Rare Book Monthly
Ten Days Away
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I took the afternoon off to visit the grave of Gouverneur Morris in the South Bronx. He was a Revolutionary War patriot and George Washington’s personal representative in Europe during his presidency. No one in the neighborhood I spoke with knew who Mr. Morris was which just goes to show how fleeting fame can be. But I took several pictures of his grave for a book review that appears elsewhere in this issue. Incidentally, I was warned away from traveling (via subway) up to 138th Street. But I went anyway and found people to be very nice as I needed some help to locate the church where Mr. Morris is buried.
Friday night we stayed on Route 299 between New Paltz and Highland in the Hudson Valley. We then met a family that, earlier this year, had contacted the AE about an important run of New York newspapers that described many crucial events as the America we know today was beginning to take form under its first president. It’s an exceptional run of material and is undoubtedly worth a lot of money.
Later we met my brother Craig for dinner at a restaurant just north of Highland where a high school classmate of mine, Frank Rinaudo, operates Frank’s Steakhouse. The food was excellent and Frank joined us to catch up on news. For those who find themselves lucky enough to be on Route 9W between Highland and Kingston at either lunch or dinner time expect a warm welcome and good food if you stop at Frank’s.
On Saturday we started early and arrived at Michael Stillman’s home in Plympton, Massachusetts. Mike is of course our partner and our New England voice. He and his wife Diana and their three children were packing for their move to Texas which was, at that point, less than a week away. Our visit gave Mike an excuse to relax for a few hours and he certainly deserved a respite. Then on we went to Woolwich, Maine for two nights to stay with my sister Linda who is president of New England Medical Transcription.
On Sunday I rose early to drive an hour and a half to visit DeWolfe and Wood in Alfred, Maine. I was there to look at more material for the ÆD. Misters DeWolfe and Wood had prepared twenty boxes of excellent material. I looked at every piece and bought it all. Americana collectors will find the trip to Alfred to be well worth it. The material is thick on the shelves, in very good condition, often unusual and provocatively priced. They ship, and that’s a good thing, because you are going to find many things to buy.
