George Birkbeck Hill — Talks About Autographs

Boston & New York, Houghton, Miffin, & Co. 1896. Cloth. An interesting tome on the practise of collecting autographs, by this English man of letters. He opens the book with an anecdote about the poet Longfellow, who recorded in his diary: "March 23, 1854. A snowstorm. Write and send off twenty-four autographs. "November 25th, 1856. I have lying on my table more than sixty requests for autographs. "January 9th, 1857. Yesterday, I wrote, sealed, and directed seventy autographs. Today I added five or six more, and mailed them." There follows the different attitudes of both the famous and of those seeking their signatures. Hill discusses how best to ask for an autograph, and the various peculiarities of various historical personages in their approach to the subject. With many plates of portraits, and facsimiles of autographs, of the various figures discussed. Perhaps an apposite comment on the emerging modern world at the end of the 19th century. In the original cloth. Externally somewhat worn, particularly around the head of the spine. The text block is untrimmed and the foredge is a little dusty as a result. The frontispiece has come loose from the binding. Clean and bright throughout, with the binding loosening in places. Good . Ill.: None. Good .