The fifth annual Adopt-A-Book event will be held on Tuesday, April 3, at 6 p.m. Browse the 2012 Adopt-A-Book Catalog to view the 150 items up for adoption. Here are a few highlights still available for adoption from the Graphic Arts collections.
77. BIGGER IS BETTER!
Adopt me for $250
A Mammoth newspaper! 10 Copies for $10. Philadelphia: Charles Alexander, 1837
At the end of 1837, the Philadelphia newspaper publisher Charles Alexander decided to make some changes to his popular paper, the American Weekly Messenger. He added more literary content, increased illustrations, and offered double edition premiums, such as the New Year’s offering described on this broadside. The proposed issue included a page of portraits of important figures in American history, such as George Washington and Lafayette, a list of solvent banks, and descriptions of counterfeit notes (information in great demand following the financial panic of 1837), and additional poems and stories designed to appeal to a wide audience.
145. ADOPTING ME IS WORTH WHILE. NO BULL
Adopt me for $35
Imported Jersey Bull, Butter Stamp! Ravenna, Ohio, 1873
The American dairy business relied on a steady supply of quality breeding stock, with regular infusions of new blood to increase production and quality of milk. As farmers moved west, they often returned to reputable breeders on the East coast to procure bulls and cows to improve their herds. Once the railroads connected most major urban centers, it became less stressful on the animals to move them over distances, and it is likely that the bull Butter Stamp rode the rails to Ravenna, Ohio, after taking the blue ribbon at the New Jersey State Fair.
