Posted in Uncategorized on Oct 16th, 2017 Comments Off on The Newburyport Haunted Schoolhouse
It would seem, then, that at last we have a veritable ghost, — a pure and unquestionable visitor of semi-spiritual material. It has appeared, at various times, in a small school-house in Charles Street, in Newburyport, and the evidence regarding it is too lucid and consistent to be passed by. -Loring, publisher Boston Newburyport, the […]
Posted in Uncategorized on Sep 6th, 2017 Comments Off on Takejiro Hasegawa’s crepe paper publications
Takejiro Hasegawa was a Japanese publisher focused on books for export to Europe, the tourist trade, and for foreign residents during Japan’s Meiji period. Hasegawa was noted for employing foreign residents as translators of famous Japanese poems and folktales and recruited notable Japanese artists as illustrators. In 1885 he started what was known as Ehon (“picture”) […]
Posted in Uncategorized on Aug 7th, 2017 Comments Off on Godefroy Loyer in West Africa
This book provides an early and valuable account of West Africa’s “Gold Coast” before it was completely transfigured by slavery and colonialism. Godefroy Loyer (1660-1715), a French missionary, was one of the earliest Europeans to explore and settle in this region. He gained a deep understanding of the language, culture, politics and economy of the Kingdom […]
Posted in Uncategorized on Jul 10th, 2017 Comments Off on Tokyo 1911
Ogawa Kazuma (1860-1929), remarkable Japanese photographer, printer and publisher, was an innovator in photomechanical printing and photography during the Meiji and Taisho periods. He started studying English and photography at the age of 15, moving to Tokyo in 1880 where he was hired as an interpreter in the Yokohama Police Department, meanwhile learning photography. Wanting to improve his English […]
Posted in Uncategorized on Jun 6th, 2017 Comments Off on Early Civil War Broadside
This early Civil War Era broadside from 1861 entitled: “Comparison of Products, Population and Resources of the Free and Slave States” was compiled by John M Batchelder, most likely from 1850s data. At the top of the chart is an illustration of former New York Policeman, Peter Hart, whose heroic attempt to keep the flag flying over Fort Sumter […]
Posted in Uncategorized on May 3rd, 2017 Comments Off on If you worked here….you would be home by now!
Beginning operations in 1906, The Aladdin Company of Bay City, Michigan became one of America’s most long lived manufacturers of mail-order pre-fab homes. By 1918 Aladdin accounted for almost 3% of all new housing in the United States. With its steady growth and soldified reputation in the homeowner market, Aladdin ventured into mass produced industrial housing, mostly […]
Posted in Uncategorized on Apr 10th, 2017 Comments Off on Theodore Dreiser and Ev’ry Month
Theodore Dreiser is well known for his contributions to American literature, including the 1900 classic Sister Carrie. However, before Dreiser became this literary icon, he was an editor and journalist, writing columns and criticism in a woman’s magazine entitled “Ev’ry Month”. The publication, which lasted from 1895 to 1903 and described as “An Illustrated Magazine of Popular Music, The Drama, […]
Posted in Uncategorized on Mar 21st, 2017 Comments Off on The Gods of Pegana
Edward Plunkett, the 18th Baron of Dunsany, was known for his fantasy tales published under the name ‘Lord Dunsany.’ His imaginary worlds were filled with gods, witches, and magic. He invented a fictional land with its own culture, history, and mythology, which had a huge influence on the epic works of J.R.R. Tolkien. His first fantasy work, The Gods […]
Posted in Uncategorized on Feb 22nd, 2017 Comments Off on Etiquette at Washington
The Industrial Revolution in America created a consumer economy, shifting traditional wealth and power away from the long standing blue-blood families and towards the capitalist magnate and a developing new middle class. The idea of the “self-made” American was clearly at odds with the traditional aristocratic and elitist mores of the past centuries. Yet at the same time, […]
Posted in Uncategorized on Jan 30th, 2017 Comments Off on The Heyday of the Card Catalog
The card catalog was a library stalwart for almost 200 years. The earliest use of a card system for inventory control is credited to France where rare confiscated books were distributed to various repositories around Paris for safe keeping. Upon distribution, a card was created with basic bibliographic information to be held at the “Paris Bureau de Bibliographie”. […]