Early 20th century washable children's books

THIS JUST IN: Once upon a time, some children’s books were produced on fine linen. They had the advantage of being washable and quite durable. There are, of course, washable books today but they most likely will be made of vinyl. In the early part of the 20th century, at a time when chromolithography was in its prime, children’s books were produced on linen. The two samples in our collection were published by The Saalfield Publishing Company of New York, once the largest producer of children’s books, and Sam’l Gabriel Sons & Company of New York, a prominent post card manufacturer.

THIS JUST IN: Pre-World War I newspapers

Michael has hard and fast rules about what he will and will not buy! And he sticks to them. Except when he doesn't. Hey, he's the boss. To enquire about the items shown in this video, please call (727) 822-3278.

Rare book appraiser Michael Slicker has owned Lighthouse Books, ABAA in St. Petersburg, Florida, for more than 35 years. Lighthouse Books, ABAA specializes in antiquarian books, serving St. Petersburg, Tampa, the Tampa Bay area and all of Florida. In addition to rare books, out-of-print books, used books, antique maps, vintage prints, and antique photographs, Lighthouse Books, ABAA also offers expert antiquarian book appraisals.

Signed, limited edition on Art Deco designer

THIS JUST IN: Here are two volumes devoted to the work of the early 20th century Russian-French designer Erté, who turned his artistic talents to costume and set design for opera, film, and theater, graphic arts, jewelry, and fashion as well as interior decor. From the mid-teens to the late 1930s, Erté designed more than 200 covers for Harper’s Bazaar. His illustrations also appeared in Vogue, Ladies’ Home Journal, and Cosmopolitan. His real name was Romain de Tirtoff, but he used Erté (the French pronunciation of his initials) so as to not offend his Russian family, who wanted him to become a naval officer like his father. One title is a limited edition signed by the artist. To enquire about this set, please call (727) 822-3278.

English landscape painter J.M.W. Turner is highlighted in these leather-bound volumes

THIS JUST IN: Here is a two-volume leather-bound set containing 120 engravings of the work of English Romantic landscape painter J.M.W. Turner, who was known as the painter of light. This set was published by D. Appleton and Company in New York. To enquire about this set, please call (727) 822-3278.

This 1720 copy of a how-to book on political intrigue is a must-have for students of politics

THIS JUST IN: Here is a must-have volume for any serious student of political theory. The Works of the Famous Nicolas Machiavel, Citizen and Secretary of Florence is a collection of the writings of Italian historian and philosopher Nicholas Machiavelli, whose name is synonymous with unscrupulous political maneuverings. Some scholars suggest Machiavelli may have gotten a bad rap when it comes to secret skullduggery designed to maintain power at any cost. They even say his most famous work, The Prince, was clearly satire, and point to other writing that heavily influenced John Adams and other Founding Fathers in establishing the Constitution of the United States, as proof that Machiavelli was misinterpreted. This is a third English-language edition published in London in 1720. Section titles include The History of Florence, The Prince, The Discourses and The Art of War. To enquire about his volume, please call (727) 822-3278

If you love sailing, sailboats, and the ocean, this might be the perfect collection for you

Sometimes we depart from our format of talking about newly acquired books to shed a little light on some of our long-standing collections. To enquire about any of the books shown in this video, please call (727) 822-3278.

In our antiquarian prints and maps section, a 1794 Caribe Indian print draws our interest

Well, this is the third in our This Just In video series, and it's a slight departure. We've had this print awhile but we came across it again back in the map and print archives. It's an interesting item and one that suggests the sorts of amazing find awaiting you at Lighthouse Books, ABAA. If you aren't close by, consider this your invitation to visit our online store. Also, you can join us on Facebook and Pinterest, and keep in touch on Twitter at The Rare Book Gazette. By the way, the This Just In series, which we will be expanding, is now grouped as a playlist in YouTube, so you'll be able to see all three of them right here. Enjoy! And if you're on YouTube, leave us a note. We'd love to hear from you. To enquire about this item, please call (727) 822-3278.

Freelancer Corita Doggett Corse headed the Florida Federal Writers Project in the 1930s

Just a little more about the Federal Writers Project and its Depression-era state guide books we were discussing yesterday. Zora Neale Hurston worked on Florida, A Guide to the Southernmost State (1939), the Sunshine State’s contribution to the collection. Stetson Kennedy was ostensibly her supervisor, though Stetson was quoted as saying it was virtually impossible to supervise Zora. She tended to work out in the field alone and send large envelopes with her material back to headquarters.

The big boss, the overall supervisor of the Federal Writers Project in Florida was Corita Doggett Corse, a freelance writer who is credited with such tourist oriented volumes as The Historical Romance of Florida's Silver Springs: Shrine of the Water Gods (1948) and Florida Empire of the Sun (1930), which she wrote for the Florida State Hotel Commission. She also wrote Dr. Andrew Turnbull and the New Smyrna Colony of Florida (1919). Click on the photo to enlarge it. To enquire about these items, please call (727) 822-3278.

These 50 American Guide Series volumes were produced by Federal Writers' Project

THIS JUST IN: Here are about 50 volumes of the American Guide Series, the largest undertaking of the Federal Writers’ Project during the Great Depression. The Federal Writers’ Project was a New Deal initiative under FDR’s administration designed to put unemployed writers, editors, and researchers back to work. There are numerous state guides, of course, and a couple focused on cities, San Francisco and New Orleans. Zora Neale Hurston, Corita Doggett, Corse, and Stetson Kennedy worked on the Florida guide. We’ll discuss that tomorrow. Click on the image to enlarge it. To enquire about any or all of these items, please call (727) 822-3278.

Uncle Scrooge McDuck limited edition features signed and numbered lithograph

THIS JUST IN: In 1981, cartoonist Carl Barks turned 80. Barks created Scrooge McDuck in 1947, and was one of the principal artists who drew Donald Duck for the Walt Disney Company. To honor his birthday, Celestial Arts produced a limited edition of 5,000 copies of this beautiful leather-bound book about Donald Duck’s wealthy maternal uncle. Included was a separate numbered lithograph of a painting of Uncle Scrooge and his nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie, hand signed by Carl Barks. Both the book and the lithograph are numbered 1876. To enquire about these items, please call (727) 822-3278.

All Charles Dickens. All first editions.

THIS JUST IN: These are the first bound editions, not the serializations. Here are The Pickwick Papers, Little Dorrit, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, Martin Chuzzlewit, Bleak House, Our Mutual Friend, Nicholas Nickleby, Master Humphrey's Clock, and more. Click on the image to enlarge it. To enquire about any or all of these items, please call (727) 822-3278.

THIS JUST IN: 1914 Florida Growers Atlas

Michael discusses a recent discovery at a great old Florida institution. This Just In is a regular feature of Lighthouse Books, ABAA, highlighting newly acquired items that may be of interest to book lovers and collectors. To purchase this item, plesse call (727) 822-3278.

Dirty campaign: Anti-Andrew Jackson pamphlet stirs issue of militia executions

THIS JUST IN: If you think today’s political campaigns are dirty, take a look at the U.S. presidential campaign of 1828. Andrew Jackson was running against incumbent John Quincy Adams. Jackson’’s opponents published a series of handbills and pamphlets designed to smear Jackson’s reputation. They became known as the Coffin Handbills because the first ones raised the issue of Jackson’s role in having six militia men executed for desertion after the War of 1812. This pamphlet seeks to enrage voters about that issue. “These American citizens were inhumanly & illegally massacred,” the piece reads. This pamphlet is rebound in modern cloth. Other material in the Coffin Handbill series (though not in this collection) accused Jackson of adultery and called his mother a prostitute. Click the photo to enlarge it. To purchase this item, please call (727) 822-3278.

1838 first edition: Emancipation in the West Indies, a report by American abolitionists

THIS JUST IN: In 1837, The American Anti-Slavery Society commissioned James A. Thome, a fervent young abolitionist, and J. Horace Kimball, editor of the abolitionist newspaper Herald of Freedom, to survey the effects of emancipation in the West Indies. Great Britain had officially ended slavery in 1834, but the measure was phased in over several years. Thome and Kimball spent six months visiting Antigua, Barbados, and Jamaica and observing the progress and effects on society. Their findings were published in 1838 as Emancipation in the West Indies. This is a first edition. Click the photo to enlarge it. To purchase this item, please call (727) 822-3278.

West Florida land grant document highlights British colonial era in the Pensacola region

THIS JUST IN : Here is a land grant document for a thousand acres executed in 1772 in West Florida for one Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Munster in partial payment for service in His Majesty’s army keeping the colony safe for monarchy. The document specifically instructs the king’s surveyor general, Charles Durnford, to make sure he assign land to Colonel Munster that was vacant and hadn’t been given to anyone else. The last thing the monarch (who was King George III at the time) needed was his army officers squabbling over land.

King George had his hands full with the uppity colonists in other American colonies thinking they’d be better off going it alone. The following year, some of them dumped tea in Boston Harbor to protest the King’s unreasonable taxes. When the American Revolution came, East and West Florida remained loyal to the crown. In the end, though, the British only stayed in Florida 20 years. In 1781, Spain captured Pensacola, and by 1783, the entire Florida territory was ceded back to Spain.

Click the photo to enlarge it. To purchase this item, please call (727) 822-3278.

Original congressional bill to remove Seminoles from Florida to Oklahoma

THIS JUST IN: Here is a copy of the 1839 original bill from Congress authorizing $10,000 for the removal of Seminole Indians from Florida to the Oklahoma territory. Only a few were printed. It comes in a gilt-stamped protective case. Andrew Jackson called for shipping the Indians west when he took office in 1829 but it was 10 years (and half way through the Martin Van Buren administration) before Congress acted. The legislation led to the Second Seminole War, one of the longest and costliest wars in American history. Click to enlarge photo.

1925 first edition, Maxfield Parrish

THIS JUST IN: Here is The Knave of Hearts by Louise Saunders, illustrated by the incomparable Maxfield Parrish; published by Charles Scribner's Sons in 1925. This folio-sized first edition is covered in black cloth with a full-color paper label mounted on the front cover. And it is in near-fine condition. Someone is going to snap this up.