He was shot to death in his study on 14 September by a still unknown gunman using a shotgun!

Craig Walley's relatively recent Murder at Mount Hermon: The Unsolved Killing of Headmaster Elliott Speer has resurrected interest in the mystery.

•  Original wrappers. Fine. (17126)

Provenance: The front free endpaper bears a neatly inked ownership inscription dated 1860 (J.C.W. Kempe) and an additional inked “sold to” inscription dated 1871 (Aden Mc Bowman); Bowman also signed another blank, and the presentation leaf is made out to Kempe as “P.G.J.C.W. Kempe.”

Binding:  Publisher's deep blue/black diced sheep in imitation of morocco, covers with gilt-stamped vignette of Friendship, Love, and Truth personified within an architectural frame; spine gilt extra with column motif. All edges gilt.

•  BAL 6877; Faxon 609.   Binding as above, joints and extremities rubbed, spine gilt slightly dimmed. Inscriptions and presentation leaf as above. Poetry clippings, fabric swatch, and lock of hair laid in. Scattered staining, generally light, throughout; chromo very bright and nice.  (27041)

The LEC illustrations consist of 8 full-page and 41 in-text color drawings by Everett Gee Jackson (no relation to the author), who also signed the colophon. Saul Marks designed the book, selecting a monotype Bembo font with the chapter titles printed in red ink, and the printing was done by Saul and Lillian Marks at The Plantin Press, Los Angeles.

Binding:  In an attractive full woven fabric derived from a striated Native American design, with a colorful paper spine label.

This is numbered copy 972 of 1500 printed; the appropriate LEC newsletter is laid in.

•  Bibliography of the Fine Books Published by The Limited Editions Club, 298.   Binding as above in original slipcase, volume spine label slightly darkened, slipcase showing only minimal wear and with a spot or two of darkening to front panel. A very nice copy.  (30117)

Binding:  Publisher's brown cloth, front cover with gilt-stamped title and scenic vignette stamped in gilt and blue, spine likewise.

•  Binding as above, light wear to joints and extremities, front cover cloth noticeably bubbled but not torn, spine with inked shelving number. Front pastedown with institutional bookplate. A few signatures unopened; pages and plates very clean.  (29140)

Click the images for enlargements.

•  NSTC 2J9375.   Publisher's textured sage cloth, covers framed in blind, spine with gilt-stamped title; binding cocked, corners bumped, extremities lightly rubbed, spine sunned, cloth with spots of discoloration. Hinges (inside) cracked. Ex–social club library: paper shelving label on spine, call number on endpapers, old circular rubber-stamp on title-page and several others, no other markings. Paper slightly embrittled, some pages with short edge tears, some age-toned; a few corners dog-eared. Three small pencilled annotations. Not a pristine copy, but very readable and enjoyable.  (27403)

Heavily illustrated; hammer prices pencilled in.

•  Original printed boards, scuffed and stained yet volume sound and pleasant enough with interior clean. As noted, most hammer prices pencilled in.  (26156)

Provenance:  Half-title with inked gift inscription: “Emily Dean From Cousin Lou Fall River, Nov. 16th 1869.”

Binding:  Publisher's red pebbled cloth with bevelled edges, covers blind-embossed, front cover with a large gilt-framed, inset chromolithographic rectangular medallion showing a richly tinted, singing robin; spine with gilt-stamped decorative title.

•  NSTC 2J12360.   Binding as above; front cover vignette with unobtrusive small faint scuffs and with two small spots of staining, spine and edges mildly sunned, joints and extremities with a bit of rubbing. Half-title with inscription as above. Pages age-toned with scattered faint spots of foxing, otherwise clean.  (30280)

Binding:  Publisher's olive textured cloth, covers exuberantly gilt-stamped with a large central vignette labelled “Washington receiving his commission,” surrounded by portraits of Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson and by foliate decorations. All edges gilt. A marvelous patriotic American production.

•  Binding as above, corners and spine extremities slightly rubbed, spine faintly darkened. Hinges (inside) tender. Light to moderate foxing. COOL.  (27187)

•  Schweiger, II, 513; this ed. not in Brunet. Contemporary half vellum over paste paper covers, spine with early inked title; sides and edges lightly scuffed, spine with vellum darkened and chipped. Front pastedown with inked ownership inscription dated 1775, lined through; front free endpaper with 19th-century (?) inked inscription; title-page with early inked inscription reading “Carolus Comes a Wartensleben.” Back free endpaper excised. Title-page torn along inner margin and with short tear from outer edge, just touching one letter. One leaf with small ink blots and several leaves with small nicks to outer edges; scattered light foxing. A few small early inked annotations.