Mary E. Abshire Collection

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: H-14

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection contains a rodeo postcard of the cowboys of the 101 Ranch in 1908 and 101 Ranch Bucks, one $5 and one for $10. The collection contains 28 “Little Red Books” on various subjects and by various authors. Some of the subjects include speeches and addresses written by Abraham Lincoln, and speeches and letters by George Washington. Some of the authors represented are Shakespeare, Poe, Thoreau, Browning, Wilde, and other popular authors of the time. All of the “Little Red Books” are of the Little Leather Library printed by Robert K. Haas in the 1920s and are in poor condition. They should be handled as little as possible.

Dates

Creation: circa 1850-1930

Creator

Abshire, Mary E. (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The Mary E. Abshire Collection has no restrictions and is available for research. If you are interested in researching the materials, please contact the Dickinson Research Center to make an appointment.

Conditions Governing Use

The Mary E. Abshire Collection is the property of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Materials, even if owned by the NCWHM, may be protected under third party copyright. It is the patron’s responsibility to research and secure any such additional copyright and pay any required fees or royalties. It is not the intention of the NCWHM to impede upon any third party rights, and the NCWHM cannot be held responsible if the patron is involved in legal action due to violation of third party copyright claims.

Biographical / Historical

The Little Leather Library Corporation of New York was founded in 1915 by Albert Boni, Harry Scherman, and Maxwell Sackheim. The books were initially used as premiums in Whitman’s Sampler. These small 4 inch by 3 inch books were perfect for what was to become one of the first attempts to mass-market inexpensive books in the United States. This pioneering effort eventually led to the establishment of Book of the Month Club, Modern Library publishing company, which ultimately spawned Random House Publishers as a subsidiary company.

Extent

0.5 Linear Feet (1 legal box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

This collection contains 28 Little Leather Library books of popular literature which were advertised during the 1920s, in addition to an 1898 Kendalls’ Perfected Receipt Book Illustrated for prescribing recipes for disease and illness, and an American Indian Intertribal Cookbook.