Search Results: Authors starting with V from Stellar Books & Ephemera, ABAA

Williamstown, Pennsylvania, 1849. Stampless Autograph Letter Signed, Williamstown, Pennsylvania to Bound Brook, New Jersey--Teaching and Cholera 1849. 4pp. 7.5 x 9.75 inches Bifolium sheet folded into stampless envelope. Very legible. Very Good Condition. Manuscript letter dated August 10, 1849, from a M.A. Van Arsdale to Catherine Talmage of Bound Brook New Jersey. Letter opens on issues of health and religion but then the author talks about her wish to "rest awhile" in her teaching duties from the "disobedient, troublesome boys." Here is the full passage on Van Arsdale's teaching duties, "My present quarter will end the last of September. I am going then to give up this school to a young man, as I cannot keep it through the winter. Mr. Ford wishes me to teach three months longer (six miles from here) before I go to Somerville. If I am spared, cannot decide yet what I will do. Hope the path of duty will be made plain, when the time arrives, to make the change. I am becoming quite anxious to rest… Read More

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1909. Hardcover. Good/None. Fisherman's Luck and Some Other Uncertain Things, Henry Van Dyke, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1909, 285 pp., 7¾ 5¼ inches. 3/4 leather bound with blue cloth, edgewear to all edges, top edge gilt, soiling to top edge and front and back covers, pages slightly toned, poorly cut, marbled endpapers with former owner's nameplate. Later printing. Good condition. Book tells stories about author's adventures in fishing. Chapters include: Fisherman's luck, The thrilling moment, Lovers and landscape, Fishing in books, A lazy, idle brook, The open fire, A slumber song for the fisherman's child.

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1913. Later printing. Hardcover. Good/None. Days Off, Henry Van Dyke, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1913, 322 pp.,7¾ x 5¼ inches. Blue cloth with gilt titling to spine and cover, gilt decorative cover, top edge gilt, light scuffing to covers, deckle fore edge, poorly cut, soiling to top edge, bottom edge shows shelf wear, corners bumped and worn to boards, light foxing, pages slightly toned, gift inscription to former owner in ink, later printing. Good condition. "Henry Van Dyke (1852-1933) was an American Presbyterian clergyman, educator, and author. He graduated from Princeton in 1873, and from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1874. This book is among his popular inspirational writings. As President Wilson's ambassador to the Netherlands from 1913, Van Dyke was a first-hand witness to the outbreak of World War I and its progress, and was a key player in the President's diplomatic efforts to keep the U.S. out of the conflict.

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1909. Hardcover. Good/None. Fisherman's Luck and Some Other Uncertain Things, Henry Van Dyke, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1909, 285 pp., 7¾ 5¼ inches. Blue cloth with gilt titling to spine and cover, gilt decorative cover, top edge gilt, light scuffing to covers, deckle fore edge, poorly cut, soiling to top edge, pages slightly toned, later printing. Very good condition. Book tells stories about author's adventures in fishing. Chapters include: Fisherman's luck, The thrilling moment, Lovers and landscape, Fishing in books, A lazy, idle brook, The open fire, A slumber song for the fisherman's child.

[Manuscripts] Collection of Edward Sims Van Zile Manuscripts--Mostly Unpublished. 8 sets of typed manuscript material including 5 'complete' projects with 3 sets of partial manuscripts. Mostly very good condition; several wrinkled and worn pages. One set in brad binder, else loose. Rusty paperclips prevalent. Very Good Condition. Edward Sims Van Zile (1863-1931) was an American writer living in New York who published fiction, non-fiction, biographies, a commentary on war, and a history of the early days of movies. Who's Who in New York lists 17 published books and plays. In 1885 he began what might have been one of the earliest "gossip columns" writing for Joseph Pulitzer's New York World as the editor of a column called "Personal and Pertinent". In 1888 Van Zile filed for a patent to "watch" baseball games remotely utilizing telegraph messages which would be posted on his "Bulletin Board and Base Ball Indicator". The indicator was a simple diagram of the baseball field with posted names of the… Read More

[Late 18th Century Connecticut State Tax Collectors] Collection of 16 Manuscript Documents Codifying "Collector of State Taxes" for 1790-91 Connecticut Towns. Various sizes. Generally good condition. Mostly written on scraps of laid paper (several with partial watermarks) variously showing at least one rough edge plus chips or light moisture damage to edge. Good Condition. Small archival collection of formal notifications to the Connecticut State Treasurer of who was elected to be official collector of state taxes for 16 Connecticut towns. Included are: Wethersfield, Haddam, Glastonbury, Pomfret, Windham, Somers, Lisbon, Hartford, Mansfield, Hebron, Stafford, Hartland, Stratford, Killingly, Stamford, Winchester, and Canaan. All in manuscript with town clerk signatures, the name of the collector, the date of the town meeting plus docketing on verso. I imagine the position of tax collector was not favored by many. A nice little collection from the annals of Connecticut history from 1790-91.

Midland, A Magazine of the Middle West (broken run 1926-1934) 47 issues of various formatting styles. Overall Very Good Condition. The Midland, A Magazine of the Middle West was a literary magazine published between 1915 and 1933 from several locales including Iowa City, Moorhead, Minnesota, Glennie Missouri, Pittsburgh and finally Chicago. According to an article in 2019 in "International Encyclopedia of Journalism Studies", the Midland, "gained a considerable prestige due to its focus on regionalism, different perspectives towards literary work, and local, national and global issues that were significant for its readers." The Midland ceased publishing with the May-June 1933 issue, resuming in November 1933 as it merged with Frontier Magazine to establish Frontier and Midland magazine. The editors preferred publishing unknown regional authors and included pieces from farmers, regional poets, reporters, and professors. In full disclosure, I'd not recognize minor literary authors from this period,… Read More

Madrid: Various, 1927. First Editions. In wrappers. Collection of 63 Spanish Theatrical Plays 1838-1927. Condition varies from fine, with original wrappers present and little wear, to fair to good with missing wrappers and moderate wear, but complete other than missing wrapper. Spine abrasion on many of the issues. 63 plays spanning 89 years of Madrid theater presentations ranging the spectrum from zaruelas to high drama. Many of these items are apparently unrecorded and most are difficult to obtain. A complete list of titles is included in the photos. Sold as a set.

Amazing Stories May 1926 Vol. 1 No. 2, Hugo Gernsback editor, Experimenter Publishing Company, New York, 97-192, 8 x 11 inches Fragile pulp from 1926. Front wrapper has 1 1/2 inch tear at middle from spine in which continues for the first three pages. 1/4 x 1 inch piece missing from front wrapper. Chipping to edges. Some chipping to spine. 3 1/2 x 2 1/8 inch piece clipped from bottom corner of back wrapper. Musty odor. Toned pages remain supple with light edge wear. Good Condition. The rare second issue from Hugo Gernsback's ground-breaking science-fiction pulp magazine "Amazing Stories". Includes stories from Jules Verne--"Trip to the Center of the Earth" and "Off On a Comet", Edgar Allen Poe, H.G. Wells, Charles C. Winn, and G. Peyton Wertenbacker. Not the cleanest copy but perfectly decent filler for an early sci-fi collection.

Oakland, Oregon: Vernon, D.E., 1905. Good Condition/None. [Newspaper] Oakland Owl Volume 6 Number 11, June 16, 1905, Printed on Red Silk, D.E. Vernon, Oakland, Oregon, 1905, 23.5 x 19 inches. 1 leaf. Printed on verso only. Red silk has faded moderately. Small spots of thinning or abraded silk. Typical silk fraying at top and bottom edges. Previously folded into quarter. Good Condition. Striking issue of the Oakland Owl Newspaper, Oakland, Oregon printed on red silk, dated June 16, 1906. Curious presentation of a small-town weekly newspaper printed on expensive silk. Front page only, which provides no clues as to why the paper would have been printed on silk. Perhaps this was printed as a retirement gift or ceremonial issue--further research required. Only Oregon State and University of Oregon hold paper copies of the Oakland Owl; no silk copies found in commerce or OCLC. Rare. Page contains local and regional news including a note that A.O. Mattoon, of Drain, Oregon grew a 'tame' Strawberry that… Read More

Lodge Grass, Montana, 1920. David T. Vernon. Collection consists of 120 film negatives (3 x 1.75 inches and 2.5 x 2.5 inches) and 39 snapshots of various sizes from the collection of David T. Vernon (1901-1976). David Vernon came west as a 14-year-old working the summer in Yellowstone National Park as a horse wrangler. He returned west in 1920 at the age of 19 working two years cowboying in and around Wyoming and Montana, with his longest stint as a cowboy for Spear-Faddis Cattle Company. Founded in 1903, the Spear-Faddis operation was known as one of the largest cattle organizations in Wyoming and Montana by 1920. Spear-Faddis leased millions of acres of grazing lands, much on the Crow Reservation. Ranch headquarters were in Lodge Grass Montana, located near the border of Wyoming in south-central Montana, on the Crow Indian Reservation. Herd size ranged from 15,000-25,000 head. In 1923 the company was split up among partners. Willis Spear and his two sons later founded the infamous dude ranch… Read More

[Silver Question] Petition Signed by 23 Democratic Senators October 1893 Single leaf mounted on linen measuring 14 x 8 3/4 inches. Trimmed unevenly at top edge. Very toned or possibly acid burned from glue used on backing. Water damage at bottom edge. Light chipping to edges. Apparently consists of two leaves trimmed and mounted as one. One very small hole. Verso is blank. Good Condition. Historically important manuscript petition drafted by Missouri Senator George G. Vest to the chair of the Democratic Caucus Arthur P. Gorman of Maryland dated October 16, 1893. Signed by 23 sitting United States Senators. The petition was drafted in the midst of one of the worst economic depressions the United States had faced. "The undersigned respectfully request you to call a meeting of Democratic Senators for the purpose of conferring on regard to the action which should be taken by the Democratic Party in the Senate upon the pending silver legislation, --and we hereby pledge ourselves to abide by the action… Read More

Paris, France: Typographie De Henri Plon, 1865. Extrait Des Notes d'un Voyage D'exploration a la mer Morte, dans le Wady Arabah, sur la rive Gauche de Jourdain et dans le Desert de Palmyre par M. L. Vignes, Lieutenant de Vaisseau Publie sous les Auspices de M. le duc de Luynes, Membre de I'institut, Typographie De Henri Plon. Paris, France, 1865. 14.25 x 10.5 inches. 79pp. Printed wrappers partially detached. Toning near spine. Chipping to edges. Light soiling to deckle edges. Uncut leaves. Clean interior. Good Condition. Extract from the notes of a voyage of exploration to the Dead Sea, in the Wady Arabah, on the left bank of the Jordan and in the desert of Palmyra. by M. L. Vignes, Lieutenant of the Navy; published under the auspices of M. le Duc de Luynes, member of the Institute. Paris, Typographie de Henri Plon, 1865.