A New Selection of Children's Books from Aleph-Bet Books

Item 105 is a set of 36 color cards depicting Costumes of All Nations. They were prepared for the Columbian Expedition of 1893, the Chicago World's Fair that took place during a moment of great technological discovery – electricity, telephone, wireless communications. It was prepared by a company that had its own invention – the modern sewing machine. That would be the Singer Manufacturing Company. These cards depict people using sewing machines all over the world, including places like Bosnia, Japan, Burmah, Ceylon, and Zululand. I'm not sure how many people in Burma or Zululand had sewing machines in 1893, but at least we got to see what people wore in these lands, and would have made with a sewing machine if they had one. $600.

Item 367 is an amazing lithograph poster printed by the New York Dramatic Mirror as an advertising supplement on August 12, 1882. The Mirror was a weekly theater publication which ran from 1879-1922. This large piece would have been folded to be inserted in the paper, but this copy must have been retained separately as it does not have a fold. It features a drawing of Union Square, and all around it are over 100 small images of actors and others related to the theater. There is Edwin Booth and Buffalo Bill, but another is more surprising and remarkable. It is that of L. Frank Baum, listed as Louis J. Baum. Of course, we remember Baum for writing The Wizard of Oz, but that did not come until almost two decades later. At this time, Baum was an actor and playwright, included in this collection of faces for the play he wrote and starred in, The Banker's Daughter. $25,000.

Aleph-Bet Books may be reached at 914-764-7410 or Helen@alephbet.com. Their website is found at www.alephbet.com