[Rarebooks] OFFER: SURREAL 19TH CENTURY AMERICAN HARDWARE BOOK

[Laderman]

WILLIAMS, R. R.[RICHARD RICHARDSON].: THE AMERICAN HARDWARE STORE A 
MANUAL OF APPROVED METHODS OF ARRANGING AND DISPLAYING HARDWARE. New 
York, D. Williams, 1896, copyright, 1895.:  [4], 448 p. : ill. ; 25 
cm. Besides giving a very precise and complete description of how to 
run a hardware store, this book also proposes methods of displaying 
merchandise which must be described as protosurreal. These include 
Pp. 104 and 105, using tools for the letters in the name of the store 
and in the second, a variety of metals, wood and paper to make a ship 
at sea[the sea was green wire cloth in "waves"]; P. 108,a horse and 
sled with a driver, all made out of tools. Both the animal and the 
person look like robots. P. 109 "The American Eagle" made largely out 
of cutlery, seen front and back; P. 110 Fig 11. "Household Wants, '95 
model". The rider and the bicycle made entirely out of metal parts, 
as offered for sale, with grindstones as the wheels. Another Robot!! 
P. 11, Fig. 12, "A Saw Bicycle" using round saw blades for wheels. P. 
112 Fig. 13- A Brush Exhibit showing a pig made out of brushes, 
standing among corn cobs [many brushes].  The text gives exhaustive 
information as to how these were made, and what to use. There are 3 
more pages of equally inventive cuts and continuing text on how to 
make the displays. The entire book is extremely well illustrated. It 
would seem that anyone who was orderly could follow these 
instructions and have a complete exhaustively stocked hardware store 
which is well appointed and easy to use. OCLC, 1 Loc., U. of Chicago. 
OCLC also claims to list 9 copies of the 1895 edition. All of those 
are later copies from 1897 through 1901. One is only copyrighted 
1895, but otherwise not dated. Ours and the copy at the U. of Chicago 
are the earliest known. Original brown cloth, gilt titles, recased, 
lacks free end papers, a few bits of wash on the title page. The 
pages from 104-112 have some  toning in the upper blank border, a 
small tear in the lower margin of one page, elsewhere, no loss. 
Largely Very Good. $450.00