Rare Book Liber Scriptorum Twain Roosevelt Carnegie
FIRST BOOK of Authors Club 109 Autographed Essays
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USD 7,777.00 |
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USD 7,777.00 |
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Friday, October 31, 2008 |
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Sunday, November 30, 2008 |
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Beaverton,OR |
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Description
dapavia Store Rare Book Liber Scriptorum Twain Roosevelt Carnegie You are bidding on a truly rare piece of 19th Century Americana. This will make an incredible addition or donation to any rare book collection. The 109 author's autographs alone, (outside the context of this book and it's unique history) are worth the starting bid price. We will ship internationally.LIBER SCRIPTORUM. THE FIRST BOOK OF THE AUTHORS CLUB. New York: The Authors Club 1893. First(and Only) EditionDESCRIPTION: Thick folio (10" x 13") in publisher's full dark brown morocco with ornately blind-and gilt-tooled spines and boards, the top edge is gilt, uncut. This is copy #140 of only 251 copies which were SIGNED by each of 109 contributors, who were noted American essayists and authors of this era. The most notable are: Mark Twain, The Californian's Tale,(this was the first appearance in print of this famous story), Theodore Roosevelt, "A Shot at a Bull Elk, and Andrew Carnegie, Genius Illustrated from Burns. Other contributors include William Dean Howells, Henry Van Dyke, John Hay, Percival Lowell, Charles Warner, F. Hopkinson Smith, Will Carleton, and Frank R. Stockton. CONDITION: Very Good - Well preserved,no foxing, clean, bright paper, tight hinges, no loose pages or separation from spine. Some rubbing on the edges of the covers and a minor 5 mm tear at front bottom hinge corner. SOME HISTORY OF THE BOOK: In an excellent Mark Twain bibliography compiled by Merle Johnson, it notes: "there are presumed to be 251 copies of the book; actually, over 30 of these were not bound but were sold as separate articles." Many copies have also been broken up over the years so that the autographs could be sold separately. There are undoubtedly less than 200 intact copies left in existence and most of those now reside in institutions, (also see "MORE HISTORY"below) and are quite rare, particularly in this condition. (Modern Firsts, Signed, Mark Twain, Limited, Presidential, Theodore Roosevelt, Teddy Roosevelt, Andrew Carnegie,W. D. Howells, Americana) AUTHORS CLUB HISTORY from link: http://www.library.cmu.edu/TheAuthorsClub.pdf: The Authors Club by Mary Catharine Johnsen, Special Collections LibrarianThe Authors Club of New York, organized in 1882, was a social club for like-minded men and a support group for younger writers. Liber Scriptorum's Preface notes that the term "author" was restricted to "writers of published books proper to literature and those who have a recognized place in other kinds of distinctly literary work" (p. iii). The men met the second Thursday of each month from October until May, for dinner, conversation and speeches by members or guests. During its first years, as membership grew from 25 to 300, the Club moved frequently, occupying larger and larger rooms?some more pleasant than others. In 1891, club members conceived of Liber Scriptorum as a means to raise money for a suitable permanent home. Each member contributed an original essay, story or poem that would never be published elsewhere. The subscription price was $100 (almost $2000 in 2002 dollars). Each author signed 251 copies of his entry, and the books weretwere thend. The Preface notes, "Every article, in every copy of the book, is signed by its author with pen and ink. In this feature it is unique [with] more than 27,000 signatures in all." For production, the committee relied on club member Theodore LowDe Vinne, publisher and fine printer, and the book was "presented in the best typographical dress that the De Vinne Press can furnish." (p. iii). De Vinne donated the work at cost, and the club enjoyed a profit of $10,500. By the time the book was finished and the profit realized, Andrew Carnegie had given the Club a suite of rooms in his building at 57th and Seventh Avenue, and publication proceeds were used to furnish the rooms.Many members of the Authors Club were editors. Others had more peripheral writing occupations, such as diplomat John Hay and professor Felix Adler. Some members were great storytellers (Samuel Clemens and Frank Stockton). When Andrew Carnegie first attempted to join the club and submitted a book for review, a club member said words to the effect that "No Pittsburgh ironmaster ever wrote this. Why, this book shows that he has a style." The self-taught Carnegie was immensely gratified by this criticism. He became a member May 20, 1886. He contributed an essay on poet Robert Burns, "Genius Illustrated from Burns," published in The First Book. There were often connections between club members. They worked with each other on newspapers and journals, were academics in the same universities, or worked together on copyright reform. For example, one of the first 25 founders, Edmund C. Stedman, was a banker,poet, critic, and journalist, and also president of the American Copyright League. Some members worked with Andrew Carnegie, including Nicholas Murray Butler and D. C. Gilman, who helped Carnegie organize the Carnegie Institution in Washington. With a sense of tradition, the Club planned a second book for the 25th anniversary of their premier effort, but World War I delayed publication until 1921. The second Liber Scriptorum appeared in the same format as the first, with prose articles and poems, all signed by their authors. The subscription price was $125 (or $1,240 today). MORE HISTORY(2002) from link: http://www.library.cmu.edu/Libraries/Giving/chrono.html:Carnegie UK Trust - Liber Scriptorum, The First and Second Books of the Authors Club of New York (October) University Acquires One-Millionth Book University Libraries has recently acquired its one-millionth book. The symbolic volume is Liber Scriptorum, The First and Second Books of the Authors Club of New York (1893 and 1921), a pair of limited edition volumes. These books were part of the Carnegie family library at Skibo Castle in Scotland, and are a gift to the university from the Carnegie UK Trust on behalf of Carnegie heirs. The Authors Club of New York, organized in 1882, was a social club for men and a support group for younger writers. Club members contributed original essays, stories or poems to be published in Liber Scriptorum, and then signed their works in each copy of the published book. Andrew Carnegie contributed an essay on poet Robert Burns, "Genius Illustrated from Burns," published in The First Book. The Second Book contains a eulogy written about Carnegie. Both volumes of Liber Scriptorum have been digitized and are on the Web at http://doi.library.cmu.edu/10.1184/OCLC/04613595 http://doi.library.cmu.edu/10.1184/OCLC/01487370 We will sell this only through an escrow agent with escrow fees to be split between buyer and seller(normally under $100). Said escrow to be set up within 48 hours of purchase. *Full value insurance is mandatory for this purchase. Within 48 hours of the paid up escrow set up we will ship your the book.Happy bidding! *Please visit our Store where you can find a variety of items! Buyer to prepay calculated SHIPPING and handling only via Pay Pal, Purchase price to be paid only through an established escrow agent with escrow fees to be split between buyer and seller.(normally under $100).Escrow to be set up within 48 hours of purchase. *Full value insurance is mandatory for this purchase. Within 48 hours of the paid up escrow set up book will be shipped. Please DO NOT bid / purchase if you do not intend to follow up with payment. -- Non-paying bidders / buyers will be reported to eBay.-- We welcome all U.S. and International customers! -- Please find the shipping and handling charges to your zip code to determine your total delivered cost BEFORE placing your bid. IF YOU FEEL THIS TOTAL DELIVERED COST IS UNFAIR, PLEASE DO NOT BID OR OFFER ON THE ITEM. -- INSURANCE is mandatory on this item and will be purchased at the time of checkout. Happy bidding and thanks for stopping by! Affordable Auction Management and Image Hosting Solutions @ inkFrog
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