Autographes

1893 · BB003 — <p>First Authors Club volume #10/251 with literary pieces by 109 contributors each signed by its author. Includes signed pieces by Mark Twain "The Californian's Tale" Theodore Roosevelt "A Shot at a Bull Elk" Andrew Carnegie "Genius Illustrated from Burns" &c. A lavish anthology printed on fine paper watermarked "Authors Club" with contributions by Samuel Clemens W. D. Howells Theodore Roosevelt Charles Dudley Warner Frank R. Stockton F. Hopkinson Smith E. C. Stedman Henry Van Dyke and many others. Each piece including Clemens's "The California Tale" is signed by its respective author 109 in all. </p><p>Second Authors Club volume #237/251 with literary pieces by 129 contributors of which 117 are hand-autographed. Among the signed contributions are pieces by George Washington Cable George Barr McCutcheon and Albert Payson Terhune.</p><p>The Authors Club of New York was organized in 1882 as a club for noted persons and authors. The First Book of the Authors Club Liber Scriptorum was published in 1891 to raise money for a permanent home for the social club. The second volume was conceived to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first volume but publication was delayed due to World War I. When finally published in 1921 it contained 129 stories poems and essays in a limited edition signedby each author at his contribution. Contributors include: Irving Bacheller George Washington Cable George Wharton Edwards John Erskine Franklin Henry Giddings George Bird Grinnell Rossiter Johnson John Uri Lloyd Brander Matthews George Barr McCutcheon Albert Payson Terhune Carl Van Doren and Henry van Dyke &c but as noted in the table of contents and errata slip not all of the authors were able to sign: eight died before the presses had finished so facsimiles were used for Joseph Alexander Altsheler Julius Chambers William Henry McElroy Charles Augustus Stoddard Stephen Henry Thayer Calvin Thomas James Terry White and William Young; two had gone blind James Thompson Bixby and Richard Rodgers Bowker and could no longer sign their name consistently; one contributor was off traveling Frank Crane while the last was ill William Ordway Partridge. </p><p>BAL 3438. In his bibliography of Mark Twain Merle Johnson notes that though "there are presumed to be 251 copies of the book; actually over 30 of these were not bound but were sold as separate articles." Many copies have also been broken up over the years so the autographs could be sold separately. The majority of intact copies now reside in institutions. <br /></p><p><br /></p> The Authors Club hardcover books