How about the most recent book?
I just acquired a theatrical scrapbook of playbills and newspaper clippings for Shakespeare productions in London between 1933-35. I bought it from a seller in England, and it took several weeks to arrive all the way in Texas. This is, I believe, my seventh scrapbook acquired, and it is in remarkable shape. Though it is a bit later in time than my usual collecting scope, I noticed breeches actresses on some of the playbills included, so naturally I had to have it.
And your favorite book in your collection?
Gosh, there are so many. I'll narrow it down to three. The first is an extra-illustrated, handsomely-bound copy of Emma Stebbins's 1878 biography of Charlotte Cushman. The previous owner had it custom-bound and had things like playbills, autograph signatures, and newspaper clippings related to her career tipped in, making for a truly one-of-a-kind book. I also am head over heels in love with my 1878 prompt book of Macbeth, marked with manuscript annotations for a performance of the play in New Jersey at the Paterson Opera House.
Those who know me know I absolutely love prompt books, and I study them in my doctoral research, so to have found a prompt book was one of the highlights of my collecting career. And finally, I remain partial to a manuscript letter written by Cushman herself - one I just recently acquired - which has turned out, in all likelihood, to be written by her to her life partner at the start of their relationship. I didn't know that at the time I purchased it, so it was very special to read and transcribe the letter and come into that discovery.
Best bargain you’ve found?
I found a first edition of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's New England Tragedies for $30 at Capitol Hill Books in Washington, D.C. Now, folks might wonder what this work is doing in my collection. While doing work at the Folger Shakespeare Library nearby, I visited Capitol Hill Books just up the street. As per usual, whenever I am in the city, I consulted its drama section, and I spotted this copy’s beautiful green covers. When I opened the front cover, I noticed a detailed bookplate featuring a shield and lion with the name “Cushman” underneath it. I had seen this bookplate before in the Charlotte Cushman Collection at the Library of Congress.
Needless to say, my heart began pounding, but it got even better. I turned the page and found an inscription: “Emma C. Cushman / from auntie / xmas 1869.” Emma Crow Cushman was once actress Charlotte Cushman’s lover and later married Cushman’s nephew, thus becoming Emma C. Cushman. For the inscription to say “from auntie” suggests that it was Cushman herself who wrote it, and who had gifted this copy to Emma as a Christmas present in 1869. I had never bought a book so fast and this remains my greatest find "in the wild" without doing a targeted search for something.
How about The One that Got Away?
I have been doing research lately for my dissertation on an early-19th-century breeches actress named Miss Walstein who performed in the 1810s and 1820s. There is some strong suspicion that this actress was trans, which is remarkable and something very special to me to learn. There isn't much published about her life, but I did come across a short profile feature on her in an 1815 issue of La Belle Assemblée, published by John Bell. Once I found this, I immediately tried to find a copy of the issue that I could purchase.
Naturally, I could not find it anywhere. After months of searching, I came across an eBay listing for a different issue, but the seller briefly mentioned in the description that they would be listing soon the exact issue I was looking for. I reached out to the seller to share my interest, only to learn that it was an old description, and I missed the listing. Someone else had purchased it. I haven't seen another copy since. To this day, it still hurts!
What would be the Holy Grail for your collection?
I would just be beside myself if I ever came across a Shakespeare prompt book that Charlotte Cushman used. I've come across one that Ellen Terry used, but of course, on my limited graduate student budget, it's something I have to live with not getting (so it is another one that got away). If I were to ever find a Cushman one, though, I'd have to have it and I would probably stop at nothing to get it!
Who is your favorite bookseller / bookstore?
I have a few, of course! I have a couple of favorite bookstores, namely Capitol Hill Books in Washington, D.C. and Commonwealth Books in Boston. I have found really wonderful items at both of these bookstores and always make a point to visit them when I am in those respective cities.
My favorite bookseller, though, has to be Jeffrey H. Marks, Rare Books, ABAA, out of Rochester, New York. I have ordered more than one rare collection item from them, with each being a defining item in the collection. The 1878 extra-illustrated copy of the Stebbins biography of Cushman that I mentioned earlier came from them, but also a recent acquisition, too. With the Honey & Wax prize money, I acquired a four-volume set of Augustin Daly's privately-printed Shakespeare performance scripts from the 1890's. These four - Love's Labor's Lost, The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing, and Henry the Fourth - were handsomely-bound by a previous owner and have since become the most expensive item in my collection.
I bought them simply because of the Henry the Fourth volume. Daly had compiled the Henry the Fourth script in 1896 to stage it with breeches actress Ada Rehan in the role of Prince Hal, and the way the script was printed, it reads like the performance happened, but it never did. It ended up getting canceled, but not before the scripts had been printed. This is a remarkably rare piece of breeches history, as there are only about five known copies of the script in the world and I had never seen a physical copy. Being able to acquire it was a major highlight of my year, and I couldn't have done it without Jeffrey H. Marks.
What would you collect if you didn’t collect books?
I have grown to view collecting as a personality trait, because I collect other things too! I collect LEGO sets, coffee mugs, and cat statues, figurines, and artwork. I am beginning to think I am a collector of collections because I really enjoy collecting as a hobby.
