VINTAGE Autograph Reference Books (Part 2 of 3)
By Stephen Koschal
We will begin Part 2 with an interesting and uncommon autograph reference book. Talks About Autographs. by George Birkbeck Hill. London 1896. One hundred ninety-one pages, illustrated. Interesting reading. Mr. Hill only owned two American autographs. On page one hundred twenty-two he proudly illustrates a George Washington check from his collection written during the last year of his life.
Talks About Autographs
George Washngton check from Hills collection
George Birkbeck Hill went to his grave not knowing his prized check was a Robert Spring forgery.
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This next little treasure is a must for autograph exemplars. Refreshing to see a female author, Autographs and Birthdays of Eminent Persons. Compiled by Alice M. Rushton, New Amsterdam Book Company, New York 1898. Four hundred-eight pages, heavily Illustrated. Over 1,800 exemplars many between 1400’s to 1700’s.
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The following little treasure is Autograph Collecting by Henry T. Scott, M.D. London. l. Upcott Gill, no date, a massivie 437 pages , sections on early letters, destruction on writings, celebrated collectors, unexpected discoveries, lost treasures, concerning franks, forgeries, paper/ink, forgers and their dupes, literary hoxes, Shakespeare forgeries, original letters often mistaken for copies, and this is up to only page 133. Heavily illustrated. This book ends wth 168 pages of a comprehensive price list.
The following page is just a small sample from Autograph Collecting.
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Adrian H. Joline (1849-1912). Distinguished New York Lawyer, Author and collector of autographs. At the time of his death, he was one of the oldest American collectors of autographs and one of the most authoritative. He contributed articles for such prestigious magazines such as The Autograph, A Bi-Monthly Magazine published by P.F. Madigan and The Collector, a monthly magazine published by Walter R. Benjamin. Mr. Joline’s contribution to the autograph community was building a very fine collection of autographs and writing several books on autographs. Mr. Madigan stated that Joline's delightful Meditations of an Autograph Collector is perhaps the most interesting work that has been written on the subject. Published by Harper & Brothers, 1902. Three hundred-sixteen pages, illustrated. We have in our reference library Mr. Joline’s personal copy.
Bookplate in Joline’s personal copy of Meditations of an Autograph Collector
Signed copies of Joline's books are near impossible to find. Below is an illustration of Joline’s handwriting and signature.
Above is an illustration of a last page of a Charles Darwin a.l.s.
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A delightful book published in London in 1904. One hundred seventy-seven pages followed by a few pages of books available for sale. Nearly 30 illustrations.
Illustration on page 31 is an a.l.s. of Charles Dickens.
Illustrated below is from page 37, a Charles Dickens, Jr. a.l.s.
Signature of the author George R. Sims
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American Public Men A Manual for Autograph Collectors by John A. Larkin. Printed by Dodd, Mead and Company, 1906. Limited to 350 numbered copies.
One hundred-two pages. This book contains 17 sections, listing all the names places/dates of all the members in that section. Starts with, Delegates To The Stamp Act October 7, 1765 In The Order In Which They Answered The Request and ending with the Justices of the Supreme Court.
This volume above contains a truckload of information, however it is most difficult to find. Possibly one of the first books on the subject to be found in a limited, numbered edition.
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JOLINE, Adrian H. Five years after his highly acclaimed book Meditations of an Autograph Collector, Joline publishes The Autograph Hunter and Other Papers.
Privately Printed, Alderbrink Press, Chicago 1907. Limited edition of only 150 copies. A very interesting and amusing read, although one may need a dictionary to get through it. Mr. Joline introduces the word “autographomaniac” and speaks about the unpopular person who writes for autographs. Joline refers to letters or documents signed by a highly regarded person such as Charles I of England, that it is not only delight of reading original letters and manuscripts of intrinsic merit, yet with the charm of reading comes the joy of possession.
Although you may find it very difficult to find any book by Jolin signed, you may be lucky enough to find a copy with his personal gift card.
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Autograph Letters and Autographs of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, In the Possession of George C. Thomas. Philadelphia, Private Circulation 1908. Pages not numbered but an eye appealing book. Illustrations of some of the signers. Alphabetical Index with dates and types of signed items.
End Part 2
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