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| The Great Galveston Disaster Salesman Sample Book Copy Paul Lester, Author |
Salesman Sample Book Copy
Paul Lester, author
S.D. Knapp Company, 1900
Blog post by Mary Katherine May
Rick and Mary May operate the webstore QualityMusicandBooks.com.
The Whole Title!
It is not uncommon for older book to have very long titles and this book is no exception. The following is what is shown on the Title Page of this book:
The Great Galveston Disaster. Containing a Full and Thrilling Account of the Most Appalling Calamity of Modern Times including vivid descriptions of the hurricane and terrible rush of waters; immense destruction of dwelling, business houses, churches and loss of thousands of human lives; thrilling tales of heroic deeds; panic-stricken multitudes and heart-rending scenes of agony; frantic efforts to escape a horrible fate, separation of loved ones, etc. Narrow Escapes from the Jaws of Death. Terrible sufferings of the survivors; vandals plundering bodies of the dead; wonderful exhibitions of popular sympathy, millions of dollars sent for the relief of the stricken suffers Profusely embellished with photographs taken immediately after the disaster.The Great Galveston Disaster - Two Interesting Points!
There are two points about this edition that the book collector will find interesting.
First, it is a salesman sample copy, and showing very little wear.
Second, the edition of The Great Galveston Disaster published by S.D. Knapp Company in Kansas City, Missouri, that the salesman was to sell was sold only through subscription and today is a scarce edition.
A salesman sample book is a book with a sampling of what they buyer will find if they place an order. (reference: ILAB). In this copy, there is selected text and photo illustrations followed by a description page showing prices, ledger sheets for the sales person to write down orders, and inside the back cover is an example of a book cover glued in.
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| The Great Galveston Disaster: Salesman Sample Book Copy Sample Book Cover Glued to Back Endapers |
Newspaper Advertising Looking for Sales People
S.D. Knapp and Company, the publisher placed small ads in newspapers looking for sales people. The one shown here is from the People's Voice, Wellington, Kansas, Thursday, October 4, 1900 first edition. (source: Newspapers.com)
Text: You can make barrels of money selling "The Great Galveston Disaster." 500 page book $1.50; to agents 90 cents; freight paid. Send 25 cents today to cover postage on free outfit.--S.D. Knapp and Co., Kansas City, MO.
Source: Wikipedia
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| In Memoriam of Galveston's Dead September 8th 1900 |
As severe as the damage to the city's buildings was, the human toll was even greater. Because of the destruction of the bridges to the mainland and telegraph lines, no word of the city's destruction was able to reach the mainland. Dead bodies were so numerous it was impossible to conduct proper burials. People were buried at sea and funeral pyres were set up on the beaches. Authorities passed out free whiskey to sustain the distraught men conscripted for the gruesome work of collecting and burying the dead.
The last reported survivor of the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, Mrs. Maude Conic of Wharton, Texas, died November 14, 2004, at the claimed age of 116, although the 1910 census and other records indicate she was younger than that.
From The Great Galveston Hurricane by Paul Lester
The loss of life at Galveston will never be known. The storm came first from the northwest and hundreds, perhaps thousands, were carried far out to sea never more to return. At 10 o'clock at night the wind suddenly veered to the southeast and hundreds more were swept into the bay and caught by the current and also carried out to the sea before daylight Sunday morning. That is the opinion of old seamen with whom I conversed, and if they do not know the actions of the ocean then no one does.
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