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Autograph Letter, signed ("HW Beecher")
by Beecher, Henry Ward
- Used
- Condition
- Old folds, with mends to tears along center fold and horizontal folds in blank panel (not affecting text), but near very good, i
- Seller
-
New York, New York, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
[New York?], n.d.. 2 pp., on two panels (plus postscript) of a folded quarto lettersheet, in ink. 8vo. Old folds, with mends to tears along center fold and horizontal folds in blank panel (not affecting text), but near very good, in linen folding cloth slipcase. 2 pp., on two panels (plus postscript) of a folded quarto lettersheet, in ink. 8vo. Reverend Beecher to Chloe Beach. An amusing letter from the highly popular and controversial minister, novelist and reformer, to his good friend - or, as recent scholarship would have it, his very intimate friend - Chloe Beach, wife of Moses Beach, owner of the NEW YORK SUN. Beecher writes in such a fashion as to imply clearly that he is soliciting a dinner invitation: "My Dear Mrs. Beach - Our larder is given out: - our tea used up - milk gone, bread scanty, sweetmeats passed away, and all of us are facing the probability of starvation tonight. Do you know of any place where we could get a loan of cold victuals? - or borrow some crackers, or even get a chance to come and eat a little? I would not trouble you but, you have the reputation of being charitable; and really, we are reduced to that condition of suffering that if you do not take us in, - why - we will go somewhere else. I am your friend bowed down with trouble. H.W. Beecher ... P.S. We are willing to pay."
It was through the Beach family, in 1867, that Beecher first connected with his ardent supporter, Samuel Clemens, and a case has been put forward (see Applegate, THE MOST FAMOUS MAN IN AMERICA: THE BIOGRAPHY OF HENRY WARD BEECHER, pp. 371-2) that in January of the same year Chloe Beach gave birth to a daughter by Henry W. Beecher.
Accompanied by a carte de visite of Beecher, captioned in ink and pencil on recto and verso, and trimmed at the top corners.
While ordinary Beecher letters are not uncommon, the present letter enjoys an out of the ordinary context.
It was through the Beach family, in 1867, that Beecher first connected with his ardent supporter, Samuel Clemens, and a case has been put forward (see Applegate, THE MOST FAMOUS MAN IN AMERICA: THE BIOGRAPHY OF HENRY WARD BEECHER, pp. 371-2) that in January of the same year Chloe Beach gave birth to a daughter by Henry W. Beecher.
Accompanied by a carte de visite of Beecher, captioned in ink and pencil on recto and verso, and trimmed at the top corners.
While ordinary Beecher letters are not uncommon, the present letter enjoys an out of the ordinary context.
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Details
- Bookseller
- James Cummins Bookseller
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 247341
- Title
- Autograph Letter, signed ("HW Beecher")
- Author
- Beecher, Henry Ward
- Format/Binding
- 2 pp., on two panels (plus postscript) of a folded quarto lettersheet, in ink. 8vo
- Book Condition
- Used - Old folds, with mends to tears along center fold and horizontal folds in blank panel (not affecting text), but near very good, i
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Place of Publication
- [New York?]
- Date Published
- n.d.
- Keywords
- American
- Bookseller catalogs
- Literature;
Terms of Sale
James Cummins Bookseller
All items, as usual, are guaranteed as described and are returnable within 30 days if not as described. Within the United States, all books are shipped UPS unless otherwise requested (please provide a street address). Overseas orders should specify shipping preference. All postage is extra. New clients are requested to send remittance with your orders. Libraries may apply for deferred billing. All New York and New Jersey residents must add the appropriate sales tax. We accept American Express, Master Card, and Visa. All items are subject to prior sale; prices are subject to change.
About the Seller
James Cummins Bookseller
Biblio member since 2009
New York, New York
About James Cummins Bookseller
Founded in 1978 by James Cummins, the firm has grown to include two New Jersey locations as well as the main store at 699 Madison Avenue (between 62nd and 63rd Streets) in New York City.Hours: Monday - Friday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (During July & August, until 4:00 p.m. on Fridays.)The Madison Avenue store is a seventh-floor oasis for book-lovers, a quiet and pleasantly furnished book room with a carefully chosen, expertly catalogued and broad-based selection of fine and rare books, autographs, manuscripts, and works of art. We have built notable private collections for American and international clients. Our stock is always changing, and our steady input from private buying and public auctions assures our clients of new surprises (and temptations!) at each visit. Our stock covers a wide range of collecting interests, with particular emphasis in the following fields: British and American Literature, Sporting Books, Private Press and Illustrated Books, 19th-Century Color Plate Books, Americana, Travel, Sets and Fine Bindings, History, and Authors' Manuscripts and Letters. Our catalogued inventory exceeds 50,000 titles, much of which can be searched on the internet. In addition, our New Jersey warehouse contains over 400,000 books in all subject areas. We might have the books you're looking for.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Recto
- The page on the right side of a book, with the term Verso used to describe the page on the left side.
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Verso
- The page bound on the left side of a book, opposite to the recto page.
- Quarto
- The term quarto is used to describe a page or book size. A printed sheet is made with four pages of text on each side, and the...
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