Search Results: Titles starting with A from Cleveland Book Company

Cleveland, Ohio: Self-published, 1860. First Edition. Self-wrappers. Near fine. 32mo, 14pp., illustrated with vignette on the last leaf. A near fine copy with a faint dampstain at one corner. Never bound or cut, this is a single folded sheet. Inked number of 1420 on the front wrap. Uncommon little pamphlet which gives several recipes apart from those noted in the title, including a rat exterminator, cement, and others. OCLC notes copies at LCP, Smith, U of Iowa, and we note another at AAS. Nice little pre-Civil War Cleveland imprint.

[no place given]: Folcroft Library Editions, 1973. Reprint. Hardcover. Very good. Octavo, 350pp. A very good copy in what looks to be the publisher's red buckram. Gentle shelfwear at the extremities, else a firm, clean copy. Appears to be a facsimile reprint of the 1955 edition, even including the limitation statement (which does not apply to this particular copy). A sturdy reading copy.

New York: Norman W. Henley Publishing Company, 1918. First Edition. Hardcover. Good +. Octavo, 274pp., illustrated, plus advertisements. A good or better copy in the publisher's green cloth, soiled along the spine, but otherwise clean and crisp internally.

(New York): (Cosmopolitan Magazine), 1929. First Edition. Hardcover. Very good +. 16mo, 20pp., illustrated. A crisp, clean copy, very good or better, with gentle foxing to the first and last leaves, and gentely age-toned on the edges. The first ten pages of this volume (the first half, essentially) consist of the edited interview with the Prince of Wales, who within the decade would be crowned King of England, but soon abdicated in order to marry his American bride, Wallis Simpson. The second half of the volume is aimed at a different audience, namely potential advertisers for Cosmopolitan magazine. A lengthy alphabetical list of current advertisers in the magazine, followed by a series of brief abstracts of recent articles with notable bylines are meant to entice would-be advertisers to buy space in the magazine. This little volume is unrecorded in OCLC, and difficult to trace in commerce. A great piece of early 20th century print culture relating to the magazine business--at the time, among the… Read More

Memphis, TN: Ivey, Owen & Co, 1942. Staplebound. Very good. 16mo, [20pp.]. A very good copy in the publisher's stapled printed wraps. The whole booklet is shaped like a can of snuff, which is the advertised product. In very good condition, with some staple rust, a few mild stains to the wraps, and one blank leaf seemingly ripped out, with a little remnant. First four leaves corner creased, else sound. There is a calendar for the years 1942 and 1943 on the interior of the front wrap. Most of the contents consist of blank ruled paper, although there is advertising language for "Dental Scotch Snuff" ("one of the great joys of life," "used by rich and poor alike," etc.). There are also some assorted jokes, many of which have nothing to do with snuff, and some of which are notably racist. Uncommon piece of mid-century American tobaciana.

[New York]: [The New York Tribune], 1889. String-bound. Very good. Small square octavo, [4]pp. String-bound covers, with embossed stylized title and applied illustration of an adolescent girl in a bucolic setting. Contents detached from binding and laid-in, else overall very good. A scarce, ephemeral advertising document, aimed at a specific audience. The New York Tribune is soliciting summer resorts in the Hudson Valley, the Catskills, and surrounding areas to py for advertising space in the newspaper. They claim, "The New York Tribune reaches a larger number of prosperous people who are able and willing to pay good prices for Summer Board, than any other Journal in America." Cost is advertised at $3.00 per line for 30 insertions, either every day, or four times a week. Several specimens are provided, and the Tribune also advertises subscription costs for the resorts (who should be keeping the paper in stock!) at the rear. Not separately listed in OCLC; a great ephemeral piece of New York printing history. Read More

Boston: Lee and Shepard Publishers, 1893. First Edition. Hardcover. Near fine. Octavo, 286pp, plus advertisements. A crisp, clean, lovely copy, very near fine, in the publisher's navy cloth, titled in gilt on spine. Front free endpaper excised, and just a touch of rubbing to the base of the spine, but really a fresh, handsome copy. The term "contraband" in the title refers to the freed slaves, in this case those in the Sea Islands off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia. The author was a white Abolitionist from Massachusetts who, in 1864, traveled under the charter of the Freedman's Aid Association to the Sea Islands to teach newly freed slaves how to read and write, among other things. The islands had been a Union outpost since the early days of the war, and with many of the plantation owners having abandoned their vast property holdings, the area drew many self-freed slaves during the course of the conflict. Uncommon in the trade.

[Tulsa]: [Hotel SMall], 1950. Very good. Trade card, or large business card, measuring about 4" x 2.5." Old glue residue to the blank verso, else in near fine condition. The card is for the "Hotel Small" on 615 E. Archer, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The card boasts: "The most complete colored hotel in the Southwest. 77 rooms - 50 rooms with connecting bath - fans and telephones in all rooms." The address places this hotel at the very center of Tulsa's Greenwood neighborhood, which was once known as "Black Wall Street." It was infamous for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the most extraordinary acts of racist brutality, in which a white mob nearly destroyed the entire neighborhood. THe number of deaths is disputed, as fires no doubt consumed a number of bodies, but estimates range from a few dozen to a few hundred fatalities, and there were hundreds of injuries and thousands of lives destroyed. Though we are unable to date this card exactly, Scott Ellsworth's 2021 book "The Ground Breaking: An American… Read More

(Brooklyn): (Man-Alive Printing Service), 1981. Staplebound. Near fine. Octavo, unpaginated [16pp.], illustrated. Near fine in the publisher's printed stapled glossy vardstock wrappers. Tiny corner stains, else very nice. A highly ephemeral souvenir booklet honoring Brother Charlie Storey, a gospel singer and co-founder of Charlie Storey and the Brooklyn All-Stars. He founded the group in 1945, and this 1981 pamphlet is evidence of his cultural influence in the African-American community in Brooklyn, decades into his career. A spread in the middle of the pamphlet is entitled "Highlights in Bro. Charlie Storey's Life," and contains brief descriptions of his accomplishments, such as: "Fruit & Vegetable Stores, Bar-Be-Que, Trucking Business, New & Used Furniture Store," etc. There are reproductions of photographs from his professional life, including an honorific portrait of his wife. The menu for the celebration held at Tompkins Park (now named Herbert Von King Park) in Bedford-Stuyvesant is here, as… Read More

Boston: Lee and Shepard, 1893. First Edition. Hardcover. Good. Octavo, 286pp., plus advertisements. A good copy in the publisher's brown cloth, with some abrasions to the edges, a few stray pencil markings internally, and some insect damage to a few leaves, but nothing disfiguring, and not affecting the readability. Front inner hinge thinly cracked. The term "contraband" in the title refers to the freed slaves, in this case those in the Sea Islands off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia. The author was a white Abolitionist from Massachusetts who, in 1864, traveled under the charter of the Freedman's Aid Association to the Sea Islands to teach newly freed slaves how to read and write, among other things. The islands had been a Union outpost since the early days of the war, and with many of the plantation owners having abandoned their vast property holdings, the area drew many self-freed slaves during the course of the conflict. Uncommon in the trade.

Wooster, Ohio: Christian Usher's Association of America, Inc, 1968. Staplebound. Very good. Quarto, [24]pp., illustrated. A very good copy in the publisher's stapled printed wraps. Old flattened vertical crease throughout, some dust-soiling to wraps, and a few faint marginal creases. A nicely illustrated program for a convention of African-American church ushers. Though not identified as a regional conference, most of the groups of attendees pictured or referenced in the booklet are from Youngstown, Cleveland, Mansfield, and Wooster; that is to say, the Northeast Ohio region. Filled with local advertisements from Wooster, many of these for Black-owned businesses. A number of individual portraits of organization leadership, as well as group photographs of various church ushers are within. While the position of "usher" is common to most Christian denominations (and has analogues in many other faiths), it has a particularly important role in many Black churches as a position of honor, responsibility,… Read More

[Atlanta]: Phyllis Wheatley Branch YWCA, 1967. Folded sheet. Near fine. Octavo, unpaginated [4pp.] Single folded sheet. Old falttened folds, else clean; near fine. A mimeographed program leaflet for an end-of-summer musical theatre performance by the girls in the Phyllis Wheatley Branch of the YWCA in Atlanta. Though there have been a number of YWCA branches with this name, some sleuthing into the name of the Branch Executive Director (Mrs. Magnoria Smothers) confirms that this branch was in Atlanta. A revue of theatre and musical numbers with a theme of world travel makes up most of the program. The first number is a "worship" number with the title "God's Trombone." THe name sof all the girls in the group, as well as their coordinators, are printed on the last leaf. Phyllis [usually spelled Phillis] Wheatley is regarded as the first African-American poet to be published in North America. Born in West Africa and sold into slavery at a young age, she ended up enslaved by the Wheatley family in… Read More

New York: Hunter College, 1961. First Edition. Fine. One concert handbill, measuring just short of 7" x 11". In fine, unblemished condition. The document advertises a concert at Hunter College by Camilla Williams, the African-American opera singer often cited as the first African-American to have a contract with a major opera house (New York City Opera). The verso of the program reads like a resume of her major achievements, and it's a long list. Though undated, we were able to triangulate the date to 1961, which comports with the written content and the style of the program. Not separately listed in OCLC, we presume this is a scarce piece of African-American opera history, possibly unrecorded by scholars.

[various]: IBPOEW, 1967. Staplebound. Near fine. Quarto. 24pp.; 26pp. [18]pp., illustrated. All volumes near fine, with mild flattened creases, else clean and sharp. Three souvenir booklets, for the 48th, 52nd, and 53rd annual conventions of the New England States and Eastern Canada Association of Elk Lodges--both the fraternal organization and its female auxiliary. These conventions were held in Providence, Hartford, and again in Providence, respectively. The booklets are filled with portrait illustrations of various bigwigs in the IBOPEW (both national and regional figures), as well as programming information, and a number of local advertisements geared toward convention-goers. The IBPOEW is the largest extant fraternal organization founded by African-Americans. Founded in 1897, it still maintains a membership of around half a million members. According to historian Venus Green, the Improved Elks labor activism was distinguished from other black fraternal organizations by their "cross-class… Read More

Cleveland: Glenville High School, 1974. Staplebound. Fine. Quarto, 56pp., illustrated. About fine in the publisher's printed stapled wraps; a tinge dust-soiled. A remarkably vibrant high school arts and culture magazine from this inner-city, mostly African-American high school in Cleveland. In 1968, Glenville had been the scene of a major shootout between a radical Black activist group, the Black Nationalists of New Libya, and the Cleveland Police. The economic, racial, and social divides between inner-city Cleveland and the emerging suburbs were expanding greatly during the 1970s. The era of Black Power and "Black is Beautiful" is on full display in this magazine. In addition to the dozens of poems, there is some shape poetry, collage, drawing, and photography. The content is a good mixture of social consciousness and individual expression. On the last leaf is a drawing of W. Hal Workman, the Art Advisor who was clearly responsible for the organization and publication of this high school project.… Read More

[Columbus, Ohio]: Ohio Historical Society, 1985. Near fine. 147 postcard-sized loose cards, with rounded corners. Housed in a two-part cardboard case with applied illustrations and printed text. Internal elements still in their original order, seemingly un-used. Some sunning/offsetting to the exterior case; overall in near fine condition. A flashcard game, designed for up to four players, whose purpose is to help the players learn personal and professional trivia about Paul Laurence Dunbar. One of the instruction cards is titled "Objectives," and notes that "students will learn: "Hoe to play Discover Dunbar; The names of people important during Dunbar's life; the names of places important to Dunbar's life; Dates important to Dunbar's life; and to identify Dunbar poetry." The flashcards are in two colors--yellow and dark orange--the first set containing 70 questions, and the latter containing answers to those 70 questions. Some examples: "Which famous abolitionist gave Dunbar a job in the Haytien… Read More

[no place]: [ESSO / Standard Oil Company], 1940. Staplebound. Fair-good. Octavo, 32pp., illustrated. A fair to good copy in the publisher's stapled wraps. Page block, while intact, is separated from the wrappers, and laid in. Some stains, juvenile pencil writing, and chips and short tears to extremities, but a complete, readable copy. A volume of recipes purportedly by "Aunt Julia" (an "Aunt Jemima"-style stereotype of a Black female cook), this volume was almost certainly written or compiled by white staff of the Standard Oil Company. A ehite box on the front wrap contains the details of Wisenhunt's Esso Station in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Likely, these kinds of cook books were sold at various Esso stations throughout the American south and elsewhere. Though probably produced in large numbers, we located just a handful of separately listed holdings in OCLC. Though undated, there are a few advertising images of automobiles whhich were cetainly produced before World War II. Uncommon.

[Washington, DC]: [Congressional Black Caucus / National Black Leadership Roundtable], 1982. Staplebound. Near fine. Octavo, 44pp., illustrated. A near fine copy in the publisher's stapled wraps, with a faint ring stain to the front wrap. A framework action plan for dealing with issues affecting the African-American community in the early 1980s. Laid-in is a kind of introductory leaflet signed in print by Congressman Walter E. Fauntroy, who was then the Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. Though this document was clearly produced under the leadership of the CBC, and one might think that such a document would be printed by the GPO, in fact the leaflet notes that some "Black business persons" paid for the printing of 35,000 copies, and the leaflet solicits further donations to print more of them. Despite this large printing, fewer than two dozen copies are separately catalogued in OCLC.

Chicago: National Bowling Association, 1960. Newspaper format. Fine. Folded tabloid magazine format, opening to about 11" x 17". 12pp., illustrated. About fine, with very mild edgewear; appears unread. A surprisingly rare periodical for the National Bowling Association. Despite its rather generic name, the NBA was at the time an African-American league (technically, it was "integrated," but it was de facto nearly all-Black). It had been founded in 1939 as the National Negro Bowling Association, though a number of Asians, Native Americans and other non-white who had been shut out from the major white bowling leagues had joined the ranks of the NBA. The organization is still extant as of 2023. This magazine/newsletter is well-illustrated with photographs of male and female bowlers, with relevant industry news and updates on tournaments, etc. We were quite surprised to find just one OCLC accession number for "NBA Bowler," with no actual holdings-for any issue. A rare volume documenting mid-century… Read More

Detroit: Self-published, 1964. First Edition. Comb binding. Near fine. Quarto, 32pp., illustrated. Comb binding. Binding with a small crack, repaired with tape. Contents near fine, with a small stain to the front wrap. A fantastic, well-illustrated celebration of ten years of this beautician academy owned and operated by an African-American woman, Mary Hall. She writes a moving tribute to her late husband, Joseph, on the interior of the front wrap. He had founded the business, and had the idea to "unite the barber and beauty businesses." The contents are too varied to list in their entirety. There are individual portrait snapshots of various graduates, advertisements, testimonials, and a number of group photographs for various classes ("Wig Styling," "Rolling and Pincurling," etc.), and many more. There is a photograph of the late Joseph Hall earning a Life Membership in the NAACP alongside that organization's Treasurer Moses K. Fritz. Hardly any information is easily found about this institution… Read More