BERLIN ONTARIO: Issued in Commemorationof Celebration of Cityhood Juily 17th 1912. "Issued by Authority of the City

Berlin, Ontario: German Printing and Publishing Co, 1912. First Edition. Hardcover. Collectible Fair. 1st printing. Oblong green gilt-stamped 4to cloth. Unpaginated, but well over 200pps. Illustrated with b/w photos, portraits, and several ads with color toning or outlining. "Special Articles & Illustrative features by Maxwell Publicity Service." "Made in Berlin." Berlin, Ontario, changed its name in 1961 to Kitchener, according to several sources, because of rising anti-German sentiment. Originally, in 1833, the name was chosen after the capitol of Prussia. Decorative endpapers. Both hinges are "broken" meaning the paper is cracked at the (inside) hinges and the webbing there is floppy. I have decided not to attempt a cheap repair on this volume & would recommend the buyer take it to a professional in the bookbinding trade. It is too valuable a book to fix it incorrectly. The cloth is moderately soiled & has some moderate wear at the extremities.The quality of the paper, the images and advertising, and the details of historical and biographical text is really quite extraordinary. There is no age/musty odor which is usually typical of these sorts of books with glossy page stock. The city fathers & businessmen (literally titled "Who's Who") are well represented. The ads are splendid. There is a map of "Rural and Long Distance Lines of the Bell Telephone Company in the Waterloo District." The lithographed photos are excellent; they are sharp & properly exposed. Includes group portraits, for example, of "29th Regimental Band of Berlin, "Grey's Horse Troop," There is a splendid 24" x 9" folding Dominion Day "Berlin Ontario" birds eye photograph highlighting in the caption that Berlin is the "furniture centre of Canada." This is really a quality book that needs some careful hinge repair. Although in a number of Canadian libraries, this book hardly ever shows up on the resale market. Because of the hinges I have graded this copy "fair." c.