[Rarebooks] FS: Soluble Pacific Guano -In 1882 Bird Poop = Big Bucks

[Joslin Hall Rare Books]

TITLE: “Soluble Pacific Guano. Manufactured by the Pacific Guano Company 
of Boston, Mass.”

Printed by the Press of Rand, Avery, and Company, Boston, in 1882.

DISCUSSION: A rather wonderful catalog promoting guano imported and 
prepared by a Boston firm, explaining the attributes and benefits of 
Soluble Pacific Guano, and packed with glowing testimonials, mostly from 
happy farmers. The firm began manufacturing and selling Soluble Pacific 
Guano (which would be a great name for a rock band) in 1865, with an 
output of 750 tons, which had increased to 50,000 tons a year by the 
1882 publication of this brochure. The company lists agents in New York, 
Ohio, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Vermont.

Guano, animal dung used as fertilizer, was used by Andean farmers 1,500 
years ago, and for centuries was collected from small islands off the 
coast of Peru, where for thousands of years hundreds of thousands of 
seabirds had had nothing much better to do than sit, squabble, and poop. 
Spanish Colonial traders reported that "the rulers of the Inca Empire 
assigned great value to guano, restricted access to it, and punished any 
disturbance of the birds with death".

The modern history of Guano dates to 1802, when it became popular in 
Europe after being promoted by Alexander von Humboldt. The Guano 
"harvest" from islands off the coasts of South America, the Caribbean, 
Pacific ocean atolls, and the California coast, created the 19th century 
agricultural boom of Europe and America, and sparked several small wars. 
The gradual depletion of the once-vast reserves of guano coincided with 
the development in 1909 of synthetic fertilizers and effectively put an 
end to the industry, but not before it made fortunes for a number of men 
who had the foresight to realize you can make millions selling people 
bird poop if you package it correctly.

DESCRIPTION: Softcover. 4.5"x6.5", 32 pages.

CONDITION NOTES: The covers have some light wear and soil. The interior 
has some minor soil, and s stain.

PRICE: $85 -

SOME PICTURES =>
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