Tag Sale Find
Francis A. Miniter
Co. Hartford) is an account of the efforts of more than 40
women on the Union side during the Civil War, with some
first person narratives from letters, etc. Most were
nurses, but not all. One spent time in a Confederate prison
camp. One treated union prisoners just released from
Andersonville. Some simply followed their husbands to war
and became involved, most commonly in hospital work. One
story stood out to me, that of Carrie Sheads, the Principal
of Oakridge Seminary, located on Seminary Ridge in
Gettysburg. She and her resident students were in the
seminary when the battle began and while it streamed through
the seminary. They treated wounded soldiers as necessary.
The seminary changed hands at least a couple of times. On
one occasion she stepped between a Union officer and a
Confederate officer, to prevent the latter from killing the
former.
The book itself is in good+ to VG- condition, gilt printed
boards bright and gilt on spine somewhat bright, with a
frayed top of spine, bumped corners and occasional foxing.
But the hinges are tight and it lacks any interior marking.
I am thrilled. Price 25 cents.
--
Francis A. Miniter
Oscuramente
libros, laminas, llaves
siguen mi suerte.
Jorge Luis Borges, La Cifra Haiku, 6
Pogonip
That's amazing!
--
Joanne
stitches @ singerlady.reno.nv.us.earth.milky-way.com
http://members.tripod.com/~bernardschopen/
Francis A. Miniter
I was talking to a dealer today who was familiar with the
book and with its method of distribution. It seems that at
the time, Hartford, Connecticut was the center of
publication by subscription, whereby people went door to
door taking orders for books, or, if already printed,
selling them more or less on the spot. This book, Moore's
*Women of the War*, was distributed this way and it was a
big success. That inspired Mark Twain in 1869 to publish
*The Innocents Abroad* by subscription. That too was a
success, so much so that Twain decided to move to Hartford
to be near the publishers and to plan for the distribution
of his next book, *Tom Sawyer*.
For reference, see Introductory Essay by Lucy Rollin to The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Broadview Editions 2006)