Book Sale

[L Verge]

Thanks to the generosity of Tom Bogar, who is cleaning his book shelves now that Backstage is finished, the Surratt House is able to offer some good deals on slightly used books with proceeds going towards the James O. Hall Research Center. Unless noted otherwise, all are in good to excellent condition.

If you are interested in any of these, please call 301-868-1121 and specify that you are calling about the used books (not our gift shop merchandise). Visa or MasterCard are accepted in our system, and your receipt will show payment to Smartlink, which is the computer system registered to the government agency that owns us.

E-mail me at laurie.verge@pgparks.com, and I will hold the copy(ies) for one week to allow checks to arrive via mail if that is your preferred form of payment. Postage will be figured at $3 for the first book in the order and $1 for each additional book in the same order.

Kline’s Baltimore Plot - $12 (hard back)
Smith’s American Gothic - $8 (soft)
Winkler’s Lincoln & Booth - $8 (soft)
Paperback of Weichmann - $3
Pitch’s Papa Dead - $10 (hard)
Van Doren Stern’s Secret Missions of the Civil War - $5 (hard)
Winik’s April 1865 - $6 (soft)
Steers and Holzer Lincoln Assassination Conspirators - $8 (hard)
Paperback of Rhodehamel and Taper’s Right or Wrong - $5
Holzer’s Lincoln as I Knew Him - $8 (soft)
The Lincoln Reader (a book that will not die) - $3 (hard)
Leonard’s Lincoln’s Forgotten Ally - $12 (hard)
NPS 2001 book on Ford’s Theatre and the Lincoln Assassination - $8 (soft)
Burlingame’s An Oral History of Abraham Lincoln: Nicolay’s Interviews and Essays - $5 (soft)
Francis Wilson’s John Wilkes Booth - $3 (worn hard cover)
Higdon’s The Union vs. Dr. Mudd - $10 (soft)
Goodrich’s The Darkest Dawn - $7 (soft)

Please note that these books are displayed on a sale table at Surratt House and are subject to being sold to our walk-in visitors.

[Gene C]

Nice selection Laurie, If I didn't already have a stack piled high that I need to read...

A couple that have threads on this site are Pitch's -They Have Killed Papa Dead and Goodrich's - Darkest Dawn. I enjoyed reading both of them.

I'm surprised you haven't snatched up the Weichmann book, I know how fond of him you are!

[L Verge]

I immersed myself in Weichmann many long years ago when it first was published. IMO, it is a vital piece of "evidence," and we should thank Floyd Risvold for acquiring the manuscript and getting it published (btw, Floyd was a very nice gentleman and a great collector/historian).

As a person, I suspect that Weichmann was bullied as a child (assuming they did such things in the "proper" Victorian era). We know that his writings are self-serving, and I suspect that he knew some things that he never disclosed as far as his awareness of what was going on. However, I do believe that most of what he wrote is accurate. That said, he would be the last person chosen for my baseball team at recess.

P.S. One of my favorites on that list is Hal Higdon's The Union vs. Dr. Mudd.

[Susan Higginbotham]

Is the Francis Wilson book reliable?

[BettyO]

Great! Thanks, Laurie!!

[L Verge]

Susan - others here may have differing opinions on Francis Wilson's work, but I am not a huge fan. He wrote in the 1940s, so a lot of information has been offered since then in much better books. That said, if you are a collector of Lincoln assassination books and materials, it qualifies as one of the old classics that a collector would want to acquire.

P.S. I last read it in the 1970s, so specific details and faults are not fresh in my mind. I just remember thinking it was mediocre.

[Susan Higginbotham]

(03-28-2014 06:12 PM)L Verge Wrote:  Susan - others here may have differing opinions on Francis Wilson's work, but I am not a huge fan. He wrote in the 1940s, so a lot of information has been offered since then in much better books. That said, if you are a collector of Lincoln assassination books and materials, it qualifies as one of the old classics that a collector would want to acquire.

P.S. I last read it in the 1970s, so specific details and faults are not fresh in my mind. I just remember thinking it was mediocre.

Thanks! I bought it anyway, I figured $3 was worth the risk, especially for a good cause.

[L Verge]

Joan Chaconas and I spent a delightful several hours today with James Swanson and David Lovett and three boxes of wonderful Lincoln assassination books from the good old days! Some of us early Boothies (Betty, that probably means you and I!) will remember that Dave Lovett ran a great, mail-order book shop for years - The President's Box Book Shop. He had excellent prices and only dealt in good condition merchandise.

Dave is now out of the business and disposing of his merchandise. Because his holdings are related primarily to the Lincoln assassination, he gave us first dibs. Within the next few weeks, you may find me posting some of these on the forum. Many of these are first editions, have dust jackets, some are signed by the author, and most are ones that were released (or are reprinted) from 1865-1980.

Here's a teaser for you: Who was Pink Parker? If you know the answer, do you also know that there was a small booklet written about him in 1951, limited edition of 350. That's one of the books we bought, but it will be going into our research center holdings.

[Rsmyth]

Mr. Parkers monument in Troy, Ala. What a classic!

[RJNorton]

Dave wrote an article (with photos) about Pink Parker here.

[BettyO]

Quote:Many of these are first editions, have dust jackets, some are signed by the author, and most are ones that were released (or are reprinted) from 1865-1980.

Wow - please keep me apprised, Laurie on what some of the titles are (particularly the 19th Century ones!)

[HerbS]

Laurie and BettyO-You two never cease to amaze me!

[L Verge]

As posted earlier, the Surratt Society is offering a number of rare or scarce used books obtained through a purchase from the now-defunct President's Box book service. Here is a list of what we obtained, and we are posting it here first. These will not be offered to the general public at the museum for several weeks. If interested, please contact me at 301-868-1121 or laurie.verge@pgparks.com, and I will hold your selection(s) for ten days to allow payments to reach us. Visa/MasterCard payments may be made over the telephone. Maryland residents must add 6% sales tax to the prices quoted here, and mail orders are charged $3 for the first volume and $1 for each additional volume in the same order. Checks or money orders should be made payable to Surratt House Museum and sent to 9118 Brandywine Road, Clinton, MD 20735. Please specify in all correspondence that you are ordering from the Special Used Book Sale.

The Mad Booths of Maryland by Kimmel - rare, 1st edition (1940) with dj - $75
Katy of Catoctin by Townsend - 1st edition - $35
JWB - Oilman by E. Miller - 1st edition with dj, scarce - $75
Lincoln's Last Day by Starr - 2nd edition, 1922, no dj - $10
Memorial Addresses on the Life and Character of Abraham Lincoln...compiled by Bancroft in 1866 - $20
Lincoln in the Telegraph Office by Bates - 1st edition in red cloth issued w/o dj - $60
John Wilkes Booth: Fact & Fiction of Lincoln's Assassination by Francis Wilson - 1929 limited edition - $25
Trial Transcript compiled by Pitman - 1954 1st facsimile transcript w/intro by Van Doren Stern and dj - $30
Lincoln and Kennedy: Medical & Ballistic...by Lattimer - 1st edition w/dj - $50
When Lincoln Died by Borreson - 1st edition w/dj - $40
The Suppressed Truth about the Lincoln Assassination by McCarty - 1925 - $25 - SOLD One additional copy remains at same price
Behind the Scenes...by Keckly - $10
Reminiscences & Souvenirs...by Buckingham - 1st edition, 1894, soft cover/as is - $25
Abraham Lincoln and Boston Corbett with Personal Recollections of Each by Johnson - 1914 1st edition/blue cloth - $50
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln and its Expiation by DeWitt - 1st edition in red cloth - $75 - SOLD One additional copy remains at same price
I Saw Booth Shoot Lincoln by Ferguson - 1st limited edition w/dj - $60
John Wilkes Booth...Sojourn in Southern Maryland by Jones - 1950 edition - $15
Album of the Lincoln Murder by Stackpole Books - 1965 1st edition w/dj - $20 - SOLD One additional copy remains at same price
Witness to an Era...Alexander Gardner by Katz - 1991 1st edition w/dj - $40
The Great American Myth by Bryan - 1940 1st edition w/dj - $30
Mask for Treason: The Lincoln Murder Trial by Shelton (w/apologies to Betty O!) - 1st ed w/dj - $20
Perley's Reminiscences of Sixty Years in the Nation's Metropolis, 1886 - 2 volume set as issued - $50/set

Please note that all are in good condition and that some titles have more than one copy. 99% of the prices shown here are well below the suggested retail value.