History, Literature, Manuscripts and More from James Cummins Bookseller
- By Michael Stillman
South Groton (Ayer) Massachusetts schoolchildren in 1863.
James Cummins Bookseller has published catalogue 109. This is a wonderful collection of mixed material, hard to pin down because of its variety. History and literature are to be readily found, as are many manuscript items - letters, personal accounts, speeches, and the like. Suffice it to say this is fascinating and significant material, definitely worth a look. Here are a few samples.
Item 92 contains the signature of a rural farmer, sometimes carpenter, a man who made little mark during his life and died an unknown. It is valuable, not because of Thomas Lincoln's achievements, but because of those of his son, Abraham. Signatures of Thomas Lincoln, who moved around from Virginia to Kentucky to Indiana and Illinois, are rare, as might be expected from an obscure early 19th century farmer. Lincoln was essentially uneducated, but as this document attests, could sign his name. It is a promissory note, and Lincoln has signed as a witness. It is dated 1801, almost eight years prior to the birth of his famous son. Abraham Lincoln was not close, at least emotionally, to his father, who was not warm towards his children, nor appreciative of young Abe's interest in book learning. Thomas was more interested in his son's contributions to the family in the fields. Abe was close to his mother, and after she died, his stepmother, both of whom appreciated his intellectual skills more than did his father. Item 92. Priced at $5,000.
What you see pictured on the cover of this catalogue is 62 framed ambrotype portraits of students at the South Groton (Massachusetts) Grammer School in 1863 (fortunately, this was a "grammer" school, not a spelling one). To that is added a large, center portrait of their teacher. Androtype was a film process popular in the 1850s and 1860s whereby a positive image is created on a glass plate, which is sealed in place, usually with a second sheet of glass. The photographer is listed only as "Ross," evidently H.P. Ross, a local photographer at that time. South Groton, also known then as Groton Junction, is today's community of Ayer. Item 139. $15,000.
Item 33 is a letter from noted inventor George Washington Carver to a student, Rebecca Caudhill, in response to three philosophical questions. Miss Caudhill has asked such difficult questions as, "Does truth exist only in the abstract," and, "What is necessary to have a knowledge of things." In part of his answer, Professor Carver, a man of deep faith, explains, "…each and all of the above perplexities will be made clear in proportion to the rapidity and the nearness with which we live in accordance with the wish of the "Great Creator"; thus losing the finite and taking on the infinite." And you thought all he did was make things out of peanuts! $1,000.
When asked for advice, Vice-President (and future President) Calvin Coolidge, "Silent Cal," was much less complicated. When 18-year-old D.M. Stoner asked for advice on how to live, Coolidge was able to concentrate what to do into a concise nutshell: "All you need to do is WORK and SAVE YOUR MONEY. Just two things." Actually, the advice was slightly more complicated as Coolidge also recommended Stoner purchase some life insurance. Item 43. $1,250.
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History, Literature, Manuscripts and More from James Cummins Bookseller
- By Michael Stillman
Thomas Nast's little White House with big people.
Item 110 is a circa 1864 drawing by the great political cartoonist Thomas Nast, captioned, No. 2. The Small White House for the Large Statesmen. It depicts the limbs of a couple of large people, possibly including President Abraham Lincoln, protruding from windows and doors of the White House. In front, a black lady cooks on a stove with a washboard and clothesline nearby. See the image on this page. Exactly what point Nast was making is not clear. Nast would later become famous for his biting cartoons of Boss Tweed that helped bring down New York's corrupt Tammany Hall. $6,500.
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson is best known for the illogical logic of his "Alice" stories written under the penname Lewis Carroll, but Dodgson was actually a mathematician and logician. He tutored students (young girls) in logic, and wrote this book, Symbolic Logic Part I Elementary, published in 1896. This copy is inscribed, as typically, "from the Author," to Hilda Rowell. Hilda was the oldest of three sisters who were tutored by Dodgson, the younger ones sometimes considered among his "child friends." Item 50. $7,500.
Item 12 is the beginning of a eulogy that touched the heartstrings of America like few others. It is the autographed, draft manuscript opening of Secretary of State James G. Blaine's eulogy before the House of Representatives for fallen President James Garfield. You can find printed copies of Blaine's eulogy available online. Garfield has slipped somewhat into obscurity over the 120 years since he was assassinated, but he was immensely popular at the time he died, and the nation, not that far removed from Lincoln's assassination, was deeply hurt. Blaine's eulogy was flowery and emotional, well received by a grieving public. Blaine would go on to wrest the 1884 Republican presidential nomination from Garfield's vice-president and successor, Chester Arthur, but would unexpectedly be defeated in the general election. $1,000.
William Howard Taft served in the nation's top job in both the executive and judicial branches. He served as President from 1909-1913, and then was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in 1921. In 1927, he weighed in on the aftermath of the Sacco and Vanzetti trial, and his observations would lead one to believe that Theodore Roosevelt was right - Taft was no progressive. In this letter to Connecticut Republican leader Ike Ullman, Taft uses a little red-baiting directed towards those unhappy with the two men's conviction for murder: "The propaganda in this case has been world wide and promoted by the very extended contributions of people, many of whom are reds, some who are pinks, others who are hysterical and prone to think everything wrong, and by others with criminal instincts. It would seem that the rule toward which many people are working would result in immunity for anybody who said he was a communist…" Sacco and Vanzetti's guilt or innocence is debated to this day (some think Sacco was guilty; Vanzetti innocent). However, what is clear is that neither received a very fair trial, with anti-Italian prejudice flowing freely. Taft must have missed this. Item 162. $4,000.
James Cummins Bookseller may be reached at 212-688-6441 or cummins@panix.com. Their website is www.jamescumminsbookseller.com.
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