Search Results: Business & Economics from Classic Books and Ephemera

New York: American Educational Press, 1926. Hardcover. Very Good -. Copyright by Irving Jay Rogers. x, [2], 163 p., frontispiece and 30 leaves of portraits; 18 cm. Dark blue cloth with gilt spine title. Facsimile signatures of the contributors. The Introduction is by Will H. Hays, the President of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America from 1922 to 1945. He is best known today for the Hays Code, the 1930 Motion Picture Production Code that resulted in movies made in the 1930s being far more straight-laced than those produced earlier. Contains inspiring contributions by 40 white men. Scarce. In Very Good- Condition: cover is lightly soiled; corners rubbed; front joint slightly frayed; old repair to front hinge; otherwise, pages are clean and tight.

London: Thomas Baskett and the assigns of Robert Baskett, 1753. Fine. Title continued: "and for Regulating the Election of the Governors and Directors of the said Company." [2], 279-280 p.; 33 cm. (folio). Three stab-holes, but no other evidence that this was ever bound. Edges are untrimmed. Title page reads "Anno Regni Georgii II. . . . At the Parliament begun and holden at Westminster, the Tenth Day of November, Anno Dom. 1747, in the Twenty first Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second . . . And from thence continued by several Prorogations to the Eleventh Day of January, 1753, being the Sixth Session of this present Parliament." The woodcut coat of arms of George II above the imprint. Woodcut historiated initial at the beginning of the act. Relates to the joint stock company for foreign trade established in 1711 and known more commonly as the South Sea Company. Famously associated with the South Sea Bubble in 1720, the company was also very active… Read More

London: Mark Baskett and the Assigns of Robert Baskett, 1764. Fine. [2],403-407,[1] p.; 33 cm. (folio). Three stab-holes, but no other evidence that this was ever bound. Edges are untrimmed. Title page reads "Anno Regni Georgii III. . . . At the Parliament begun and holden at Westminster, the Nineteenth Day of May, Anno Dom. 1761., in the First Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third . . . And from thence continued by several Prorogations to the Fifteenth Day of November, 1763, being the Third Session of the Twelfth Parliament of Great Britain." Woodcut royal coat of arms above the imprint. Woodcut historiated initial at the beginning of the act. In order to increase the supply of hemp and flax for the production of sail cloth and cordage, needed by the Royal Navy and the merchant marine, this act granted a bounty to those who brought those materials from the American colonies to England. In Fine Condition: clean and bright.

Philadelphia: N. Snellenburg & Co, 1891. Very Good -. Illustrated Sketches and Stories for Young America by George M. Vickers was issued by the Philadelphia department store Snellenburg & Co. in 1891 as an advetisement for the store. These pictorial boards (27 cm. high), long-since removed from the book, have the title of the book on the front board with a black-and-white illustration of a ship under steam in the center and color illustrations of boys skating and cycling around it. At the lower edge is added: "Presented to Our Young Friends. N. Snellenburg & Co. Philadelphia." In the upper right-hand corner is a blue circular emblem with the motto: "Snellenburg's Good Phila. Made Clothing G.P.M.C. Others 30%." The back board displays color illustrations of the two department stores in Philadelphia with the same motto in brown. In the late 19th century, Snellenburg's issued several such books for children with advertising on the exterior boards. This is a… Read More

Detroit: Standard Accident Insurance Co, 1910. Hardcover. Very Good +. [60] pages of rules paper; 11 cm. Flexible green cloth with logo for the Standard Accident Insurance Co. in black on the front. Information about that insurance company on paper lining front and back cover. Inside the front cover is a space left blank for a local insurance agent, here containing the stamp of John A. Johnson, real estate and general insurance, Norristown, Pa. No date; John A. Johnson was called "the prominent Norristown, Pa., insurance firm" in a 1909 publication. Several pages contain notes on a talk about George Washington; otherwise, blank. In Very Good+ Condition: cover is slightly soiled; most pages are blank.

Philadelphia: George W. Jacobs & Co, 1925. Fine. 2 advertising inserts printed on both sides. One (16 x 10 cm.) advertises the mail order department on one side and the stationery department on the other. The other (10 x 16 cm.) advertises a "Special Book Service" to provided buyers with information on new books in their areas of interest. No date of publication, but the address on both is 1726 Chestnut St., and the first adds "Note the New Address." In 1925 George W. Jacobs sold the publishing side of his business, but he continued his book and stationery store, moving to 1726 Chestnut St. Scarce. In Fine Condition: clean and crisp.

1905. Good +. Signed 3-page typescript of a agreement of sale between the American Baptist Publication Society and John Wanamaker. The American Baptist Publication Society sold to John Wanamaker the Crozier Building at 1420 and 1422 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, for $900,000. The Crozier Building was designed by Frank Miles Day & Brother and was added to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places in 1980. American merchant John Wanamaker (1838-1922) had made $1.5 million in profits and interest from his stores in Philadelphia and New York in 1904, suggesting that his acquisition of the Crozier Building was an investment. The Crozier Building has continued to function as a successful office building to this day. In Good+ Condition: chipping at edges; loss of lower corner of first page, with minor loss of text; separating along some of the 2 horizontal creases in each page; signatures are clean and intact.

Moscow: Editorial Progreso, 1977. Hardcover. Near Fine. 258, [6] p.: tables; 21 cm. Light grey cloth with black stamped spine and cover titles; green stamped author's name and publisher's emblem? on front cover. No dust jacket. Translation of Latinskaia Amerika by M. Jusainov. This Spanish translation of Boyko's work on imperialism and capitalism in Latin America is very scarce. In Near Fine Condition: cover lightly soiled; pages are clean and tight.

Philadelphia: John C. Winston Co, 1915. Paperback. Good. 251, [5] p.: tables; 19 cm. Paperback with plain brown wrapper and black cover titles. Publisher's catalog on final 4 unpaginated pages. Printed pastedown on front cover from the United Mine Workers of America to a newspaper editor urging the paper to use the information in this book when writing about the negotiations for the next anthracite wage agreement. Stamped over the pastedown and on the title page: "Editorial Page Library" (newspaper not identified). Attached to the inside of the front wrapper is a folded sheet with detailed information about the agreement, which was set to expire on March 31, 1916. Very scarce in paperback with the United Mine Workers additions. In Good Condition: lacking wrapper over spine; chipping along edges of wrapper, with partial loss of title on front wrapper; back wrapper is detached but present; front wrapper almost detached; tape residue along spine from old repair; minor loss from… Read More

Norristown, Pa: J.H. Shuler & Son, Jewelers & Silversmiths, 1925. Hardcover. Near Fine -. [84] p.; 77 mm. Dark green faux-leather over card; embossed "Appointments" over a gilt background on front cover, with gilt-stamped business name below. Calendar for 1926 on front fixed endpaper and calendar for 1927 on back fixed endpaper. Most of the pages have "Appointments" at the head but are otherwise blank. Former owner's name and address written on back of the first page: "Wm. B. Daub 221 E. Freedley St. Norristown Pa." William B. Daub (1912-1989) was a resident of Norristown, Pa., graduated from Haverford College in 1933, and married Doris K. This small appointment book was used by Daub in high school and contains references to his activities, including Chataqua, band and orchestra practice, classes and books he was reading. Shuler's Jewelers closed in 2013, after about a century of operation. In Near Fine- Condition: light wear; otherwise, clean and tight.

Cleveland: Corday & Gross Co, 1945. Hardcover. Very Good. [8], 13-125 p.: frontispiece, illustrations, tipped-in portrait of the author, color diagrams; 24 cm. Dark blue cloth with gilt-stamped spine and cover titles. Lacking dust jacket. Illustrated endpapers. Former owner's bookplate on front free endpaper: Joseph S. Curley. With: the business card of the author, as chairman of the board of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Akron, Ohio; and a newspaper clipping of the first part of a 1969 article about the author's widow, Florence Pennington Brinton Litchfield (1880-1972). Paul Weeks Litchfield (1875-1959) joined the Goodyear firm in 1900 and rose from factory manager to president and board chairman. In 1932 the American Society of Mechanical Engineers gave him the Spirit of St. Louis medal for service advancing "airship design and construction in America" for his contributions to the development of the zeppelin. With the beginning of the Second World War he led the… Read More

Philadelphia: Bank of North America, 1892. Near Fine -. 1 leaf 21 cm. Engraved. "John H. Michener, Prest. John H. Watt, Cashier. James C. Pinkerton, Ass't Cashier." Dated July 2, 1892, and addressed to A. E. Patton, cashier of the First National Bank of Curwensville, Pa. Alexander Ennis Patton (1852-1904) became the president of the First National Bank of Patton when it was established in 1893 and was elected to the Pennsylvania Senate in 1900. The Bank of North America, the first chartered bank in the United States, was established in 1781. John Hanson Michener (1821-1906) was president of the bank for many years. In Near Fine- Condition: lightly creased; clean and bright.

Tidioute, Pa: Banking House of Grandin Brothers, 1892. Near Fine. 1 leaf 21 cm. Engraved. "J. L. Grandin. Wm. J. Grandin." Dated July 1, 1892, and addressed to A. E. Patton, cashier of the First National Bank of Curwensville, Pa. Signed by E. M. Curtis, cashier. Alexander Ennis Patton (1852-1904) became the president of the First National Bank of Patton when it was established in 1893 and was elected to the Pennsylvania Senate in 1900. The Grandin brothers, John Livingston Grandin (1836-1912), William James Grandin (1838-1904), and Elijah Bishop Grandin (1840-1917), in 1859 followed the lead of Edwin Drake in Titusville, Pa., who had dug the first successful commercial oil well in the United States earlier that year. With oil money they established the Grandin Brothers Bank in 1870. Victims of the Jay Cooke & Co. bankruptcy in 1873, they exercised their right to take Northern Pacific Railway bonds with land-purchasing rights in the Dakota Territory, rather than 15 cents on the… Read More

London: Alexander Strahan & Co, 1863. Hardcover. Very Good. "Eighth thousand." vi, [2], 288 p.; 18 cm. Contemporary green morocco with six spine compartments between raised bands. Gilt-tooled spine title in second compartment; gilt-tooled decoration in remaining compartments. Elaborate gilt-tooled borders on both boards; gilt-tooled edges and turn-ins. All page edges gilt. Very attractive binding by an unidentified binder. Head-pieces and decorated initial letters. In Very Good Condition: edges rubbed; minor loss at head of spine; small stain on front board; clean and tight.

London: Hubbard Pub'g Co, 1897. Paperback. Good. [12] p.: chromolithographed illustrations; 15 cm. Wrapper title. Inside front wrapper is list of "The Celebrated Set of 12 Palmer Cox Primers." Lacking publication information, but consistent with others in this series published by Hubbard in 1897. Contains 5 short tales about animal characters: The Quarrel -- The Wolf's First Party -- The Dissatisfied Owl -- The Squirrel's Visitor -- Meddlesome Pater. Based on 6 illustrations by Palmer Cox, best known as the creator of the Brownie books. This was intended for use as a promotional booklet. The back wrapper has an illustration of a knight and jester holding a large broadside, with a brownie peeking out from under it. In this case, the broadside and the inside of the back wrapper have been filled in with advertising for Atmore & Son, purveyor of plum pudding and mincemeat at 110 Tasker St., Philadelpha, Pa. English immigrant Frederick B. Atmore was reportedly the first… Read More

London: Walton and Maberly, 1854. Paperback. Good. [4], 140, 4 p.; 19 cm. Original green paper wrapper printed in black. Front wrapper and title page with vignette indicating that this was a Young Men's Christian Association prize essay. Printed by Wertheimer and Co. Last four pages contain publisher's catalog. According to the Preface, this essay was judged the winner among 46 essays on the topic written by young businessmen (not over 36 years old). The judges of the contest were: Richard Burgess, Charles Stovel, Thomas Binney, and George Hitchcock. Contents: The physical evils of the present system of business -- The moral evils of the present system of business -- The difficulties presented by the evils of the present system of business to the attainment and development of personal piety -- Remedial suggestions. An interesting and perceptive examination of working conditions in mid-19th-century England. Very scarce in the original wrapper. In Good Condition: lacking back… Read More

Philadelphia: Philadelphia Bourse, 1891. Paperback. Very Good. Printed by Allen, Lane & Scott, Philadelphia. [2], 10 p. and [4] p. tipped in before p. 9 (1 folded); 15 cm. Light green wrapper printed in black. Written at head of front wrapper: "Amended." One leaf bearing an amended Article VIII {Stock and Stockholders} precedes the original Article VIII; this explands the original Article from 2 sections to 5. Tipped onto that is a larger, folded leaf containing Article VII with an added section (Section 6) about preferred stock. The Philadelphia Bourse was established in 1891 as a commodities exchange. The building, completed in 1895, was designed by G. W. & W. D. Hewitt. Although it ceased being a commodities exchange in the 1960s, it has continued to house offices, shops, and restaurants. This copy of the original by-laws must have belonged to one of the original shareholders. Scarce. In Very Good Condition: wrapper is slightly soiled; ink mark on back wrapper; upper… Read More

Boston: Oliver Ditson Co, 1918. Paperback. Fair. [4], 29, [1] p.: music for soprano solo and chorus with piano accompaniment; 28 cm. Plain wrappers printed in black. Wrapper title and imprint. Front wrapper stamped in red: "Strawbridge & Clothier Chorus." The words are printed separately after the title page (as well as with the music). The chorus represents the "downtrodden Peoples of the East" and the soprano solo represents the "Spirit of Freedom," who declares "Behold the prize which westward yoner lies! . .. Our Banner, we'll bear it triumphant or die, the Star-spangled symbol of Freedom for aye!" Herbert clearly composed this 15-minute work in response to World War One. The Strawbridge & Clothier Chorus was established in 1904 and existed until the store was sold in 1996. In Fair Condition: third leaf (second page of lyrics) and back wrapper are detached but present; stitching loose; wrappers are lightly soiled; corners are creased;… Read More

Cleveland, Ohio: Tarr Publishing Co, 1902. Paperback. Very Good. 151, [1] p.: illustrated advertisements; 15 cm. Brown card covers printed in black, with "J.S. Pushaw," who has an advertisement inside the front cover as bookseller, news dealer, and stationer. Includes illustrated advertisements for Gustav Schaefer, buggies and wagons; Oscar Klotzbach, chiropodist; Dainz Electric Co. with a hand holding lightning bolts; the Edmiston Business College. In Very Good Condition: one vertical crease through center; spine rubbed with small loss; lower corner of front cover creased; clean and tight.

Coalport, Pa: Coalport Bank, 1892. Near Fine. 1 leaf 23 cm. Engraved. At head: "Samuel Hegarty, President. Frank G. Patton, Cashier." Dated July 2, 1892, and addressed to A. E. Patton, cashier of the First National Bank of Curwensville, Pa. The Coalport Bank was established in 1887. Frank G. Patton (1861-1917) was a half-brother of Alexander Ennis Patton (1852-1904), who became the president of the First National Bank of Patton when it was established in 1893 and was elected to the Pennsylvania Senate in 1900. In Near Fine Condition: lightly creased; clean and bright.