One of the major aspects we wanted this project to focus on was the distance a single book could travel in its lifetime. This map displays the location where several 19th century books from the collection were published (orange stars), as well as where Nolan Moore bought them over a hundred years later (purple stars). The entire collection resides at the yellow star in their current location of Wichita Falls, Tx. These books traveled further than most people do in their own lives. The map contains:
- The Book of Mormon by Joseph Smith, published in Palmyra, NY in 1869. It included text of the book written in the Deseret language and was purchased by Moore in New York, NY for $121 at Swann Auction Galleries in 1989.
- The History of the Expedition of Lewis and Clark by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark was published in Philadelphia, PA in 1814 and purchased by Moore in New York, NY for $302 at Swann Auction Galleries in 1984.
- In 1833, Boston, MA, An Appeal in Favor of that Class of Americans called Africans by Lydia Child was published. In 1989, Moore bought it from Harris Auction Galleries Inc in Baltimore, MD for $325.
- Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Breecher Stowe, published in Boston, MA in 1852. In 1990, Moore bought this edition for $1,200 at a BBC auction in Maryland.
- Herman Melville’s The Whale was published in 1851 in London, UK. Moore purchased it in 1986 at a Swann auction New York, NY for $2,200.
- Charles Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities was published in London in 1859. Moore bought it in 1994 for $862 at a PBA auction in California.
- Eventyr or Historier by H. C. Anderson was published in Denmark in 1862. At another New York Swann auction in 1988, Moore purchased it for $165.
- German Popular Stories, the second volume of a translation of Brother’s Grimm’s fairy tales was published in London in 1826. In 1985, Moore purchased it in London at a Sotheby’s auction for $125.
- Das Kapital by Karl Marx was produced in Hamburg, Germany in 1872. Moore bought it for $2,200 in 1992 at a Swann auction in New York, NY
See the resources page for a complete bibliographic listing of the sources outlined here.
About the Auction Sites:
- Swann Auction Galleries: http://www.swanngalleries.com/
- Sotheby’s: http://www.sothebys.com/en/departments/books-manuscripts.html
- PBA: http://www.pbagalleries.com/content/#
- BBC: not available online.
- Harris Auction Galleries Inc.: http://www.designbiz.com/net0/CompanyWelcome.asp?CompanyID=62343
The map above courtesy of Google Maps.