Odd and Entertaining Antique Pamphlets from Marc Selvaggio
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By Michael Stillman
Some catalogues are too captivating, too entertaining to keep under wraps. Such is Son of "Kept Under Wraps" from Marc Selvaggio, Bookseller. Actually, the "wraps" mentioned in the title refers to books coming in wraps, that is, paper wrappers, rather than hard covers. Nevertheless, we feel the need to unwrap this catalogue and tell you what is inside, as it is one of the more amusing catalogues you will find. It is filled with the odd and unusual, pamphlets that can be hilarious without ever meaning to be. Indeed, nothing can be as funny as what was once meant to be serious. Here are a few examples of what we mean.
The Van Graef Medical Co. had numerous products for men in A Private Treatise Addressed to Youth, Manhood and Old Age. It contains the usual nostrums for male sexual issues now constantly described on late night television, but the piece de resistance was something called the "electrical vari-clamp." Selvaggio describes it as "a sort of battery-operated jock strap meant to heat up the testicles." Would anyone like to try this thing out? The pamphlet includes numerous testimonials from proverbial satisfied customers. Item 353, published in 1888. Priced at $50.
For those who enjoy singing, there's the San Francisco Memorial Song, a 1906 ditty from William E. Cornell. It celebrates the San Francisco earthquake and fire. Item 11. $45. If fire and earthquake aren't your favorite tragedies to put to song, there is The Johnstown Flood, Illustrated for Piano by Alberto Rivieri, from 1889. This item is "Respectfully Dedicated to the Sufferers," the sufferers presumably being the victims of the flood, not the listeners to the song. Item 15. $45.
As long as we are on the subject of monumental tragedies/entertainment, item 101 was a traveling extravaganza depicting the destruction of Pompeii by a nearby volcano. This piece was prepared for a display at Henry J. Pain's show in Cincinnati in 1891. It is entitled Pain's Last Days of Pompeii, though it might equally have been called "Pompeii's Last Days of Pain." $125.
Item 7 is a promotional for the Sacramento City and County Christian Endeavor of 1897. We are told this was to be "the most memorable event since the admission of the State to the Union." Evidently not much exciting happened in California between 1850 and 1897. $100.
Item 47 is the Boston Salvation Army's A Quarter for the Babies. We presume this 1908 "fresh air camp" appeal was seeking quarters to send children to camp, rather than selling babies for a quarter. $50.
Kroger's is today the largest grocery chain in America, and here is a guide to the secrets behind their success. Item 124 is a 1925 manual for Kroger store supervisors. It asks such things as, for the pickle and olive display, "Are displays clean and is scum taken off brine?" Happily, pickles and olives are today sold at Kroger's in jars, in case the managers forget. $45.
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Odd and Entertaining Antique Pamphlets from Marc Selvaggio
In 1913, Willys-Overland was second only to Ford in U.S. car production.
The Gilroy, California, Chamber of Commerce had its heart in the right place in 1926 when it printed this promotional for their community: Gilroy, South Santa Clara Valley, California: The Home of the Prune. Somewhere along the way, the tourist bureau must have wisely concluded that "Home of the Prune" was not the most enticing motto. It is no longer in use, but has been replaced - and I am not making this up - with the current moniker: "Garlic Capital of the World." Someone needs to teach these folks a thing or two about marketing their community. Item 135. $85.
Mrs. Allen could probably use a new motto too for her business described in her New Price List and Illustrated Catalogue of Mrs. R.W. Allen... Her circa 1900 Detroit establishment is described as a "Hair Store and Toilet Bazar." A new name is in order. Item 238. $50.
Frederick Ingersoll had the honor of announcing that Pittsburgh Luna Park opens the second season of its triumphant career, May 7th, 1906. Triumph was short-lived for this "city of pleasure." It closed in 1909. Item 52. $75.
The Buffalo Express was looking forward to a good year when it published 1899 Recorded. 1900 Greeted. The coming big event for Buffalo, New York, in early 1900 was the Pan-American Exposition. Everyone anticipated the fantastic exhibitions, the newly developed electric lights, and all the wonders of a world's fair. What they could not foresee was the great tragedy about to befall their city. By the fall of that year, the Pan-American Exhibition would be remembered almost exclusively as the site of the assassination of President William McKinley. Item 3. $45.
Pictured on the cover of this catalogue is Nursery Rhymes for War Times, put out during the First World War by the U.S. Food Administration and Utah Agricultural College. Targeted to farmers, it notes, "Every pig you raise helps the cause." No, they weren't putting pigs in uniform and sending them to the front lines. This was to feed the soldiers. Item 380. $45.
Marc Selvaggio, Bookseller may be reached at 800-356-2199 or dsbooks@comcast.net.
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