SALESMAN'S SAMPLE BOOK: THE BOYS IN BLUE; OR HEROES OF THE "RANK AND FILE." COMPRISING INCIDENTS AND REMINISCENCES FROM CAMP, BATTLE-FIELD, AND HOSPITAL, WITH NARRATIVES OF THE SACRIFICE, SUFFERING, AND TRIUMPHS OF THE SOLDIERS OF THE REPUBLIC; With an Introduction by Thomas M. Eddy, D.D. With Illustrations from Original Drawings of the Most Striking Scenes of the War of the Rebellion.
New York and Chicago, IL: E. B. Treat & Co. and C.W. Lilley, 1867. SALESMAN'S SAMPLE. Hardcover. SALESMAN SAMPLE. NOT THE COMPLETE TEXT of this collection of religiously-centered testimonials and stories from and about the soldiers of "the late civil war", gathered by Mrs. Hoge who worked for the U.S. Sanitary Commission during the War.
Octavo. Navy blue stamped cloth, quite worn, 9 in. x 6 in. Red, white and blue title page (with tissue-guard) and ornate drop caps. Dedicated to " The Returned, Triumphant Soldiers of The Grand Army of The Republic, and to the Memory of The Honored Dead Whose Precious Dust Lies Scattered From Maine to Texas". The author served with The U.S. Sanitary Commission and as part of that service, visited a number of hospitals where wounded soldiers were in residence. The customer base appeared to be in and around Syracuse, New York.
At first glance this is a typical salesman's sample book, a condensed binding of noteworthy pages and illustrations from a larger book, carried by salespeople, with the aim of selling them the entire book which would arrive at a later date. This particular volume, however, was used in a multitude of different ways which included its original purpose: 11 partially filled handwritten pages of new customers' names, addresses, amount of payment, and which style (English Cloth, or Extra English Cloth, with Gilt).
Book was also used as a long list of ciphers indicating personal household accounting; grocery receipt records; a landlady's roominghouse records; an address book, and the writing out of a song or hymn. Fair covers, VG internally. Item #88882
Price: $150.00