Independence Day was commemorated with the selection of
Americana as the theme for the July 2024 meeting. The book collectors were creative in their
selections as the books covered not only American history but also cultural
phenomena which are quintessentially American such as baseball, music, and
comic book heroes. Classic works of
American fiction were also presented.
American History
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| Thrilling Incidents in the Wars of the United States |
Neff, Jacob K. Thrilling
Incidents of the Wars of the United States: Comprising the Most Striking and Remarkable
Events of the Revolution, the French war, the Tripolitan War, the Indian wars,
the Second War with Great Britain, and the Mexican War, with Three Hundred
Engravings. New York: Robert Sears,
1851. The book is attributed to the
unnamed "Author of 'The Army and Navy of the United States.'" Jacob K. Neff published The Army and Navy
of America: Containing a View of the Heroic Adventures, Battles, Naval Engagements,
Remarkable Incidents, and Glorius Achievements in the Cause of Freedom, from
the Period of the French and Indian-Wars to the Close of the Florida War; Independent
of an Account of Warlike Operations on Land and Sea in 1845. This successor title, first published in
1848, expands the scope of Neff's military history while focusing more on
particular significant events within these larger wars.
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| Mount Vernon and Its Associations |
Lossing, Benson J.
Mount Vernon and Its Associations, Historical, Biographical, and
Political. New York: W. A. Townsend
& Company, 1859. First
edition. Benson was an American
historian who wrote several presidential biographies and about the United
States' miliary and the Revolutionary and Civil wars. Mount Vernon and Its Associations precedes Life
of Washington: A Biography Personal, Military, Political (1860) and Mary
and Martha: The Mother and Wife of George Washington (1886). The book provides a personal glimpse into the
life of Washington through the lens of his home at Mount Vernon. Benson examines the house, its location, and
the contents of the home and shows the meaning or significance of each in Washington's
life.
 |
Portrait of George Washington
"From the original picture in the Boston
Athenaeum taken from real life in 1795" |
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| Stonewall Jackson: A Military Biography |
Cooke, John Esten.
Stonewall Jackson: A Military Biography, with Portrait and Maps. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1866. Cooke was a novelist and biographer who
previously served as a staff officer to Major General J. E. B. Stuart in the
Confederate States Army during the Civil War.
His biography of Jackson details the Confederate general's military
career beginning with his service in the Mexican-American war and continuing into
the Civil War, from the First Battle of Bull Run in 1861—where Jackson earned
the nickname "Stonewall Jackson"—to his being shot by a Confederate
soldier at the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863. Cook's biography was promptly criticized for
its errors.
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| Bradford's History "Of Plimoth Plantation" |
Bradford, William.
Bradford's History "Of Plimoth Plantation": From the
Original Manuscript, With a Report of the Proceedings Incident to the Return of
the Manuscript to Massachusetts.
Boston: Wright & Potter Printing Co., 1898. The Log of the Mayflower was first
published in America in 1897, containing a passenger log and Bradford's accounts
of the Mayflower voyage and the early settlement of Plymouth Colony, written
between 1620 and 1651. Bradford's
manuscript vanished during the American Revolutionary War and was discovered in
London in the 1840s. Following a lengthy
custody battle, the Manuscript was returned in 1897. This early edition contains both Bradford's
journal and a report on the return of the manuscript to the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts; it predates the "final authorized version of [Bradford's]
text" published by the Massachusetts Historical Society in 1912.
American Culture
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| Last of the Great Scouts |
Wetmore, Helen Cody.
Last of the Great Scouts: The Life Story of Col. William F. Cody
"Buffalo Bill" as Told by His Sister. Chicago: The Duluth Press Publishing Company,
1899. Wetmore recounts the legend of
her brother, "Buffalo Bill" Cody, the frontiersman and Wild West
showman. Buffalo Bill's Wild West show
captured the imagination of audiences in both American and Europe from 1883 to 1906. The horse-culture themed circus-like
attraction featured cowboys, American Indians, gauchos and other distinctive horse
acts. Audiences were wowed by the
colorful costumes, feats of skill, and the excitement of the events, races, and
sideshows. Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show
revolutionized the entertainment industry in America. This copy is inscribed by William F. Cody on
the half title page.
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| Inscription by W. F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody |
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| The Adventures of Superman |
Lowther, George. The
Adventures of Superman. Bedford, MA:
Applewood Books, 1995. Facsimile of
1942 edition. Illustrated by Joe
Shuster, based on the cartoon character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe
Schuster. Superman first appeared in Action
Comics #1 in 1938. The Adventures
of Superman is Lowther's novelization of the comic series. It is known for changing the names of Kal-L's
(Clark Kent's) biological parents' names from Jor-L and Lora to Jor-el and
Lara. Superman is regarded, arguably, as
the first superhero. During World War
II, Siegel and Schuster pitted Superman directly against the Nazis, raising
Superman's status from a comic book hero to a cultural icon in America.
 |
| R. Crumb's Heroes of Blues, Jazz & Country |
Crumb, Robert. R.
Crumb’s Heroes of Blues, Jazz & Country. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2006. Introduction by Terry Zwigoff. Text by Stephen Calt, David Jason, and
Richard Nevins. Illustrations by R.
Crumb. This book offers short
biographies of musical innovators in distinctively American music genres of
blues, jazz, and country. It profiles 114
singers and bands, most of whom are not recognizable names except to the most
ardent fans of their respective styles of music.
 |
| Faithful |
O’Nan, Stewart and Stephen King. Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans
Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season. New
Cumberland, PA: Books to Benefit, 2014. Tenth Anniversary Limited Gift Edition of 750
slip-cased copies. The Boston Red Sox
had a historic season in 2004, defeating their rivals, the New York Yankees,
and winning the World Series for the first time in 86 years. O'Nan and King pay tribute to the 2004 Red
Sox with a running diary of play-by-play analysis, personal observations, and
arguments about controversial calls and managerial decisions. In Faithful, two acclaimed horror
writers provide a captivating look at "America's pastime."
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| Dust jacket front and rear covers |
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| American Vignettes |
White, John I. American
Vignettes: A Collection of Footnotes to History. Convent Station, NJ: TravelVision, 1976. Original drawings by Jerry Allison. John White was a western music singer and
writer who authored numerous short-form essays on Americana and cowboy music. American Vignettes is a collection of 43
anecdotes about people, places, and events in American history. TravelVision was the publishing arm of the
Exxon Travel Club. The book was sent to
club members to commemorate the bicentennial.
This copy retains a note from the president of the travel club
presenting the gift copy of American Vignettes to its members.
American Fiction
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| The Adventures of Tom Sawyer |
Twain, Mark. The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer. New York:
William Morrow & Company: Books of Wonder, 1989. Illustrated by Barry Moser. Afterword by Peter Glassman. First published in 1876, The Adventures of
Tom Sawyer is considered a masterpiece of American literature, though it is
often overshadowed by its sequel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,
regarded as the "Great American Novel." It is Twain's first novel (not co-authored)
and, according to Twain, was one of the first novels to be written on a
typewriter. This copy is signed by Barry Moser on the title page.
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| Title page signed by Barry Moser |
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| My Ántonia |
Cather, Willa. My
Ántonia. Franklin Center, PA:
Franklin Library, 1978. The author's
masterpiece paints a portrait of the late 19th century American Frontier. The novel was acclaimed for bringing the
setting forward as if it were a character itself. My Ántonia's success elevated regional
American literature to the level of mainstream literary fiction.
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| The Age of Innocence |
Wharton, Edith. The
Age of Innocence. Shelton, CT: First
Edition Library, 1987. Wharton's story
was first serialized in four parts in Pictorial Review in 1920 and
published in book form later that year. The
story is set in New York City in the 1870s, and provides a snapshot of the upper-class
during the Gilded Age. The Age of
Innocence earned Wharton the 1921 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, making her
the first woman to win the award.
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| Stoner |
Williams, John. Stoner.
New York: New York Review of Books,
2016. 50th anniversary edition. Williams's campus novel received little
attention when it was first published but was critically praised following reprintings
in 2003 and 2006 for its realism and its cold, factual, plain writing style. Stoner depicts a protagonist with a
"small life" in America, with an undistinguished career and a humdrum
daily routine, facing the usual conflicts which can damage one's personal relationships.
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| American Gods |
Gaiman, Neil. American
Gods. New York: William Morrow,
2001. American Gods is a combination
of fantasy and ancient and modern mythology.
It blends in Americana as the storyline moves across the United States. This copy is signed by the author.
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| American Gods |
Gaiman, Neil. American
Gods. New York: William Morrow,
2011. 10th anniversary edition. This
new edition comprises the author's preferred text, including 12,000 additional
words. This copy is signed by the
author.
