Handbook of American Sheet Music: Second Series.
Philadelphia: Harry Dichter, 1953. Paperback. Small 4to. Stiff blue pictorial wrappers. 49pp. Foldout frontispiece, illustrations. Very good. Faint toning to outer wrappers (only). Item #35742
Interesting "Catalogue of Sheet Music for Sale" (1,451 items!) by this pioneer of ephemera collecting, who spent a lifetime collecting and cataloguing old sheet music -- a largely neglected collecting field until he paved the way -- and writing such classics as "Early American Sheet Music: Its Lure and Its Lore, 1768-1889." Of great interest is the author inscription on the title page, penned boldly in blue: "To / My good friend / Boyd Stutler / With sincere regards / Harry Dichter 12-13-53." Boyd B. Stutler (1889-1970) was the preeminent West Virginia scholar of John Brown who amassed an absolutely enormous Brown collection now housed at the West Virginia Historical Society. Stutler ticks off quite a few items in this catalogue in tiny bold pencil, initialing a few with notes. An intriguing copy.
Price: $45.00