What Does Your Bookcase Say About You?

Interesting BBC article here.

"The books we choose to display in our bookcases say a lot as to how we want others to see us," says Mr Sandico. "People who want to appear to have serious or academic reading tastes display their classics, while keeping popular novels at the back of the bookcases."

So what does it say to you when you walk into someone's home and you see a roomful of books? How about homes where there are no books whatsoever?

Personally, I love Cicero's quote that says (paraphrased) "a library is the soul of a home."

Memoirs of Henry Heth

Confederate general Henry Heth earned the title of “goat” during his years at West Point as he graduated at the very bottom of his 1847 class. Such ignominy relegated him to 14 years of frontier duty before he resigned his commission on April 25, 1861, to serve his native Virginia.

He became colonel of the 45th Virginia in 1861, was promoted to brigadier general in January 1862, which then led to various district and department commands. By the time of Gettysburg, Heth was a major general in the Army of Northern Virginia and in command of a 3rd corps division, a rank he held until the war’s waning months. In February 1865, Heth was appointed to command of that corps, ultimately surrendering with his men at Appomattox.

Heth was one of the most liked men in all of the army and it is written that Lee referred to Heth by his first name, allegedly the only case of Lee doing this with his generals. Following the war, Heth was involved in the insurance business.

The general’s memoirs remained unpublished for the better part of a century until rescued by editor James Morrison. Greenwood Press, best known as a publisher of scholarly reference books, released the memoirs in 1974 in a very small print run that included a solid introduction by Morrison of Heth’s life. According to Eicher’s The Civil War in Books (#235), “the narrative focuses on Heth’s more successful actions while dismissing others with little comment.” For instance, Heth remarks on his actions that about the start of Gettysburg with no more than a single paragraph. Nevertheless, in its commentary of Heth’s memoirs, Military Review noted that “Of particular interest to students of history are Heth's accounts of life in the Army and the United States before and after the Civil War.... Morrison's introductory essay on Heth the man, Indian fighter, Confederate general and loyal Virginian, is a masterpiece of scholarship, subtle wit and graceful writing.” I also especially liked veteran Civil War bookseller Dave Zullo's remarks on this book: "Henry Heth was an interesting character but the stories he tells of the antics of him and his best friend, Winfield Scott Hancock, during their West Point years and thereafter, are priceless. This is a book that would make any Hancock or Heth fan laugh until their sides hurt. But he also discusses the reality of war. This has a sadness to it that will make you want to cry. Of the many, many biographies and memoirs that I have read, this is one of my favorites...."

Though initially published in 1974, it appears that Greenwood still has the book in print at $57.95. For a title that is relatively recent, first editions are quite uncommon (therefore pricey) and even scarcer in premium condition with dust jacket. As you can see here, there are only a handful of copies currently offered for sale.

Back in the Saddle

After close to a year of sabbatical, I’ve decided to revisit my love of old and rare Civil War books via this blog. While the reasons I set it aside for awhile still exist, the blogging “itch” has returned. The difference this time is that I no longer feel compelled to post every few days. After all, there are quite a few Civil War-oriented blogs that I routinely visit who post only on a weekly or even bi-weekly basis.

As before, my focus will be on rare or uncommon Civil War first editions that appeal to collectors of such books. If you consider yourself an avid bibliophile who is afflicted with "the gentle madness,” then you know what I mean. Of course, like any blogger, I reserve the right to offer my two cents on whatever topic du jour may be floating around the blogosphere at a given time. :-) For the most part, this site will not be a review of just-published titles, unless the book is somehow of special interest to collectors. If you’re looking for that kind of resource, then I happily refer you to Drew Wagenhoffer’s excellent blog. First up will be a review of the unusually scarce Memoirs of Henry Heth. Look for it in a few days. Welcome back!

Sabbatical

I once read somewhere that blogging can become like an addictive drug. Not only thinking of things to post about, but also commenting at others sites and then of course, checking back to see if anyone responded and so on and so forth. Speaking solely for myself, I’d have to concur with that observation.

I had no idea what to expect when I started this blog fifteen months and close to 200 posts ago. At the time, and still for that matter, it was nothing more than a lite diversion; a means of sharing an enjoyable book collecting hobby with others of like mind, and perhaps a way to release the frustrated teacher in me. I’d say it’s been successful. The bibliographic research involved with this blog has certainly helped me learn more about various Civil War books, hit counts have steadily increased, and feedback has been positive.

But there’s been a downside, relatively speaking. It has seriously taken away from the time I could have been working on more serious stuff, like my next book for instance. For me anyway, blogging has started to give the illusion of productivity; whereas in the past I may have viewed my writing day as successful if I hammered out several pages of book-related narrative, I now measured it instead by blogging. As for my avocations, this became an unplanned reversal of priorities. After factoring in the day job and family obligations, I’ve come to realize that I can do one reasonably well but not both.

In order to refocus, I’m going to go cold turkey with this blog for the time being. My O.M. Poe biography has been in Kent State’s hands for awhile, which should have allowed me to make some headway on my next project. For the better part of the past year however, that book-length work on Detroit in the Civil War has languished while I’ve been a-bloggin’. I want to dive back into that book in the hope that it might be ready for the ACW sesquicentennial.

So for the time being, this blog is going on sabbatical. I’ll leave it up for those bibliophiles who might use it as a reference tool and I’ll certainly respond to anyone kind enough to write. Adios.

Lee's Lieutenants: A Study in Command

Douglas S. Freeman's Lee's Lieutenants is a cornerstone work for any Civil War library. This three-volume set was initially published during the WWII years (1942-45) by Charles Scribners Sons and according to Harwell's In Tall Cotton, "stands in its own right as one of the great works of military history." Praise is generally universal, though Freeman's tone occasionally becomes that of the Southern apologist. Nevins described it as "the ablest descriptive and evaluative study of the leading generals in Lee's army; massively documented, movingly written, highly authoritative, and faintly smug."

First edition copies seem plentiful, but like any books of this vintage, condition can be problematic. Look for the Scribner "A" on the copyright page to denote first edition status. Choice copies in jacket will obviously command premium prices. The pictured set, available here, features a rare Freeman signature and is available for a cool $5000.

The set has also recently been given the Easton Press leatherbound, gilt-edge treatment.

Upcoming Civil War Auction

For those interested in such things, Heritage Auction Galleries will be conducting their "2008 November Signature Civil War Auction" in Gettysburg, PA. on November 20-21. The entire 954-lot catalogue is online here. It looks to have only one book so far, but many artifacts and paper emphemera.

George S. MacManus Co.

I'm back from a several day business trip to the Philadelphia area which included a side trip to Gettysburg on the front end and a visit to the absolutely amazing George S. MacManus Co. (est. 1937) bookstore at the very back end. In between, it was a non-stop Phillies Phever feeding frenzy. Since Tampa Bay was the American League rep, which is where my Detroit Tigers are stationed, and since I lived in Florida for most of my life, well, you can imagine who I was silently rooting for. Needless to say, I laid low in the sports bar on Wednesday night.

The trip to the MacManus shop was simply breathtaking. Never in my life have I seen such quantity and quality of rare Civil War books within the walls of one shop. As is mentioned in their current Civil War catalogue, MacManus acquired a significant portion of the inventory of the famous Chapel Hill Rare Books when its owner, Douglas O'Dell, passed away last year. Much of that stock has now been incorporated into their own offerings. 19th-century regimentals in pristine condition filled an entire bookcase. Multiple copies of scarce and rare Neale titles, some in jacket. Fine first editions from the 1940's and 1950's, all in crisp dust jackets. I could go on and on. I ended up digging deep into my pocket to buy a beautiful first edition 2-volume set of The Long Arm of Lee in the original slipcase. It was the only one of the four first edition sets in stock that had the slipcase.

I make it to Philly about three times a year for business purposes. This shop will be a standard stop going forward. Civil War bibliophiles visiting the City of Brotherly Love should do likewise. But be forewarned - this store can be dangerous to the thickness of one's wallet! :-)