A few hard to find books

Hi folks!

Last week I stumbled upon an estate sale with a number of great condition, first edition finds that I picked up. I've managed to track most of them down, but some seem to be more difficult to track down. One was a 1921 Rudyard Kipling Verse Inclusive Edition, 1885-1918. The leather on the leather-bound editions has worn down a bit, but otherwise they are in excellent shape. Anyway, there are a few that I just can't seem to find any information about – if anyone has any clues, I'd be really grateful!

1. Thoreau: "An Ideal" - a hardcover with dust jacket that doesn't have any publisher information other than "Buffalo New York Hayes Lithographing Co." – I have not found any information or records of this anywhere.
2. Dewey: Abridged Decimal Classification, Edition 3 revised (1926) Forest Press – I just can't find copies of this anywhere
3. William H. Brooker: "Texas: An Epitome of Texas History from the Filibustering and Revolutionary Eras to the Independence of the Republic, From Most Approved Sources." (1897, Press of Nitschke Brothers, Columbus, OH) – the hard binding says: "A Souvenir. The Alamo, Built 1718."
4. Robert Thorne: "Why, When, and Where: A Dictionary of Rare and Curious Information" (1889) A.L. Burt. There is a reprint from 2017 called "Fugitive Facts: A Dictionary...", but I have not seen any reference to this text online otherwise.

In total I managed to pick up 50 books – it's a beautiful set of volumes that include everything from Balzac to Capote, with some amazing mid-late 19th Century volumes. I'd be happy to discuss others in the collection, but am especially curious about these that I just can't find anything about.

Thanks!

 

I'm confused. . .did you remove the pristine dust jacket from the Thoreau item? The cover you are showing is far from pristine.

 

Hayes Lithographing made many such books. Very pretty.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/902112...ifes-roses?ref=search_recently_viewed-3&frs=1
https://www.etsy.com/listing/953418...query=hayes+lithographing&ref=sr_gallery-1-32
Did not see your book in my search.

https://www.brewaf.com/history/sign-manufacturers/hayes-lithographing-company/

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1...AhUDHzQIHZ1CDvkQjJkEegQIHRAC&biw=1597&bih=761

 

Hyperbole gets the best of me again... it's not pristine, it's in great condition, though (no cracks other than what you see) and the color is brilliant. Thanks for correcting me!

 

What is the content of the "Thoreau" - is it a selection of his writings?

Here is a selection of other books published by Hayes Lithographing Co. for comparison:
https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Se...thographing&recentlyadded=all&sortby=17&sts=t

Dewey (a 1921 printing of the 3rd edition):
https://www.biblio.com/search.php?s...ns&strip_common=1&program=1005&order=priceasc

Brooker:
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Texas/deoxAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0

Thorne:
https://www.bookfinder.com/search/?...tvyk0ASLujfE4VPRYNdB0jBTE0_1497963026_1:20:67

 

Thank you! I’ll respond to each in line:

1. I have not opened the Thoreau enough to examine sufficiently. It’s lyrical, but what Thoreau isn’t? It’s about 40 pages. I can check the text more carefully tomorrow. It is certainly like the other Hayes lithographs - I just haven’t found others of Thoreau.
2. Dewey - thank you! I spent 10 minutes with various different search criteria and just couldn’t find it!
3. I had seen the Digitized Brooker text - I just haven’t found where the physical version of the dang thing might be - particularly this version, which includes a photograph and signature.
4. Thorne- thank you! I had seen the Amazon link, but not the others. Was not sure about version or condition or otherwise - without photos, etc i should assume it’s the same. I guess I’m surprised I haven’t seen more.

Thanks so much!

Best,

Morg

 

01c44579-4f5f-4c62-b152-29d24c55a633.mp4


sorry...I had to go there....

 

Some things are simply scarce, which does not necessarily make them valuable. It was not clear from your initial post if you were looking for comparisons for value, bibliographic information, or just curiosity.

 

Oof – I wrote a reply, but wasn't logged in and lost it. Anyway, I'll try this again, ha!

That makes sense to me - I appreciate your replies! My post was really to appease my curiosity and confirm bibliographic information. I spent quite a bit of time on Saturday looking things up among the set of ~50 texts I picked up. Some were easier to find than others. These last four were the only ones I really just had no idea about. Dewey is obvious, of course, but I just couldn't understand why I couldn't find the 3rd edition listed anywhere. The books were just $1 each, so I ended up buying several for various different reasons – either for myself, for family or friends, to donate, or to possibly sell.

Some of those I picked up for myself include:

• The Thoreau (it's just beautiful)
• 1st Ed. of In Cold Blood with dust jacket in pristine condition
• 1st Ed. of Carson's The Sea Around Us (great condition, ripped dust jacket)
• Treasure Island (Pocket Classics, 1921)
• Pristine 1st Ed. Michener's Texas
• Leather bound 1924 Tom Sawyer Abroad and other stories

Some for family/friends:

• Some cultural and historical books about Tennessee, incl. The Tennessee - the Old River: Frontier to Secession; Hugh Walker's Tennessee Tales (signed)
  
• A Treasury of American Prints (1939)

Some for donation (all 1st ed.):

• Some Historic Houses (John C. Fitzpatrick)
• The Preservation of the Hermitage (Mary C. Dorris) and some other old Andrew Jackson
  
• Kropotkin's The Great French Revolution (vols. 1 & 2, 1927)
• Wister's Philosophy Four (1907)
• The Brooker Texas Epitome

Some to sell:

• Four 1st Eds. of Rudyard Kipling, including the Verse Inclusive Edition, 1885-1918; Barrack Room Ballads; Departmental Ditties, Ballads, and Barrack-Room Ballads; and France at War.
• Erle Stanley Gardner: The Case of the Silent Partner (1946)
• Anthony Hope: The Indiscretion of the Duchess (1894)
• Allan Pinkerton: The Spy of the Rebellion (1883)
• Frank Swinnerton: Nocture (1917)
• DH Lawrence: Sons and Lovers (1913)

Some I still haven't decided about:

• Ludovic Halevy: The Abbe Constantin (1st US printing? Hurst & Co.): Leather bound with what appears to be a hand-drawn (ink) cover.
• Aaron Bancroft: The Life of George Washington (1857)
• Charles M. Sheldon: The 13th Resolution (1928)
• Whittier's Poetical Works (1902) – pristine
• The Droll Stories of Balzac (1932)

Those I had questions about - I will probably end up keeping.

Thanks!
Morg

Also - LOL Komokwa

 

Sounds like a nice collection.