowicz

3. ALBUM.
Adopted by Marianne & John Jeppson

French, Mary G. Album, 1831

Mary French began this album in March 1831, describing it as "a Common - place Book Designed for the insertion of Miscellaneous Pieces and Open to friends who may see fit to favour the owner with their Selections." This elaborately bound gift book bears the owner.s name on its cover. In addition to the blank leaves for entries it bears an engraved title page (Album. New York, Published by William Holmes, 216 William St. 1830.) Included are poetic entries written by a number of people and dated 1831-1838.
~ Thomas Knoles

4A-B. AMATEUR NEWSPAPERS.
Adopt us for: $75 each

4A. The Orb. Portland, ME. 1838. 3 issues. Adopted by Jo Radner

4B. The Liliputian. Canajoharie, NY. 1876, 1877. 22 issues.

Amateur newspapers were printed usually by teenagers, and more for the pleasure and experience rather than profit. The Orb is particularly interesting because its editor had to find either the full-size equipment or a print shop to produce the newspaper. The Liliputian, in contrast, was published in the heyday of amateur newspaper publishing. Thanks to the invention in 1868 of the table-top press, many hobbyists could afford their own press, distributing their papers locally and trading with other amateur journalists.
~ Vincent Golden

5. FIRE INSURANCE MANUAL.
Adopt me for: $175

Amazon Insurance Company. Amazon manual of fire insurance for the agents of Amazon Insurance Company... Cincinnati: Wilstach, Baldwin & Co., 1871.

A rare and exceptionally detailed manual for fire insurance agents. The Amazon firm was incorporated in 1871, reorganizing after sustaining heavy losses in the 1871 Chicago fire. This manual presumably incorporates the lessons learned. Full particulars are provided for assessing risks to a wide range of domestic and commercial structures based on the occupations performed within, building materials and methods, and other factors, with detailed tables for calculating premiums. Sample policies are provided, with advice on how to size up applicants, make sales pitches, and adjust claims, together with a basic primer on insurance law. Four plates show the proper ways of drafting the property diagrams required for all policies.
~ David Whitesell

6. AMERICAN PHYSIOLOGICAL SOCIETY RECORDS.
Adopt me for: $1,000
Contributing godmother Jessica Lepler

American Physiological Society. Records, 1837-1839.

This organization was founded in Boston in 1837 for the study of "that part of Human Physiology which teaches the influence of temperature, air, cleanliness, exercise, sleep, food, drink, medicine, &c., on human health and longevity." The Society was founded by Sylvester Graham and William A. Alcott and has been described as "vegetarian in all but name." In addition to the Society's constitution, this volume contains the names and addresses of approximately 180 male and 125 female members. AAS also has several published addresses and reports of this organization.
~ Thomas Knoles

Welcome to the American Antiquarian Society's Second Annual Adopt-A-Book event! The Adopt-A-Book Catalog describes a variety of items acquired by AAS curators in recent months. All are being offered for "adoption." That is, you may adopt any item by pledging the stated amount. In return AAS will permanently record the adopter's name 1) on a special bookplate attached to each item, and 2) in the AAS online library catalog. Adopt a book in your name, in honor of a special friend, or in memory of a loved one. Or adopt a favorite item jointly, sharing the cost with one or more friends. All proceeds will be used by curators to acquire more items for AAS's outstanding collections.

How to adopt:

First, browse the Adopt-A-Book Catalog and select the item(s) you wish to adopt.

Contact David Whitesell

a) by e-mail to:
dwhitesell[at]mwa.org

b) by telephone to:
(508) 471-2165

c) or by mail to:
Adopt-A-Book
American Antiquarian Society
185 Salisbury Street
Worcester, MA 01609-1634

Please provide your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address along with the number(s) of the item(s) you wish to adopt. AAS will contact you with information on how to redeem your pledge. Or save time and send a check (payable to AAS) for the full amount to the address above.

Not ready to adopt your favorite item? Then consider becoming a godparent by pledging 25% or more of the adoption cost for any item valued at $500 or more!

Questions? Contact AAS. Thank you for your support of AAS's acquisitions program!

7. AGENTS WANTED!
Adopted by Ruth A. Penka in honor of Georgia Barnhill

American Tract Society. Tract House, New York, Jan. 30, '47. [New York, 1847]

The American Tract Society depended on colporteurs to distribute their publications throughout the country. This lithographed circular letter, reproduced from handwriting, documents how difficult it was to find agents willing to travel through the West, South, and Southwest. It also discusses the importance of getting publications to immigrant populations, including Irish, French, Welsh, Swedish, Norwegian, and German settlers. Although purchased for its interest to students of the history of the book, it also provides information on attitudes towards immigration. We know from a broadside at AAS dated August 2, 1847, that the colportage operations were a success.
~ Gigi Barnhill

8. THE LIBRARY KEY.
Adopted by Ian Brabner

Archibald, F. A. The library key: an index of general reading. Akron, OH: Beacon Publishing Co., 1878.

Later 19th-century readers had options other than the more traditional commonplace books and scrapbooks for recording and organizing what they read. One was The library key: a volume with pre-printed spaces for recording up to a thousand extracts from one's personal reading, prefaced by ruled pages for constructing an index rerum to the whole. This example was annotated in 1879 by one Grace Bascom, who recorded what most appealed to her in selected works of Sir Walter Scott, Alexander Pope, and Alfred Lord Tennyson.
~ David Whitesell

9. AUNT HARDING'S KEEPSAKE.
Adopted by Joanne Wilson

Aunt Harding's keepsake; or, the two Bibles. Philadelphia: American Sunday-School Union, [ca. 1857]

This children's tract is a story about a loving aunt who gives her two nieces each a Bible, with "rich purple binding"—a tale that speaks volumes about the import of early religion, especially when conveyed through physical contact with a beautiful book!
~ Laura Wasowicz

10. LITTLE MARRIAN.
Adopted by Lucy Margaret Bridge

Barbauld, Anna Letitia. Little Marrian. (Nettie Lightfoot Series). Boston: Degen, Estes & Co., [ca. 1865-1866]

Anna Barbauld (1743-1825) wrote this story for children on the cusp of learning to read (age 3). Little Marrian is taught basic lessons about the world through experience; for example, she learns about precious metals like gold, sapphire, and rubies by playing with a ring, an inductive approach to learning later championed by the Transcendentalists. This late 19th-century reprint attests to Mrs. Barbauld's popularity as a writer for young children.
~ Laura Wasowicz

11. NAVAL HOWITZER HANDBOOK.
Adopted by Kay Allen

Barrett, Edward. Naval howitzer. Instructions condensed for the volunteer officers of the U.S. Navy. New York: the Author, 1863.

A fine copy of this rare illustrated guide for less experienced "volunteer" (as opposed to commissioned) officers in the U.S. Navy during the Civil War. Written in question and answer form, this concise handbook covers the basics of placing, operating, moving, and servicing cannon on board naval warships. This copy bears the ownership inscription (dated Oct. 22, 1863, one week after his enlistment) and extensive annotations of Essex, MA native Albion Burnham (b. 1840), acting master's mate on board the U.S.S. Savannah and later U.S.S. Carnation, which saw action off the South Carolina coast. Barrett also published a complementary manual, Gunnery instructions.
~ David Whitesell

13. TEACHER TRAINING TEXT.
Adopted by Ogretta McNeil

Bates, Samuel P. Method of teachers' institutes, and the theory of education. New York: A. S. Barnes & Burr, 1862.

A handbook for running a "teachers' institute" for public school instructors, akin to today's in-service workshops or the Teaching American History seminars organized by AAS. At a time when public school teachers had little or no professional training and often worked in isolated, rural settings with few resources at hand, educators realized the need to bring teachers together at least briefly for periodic group meetings. The first such institute is believed to have been held in Hartford in 1839, and the innovation quickly spread throughout the U.S. Here Bates gives much practical advice on running an institute, followed by a long essay on pedagogical method.
~ David Whitesell

14A-B. BATTLE OF WYSE FORKS NEWSPAPERS.

14A. Times — Extra. (New Berne, NC). Mar. 10, 1865.

Adopt me for: $70

This "extra" issue of the North Carolina Times describes the nearby Battle of Wyse Forks (March 7-10, 1865). At this time, most of North Carolina was Union occupied, but there were still battles with Confederate troops. The Times was published semi-weekly, hence this important breaking news could not wait for the next scheduled issue. It contains many fine details about the fighting, as well as a great anecdote about Lt. Colonel Scott of the 17th Wisconsin, bluffing five rebels to surrender and give him their guns even though he didn.t even have a pistol.

14B. Times War Bulletin. (New Berne, NC) No. 2. Mar. 13, 1865. Adopt me for: $120

This is a separate publication of the North Carolina Times (New Berne). The reporter gives fine details of the latter part of the battle, when Union reinforcements repelled the Confederates after their initial successes. It contains details such as "Around our camp are a large number of graves where they buried their dead during the previous days, and many more have been buried by our troops since the fighting was over. These, together with the rebel wounded now in our hospitals will alone nearly equal our entire loss during the three days while the fighting was going on." At the end is a list of casualties. This is only the second copy to come to light. The University of North Carolina has the only other issue known: no. 5, covering the fall of Richmond.
~ Vincent Golden

15. WISCONSIN CITY DIRECTORIES.
Adopted by Marcus A. McCorison, in memory of Janet K. McCorison

The Berlin city directory ... 1858. Berlin [WI]: J.S. Wright, [1858] bound with: 1858 directories for Waupun, Horicon, Ripon, Whitewater, and Waukesha

A remarkable sammelband of very rare Wisconsin city directories, each the first published for that town. All were prepared by the firm of Smith, Du Moulin & Co. and printed in Milwaukee, though most bear the imprints of local publisher/distributors. The directories presumably were issued separately as well as collectively to form a regional directory, as here, in a publisher's cloth binding with many inserted pages of advertisements printed on color-coded paper (e.g., Waukesha ads on green paper). Each directory contains a separate listing of residents and businesses, with appendices providing useful community data.
~ David Whitesell

16. BIBLE STUDY QUESTIONS.
Adopt me for: $50

Biblisches Fragen-Büchlein, für Kinder, über das Neue Testament. Reading, PA: Samuel Hechler, 1873.

Bible study questions on the New Testament, published for the German-American communities of Pennsylvania.
~ Laura Wasowicz

17. THE BEARDED LADY.
Adopted by Daniel A. Cohen

Biography of Madame Fortune Clofullia, the bearded lady. New York: Baker, Godwin & Co., 1854.

The "bearded lady" has been an object of fascination for centuries, though it was of course P. T. Barnum who made it a staple of American popular culture. Josephine Boisdechene Clofullia was born in Switzerland in 1831 covered with a fine furry pelt, and by the age of 16 her beard measured a full 6 inches. She went on tour in Switzerland, France, and then to England for the Great Exhibition of 1851, finally coming to Barnum's attention in 1853. Madame Clofullia accepted his offer to relocate to New York, where she became a star attraction of Barnum's American Museum. Despite the evidence of husband and infant son—who would disappoint when his evident hirsutism at birth evolved into merely normal body hair—eminent physicians were called in to certify the bearded lady's gender for a doubting public. Later she toured the United States, leaving her child, we are told, "to nurse, at Worcester, Mass." This well-illustrated souvenir pamphlet could be purchased by the curious who came to see her. Indeed, this copy is annotated: "Saw this lady, father and husband in Zanesville 1854—very intelligent respectable looking people. Likenesses [in the pamphlet] good."
~ David Whitesell

18. BOYS' AND GIRLS' SCRAP-BOOK.
Adopted by Meredith Neuman in honor of Dollie L. Schrader

Boys' and girls' scrap-book. Philadelphia: American Sunday-School Union, [ca. 1852]

The metal-engraved frontispiece of a boy blowing bubbles for his sister's amusement is a fine example of mid-nineteenth-century genre art featuring children at play. It is based on a painting by British artist Thomas Webster (1800-1886), and was adapted as a book illustration by London metal engraver William Finden (1787-1852). The accompanying story soberly instructs the reader that "there is nothing on earth that will not fade or burst."
~ Laura Wasowicz

19. REFRIGERATOR CATALOG.
Adopt me for: $175

Brainard, Edwin D. Brainard's improved ice houses and refrigerators... [Albany, NY, 1871?]

A very rare illustrated trade catalog for ice houses, commercial and domestic refrigerators, and storage chambers suitable for all sorts of perishable foodstuffs. Of particular interest is its division into two parts: an English version, and a complementary German version. The two versions differ, with the German section (perhaps not surprisingly) containing extra text on brewing equipment. Included is a lengthy testimonial from a satisfied customer, one "Jos. Shlitz, brewer" of Milwaukee. Other names on the client roster include Blatz, Miller, Beck, "Anhuser," and Schafer.
~ David Whitesell

20. PATENT MEDICINE CIRCULAR.
Adopted by Ann Fabian

Brown, Dr. O. P. Recipe for consumption, bronchitis, coughs, colds, and nervous debility. Jersey City, NJ, 1858.

The first medicine described on this advertising circular is "Alcoholic Tincture of Cannabis Indica," made with leaves imported from Calcutta, India. One to two tablespoons, taken three times a day, certainly would alleviate almost any pain. The physician who discovered this tincture was British and he developed it to cure his daughter of consumption. The Cannabis Indica rendered patients "exceedingly joyful." There is nothing new under the sun!
~ Gigi Barnhill

21. NEW JERSEY BROADSIDE.
Adopt me for: $300

Burlington County Agricultural Society. Constitution of the Burlington Country Agricultural Society. [Mount Holly, NJ: 1847]

AAS is always delighted to acquire materials already described in a bibliography. However, all too often, broadsides such as this one are unique and come to light serendipitously. This item is not recorded in Joseph Felcone's fine bibliography, New Jersey broadsides before 1900. When I sent him a photocopy, he responded very graciously.
~ Gigi Barnhill

22. BRICKMAKER'S DAYBOOK.
Adopt me for: $1,100

Carter, Ephraim, 1780-1803. Daybook, 1780-1803.

Carter lived in Leominster, MA. This daybook shows the range of Carter's business activities, which included the production of apples and cider, work as a stonemason, and brickmaking. Indeed, Carter appears to have produced large numbers of bricks for use in the Leominster area.
~ Thomas Knoles

23. CINDERELLA IN SPANISH.
Adopt me for: $325

Cenicentilla o el escarpin de cristal. New York: D. Appleton & Co., [ca. 1864]

D. Appleton was a major publisher of children's picture books in Spanish, apparently for the Latin American market. This fanciful edition of Cinderella is very similar to an English language edition issued by McLoughlin Bros. at about the same time. This is a wonderful addition to AAS. strong holdings of Spanish language Appleton picture books. Partial contributions from adopted aunts or uncles are welcome!
~ Laura Wasowicz

24. CHARTER OAK.
Adopted by Dr. J. Revell Carr

Charter Oak (Hartford, CT) 1846. 8 issues.

This newspaper was originally the Christian Freeman, a publication of the Connecticut Anti-Slavery Society. By the time William Burleigh took over in 1843 he was already well-known in abolitionist circles, having edited other anti-slavery newspapers, lectured widely, and taught in Prudence Crandall's school for "colored" children. Under his editorship, the renamed Charter Oak became Connecticut's leading abolitionist newspaper. After he sold the paper in 1848, it became The Republican, a Free-Soil newspaper.
~ Vincent Golden

25. ORATION ON PRINTING.
Adopted by Robert & Lynn Veatch

Churchill, George. An address pronounced before the Albany Typographical Society ... on the advantages resulting to mankind from the invention of ... printing. Albany, 1813.

A very rare pamphlet, stitched as issued, bearing the author's presentation inscription to a relative, the Rev. Silas Churchill. Born in Glastonbury, CT, Churchill (1789-1872) launched his own printing business in Albany in 1813, by which time he was also vice-president of the Albany Typographical Society. Possibly he printed this pamphlet on behalf of the society. Four years later Churchill moved permanently to Edwardsville, IL, where he was variously printer, postmaster, and politician. Unlike his contemporary Isaiah Thomas, Churchill speaks of printing in general terms, with no specific mention of printing in the Americas.
~ David Whitesell

26. CLARK ACCOUNT BOOK.
Adopt me for: $350

Clark, Chauncy. 1849 Subscription book for John Frost, Pictorial History of North America

Chauncy Clark (1821-1858) acted as subscription agent for Frost's work, published in Hartford in 1849 by William J. Hamersley. The volume lists more than 150 subscribers in Middle Haddam, East Hampton and Portland, CT.
~ Thomas Knoles

27. SCHOOL TEXTBOOK.
Adopted by Christopher Pomeroy

Comly, John. A new spelling book, adapted to the different classes of pupils. Philadelphia: Kimber and Sharpless, 1824.

An all-purpose textbook containing spelling, reading, and pronunciation lessons, with arithmetical and currency tables thrown in for good measure.
~ Laura Wasowicz

28A-D. EARLY PITTSBURGH NEWSPAPER.

The Commonwealth. Pittsburgh, PA, 1805-1808.

28A. 1805 (19 issues).
       Adopt us for: $300
28B. 1806 (28 issues).
       Adopt us for: $450
28C. 1807 (48 issues).
       Adopt us for: $700
28D. 1808 (56 issues).
       Adopt us for: $750

Early Pittsburgh newspapers are quite scarce. AAS was very fortunate to acquire this nearly complete run of The Commonwealth from its first four years. phraim Pentland started this newspaper to compete against two other Pittsburgh newspapers, the Gazette and the Tree of Liberty, because of a disagreement among Pennsylvania Federalists. Pentland made vitriolic attacks in his paper against the editors of the other two newspapers. Tartleton Bates, editor of the Tree of Liberty, eventually took such exception to the attacks that he beat Pentland publicly. Pentland challenged him to a duel but was turned down. Bates then unwisely accepted a second challenge from Thomas Stewart, a friend of Pentland's, the outcome being that Bates was shot to death. There is only one other file known that is as complete as this.
~ Vincent Golden

29A-J. CONFEDERATE AND UNION NEWSPAPERS.
Adopt us for: $60 each

29A. Nashville Times (TN) Mar. 4, 1862 Adopted by Charles & Sandra Arning in honor of Martha Woodcock Arning
29B. Daily State Journal (Goldsboro', NC) Sept. 1, 1864
29C. Christian Banner (Fredericksburg, VA) May 20, 1862.
29D. Chattanooga Daily Rebel (TN) Nov. 29, 1862 Adopted by John & Katherine Keenum
29E. Weekly Panola Star (MS) Apr. 15, 1863 Adopted by Sean Kelley
29F. North Carolina Times (New Berne) May 28, extra.
29G. Memphis Daily Avalanche (TN) Nov. 10, 1861 Adopted by Charles & Sandra Arning in honor of Martha Woodcock Arning
29H. Daily Southern Guardian (Columbia, SC) Sept. 4, 1864
29I. Daily Intelligencer (Macon, GA) Sept. 1, 1864
29J. Weekly Rushville Times (IL) Apr. 29, 1862.

30. ABOLITIONIST NEWSPAPER.
Adopted by William Burleigh

The Declaration of Independence. Cleveland, OH. 1842. 5 issues.

Several abolitionist newspapers were published in Cleveland during the 1840s. Many people supported the movement, but not enough to support the number of abolitionist titles on offer. The Declaration of Independence was a monthly newspaper edited by Q. F. Atkins and published by T. H. Smead. Like the others it was short-lived, apparently lasting just 13 months, and only a handful of issues survive. In the June issue Atkins pleads, "How many Abolition papers circulate in your town? Can't you contribute a small sum every month to disseminate truth on this subject? Can't you induce your neighbors to do the same?"
~ Vincent Golden

31. "DIRECTIONS FOR KNITTING A TIDY."
Adopted by Patricia Johnston

Holden, Mrs. B. "Directions for knitting a Tidy"

This set of instructions is probably mid-nineteenth century. A tidy is a rectangular piece of knitting placed on top of a table or over the back of a chair.
~ Thomas Knoles

32. UNIQUE BOSTON IMPRINT.
Adopt me for: $750

Doolittle, Thomas, 1632?-1707. A prospect of eternity. Wherein is clearly proved, I. That there is an eternity into which all men must enter... Boston: John Allen, for Eleazer Phillips, 1709.

The only known copy, previously unrecorded, of this work by a prominent English Non-Conformist minister. Unpublished during Doolittle's lifetime, it was first printed in Boston in 1709, in two editions and a total of four issues. Each survives in a unique copy, all of them now at AAS. (A final edition appeared at Boston in 1715, of which AAS owns one of the two known copies.) This copy, which recently surfaced in England, is in its original Boston binding of blind-ruled sheep over wooden boards, with printed pastedowns recycled from a religious work published in London in 1672. It bears several early ownership signatures of members of the Kingsbery family.
~ David Whitesell

33. DRESS PATTERN CATALOG.
Adopted by Cheryl McRell

E. Butterick & Co. E. Butterick & Co's catalogue, winter 1875-76. [New York: E. Butterick & Co., 1875]

In 1863 Ebenezer Butterick of Sterling, MA revolutionized the home sewing industry by introducing graded sewing patterns for clothing. No longer did seamstresses and tailors have to "grade" a standard pattern in order to cut a garment to size. Instead, they could purchase customized paper patterns in specific sizes. An instant success, Butterick's business soon moved to New York, marketing its patterns through mail order catalogs and hundreds of local agents. This catalog, bearing the name of a Concord, NH agent on the cover, pictures the latest fashions for men, women, and children. Butterick remains in business to this day.
~ David Whitesell

34. VATICAN GUIDEBOOKS.
Adopt me for: $125

England, Bishop John. Explanation of the ceremonies of the Holy Week in the chapels of the Vatican; and of those of Easter Sunday, in the Church of St. Peter. Rome: Francis Bourlié, Foreign Catholic Library, 1833. bound with: Explanation of the construction, furniture, and ornaments of a church, of the vestments of the clergy, and of the nature and ceremonies of the Mass. Rome: Francis Bourlié, Foreign Catholic Library, 1833.

Born in Ireland, John England (1786-1842) was consecrated Bishop of Charleston in 1820 and emigrated to the U.S. Over the next two decades he worked tirelessly to nurture American Catholicism in the southeast: establishing the first Catholic newspaper, the United States Catholic Miscellany, in 1822; invited as the first Catholic priest to address the U.S. Congress (1826); and ministering to African Americans as well as whites. On a visit to Rome in 1833, England wrote the two works bound together here, in first editions; both were reprinted in Baltimore a year later.
~ David Whitesell

35. EVANGELICAL PREACHER.
Adopt me for: $50

Evangelical Preacher. Rochester, NY. July 1837.

The first and perhaps the only issue known of The Evangelical Preacher. In the March 14, 1837 issue of the Glad Tidings and Ohio Christian Telescope (Pittsburgh, PA), publisher George Sanderson announced the publication of this work. Each issue, printed in duodecimo on fine paper, would contain two sermons. "It is hoped that all Universalists who wish to place in their Libraries a valuable collection of Sermons, will avail themselves of this opportunity." The Universalist and Ladies Repository (Boston) reviewed the first issue, noting it was "'got up' in good style" and "Cheap enough — so cheap that we marvel how Br. Sanderson hopes to sustain it." Apparently he did not.
~ Vincent Golden

36. MARY BROWN AT NAPLES.
Adopted by Lauren B. Hewes

Fenn, Esther. Mary Brown at Naples, Pompeii, and Herculaneum. New York: Kiggins & Kellogg, 1857.

Best known as a chapbook publisher, Kiggins & Kellogg issued this book-length story of a girl visiting Italian ruins with her mamma, reflecting mid-19th-century America's fascination with Classical history and culture.
~ Laura Wasowicz

37. THE FLAIL.
Adopt me for: $125

The Flail (Owego, NY). Oct. 29, 1840.

This newspaper supporting William Henry Harrison for president was one of many short-lived campaign newspapers issued during the 1840 and 1844 elections. They are quite ephemeral and most are extremely rare. This is the second issue known (the other is also at AAS) and it showed up on eBay.
~ Vincent Golden

38. AMERICAN REVOLUTION STORIES.
Adopted by Peter L. Masi

Flint, Corporal. Sketches from American history: containing the stories of Sergeant Jasper, and the boy Gwin. New York: Morgan & Burger, 1832.

Fictional adventure stories from the American Revolution. The illustration shows the two young heroes freeing British prisoners of war.
~ Laura Wasowicz

39. FRANCES THE ORPHAN GIRL.
Adopted by Emma, Charlotte, Lucy and Andrew Rapp

Frances the orphan girl. Translated from the French. Philadelphia: American Sunday-School Union, 1831.

Despite its orderly frontispiece, Frances the orphan girl is a disturbing story of an orphan who is abandoned by her uncle, and woefully abused by a drunken con man until she is rescued by the people of her village.
~ Laura Wasowicz

40. THE FRIENDLY MESSENGER.
Adopted anonymously

Bogart, J. "The Friendly Messenger" (Dent, OH), vol. 1, no. 3, 1847

In recent years AAS has been actively collecting handwritten newspapers and periodicals. Often these were produced by young people. This example is unusual in that the author appears to have written this for his wife and children. The issue includes poems, essays, jokes ("Why is the letter L in 'military' like a man's nose? Because it is between two eyes.") and comments ("I hope my little children will not be neglectful of their music for it is an accomplishment well worth pursuing and Pa hopes to have much pleasure playing and singing with them when he comes up." After Bogart completed this issue, he folded it and sealed it like a letter to send to his family.
~ Thomas Knoles

41. GAME OF FORTUNE.
Adopted by Paul Erickson

"The Game of Fortune"

This handwritten booklet probably dates to the third quarter of the nineteenth century. The signature "Mrs. Bert L. Manley" is at the bottom of the last page but may be later than the rest of the volume. The booklet contains 19 questions, each of which has 18 different answers which may have been chosen by players by lot. A sample:
When will you marry?
-When I have ten thousand a year
-When women are allowed to vote
-When the old folks consent
-When he stops flirting with the girls
-The sooner the better
~ Thomas Knoles

42. GODEY'S LADY'S BOOK.
Adopted by Steven Bolick

Godey's Lady's Book! Arthurs's Home Gazette!! Philadelphia: L. A. Godey, 1851.

AAS's broadside holdings were again enriched by a number of posters and broadsides from the collection formed by a member who offered it to AAS so he could start building a new one. This new acquisition includes several broadside ballads, programs for school events, and advertisements for publications, such as this one. This particular example is notable because it includes editorial comments about the publication, subscription costs, and the importance of engravings in the advertising.
~ Gigi Barnhill

43. THE GOLDEN RULE.
Adopted by Patricia Crain

The Golden Rule: interesting story written by a little girl nine years old. Hartford: Clark & Booth, [ca. 1866-1871]

Examples of self-proclaimed juvenilia are fairly rare, and are always a welcome addition to the AAS Children's Literature Collection. This story of Emma's struggles to get along with her younger brother and sister has a realistic ring to it. The publisher Clark & Booth is new to the AAS collections.
~ Laura Wasowicz

44. GRANT'S PETERSBURG PROGRESS.
Adopted by Megan Nelson

Grant's Petersburg Progress (Petersburg, VA) Apr. 3, 1865.

On the morning of April 3rd, 1865, U.S. Grant's troops managed to break through Lee's Confederate lines and capture Petersburg. That day officers of the 37th Wisconsin Volunteers and the 8th Michigan Veteran Volunteers took over the Daily Express newspaper office and quickly put out the first issue of this newspaper for the troops. Payment could be made in money, hard tack, cigars, postage stamps, "and in fact most any available currency, Confederate Bonds, and Contrabands always excepted." It lasted only one week and four issues in all. This issue—the rarest of the four—is missing from most collections. This issue completes the AAS set, making AAS and Emory University the only institutions with a complete run.
~ Vincent Golden

45. THE DEBTOR'S PRISON.
Adopted by Mr. & Mrs. William M. Crozier, Jr.

Greene, Asa. The debtors' prison: a tale of a revolutionary soldier. To which are added, Remarks on imprisonment for debt, by Doctor Johnson. New York: Bliss, Wadsworth & Co., 1835.

Second edition of this tale for our times. In this moralistic novel, with dashes of Greene's trademark humor thrown in, James Freeman answers the summons to Lexington in 1775, serves in the Continental Army, and re-enlists whenever his country needs him, through 1812. Each time he is discharged, however, "Freeman" soon lands in jail for debt. By the 1820s Freeman has lost his family and everything else dear to him, save for his dignity and love of country. Collapsing one wintry night on a family's doorstep, Freeman relates his sad story and the folly of imprisoning people for debt. With their help Freeman applies for a government pension, only to die before its approval. A New York bookseller and journalist, Greene also wrote a similar novel about the perils of Wall Street.
~ David Whitesell

46. SANTA CLAUS.
Adopt me for: $1,200

Greene, J. B. An adventure of Santa Claus ... With illustrations by the author. Boston: Lee & Shepard, 1871.

This is an extremely rare picture book about Santa, who is depicted as the youngest son of the pagan God, Odin, bearing a cornucopia. Santa is aided in his journey by various animals, seemingly anticipating Tasha Tudor's 20th-century portrayals of Christmas. Partial contributions from adopted aunts or uncles are welcome!
~ Laura Wasowicz

47. SCRAPBOOK MANUAL.
Adopted by Ellen Gruber Garvey

Gurley, E. W. Scrap-books and how to make them ... New York: Authors' Publishing Co., 1880.

As print became ever more pervasive and economical during the 19th century, scrapbooks filled with cuttings from publications increasingly took the place of the earlier manuscript commonplace book. The past decade has witnessed intense scholarly interest in scrapbooks as a window on popular reading and engagement with print culture, and long-neglected examples are being examined from a fresh perspective. This rare guide for a young audience is one of the few contemporary sources providing specific advice on the purposes of scrapbooks, how to gather materials (not from AAS collections, please!), and the mechanics of pasting and indexing. A lengthy section describes 30 possible topics around which to form a scrapbook, along with advice on establishing scrapbook clubs.
~ David Whitesell

48. STRIPED CLOTH BINDING.
Adopted by Donald and Roswitha Mott, in memory of Phyllis Mott

Hall, Mrs. James. Phantasia, and other poems. New York & London: George P. Putnam, 1849.

This elegant publisher's binding is covered in vertically-striped gray-blue, diagonally rib-grained cloth, with elaborately gilt-stamped spine and covers, and gilt edges; the endpapers are of decorated paper printed in a cross and dot pattern. Striped cloth bindings were popular in the U.S. for only a brief period (ca. 1847-1850) and are highly prized by collectors. Examples such as this in virtually as-new condition, showing the binding as the purchaser originally experienced it, are very rare. This copy bears an inscription, "To my dear Grandchild," believed to be in the author's hand.
~ David Whitesell

49. HORSE TAMING MANUAL.
Adopt me for: $500

Hamilton, R. P. Prof. R. P. Hamilton's great original secrets and discoveries in taming & subduing the horse. [New York?, not after 1864]

This 144-page handbook in original plain wrappers has kept its secrets so well that it is apparently completely unrecorded. One of a sub-genre of horse taming guides spawned by the success of J. S. Rarey's Modern art of taming wild horses (1856), it purports to be the work of "Professor" R. P. Hamilton, an English orphan who "has passed his whole life among and with horses, for many years with a Circus troupe." Perhaps its true author was "Doctor" A. Van Olinda of Fonda, NY (northwest of Albany), who distributed this pamphlet and authored a similar guide, advertised here. One reason for its rarity may be the covenant printed on the last page, and signed in pencil "George S. Waterman 1864": "I, the purchaser of this Book, do solem[n]ly swear that I will not for five years divulge the secrets ... and that I will not knowingly allow any one to read this Book."
~ David Whitesell

50. BALTIMORE LITHOGRAPH.
Adopt me for: $3,000

A. Hoen & Co. St. Timothy's Church & Hall. A classical & commercial institution of the Protestant Episcopal Church. Baltimore: A. Hoen & Co., [not before 1855]

This handsome lithograph joins a very strong collection of views of churches and educational institutions. Located in Catonsville, Baltimore County, the church was founded in the 1840s; the church on the left was built in 1855. The object of St. Timothy's Hall was described as "a literary institution, for the education of young gentlemen whose appreciation of knowledge, and love of order, have made them diligent and patient of restraint." In 1852-1853 14-year-old John Wilkes Booth attended the school. His sister Asia Booth Clarke later wrote that Booth and "younger brother [Joseph] were placed at the finishing school at Catonsville, St. Timothy's Hall . . . They here received Baptism [January 23, 1853], and were prepared for the Confirmation according to the Episcopal Church. They entered the Hall as artillery cadets, and wore the steel-gray uniform of the class. Some of the best names of Maryland were on the roll of students at this Hall, names that have resounded through our country both in honor and contumely, names, too, that seem to have gone down in silence with the cause they espoused." This view probably dates from after the Civil War, as no cadets are in evidence.
~ Gigi Barnhill

51. CHILDREN'S TRACT.
Adopted by Delores Wasowicz in honor of Andrew Petrie

Honesty the best policy. New York: New York Religious Tract Society, [ca. 1823-1825]

An early children's tract published by the forerunner to the American Tract Society.
~ Laura Wasowicz

52. CANADIAN HOUSE OF COMMONS PHOTO BOOK.
Adopted by Helen R. Kahn, in memory of Fred Kahn

Illustrated guide to the House of Commons of Canada ... Ottawa: F. R. E. Campeau, 1875.

A rare "mug shot" book containing nearly 200 photographic portraits of Canadian government officials and House of Commons members on 26 composite albumen plates mounted in the text. Supplementing the photos are indexes, extracts of the rules governing the House of Commons and the Library of Parliament, general information about Ottawa, and advertisements, making this work in effect a partial city directory. The publisher issued updated editions in 1879 and 1885.
~ David Whitesell

53. JAMES AND MARY.
Adopted by Eric Wasowicz

James and Mary, and other stories for young people. New York: Baker, Crane & Day, 1846.

A rare example of a folio picture book issued by a chapbook publisher. The narrative and illustrations show the daily activities of a brother and sister, including their playing together. Partial contributions from adopted aunts or uncles are welcome!
~ Laura Wasowicz

54. HALF-PAST TEN.
Adopt me for: $125

Jenkins, Daphne Smith Giles. Half-past ten. [Massachusetts?], 1860.

A very rare semi-autobiographical novel by this little-known author. Born in New Haven, VT, Jenkins lost her sight at 14. After a term at the New York Institution for the Blind, she moved west to Ann Arbor, MI, devoting herself to religious work and her literary career. Her works include a book of poems, The religious and political influence of educated and uneducated females (1849, our primary biographical source for Jenkins' life), and four novels. Half-past ten is Jenkins' final work, published after her marriage and move to "Mount Holyoke" (Mass.?). It chronicles the divergent paths of a pious young woman and her wayward best friend, who eventually reforms and likewise dedicates herself to religious work. What set this novel apart are its descriptions of Washington, D.C. political life, missionary work among the child miners of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and the prominent role played by the heroine's blind younger sister and the other protagonists' reactions to her handicap.
~ David Whitesell

55. BOOK DONATION LETTER.
Adopt me for: $150

Jenks, William, 1788-1866. Letter to H. A. S. Dearborne, Jan. 26, 1821.

William Jenks was a Boston minister and an early member and councilor of the American Antiquarian Society. This letter to H. A. S. Dearborne, Collector of Revenue for the district of Boston and Charlestown, offers a donation of books from the Boston Society for the Religious and Moral Instruction of the Poor to the marine hospital in Charlestown, MA.
~ Thomas Knoles

56. TEMPERANCE TOY.
Adopted by Georgia Barnhill

Jewett, Charles. Temperance toy. No. 1. Boston: Whipple & Damrell, 1840.

Physician and temperance advocate Charles Jewett (1807-1879) was also a skilled caricaturist who delighted in using his artistic skills to convey temperance ideals to children. In this case, Jewett composed a temperance poem with the familiar meter of The House that Jack built; and combined with his vivid pictures of a drunkard's steady decline, he gave his young audience a highly visual temperance message. Boston publisher Whipple & Damrell also published Jewett's popular Youth's Temperance Lecturer, another temperance picture book for children. Partial contributions from adopted aunts or uncles are welcome!
~ Laura Wasowicz

58. KATE AND HER FRIEND.
Adopted by Kathleen McClintock in honor of all her nieces

Kate and her friend. New York: Methodist Episcopal Sunday School Union, [ca. 1860-1869]

A miniature pamphlet, meant for the hands of a young child. It is the story of a little girl whose aunt encourages her to take Truth into her heart, like a friend.
~ Laura Wasowicz

59. FRONTIER NEWSPAPER.
Adopt me for: $125

Kearney Herald (Fort Kearney, NB) Apr. 24, 1866.

This extremely rare newspaper was published in Fort Kearney, the first military post built to protect immigrants on the Oregon Trail and the home station of the Pony Express. Edited by Leigh Freeman, it was a short-lived title. Later that year the Union Pacific Railroad was laid out through the region. Freeman loaded his press on a railroad car and followed the construction crew, publishing the newspaper under a new title, The Frontier Index, wherever they stopped.
~ Vincent Golden

60A-B. PHONETIC SERIAL.

Komstok's Fonetic Teligraf (Philadelphia, PA) Jan. and Mar. 1850

60A. Jan. 1850. Adopt me for: $50
60B. Mar. 1850. Adopt me for: $50

The editor of this newspaper, Andrew Comstock, taught elocution and spelling and constantly wrote on these subjects. One of his goals was spelling reform which included a new alphabet of 38 characters representing different elementary sounds. This is the first phonetic serial at AAS to have been published in Philadelphia—most of those already at AAS were published in Cincinnati, Boston, or Washington, DC. Both issues contain instructions on applying the system. Indeed, most of the articles are written in "fonetic" characters, but the advertisements and letters praising Comstock are in regular English.
~ Vincent Golden

61. BORNEO OR BUST.
Adopted by Jock Herron

Krause, William E. F. American interests in Borneo. A brief sketch of the extent, climate and productions of the Island of Borneo. San Francisco: Office of the Mercantile Gazette, 1867.

Who could resist a pamphlet with this title? It is the unrecorded first edition of this tract, and a presentation copy signed by the author. "This hurriedly written pamphlet," Krause tells us, was prompted by "the intelligence recently received through the telegraph, and reliable private sources, that a company of enterprising American capitalists have purchased ... a large portion of the Island of Borneo." Now, "just when steam navigation has been inaugurated between San Francisco, China and Japan," is the time for Californians to exploit this new market and its rich natural resources. Precisely how Krause personally hoped to benefit from this opportunity is not stated, but perhaps this was made clear in the expanded second edition, for which AAS is now searching.
~ David Whitesell

62. GEORGE WASHINGTON PRINT.
Adopted by Thomas & Lucia Knoles

Kuchel, Charles Conrad. Memories of G. Washington. Philadelphia: Kuhl & Kuchel, 1840.

AAS member and bookseller Frank Amari brought this print with him to the first Adopt-A-Book evening in April 2008. He, among many others, generously adopted several items, and then showed this print to me. It was not possible to say "no" to this lithograph that reproduces one of the great Gilbert Stuart portraits of Washington and features so many vignettes illustrating Washington's life from his youth through his death.
~ Gigi Barnhill

63. LITHOGRAPHED GERMAN HYMNAL.
Adopted by John & Katherine Keenum in memory of Ben Teague

Layriz, Friedrich. 200 Melodien deutscher Kirchengesänge. 2nd ed. St. Louis, MO: Leopold Gast, 1852.

An unrecorded edition of this Lutheran hymnal, unusual for the text, music, and decoration having been written out entirely by hand and then lithographed. This was a standard, but uncommon, 19th-century practice for printing works that were difficult to set in type, and especially uncommon for a location such as 1850s St. Louis. Layriz (1808-1859) was a Lutheran pastor, musicologist, and composer who had recently emigrated from Germany. In St. Louis he found much support for his desire to replace contemporary hymn tunes with their Reformation predecessors. This hymnal offers many 16th- and 17th-century melodies, along with a few of Layriz's own composition. First published in 1851, Layriz's work was reprinted frequently during the later 19th century.
~ David Whitesell

64. CHILDREN'S PRAYERS.
Adopted in honor of Andrew Petrie in honor of his first holy communion

Lee, Henry W. Prayers for children. 2nd ed. Boston: James B. Dow, 1847.

Although now worn, the shiny black paper cover with the gilt design of a kneeling child has the earmarks of a religious gift book. Besides the commonly known Lord's Prayer, this collection also includes prayers for absent parents, sick parents, and sick siblings.
~ Laura Wasowicz

65. LINEN ABC BOOK.
Adopted by Malena Mieko Carr

Linen A B C book. New York: McLoughlin Bros., [ca. 1890]

This alphabet was printed on durable cloth, which has held up to this day! It is illustrated with commonly recognized objects such as anvils, toy hoops, and zanies!
~ Laura Wasowicz

66. VERSE ELEGY.
Adopt me for: $250

Lines composed on the death of Mary L. Wilcox. Hartford, 1859.

Elegies devoted to the deaths of virtuous young women formed a popular, if tragic, genre. This example describes the death of Mary L. Wilcox, who died at the age of 19, apparently just a year after joining a church or convent. Such items are rare, and often the only tangible record of a young life. The proprietor of Zita Books and a long-time friend of AAS, Gabriel Laderman, quoted this item to us.
~ Gigi Barnhill

67. LISBETH KAUF.
Adopted by Babette Gehnrich

Lisbeth Kauf or the little girl who trusted God. New York: American Tract Society, [ca. 1848]

A children's tract about a German immigrant girl who learns to trust in God, despite her father's death and her family's poverty.
~ Laura Wasowicz

68. LITTLE STORY BOOK.
Adopted by Joanne Wilson

The little story book. Boston: American Tract Society, [ca. 1842-1868]

This collection of religious stories includes a description of Italian peasant fishermen, likening their nets to the parable of the Kingdom of Heaven.
~ Laura Wasowicz

69. LITTLE SUNSHINE.
Adopted by Bill Wallace, in memory of Norma Feingold

Little Sunshine. (Sunshine Series for Little Folks). Oakland, CA: Pacific Press, [ca. 1875]

California imprints are always a welcome addition to the Children's Literature Collection. Pacific Press was a Seventh Day Adventist publisher active in Oakland, where it issued a series of 20 chapbooks. Little Sunshine includes the story, "Mattie's Prize," about a little girl who gives her prize money for school recitation to her invalid mother.
~ Laura Wasowicz

70. PAPER TRADE DIRECTORY.
Adopted Tammy Butler in honor of her husband George

Lockwood, Howard. Lockwood's directory of the paper manufacturers in the United States and Canada ... 1878. New York: H. Lockwood, 1878.

A fine copy of this invaluable directory of the U.S. and Canadian paper trade. Over 950 paper mills are listed, with detailed statistics on staffing, machinery in use, and the kinds and quantities of paper manufactured. A separate section contains a directory of paper, rag, and papermaking supply dealers, and stationers in the major cities. Although papermaking machinery manufacturers are not listed, an extensive advertising section at end provides a de facto directory of these as well.
~ David Whitesell

71. HISTORY OF LONDON.
Adopted by David F. Tatham

London in modern times. Philadelphia: American Sunday-School Union; London: Religious Tract Society, [ca. 1851]

A religious and cultural history of London written for the transatlantic Sunday school market.
~ Laura Wasowicz

72. PRO-LINCOLN TEXAS NEWSPAPER.
Adopted by Ellen S. Dunlap

The Loyal National Union Journal. Brownsville, TX. Mar. 5, 1864.

This is the first issue of a pro-Lincoln newspaper published in Union-occupied Texas. The editor, G.G. Carmen, noted that "We shall publish such official news and notices as will be permitted by the Major General Commanding." He also explains the obstacles he faced in putting out the first issue, noting that the type came from an old Mexican office where it had lain unused for a considerable time. Carmen claims this to be the first loyal newspaper published in Texas.
~ Vincent Golden

73. DECORATED CLOTH BINDING.
Adopt me for: $125

Lunt, Mrs. J. S. F. Forget-me-not; or, the philipena. Lowell [MA]: Nathaniel L. Dayton, 1847.

A finely preserved American "gift book," in an unusual and distinctive publisher's binding of multi-colored striped cloth, covers stamped in gilt and blind, gilt edges, and decorated paper endleaves. This pocket-size anthology of English and American verse was designed by the publisher to be an attractive present for giving at New Year's or on other occasions.
~ David Whitesell

74. McGUFFEY'S READER SAMPLE BOOK.
Adopted by Richard D. & Irene Q. Brown

McGuffey, William Holmes. The eclectic third reader, containing selections in prose and poetry ... 28th ed. Cincinnati: Truman and Smith, 1840.

An extremely early salesman's sample book, and the only one so far recorded for a McGuffey's Reader. McGuffey (1800-1873), a professor at Miami University in Oxford, OH, was engaged in 1835 by Cincinnati publishers Truman & Smith to prepare a series of primary school readers. These proved extraordinarily successful and remain in print today, having sold over 100 million copies by some estimates. This sample, inserted in the binding for the 28th edition and dated 1840, contains approximately 90 selected pages from the Third reader, along with a prefixed advertisement assuring the public that the publishers were capable of "issu[ing] ONE THOUSAND VOLUMES PER DAY ... should necessity require."
~ David Whitesell

75. MACOMBER'S MESMERIC MEDICINE.
Adopted by Larry & Gloria Abramoff in honor of Barbara & Paul Levy

Dr. Macomber. Mesmeric examinations. Dr. Macomber, mesmeric and botanic physician. Boston, [ca. 1850]

Dr. Macomber had a curious medical practice that seems to have combined normal medicine with the services of a clairvoyant, who worked through a form of trance or spiritualist practices to probe the past.
~ Gigi Barnhill

76. OLD MOTHER HUBBARD.
Adopted by Anne H. Young

Martin, Sarah Catherine. Old Mother Hubbard and her dog. New York: McLoughlin Bros., [ca. 1890]

There is always yet another McLoughlin picture book to be discovered, and this well-loved copy comes to us from dealers and longtime AAS friends DeWolfe & Wood.
~ Laura Wasowicz

77. PREGNANCY AND CONTRACEPTION GUIDE.
Adopt me for: $350

Mauriceau, A. M. The married woman's private medical companion ... New York, 1847.

Very rare first edition of this detailed handbook, written under a pseudonym and issued without a publisher's name, in a discreet black binding without gilt-lettered title. "Dr. A. M. Mauriceau" was probably either Charles R. Lohman or Joseph F. Trow, husband and brother respectively of the notorious New York City abortionist, .Madame Restell. (i.e. Ann Lohman), who was then in prison. In addition to unusually detailed (for the time) medical information, the author offers extensive moral and medical arguments in favor of contraception; readers could purchase the requisite products at the author's office at 123 Liberty Street.
~ David Whitesell

78. CONNECTICUT MINISTER'S DIARY.
Adopted by Helen Deese

Methodist-Episcopal Minister's Pocket Diary and Visiting Book, 1862-1870.

This partly printed volume has the title Clergyman's Pocket Diary and Visiting Book. 186_. Arranged by James Porter, D.D. It is an interesting variation on the normal pre-printed pocket diary in that while it has blank spaces for daily diary entries, it also has sections set aside for financial records, lists of church members, records of births, deaths, and marriages, and a list of subscribers for periodicals. Judging by his travels, our as-yet unidentified minister seems to have lived in northeastern Connecticut. His diary entries show him farming in addition to his ministerial duties.
~ Thomas Knoles

79A-J. MISCELLANEOUS NEWSPAPER ISSUES.
Adopt us for: $50 each

79A. Somerset Iris and Messenger of Truth (Princess-Anne, MD) July 22, 1828
79B. The Volunteer (Burlington, IA) June 23, 1847 campaign newspaper
79C. Neue, Unpartheyische Lancaster Zeitung, und Anzeigs-Nachrichhten (Lancaster, PA) Oct. 2, 1793 Adopted by Peter L. Masi
79D. Republican Constellation (Winchester, VA) July 20, 1811
79E. New Jersey Gazette (Trenton) Jan. 27, 1784 - Adopted by Nicholas Pomeroy
79F. Republican Advocate (Batavia, NY) June 8, 1820
79G. Cleaveland Register (Cleveland, OH) Nov. 3, 1818
79H. Tamaroa Watchman (IL) Feb. 28, 1873
79I. El Orden (San Geronimo, Cuba) Nov. 19, 1852
79J. The Democrat (Northampton, MD) Nov. 26, 1811

80. MOHAWK MERCURY.
Adopt me for: $100

The Mohawk Mercury. Schenectady, NY. Apr. 7, 1795.

One of the earliest surviving issues of the first newspaper published in Schenectady, NY, printed by Cornelius P. Wyckoff and Abraham Brokaw. It contains local, national, and international news, advertisements, editorials, and legal notices.
~ Vincent Golden

81. LIONS, ZEBRAS, AND "KANGUROOS."
Adopted by Brett Mizelle

Natural history of beasts. Greenfield, MA: Ansel Phelps, 1849.

This chapbook features animals that would have been exotic to many American children, including lions, zebras, and the "kanguroo."
~ Laura Wasowicz

82. NEW-YORK PACKET.
Adopt me for: $200

The New-York Packet, and the American Advertiser. Fishkill, NY. May 13, 1780.

Publisher Samuel Loudon started this patriotic newspaper in New York City but, because of the British occupation, moved his press up the Hudson River to Fishkill. While there many issues were printed on smaller paper stock due to shortages. In August 1783 Loudon returned the newspaper to New York City.
~ Vincent Golden

83. NIAGARA FALLS VIEWS.
Adopted by Peg Lesinski, in memory of Alfred E. Lesinski

New York (State). Board of Commissioners of the State Survey. Special report of New York state survey on the preservation of the scenery of Niagara Falls. Albany: C. Van Benthuysen & Sons, 1880.

A fascinating and foresighted report containing pleas by Frederick Law Olmsted and others that the incomparable scenery of Niagara Falls be recovered and preserved. Most of the land on the U.S. and Canadian sides was then privately owned, some of it badly "disfigured" by insensitive commercial and domestic building. Nine mounted photographs of the falls and vicinity bear witness to the blight, and specially drawn maps designate lands deemed worthy of state purchase. This early preservation movement saw its efforts rewarded in 1885, when both New York State and the Canadian government acquired various properties and converted them to park land.
~ David Whitesell

84. NIAGARA COURIER.
Adopt me for: $50

"Liberty of the Press." Niagara Courier (Lockport, NY). Nov. 14, 1835 extra.

In this broadside extra issue, editor George Reese attacks cross-town rival Orasamus Turner and his Niagara Democrat. He argues that even though the Democrat is a pro-slavery newspaper, it should print anti-slavery material for its readers. "You commenced the attack upon those opposed to the further existence of slavery, in the first number of your paper, and have continued it in a malicious manner, without producing any proof to sustain your groundless charges. Not satisfied with wholesale slander, you ventured upon personal attack in reply to a civil request to publish the circular of the American Anti-Slavery Society!"
~ Vincent Golden

85. VEGETARIAN COOKBOOK.
Adopt me for: $1,000

Nicholson, Asenath, 1792-1855. Nature's own book. New York: W. S. Dorr, 1835.

First edition of the first American vegetarian cookbook, previously unrecorded, and a major addition to AAS's unrivalled cookbook collection. Born in Vermont, Nicholson suffered from ill health and an all-consuming addiction to coffee, "my last refuge, and . my greatest earthly comfort." Bodily and spiritual salvation were found in the teachings of the pioneering vegetarian Sylvester Graham, whose New York lectures she attended in 1832. Henceforth .good bread, pure water, ripe fruit and vegetables [were] my meat and drink, exclusively." The "receipts" occupy only 10 pages of this small volume, most of which is taken up by Nicholson's fascinating autobiographical comments, glowing testimonials from others, and the detailed rules Graham drafted for the "temperance" boarding house Nicholson opened in New York's dodgy Five Points district in 1832. A second, expanded edition was published later in 1835. Following her husband's death in 1844, Nicholson sailed to Ireland, serving as a missionary among the rural poor and publishing two valuable memoirs of the devastating Irish famine.
~ David Whitesell

86. PIONEER DRAWING CARDS.
Adopted by Joanne Chaison

Nutting, Benjamin F. The Pioneer drawing cards. Boston: Higgins and Bradley, 1856.

Nutting (d. 1887) was a well-known portrait and landscape painter who also produced numerous sets of drawing cards and books on drawing. He apprenticed with Nathaniel Currier at Pendleton's shop in Boston from 1828-1833. The drawings cards have simple designs to be copied by the student; they are accompanied by instructions for the beginner. Vince Golden found this item on eBay.
~ Gigi Barnhill

87. OLD EDWARD.
Adopted by Kathleen McClintock in honor of her psychologist husband, John

Old Edward. New York: Daniel Cooledge, [ca. 1833-1837]

This early children's story about mental illness is told as a conversation between a father and son on why it is wrong to chase and torment Old Edward, an unbalanced man who wanders about town wearing several hats at once.
~ Laura Wasowicz

88. CAMPAIGN EXTRA.
Adopt me for: $50

"Loco Foco Conspiracy Exposed." Otsego Republican (Cooperstown, NY) Oct. 28, 1840 extra.

Many 19th-century elections were pretty scrappy and hard-fought. The Otsego Republican was published weekly; but because of information learned shortly before election day, this extra with eye-catching headline was published before the next scheduled issue. It claimed that the Democrats (a.k.a. Loco Focos) had anti-Whig handbills delivered to them for distribution right before the voting, so that Whigs would have no time to counter them.
~ Vincent Golden

89. LITHOGRAPHER'S ACCOUNT BOOK.
Adopt me for: $3,500

Charles Parsons and Thomas More. Account Book, 1820-1851.

This remarkable volume contains personal accounts of the lithographer Thomas More in England, primarily in 1820-1821. However the bulk of the book consists of accounts of the New York City lithographer Charles Parsons (1821-1910). Included is a vast amount of detail concerning Parsons's lithographic and other work related to printing over a period of nearly ten years.
~ Thomas Knoles

90. HUMAN HAIR FOR SALE.
Adopted by Meredith Neuman

Peckham, Charles V. Reduced wholesale price list of human hair and human hair goods. New York, 1874.

This broadside advertisement for goods made of human hair is unusual to say the least. The braided goods probably appeared on the backs of miniatures and decorative brooches or other kinds of jewelry.
~ Gigi Barnhill

91. MADAME PERREGAULT, MATCHMAKER.
Adopted by Lauren B. Hewes

Madame M. H. Perregault. Albany, . . . 186-.

This blank form introduces a woman to her future husband. He is described as of a "gentle" disposition and a "lawyer." Madame Perregault was a marriage broker who promised confidentiality. Surely the ability to send photographs through the mail greatly facilitated her business. E-Harmony has a long history!
~ Gigi Barnhill

92. PETER MIDLER.
Adopted by Delores Wasowicz in honor of Jonathan Petrie

Peter Midler, and his eventful history. New York: American Tract Society, [ca. 1870]

A moving story of a boy who overcomes his personal anger and sad family life to go on to college. A story for all times.
~ Laura Wasowicz

93. CAROLINE WESTERLEY.
Adopted by Laura Wasowicz in memory of Richard L. Anders

Phelps, Almira Hart Lincoln. Caroline Westerley; or the young traveller from Ohio. Containing the letters of a young lady of seventeen, written to her sister. (Boy's and Girl's Library). New York: Harper & Brothers, 1839.

Almira Phelps was an educator who wrote botany textbooks for girls. In this case, she writes about natural history through a series of letters written by a young woman from Ohio who travels to upstate New York with her father.
~ Laura Wasowicz

94. WEDDING GIFT.
Adopted Peter L. Masi

Pinckney, Cotesworth. The wedding gift, to all who are entering the marriage state. Lowell [MA]: Milton Bonney, 1849.

A guide, not for "all," but almost exclusively for young wives and mothers; advice for husbands occupies a mere three pages of this 128-page book. The contents are elegantly packaged in a small gilt-edged volume, encased in a striking binding of blue cloth with bold vertical black stripes, stamped in gilt and blind.
~ David Whitesell

95. A PINE TREE'S REMINISCENCES.
HollyHock and Christopher Dumaine

"A Pine Tree's Reminiscences of the Past."

A young woman writing in Clinton, Massachusetts in 1859 describes wandering in the New England woods and resting beneath an old pine tree. The tree narrates the events it has witnessed during the past two hundred years. It saw a succession of seasons, at first with forest animals and with Nashaway Indians who camped and planted nearby. Later, the white man came with liquor—"The lands of there forefathers had they given in exchange for the poising cup." The Indians were succeeded by the clearing of the forests and the construction of wooden buildings. These were succeeded by cloth mills "with the incessant sound of a thousand spindles," leaving the tree to long for the peace of its youth. Clinton is situated on the Nashua River and was an early center of cotton cloth manufacturing. Thus this essay is a work of imagined local history.
~ Thomas Knoles

96. CIVIL WAR PROPAGANDA ALMANAC.
Adopted by Gretchen Adams in memory of Howard Palmer Oldfield

The planter's almanac for 1864. [Philadelphia: King & Baird, 1863]

This very rare almanac is actually a clever piece of Union propaganda. Issued without imprint or outward sign that it had been printed in the North, this almanac was intended for clandestine distribution in the Confederate States during the Civil War. Interspersed among the monthly calendars and farming tips are unexpected texts: excerpts from Lincoln's first inaugural address, his famous letter to Horace Greeley on freeing slaves, and his amnesty proclamation of Dec. 8, 1863; statistics documenting the North's vibrant wartime economy; an account of the vast western land bounties being enjoyed by Northerners under the 1862 Homestead Act; and prophecies by well-known Southerners that war would ruin the South.
~ David Whitesell

97. SPOONER MURDER BROADSIDE.
Adopted by William S. Reese

[Poem on the murder of Joshua Spooner] on the evening of [March 1, 1778]. Worcester: Printed and sold at the Printing-Office, in Worcester, 1778.

Although mutilated, this broadside poem is unrecorded in the major bibliographies of American imprints, broadsides, and crime literature. In terms of local importance, the murder of Joshua Spooner by his wife and several British soldiers made headline news at the time. There are about a dozen contemporary broadsides and pamphlets concerning the murder and executions. More recently, David McKay composed an opera on the murder in 1983, and Deborah Navas published a novel, Murdered by his wife, in 1999.
~ Gigi Barnhill

98. POLISH SETTLEMENT IN VIRGINIA.
Adopted by Jon Kukla

Polish Land Emigration Co. By-laws, charter, prospectus, and odezwa (in Polish language) of the Polish Emigration Land Co. in Virginia. Washington, DC: P.L. Schriftgiesser, 1870.

A very rare and unusual emigration prospectus. Chartered in 1869, the Polish Emigration Land Co. was headed by former cabinet official and congressman Caleb Cushing of Massachusetts and managed by Joseph Smolinski (1807-ca. 1890), Polish general, war hero, exile and mercenary, and by 1870 an immigrant himself, working in the U.S. Treasury Dept. The company purchased several thousand acres in south central Virginia and charged Smolinski with finding "immigrant[s] of the Polish or Slavonic nationality" to relocate there. Settlers could choose between farmland or town lots, safe in the knowledge that they would be far from frontier perils and hardships, and close to railroads and population centers. An abridged translation of the prospectus into Polish is provided at the end. Little seems to have come of this effort.
~ David Whitesell

99. THE PREMIUM.
Adopt me for: $30

The Premium. New York: American Tract Society, [ca. 1848]

A story about a boy who receives a Bible as a school exam premium, although he wanted a Roman history!
~ Laura Wasowicz

100. PRINTING INK BROADSIDE.
Adopt me for: $450

Prout, Moses P. Resurgo. Phoenix Printing Ink Manufactory. New York: Moses P. Prout, 1846.

This vignette on this broadside, a relief cut engraved by Alexander Anderson, shows a Phoenix rising from a fire. The text provides some details about Prout's business, which makes this a fine addition to AAS's rich holdings on all aspects of the printing trades.
~ Gigi Barnhill

101. WORCESTER COMMONPLACE BOOK.
Adopted by Barry and Mahroo Morgan

Rice, Jonas. Commonplace Book, 1802-1805.

Rice was born in Worcester in 1775. This handmade notebook with a cover made from a newspaper was kept when Rice was in his 20s. It contains poetry, epigrams, travel notes, and extracts from newspapers. One curious entry is a transcription of a Boston blacksmith's trade sign. Commonplace books can be valuable as evidence of their owners. reading and interests.
~ Thomas Knoles

102. LOCUST PLAGUE.
Adopted by Helen Deese

Riley, Charles V. The locust plague in the United States ... a treatise on the Rocky Mountain locust or so-called grasshopper ... Chicago: Rand, McNally & Co., 1877.

It is hard now to imagine the damage, of truly Biblical proportions, wrought on western farmlands during the 1870s by locust swarms. This scarce monograph compiles a wealth of information on these and earlier American locust attacks from Riley's authoritative periodical articles and government reports. An English immigrant, Riley (1843-1895) was state entomologist of Missouri and a leading authority on agricultural pests. Shortly before this book was published, Riley was appointed chief of the U.S. Entomological Commission established to study the grasshopper threat.
~ David Whitesell

103. LOYALIST NEWSPAPER.
Adopt me for: $100

The Royal American Gazette. New York, NY. Sept. 11, 1781.

The only known copy for this date of this rare Revolutionary War loyalist newspaper published in New York City from 1777 to 1783. Printer Alexander Robertson had to flee the city at war's end, ending up in Nova Scotia, where he continued the newspaper under the same name and numbering.
~ Vincent Golden

104. STENCILLING TRADE CATALOG.
Adopted by Katherine & John Keenum

S. M. Spencer & Co. Catalogue of improved stencil dies, manufactured by S. M. Spencer, 347 Washington Street, Boston ... [Boston: S. M. Spencer, 1876]

Stencilling has long coexisted with printing as an alternative means of replicating text and images. Yet apart from its decorative arts applications, such as embellishing walls and furniture, stencilling remains a poorly understood process. This acquisition raises to three the number of stencilling trade catalogs now at AAS. Spencer offered a limited number of alphabets in pre-cut stencils, as well as the necessary equipment to cut and print metal or paper stencils of one's own design. Particularly interesting are the extended remarks on establishing a stencil business, and the ways in which stencils could be used for marking property.be it books or barrels.and creating cheap signage and advertisements.
~ David Whitesell

105. SABBATH SCHOOL NEW YEAR'S GIFT.
Adopted by Antonia Gehnrich

The Sabbath school teacher's gift to the little scholars, upon New Year's Day. Lowell, MA: Milton Bonney, 1846.

What child could resist this miniature book with a soft cloth binding? The preface refers to the custom of Sunday school teachers giving their students books as a New Year's present, reminding us that New Year's Day, not Christmas, was the culturally endorsed winter holiday in New England well into the 19th century.
~ Laura Wasowicz

106. SATIRICAL PRINT.
Adopt me for: $2,500

See Porcupine, in colours just portray'd. [N.p., ca. 1799]

Sadly, this fine piece of political satire is anonymous. It was probably printed in Philadelphia, where William Cobbett, the subject of this print, resided. Cobbett was himself a vitriolic satirist and is here depicted in the guise of his pseudonym, Peter Porcupine. The Lion on the right, signifying Great Britain, urges Cobbett to keep writing and be rewarded. Among his victims are Tom Paine, Albert Gallatin, and James Madison. The Devil offers Cobbett a purse filled with money as Liberty weeps on the monument dedicated to American Independence.
~ Gigi Barnhill

107A-E. SEMI-CENTENNIAL LIBRARY.
Adopt us for: $30 each

Individual volumes from the Semi-Centennial Library. New York: American Sunday-School Union, [ca. 1857]

107A. Guernsey, Lucy Ellen. Mabel; or, the bitter root. A tale of the times of James I.
107B. How the Kingdom came to Little Joy.
107C. Janvier, Emma N. The broken rein.
107D. Kenneth Forbes; or, fourteen ways of studying the Bible.
107E. Reeves, Mrs. S.K. Young Eagle; or, forest fortunes.

These books were issued in handsome green bindings with gilt spines. Several were written by popular Sunday school writers Lucy Ellen Guernsey, Emma N. Janvier, and Mrs. S.K. Reeves.
~ Laura Wasowicz

108. SHOEMAKER'S FIRST ALMANAC.
Adopt me for: $500

Shoemaker, Abraham. The citizen & farmer's almanac, for the year of our Lord 1794 ... Philadelphia: Benjamin Johnson, [1793]

Almanac compilers such as Abraham Shoemaker were among early America's most prolific and widely read authors, yet little is known about them. Active ca. 1793-1810, Shoemaker worked in New York successively as shopkeeper, mathematics teacher, dry goods store owner, and "astronomer." He was widely known throughout the mid-Atlantic region for his astronomical calculations for the leading New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania almanacs. Indeed, some publishers freely added his name to title pages as a selling point for almanacs to which he contributed nothing. Shoemaker's earliest almanacs were long believed to be for 1795, until this previously unrecorded 1794 almanac was discovered last year.
~ David Whitesell

109. UNION OCCUPATION NEWSPAPER.
Adopted by Alexander MacLeod

The Sixth Corps. Danville, VA. May 4, 1865.

During the Civil War, Union soldiers would occasionally put out a newspaper for the troops when they occupied a southern town. These were often short-lived, inelegant in appearance, and are very scarce today. On April 27th, 1865, the Sixth Corps of the 77th New York Infantry Regiment finally captured Danville, VA. That same day the first issue of The Sixth Corps was printed on the press of the Danville Register with details of the events. It continued to be issued irregularly through the end of May, containing general orders, local news, and advertisements.
~ Vincent Golden

110. 1844 CAMPAIGN NEWSPAPER.
Adopt me for: $75

The Sober Second Thought, for the Presidential Campaign of 1844 (New York). June 8, 1844.

The first issue of a rare campaign newspaper supporting the Democratic Party during the 1844 election. Published by an .Association of Democratic Young Men of the City of New York,. it lasted 26 issues, ceasing once the election was over. One of many 1844 campaign newspapers, its prospectus states, .The Whigs are sending off their papers by hundreds of thousands. The mails are filled with them. To meet them at ever point . to scatter the antidote as widely as the poison is distributed, we publish this paper on terms of unparalleled cheapness, forbidding all idea of pecuniary profit, or even compensation..
~ Vincent Golden

111. NEW MASONIC HALL.
Adopt me for: $2,000

Tholey, August J. The New Masonic Hall, Philadelphia. [Philadelphia: J. G. Simpson, ca. 1855].

Last November, the remainder of AAS member Jay Snider's collection of Philadelphia imprints and prints was auctioned. I wanted this print more than the others in the auction because we had purchased a splendid chromolithograph of the interior several years ago with funds provided by Jay Last. The building was designed by Sloan & Stewart. Fortuitously, a collector at the auction approached Joseph Felcone, who was bidding on our behalf, to report that he had another view of the building. We received it and a view of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as a gift from that collector, David Doret.
~ Gigi Barnhill

112. COTTON PLANT LITHOGRAPH.
Adopt me for: $1,500

Thorpe, Thomas B. The cotton plant. New York: Lithographed by G. & W. Endicott, [ca. 1846-1848]

Thorpe (1815-1878) was born in Massachusetts, but moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for his health while still in college. In addition to being an author of popular humor, he was an accomplished painter of landscapes and portraits. He dedicated this print to the .Cotton Planters of the South,. who were also his literary and artistic patrons. The black background nicely sets off the cotton plant, shown in all stages of its development.
~ Gigi Barnhill

113. TWELVE EXCELLENT RULES.
Adopted by Doris O'Keefe

Twelve excellent rules for promoting harmony among church members. New York: American Tract Society, [ca. 1850]

The American Tract Society issued religious tracts for adults and children as well as a number of single sheet publications. These Biblical verses offer suggestions to church members for maintaining a collegial and effective church organization. One of the lessons learned from the AAS collections is that some things never change. Some of these rules could be usefully implemented today across many organizational structures.
~ Gigi Barnhill

114. CONGRESSIONAL DIRECTORY.
Adopted by John Hench, in honor of Philip Lampi

U.S. Congress (14th, 2nd Session: 1816-1817). Congressional directory for the second session of the Fourteenth Congress of the United States. Washington: Daniel Rapine, 1816.

Although by no means the earliest congressional directory, this one, in its original blue paper wrappers with printed label, is surprisingly unrecorded. Each senator and congressman is listed (by state), with his local and permanent home addresses, and committee assignments. Most of the public servants then doing hardship duty in swampy Washington were holed up in boarding houses, and this directory's most interesting feature is a folding table noting who lived in each boarding house.useful for reconstructing members. social networks. This copy belonged to congressman Charles Marsh (1765-1849), a Vermont Federalist elected to the House in 1814. Marsh served only a single term and belonged to one minor committee.
~ David Whitesell

115. AUNT LOUISA'S KEEPSAKE.
Adopt me for: $400

Valentine, Laura. Aunt Louisa's keepsake. London: Frederick Warne; New York: Scribner, Welford and Co., 1868.

This fabulous gift book is a truly transatlantic creation, featuring color plates produced by Victorian lithographer Kronheim & Co. The whimsical illustration of children at the seaside adds to our understanding of how Victorian childhood was idealized for children. Partial contributions from adopted aunts or uncles are welcome!
~ Laura Wasowicz

116. WATCHMAN'S ADDRESS.
Adopted by Robert & Lillian Fraker

The Watchman's address, to the citizens of the incorporated district of the northern liberties. [Philadelphia: Simon Probasco, 1829]

The night watchman was an important figure in cities. They lighted lamps and circulated throughout the night, "Guided by lamp or moonlight pale ... To seize the wretch who would assail." They played the role of current-day police, striving to keep danger away from honest citizens, merchant's stores, and workman's shops. Watchman's addresses are not encountered as frequently as carrier's addresses, but they do share certain characteristics.
~ Gigi Barnhill

117. WALLPAPER NEWSPAPER.
Adopt me for: $500

The Weekly Junior Register. Franklin, LA. May 2, 1863.

In 1860 there were 555 paper manufacturers in the United States, but only 24 were in the South. Hence Confederate newspaper offices often had trouble obtaining printing paper during the Civil War. They were forced to seek alternative paper sources, such as the blank back of unused wallpaper. This issue is printed on the back of a beautiful pattern of peasant scenes. Wallpaper issues are extremely rare, but AAS happens to have another copy of this date on different, floral-patterned wallpaper. At this time Franklin was occupied by Union troops, but paper supplies had not been restored.
~ Vincent Golden

118. SCIENTIFIC PERIODICAL.
Adopt me for: $200

Western Quarterly Reporter of Medical, Surgical, and Natural Science. Supported by physicians and naturalists of the western country. Cincinnati, OH, 1822.

This is the first periodical devoted to science published west of the Alleghenies. Its editor, John Godman, started out as a printer's apprentice in Baltimore but eventually switched to medicine. His career took him to Cincinnati in 1821 where he started this periodical. It lasted for just six issues, and this bound volume contains the first four. Later he moved back east where he continued to publish articles on medicine and natural history.
~ Vincent Golden

119. TAGHANIC FALL.
Adopt me for: $1,500

Whitefield, Edwin. Taghanic Fall (215 feet high) Near Ithaca, Tompkins Co., N.Y. New York: Endicott & Co., 1854.

Whitefield published a pair of landscape prints featuring waterfalls near Ithaca, NY, in 1854. This second of the pair is a recent acquisition. AAS purchased the first of the pair, Enfield Fall, in 1978 for a mere $125. A year before that acquisition, Bettina Norton published her monograph on Whitefield and recorded an impression of Taghanic Fall, but not Enfield Fall. The two prints together are very beautiful, and we are delighted to have this splendid pair of important landscape images.
~ Gigi Barnhill

120. CARRIER'S ADDRESS.
Adopt me for: $225

Whitford, Henry C. Annual message of the carrier of the "Portage County Democrat" to its patrons. Ravenna, OH, 1857.

Twice a year, Steven Bolick comes to AAS with a box of ephemera, books, pamphlets, and manuscripts that he has set aside for the Society. This was one of this fiscal year's first acquisitions and the first of several carrier's addresses that we have purchased this year. Vincent Golden has found several other addresses in the files of newspapers that he acquired in New York State. This example has typical references to the changing seasons and the coming of the year. However, there are also references to the depression of 1857, the conflicts in Kansas, and the overtones of war.
~ Gigi Barnhill

121. WHITMAN ESSAYS.
Adopt me for: $125

Whitman, Angela. Essays, 1856-1857

Angela Whitman (1841- ) was the daughter of Harrison and Delphina Perham Whitman of Woodstock, ME. This collection of seven essays written by the teenaged Angela include three opposing slavery. In one she writes "O America! Thou with boasted freedom from monarchic government; from despotic power; should hide they face in very shame; for other nations laugh to scorn your boasted freedom; while on your bloodstained bosom millions of Africa's sable sons and daughters groan under the bonds of tyrannical power."
~ Thomas Knoles

122. BOOK AGENT'S CORRESPONDENCE.
Adopted by The Margaret Sherman Trust

Whitney, William H. Correspondence 1854-1879.

Whitney was a traveling book agent who worked for Schermerhorn, Bancroft & Co. in New York. He later was the New York agent for Cowperthwait & Co. in Philadelphia. This collection contains 41 letters written mainly by Whitney to his wife in Thompsonville, CT. In addition to details about the canvassing process, these letters indicate the difficulty of Whitney's work, his financial struggles, and the strained relationship between husband and wife due to his long absences.
~ Thomas Knoles

123. FRANCES WILLARD'S FIRST BOOK.
The gift of sometime residents of Evanston, Illinois, Sarah J. Fuller and Caroline F. Sloat, in memory of their sister, Rosemary F. Bazuzi

Willard, Frances Elizabeth. Nineteen beautiful years; or, sketches of a girl's life. Written by her sister. New York: Harper & Bros., 1864.

In 1862 Frances Willard's younger sister Mary died of tuberculosis. This well-written memoir, comprised largely of diary extracts, reveals much about Mary's girlhood in Wisconsin and Illinois, her social and spiritual world, and her relations with older sister "Frank." Frances went on to become one of the most prominent women of her day as president of the Evanston College for Ladies, a national and international leader of the Women's Christian Temperance Movement, and a leading advocate for women's rights.
~ David Whitesell

124. ARCHITECTURAL BOOKS CATALOG.
Adopted by R.A. Graham Co. in honor of Christine Graham-Ward

Woodward, George E. Woodward's catalogue of architectural books published and for sale by Geo. E. Woodward, architect ... April 1869. New York: G. E. Woodward, 1869.

An unrecorded catalog issued by this specialist bookseller. Woodward (1829-1905) was an architect who practiced primarily via publishing rather than by commission. In influential works such as Woodward's country homes and Woodward's national architect, he disseminated plans for hundreds of "country, suburban, and village houses," schoolhouses, and outbuildings. In this catalog Woodward offers not only his own books, but hundreds of other architectural, engineering, and horticultural titles, as well as drafting supplies.
~ David Whitesell

125. WORCESTER SOUTH AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY RECORDS.
Adopted by Andrew & Caroline Graham

Worcester South Agricultural Society. Record Book, 1856-1857.

The Worcester South Agricultural Society was founded in 1855 to promote agriculture in the towns of southern Worcester County. This volume contains records of entries for the agricultural fairs held in Sturbridge from 1856-1859. Categories include fat cattle, swine plowing matches, butter and cheese, horticulture, manufactures, bread and needle work.
~ Thomas Knoles

126. WRAPPING PAPER NEWSPAPER.
Adopted by Megan Nelson in honor of John & Lynn Fritschel

Colorado Transcript. Golden City, CO. Apr. 8, 1868.

Besides wallpaper, newspaper publishers sometimes had to resort to wrapping paper, lined ledger paper, and even tissue paper. Both of these issues are printed on yellow wrapping paper. In the Colorado Transcript the editor wrote, "We couldn't help it. ... Some of our subscribers will receive this week's Transcript printed upon yellow wrapping paper, owing to the non-arrival of a supply at our factor's store. We had only enough to print about half of our edition, and have been compelled to resort, to this make-shift."
~ Vincent Golden

127. SWEDISH PUBLISHING IN WORCESTER.
Adopted by Paul Erickson

Young, James Rankin. Historien om Amerikas krig med Spanien ... Worcester: A. P. Lundborg, [1898]

An unusual trilingual (Swedish, English, German) salesman's sample book for a popular history of the Spanish-American War. The Swedish-language edition was published in Worcester by Andrew P. Lundborg (b. 1862), a Minnesotan who moved to Worcester in 1889. By 1898 he had established, at 221 Main Street, the largest Swedish bookstore east of Chicago.a boon to Worcester's large Swedish-American population. In addition to publishing and selling Swedish-language texts, Lundborg's firm sold silverware, jewelry, stationery, and postcard views of Worcester.
~ David Whitesell

128. YOUTHFUL PILGRIMS.
Adopted by Joanne Wilson

Youthful pilgrims: or, memorials of young persons of the Society of Friends. Philadelphia: Book Association of Friends, [ca. 1854]

In the tradition of the 17th- and 18th-century biographies compiled by Puritan ministers James Janeway and Cotton Mather, this collection memorializes the pious and exemplary lives of Quaker youth.
~ Laura Wasowicz

Some Recent Publications:

129. ALEXANDER.
Adopted by Gloria Hall

Alexander, Leslie M. African or American?: Black identity and political activism in New York City, 1784-1861. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2008.

130. BEAUDRY.
Adopt me for: $50

Beaudry, Mary C. Findings: the material culture of needlework and sewing. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006.

132. FALK.
Adopt me for: $40

Falk, Cynthia G. Architecture and artifacts of the Pennsylvania Germans: constructing identity in early America. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2008.

133. FISCHER.
Adopt me for: $40

Fischer, David Hackett. Champlain's dream. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008.

134. HARRIS.
Adopt me for: $35

Harris, William C. Lincoln's rise to the presidency. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2007.

135. HAYWARD.
Adopt me for: $40

Hayward, Mary Ellen. Baltimore's alley houses: homes for working people since the 1780s. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008.

136. HERRING:
Adopt me for: $40

Herring, George C. From colony to superpower: U.S. foreign relations since 1776. (The Oxford History of the United States) New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.

137. HOLT.
Adopt me for: $30

Holt, Michael F. By one vote: the disputed presidential election of 1876. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2008.

138. MALONEY.
Adopted by Laura Wasowicz in honor of Delores Wasowicz

Maloney, Cathy Jean. Chicago gardens: the early history. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2008.

139. REED.
Adopted by Cheryl Hurley

Reed, B. Bernetiae. The slave families of Thomas Jefferson: a pictorial study book with an interpretation of his farm book in genealogy charts. 2 large folio vols. Greensboro, NC: Sylvest-Sarah, 2006.

140. REYNOLDS.
Adopt me for: $30

Reynolds, David S. Waking giant: American in the age of Jackson. New York: Harper, 2008.

141. SEVILLE.
Adopt me for: $75

Seville, Catherine. The internationalization of copyright law: books, buccaneers and the black flag in the nineteenth century. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.

142. SHEVITZ.
Adopt me for: $45

Shevitz, Amy Hill. Jewish communities on the Ohio River: a history. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2007.

143. SVIN'IN.
Adopt me for: $45

Svin'in, Pavel Petrovich. A Russian paints America: the travels of Pavel P. Svin'in, 1811-1813. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2008.

144. TRUXES.
Adopt me for: $30

Truxes, Thomas M. Defying empire: trading with the enemy in colonial New York. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008.

145. VAN ZANTE.
Adopted by Delores Wasowicz

Van Zante, Gary A. New Orleans 1867: photographs by Theodore Lilienthal. New York: Merrell, 2008.

 

END OF CATALOG

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