All Kinds of Americana
From Almagre Books
Americana from Almagre Books
By Michael Stillman
Almagre Books has issued its 21st catalogue, "Americana." This is a large and far-ranging collection, 476 items in all. It starts with a book of Ansel Adams photographs and ends with a report on some meteorites found in the Yukon. Just about everything else pertaining to America, primarily America of the North, is in between. Included are many obscure and forgotten titles, just the type collectors love. Here are some.
Most of what you read about American history tends to be focused on those people who arrived earliest, either colonial or at least pre-Civil War times, from Europe, and to a lesser extent, on those who arrived involuntarily on slave ships. The second wave of immigrants, who arrived around the turn of the century, more often from eastern and southern Europe, don't get as much press. For those with ancestors who came in that second wave, Quarantine. Glimpses of America's Threshold, will be an interesting book. Published in 1906, it describes and documents with photography the immigration processes at Ellis Island in New York. Immigrants were quarantined, disinfected, and those deemed undesirable rejected for admittance. Almagre notes that they were treated like cattle, and that the writers of this book were approving of the process. Item 193. Priced at $275.
If New York amazed these new residents, here's something that must have left them speechless: Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. From 1883 until 1917, William "Buffalo Bill" Cody toured the country showing incredulous Easterners what the West was no longer like, nor ever was, for that matter. It was an exaggerated characterization of the Old West, but the audiences loved it, and it helped shaped the image future generations would have of that time and place. Item 115 is a collection of eight programs from these shows, ranging from 1885 until the final year of 1917. Venues included New York, Philadelphia, Detroit and Hartford. Most of the programs contain many pictures of the show. The final program was issued shortly after Cody's death. His reputed last words were "Let my show go on." It didn't. $3,500.
Here is another example of what the West was never like: Captured and Branded by the Comanche Indians in the Year 1860: A True Narrative, by Edwin Eastman. Evidently, this pamphlet was not written to tell the truth about anything. It was designed to sell a patent medicine of the day, supposedly learned by this captive from an Indian medicine man. This pamphlet promotes the author's separate book which Almagre, quoting from G.P. Garrison, describes as "a revolting fictitious story written to advertise Dr. Clark Johnson's Indian blood syrup." Let this be a warning the next time you see a book with the word "true" in the title. Item 148. $150.
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All Kinds of Americana
From Almagre Books
Schlitz made Milwaukee famous, but can it do the same for San Antone?
Item 199 is a serious volume for those who collect documents related to Native Americans. It consists of seven Indian Treaties Recently Ratified, from 1867, bound together in one volume. The original owner was Secretary of the Interior Orville Browning, who served under President Andrew Johnson. The set is inscribed to Browning by Charles Mix, who served as Commissioner of Indian Affairs. Browning was an Illinois colleague of Lincoln who stood by Johnson during his impeachment. While lands returned to the Navajos in Arizona and New Mexico at this time remain in their hands today, much of the land granted other tribes was later taken away by the U.S. in violation of these treaties. $2,850.
Item 4 is Alaska: Interesting and Reliable Information Relating Thereto. Writer B.K. Cowles represented Alaska at the World's Cotton Exposition in New Orleans in 1885. This leads to the question, what was Alaska doing exhibiting at a cotton exposition? $100.
For some people, Alaska just isn't cold enough, so John Barrow decided to focus on the area to the north. Item 18 is a first edition of his A Chronological History of Voyages into the Arctic Regions...published in 1818. Barrow was Secretary of the British Admiralty and directed several explorations which tried (unsuccessfully) to find a Northwest Passage. Fittingly, Point Barrow, at the northern tip of Alaska, is named for him. $750.
Here's a test. Who explored the interior lands of America from 1804 to 1806? If you said "Lewis and Clark," you are, of course, right. But, an alternative correct answer would have been "Robert Sutcliff." Robert Sutcliff? Mr. Sutcliffe was a British merchant who was perhaps more of a tourist than explorer, but he traveled through various parts of the country long before there were motels and restaurants at every stop. He crossed through upstate New York visiting with some of the Indian tribes, and eventually all the way to Niagara Falls. He also visited the South, met Thomas Jefferson, and spoke approvingly of the region with one exception: he considered the existence of slavery a disgrace. Sutcliff never intended to write about his travels, but did so after encouragement from his friends. The book is Travels in Some Parts of North America, in the Years 1804, 1805, & 1806. This is the first American edition and was published the same year as Lewis and Clark's official report, 1812. Item 417. $350.
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All Kinds of Americana
From Almagre Books
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A century later, Antonio Scarfoglio embarked on a much more extensive journey. His book is Round the World in a Motor-Car. That would be an accomplishment even today, but it's absolutely remarkable when you look at the book's date, 1909. The book recounts a truly remarkable race in 1908. Six teams began the race in New York, which included the first transcontinental automobile trip of America during winter. It would take the leader 13 days to reach Chicago, 41 days to reach San Francisco, and 131 days to complete the race. The Italians would arrive several weeks later. Part 1 covers their adventures through the United States, Parts 2 and 3 cover the trip through Asia and Europe. Of the six teams that started, Scarfoglio's Italian team finished third, one of only three to finish. To read about this amazing race, click the following link: www.leftrightonline.com/newsarticlesearch_detail.cfm?ID=26. Item 31. $375.
Here's another early automotive piece: The 1907 Gale. It's a catalogue for a little-remembered early automobile manufacturer from Galesburg, Illinois. The catalogue describes their various models and includes pictures of the cars and engines. I have not been able to find much information about this manufacturer, but it appears they were in operation for five or six years, and out of business by 1910. Among their claims was "Gale cars are the easiest to operate. Even the youngsters can run them." Perhaps this is why people stopped buying their cars. Item 33. $400.
This is an item that does not mix with your automobile: A Token of Remembrance Devoted to its Patrons by the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Co. It was, naturally, printed in Milwaukee in 1893. It includes many pictures from the old brewery covering the various stages of the process. Schlitz was once a major American brewer, the largest in the country at mid-20th century, larger than Budweiser or Miller. If you came of age in the 1960s or earlier, you may remember its distinctive flavor, which won the brewer a loyal following. In the 1970s, they began using cheaper ingredients, which pushed up profits for a time, but soon cost them their following. By the 1980s, they were out of business. Today there is still something in a can with the Schlitz logo, but "the beer that made Milwaukee famous" is brewed under contract to Miller Brewing, on behalf of former competitor Pabst, which now owns the brand, in San Antonio, Texas. Yippee. Item 455. $300.
There are many, many more interesting items in this catalogue. It is definitely worth a look. Almagre Books may be reached at 812-334-0465, or by email at wwroth@kiva.net
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