Portland & Environs from Zephyr Used & Rare Books

Zephyr Used & Rare Books has issued a catalogue entitled Portland & Environs Catalogue – 2023. This is a fantastic catalogue, but first a few comments on its subject matter. The Portland herein is the Rose City, the Portland in Oregon. Secondly, there is no need to dismiss the catalogue if you aren't specifically a collector of Portland. Portland, Oregon has more in common with Portland, Maine, or Portland, Texas, than you might think. People in Portland do many of the same things as other places. They buy mostly the same products – automobiles, housing plans, construction materials, dubious medicines, and such. They built railroads and bridges, attended fairs, went on trips, joined lodges, served during wars, smoked tobacco and ate food. See? They're just like the rest of us!

Zephyr offers a few books, but mainly other types of material, flyers, brochures, photographs, posters, all sorts of advertising material. They are the things of everyday life. We all live them; we all remember them. These will bring back memories, including of those things that happened before we were born, but that were passed down by parents and grandparents.

Everyone likes the movies, especially when they are young. This is an archive filled with memories, though you will have to be a hundred years old to personally remember them when they were new. The archive contains 86 publicity photos for silent films and early “talkies.” These were of films shown at the Union Theater, later Egyptian Theater in Portland, but they were shown all over the U.S.A. and undoubtedly many foreign countries too. Stars included Clara Bow, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., John Wayne, Loretta Young, Lon Chaney, Jackie Coogan, Gloria Blondell and more. Most of the 86 photos come with their film, with captions either on the film or verso of the photo. Twenty-three of the movies represented are “lost films,” either all or most of the movie no longer in existence unless in some unknown place. Too bad no one saved the films in the archive too. There are some notes from William Adolph Graeper, owner of the theater. The Egyptian opened in 1924 with Egyptian adornments, such as pyramids and ornamental urns. There were 866 seats on the ground floor and 344 in the balcony. A Wurlitzer organ provided music during the silent era. The Egyptian closed in 1963 and was converted to a warehouse. Item 50. Priced at $1,250.

I can't imagine a greater display of patriotism than this large (8” x 10”) photo taken in early July, 1942. It displays a group of ten bakers who have baked a huge cake. In front of it rests an America flag. Thirty-eight pounds of sugar were used in its preparation. What makes this cake so patriotic is that the bakers were Japanese-Americans, imprisoned for doing nothing wrong. They were being held at the Portland Assembly Center, the first stop before being shipped out to the internment camps. The Assembly Place was not a nice location. Prisoners were held in the Pacific International Livestock Pavilion (now the Expo Center). The 3,500 inmates endured extreme heat, as high as 107, fly infestations, overcrowding, and the smell of the livestock. Yet they still put their own money aside from wages of $12 per month to buy the ingredients for the patriotic cake to celebrate the Fourth of July. Item 89. $295.

People in California will be able to relate to this picture book. After years of drought they have suffered through terrible flooding this year. The people of Portland went through something even worse in 1894. This is a 20-page booklet with 18 photographs titled Souvenir views of Portland's Great Flood, June, 1894. High water mark, 33 feet. This was the worst flood in the city's history, the Willamette River overflowing its banks and flooding downtown Portland. It rose above the first floor of most buildings despite many being built on pilings. Homes and businesses were washed away. The flood waters lasted so long that wooden walkways were built over the water like bridges to get around. Photos shows businessmen moving around in waste-deep water. Others are seen rowing between businesses. A favorite was a high diving platform built off the Lewis & Dryden Printing building. Item 71. $175.

Were there any juvenile boys mid-century who didn't call the local drug store or other tobacco vendor to ask if they had Prince Albert in a can? Item 201 consists of two advertising banners from R. J. Reynolds. One is for Prince Albert The National Joy Smoke. It displays the infamous Prince Albert can, and on one side a pipe smoker with the caption, “For Pipe.” The other side shows a man rolling a cigarette with the caption “For Roll-Your Own” when “roll your own” did not have the same connotation it does today. Prince Albert tobacco could be used for either. The second banner is for Camel The cigarette of costlier Tobaccos. A man smoking a camel (cigarette) and a pack of Camels are displayed. These are large banners, 4' x 9', and were hung in Multnomah Athletic Club Stadium, with a seating capacity for 35,000. It was used for sporting and other events. Prince Albert, later King Edward VII, finally escaped his can for a “better place” in 1910. $750.

Next is a large archive of over 270 photographs, negatives, camera ready copy, and advertising for the Pacific Cooperative Poultry Producers and Pacific Egg Producers, from the past-war era through the 1950s. Eggs were marketed under the “Nu-Lade” brand (I'm not making that up). The brand marketing worked with Nu-lade eggs bringing premium prices in Eastern markets, especially New York City. The co-op kept Oregon and Washington poultry and egg farmers in business through the Depression until the better times. It provided the farmer with needed supplies, from automatic feeders to batteries, to the ever-present DDT (evidently, chickens egg shell are strong enough to escape its ravages). Other photos show events in the life cycle of chickens and programs like 4-H and the Future Farmers of America. One shows a woman with hair high enough to double the height of her head next to a basket of eggs, one in her hand, in a pose like she is about to throw it at the photographer. Another shows a glamorous lady taking an egg from a cage where eggs are laid. She looks like she has never been to a farm before and had no idea this is where eggs came from. Item 4. $1,750.

Zephyr Used & Rare Books may be reached at 360-695-7767 or zephyrbook@gmail.com. Their website is found at www.zephyrusedandrarebooks.com.