The Acquisitions Table: Emergency Paper Sources

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The Weekly Junior Register.  Franklin, LA.  May 2, 1863.  Vol. 2, no. 17. 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 ...

The Acquisitions Table: Beware of a Swindler!!

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Beware of a swindler!! New York: J.W. Bell, 1835. This spectacular broadside documents the accusations of printer Jared W. Bell (1798?-1870) against a former journeyman, James B. Whitney. Bell accuses Whitney, who became a lieutenant commandant in the New York artillery, of embezzling money from Bell’s printing business. Bell was notoriously difficult. In 1821 he ...

The Acquisitions Table: More Slates

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In my last post ("The Acquisitions Table: Matters Bibliopegistical") I promised a curious story of synchronicity.  Readers may recall Curator of Graphic Arts' Lauren Hewes's January 27 entry "Slate, before the hype" about writing slates in the AAS collections.  (If you didn't read it, go ahead and do so now.  I'll be here when you ...

The Acquisitions Table: Matters Bibliopegistical

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We have two more items this week. Both have to do with book binding, one as a subject, one as an exemplar. Bradford, John. The poetical vagaries of a Knight of the Folding-Stick, of Paste Castle: to which is annexed, The history of the garret, &c. Gotham [i.e. Newark, NJ?]: Printed for the author, 1815. A ...

The Acquisitions Table: Only Known Copies

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This week we feature two items acquired by AAS in recent months.  What they have in common is that our copies are the only ones known to exist.  Given the age of these items (they were printed in 1795 and 1815 respectively) and given the fact that generations of bibliographers have labored to identify and ...

The Acquisitions Table: Ira Hill’s Memorial

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Those of us who are located in the chilly Northeast are already beginning to dream of spring and gardens.  Curator of books David Whitesell describes Ira Hill's proposal for a very special garden for Washington D.C. Hill, Ira, ca. 1783-1838. Ira Hill’s memorial, and remarks to Congress. [N.p., 1824] Second recorded copy of this intriguing proposal for ...

The Acquisitions Table: Scripture Scenes

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If the holiday leftovers are still lurking in our refrigerators, we figure there's still time for one more Christmas-themed post, courtesy of Curator of Children's Literature Laura Wasowicz.   The charming engraving below raises two interesting questions you might want to mull over as you finish off the pecan pie.  First, where would Anderson have ...

The Acquisitions Table: “U.C., or, How to Keep Sharp in Dull Times”

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As we celebrate the holiday season it's also good to be mindful of those less fortunate than ourselves.  2009 has no monopoly on hard times, as Curator of Books David Whitesell's account of a recently acquired 1873 pamphlet shows.  This very curious little item also carries a mystery in its title, U.C. There is nothing ...

The Acquisitions Table

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In 1834, AAS librarian Christopher Columbus Baldwin wrote: “Some philosopher has said that his unhappiest moments were those spent in settling his tavern bills.  But the happiest moments of my life are those employed in opening packages of books presented to the Library of the American Antiquarian Society.  It gives me real, substantial, and unadulterated ...