Books, Books, and More Books

A small and somewhat random sampling of the many books we will be selling on June 15th, 2014.  

My last post was about the 1925 Harlem issue of The Survey, so I'll start by continuing with the Black history theme.

The Life of Blessed Martín De Porres, Saintly American Negro and Patron of Social Justice.   By J. C.  Kearns, O.P.   Hardcover.  Published by P. J. Kennedy and Sons, New York, 1937.

The Coming Battle of Germany.  1942.  Signed by the author, William B. Ziff.

 

Numbered first edition of The Mammoth Cod by Mark Twain.

A Gentleman's Guide to Scientific Seduction in Eight Easy Lessons.

A large collection of hardcover books with colorful book jackets 

And beautiful sets.

 

 

(to be continued)

The Survey Graphic, March 1925, The Harlem Edition

I spent some time yesterday, looking through a few of the books that are going up for auction.  Then I saw this unassuming bound volume of The Survey magazines from October 1924 to March 1925.

And I opened it.   

Poetry by Langston Hughes?  Interesting...

The Survey Graphic.  March 1, 1925.  

The Survey was a journal of the social work profession and social reform.  More information can be found here and here. 
It is also known for publishing the photographs of Lewis Hine.

This particular issue had an enormous social impact.  Showcasing the work of black writers, artists and thinkers, it exposed a greater audience to the emerging Harlem Renaissance.   Readership doubled, and two print runs sold out.  In November 1925, more content was added and the issue was sold as a hardcover anthology, which is still widely read.

Excerpt from a web page about this particular issue:

There were poems by Langston Hughes (notably "I, Too" and "Jazzonia"), stories by Claude McKay ("White House" and "The Tropics in New York"), and a story by civil rights pioneer W. E. B. Du Bois ("The Black Man Brings Gifts"). Jean Toomer contributed excerpts from his 1923 novel Cane, Aaron Douglas came through with some illustrations, and Alain Locke, Charles S. Johnson, and Arthur Schomburg all wrote essays. Gracing the cover was a Weinold Reiss portrait of acclaimed black tenor Roland Hayes.

We are selling this, as well as many other books and items of interest.  No reserve.  June 14, 2014.   

Internet bids accepted through Superior Auction and Appraisal.

Facebook

If you use Facebook, you can visit our page.  I've been adding updates there as well. 

I've also set up an event, please feel free to invite anyone you think might enjoy our upcoming auction.

And, in the meantime, here are some pictures of cool vintage matchbooks we will be selling at our June 14th auction.

If you look closely, you might spot pin-ups, local advertising, golf, bowling, boxing, beer, whiskey...

Wrigley's spearmint gum...

Boxing, railroad...

horse racing, Jack Dempsey's restaurant, and more!

Framed Tramp Art Cross

The first auction item I am highlighting is a great piece of tramp art.

Wikipedia has some info about tramp art here, if you want to know more.

Small bits of wood were carefully whittled and layered to create this cross.
This example is particularly finely detailed, each little notch is very tiny.

This item will be auctioned, no reserve, on June 14th, 2014.   The live auction will be held at the Beja Shrine in Green Bay, WI.   Online bids will be accepted through Superior Auction.

FREWARD & ALK ANTIQUES LIQUIDATION AUCTION

The inventory of Freward & Alk Antiques, as well as many items from the personal collections of Jon Alk and Leesa Freward will be going up for auction at the Beja Shrine Center in Green Bay, WI on June 14, 2014.

This is going to be huge.

If you can be in Wisconsin, this will be an amazing live auction.  If you can't be here in person, we will soon begin the process of photographing treasures for online bidders.  

We are working with Nell Brand at Superior Auction.

I will be using this blog to keep you updated on our progress preparing for the big event.

Great Info on Copyright

A lot of people ask us if our pinups are copyrighted.  The answer is, for most of them, simply yes.  Most of our pin-ups come from an estate of a Brown and Bigelow employee.  Brown and Bigelow keeps their copyrights up to date.  Any commercial work using their images must be licensed.
More information can be found here.

Brown & Bigelow Licensing


For more general information regarding whether or not a vintage or antique image can be used in your own art or product, this site offers a really great summary of the issues involved.

Copyright