Item 60 combines the art of etching with a fantastic amount of history about one American subject. It is a set of Bernhardt Wall's Following Abraham Lincoln 1809-1865. It contains an incredible 85 volumes. Wall started as an illustrator, but developed a love for American history, serious etchings, and started his own fine press. Nonetheless, 85 volumes is an extreme labor of love. Originally intended for 15 volumes, Wall continued through 60, the 60th being an index. However, he went back at it through 85, that last one also being an index. Additionally, there were two ancillary volumes, one of which is included with this set, along with various ephemeral items pertaining to the books and various Lincoln sites. Each volume contains 8-16 of Wall's etchings, 1,035 in all. The first volume was published in 1931, the last in 1942. There were supposed to be 76 sets in all, but it appears substantially fewer were actually printed, and only two other complete sets have been located. $15,000.
If you would like to create a book with 1,035 etchings too, here is a great place to start: The Art and Practice of Etching... by Henry Aiken, published in 1849. Aiken was an avid sportsman, and drew illustrations for numerous sporting periodicals. In this guide, he shares the secrets of his 40 years of experience in etching scenes. Item 49. $500.
Item 185 is not just some token collection. It's a very serious collection of... tokens, and medals too. Henry Morris of Bird and Bull Press put together a collection of tokens and medals over the years, and published several books on the subject. He also produced several medals for various booksellers and his press. In 2002, Bob Fleck of Oak Knoll Books purchased the collection, and combined it with his own collection of medals and tokens. The result is the entire collection now includes 457 items, along with some reference works on the subject. Some date as far back as the 17th century. $48,000.
Oak Knoll Books may be reached at 800-996-2556 or orders@oakknoll.com. Their website is www.oakknoll.com.
