It's been about a year since the last Davy Crockett dispute faded away, so we're due for another. And we've got it, in the form of a lawsuit over Crockett's marriage license (to Margaret Elder, who he didn't end up marrying). A Tampa Bay woman has it (she even took it on "Antiques Roadshow"), but the Tennessee county where it was filed wants it back. The St. Petersburg Times reports that Margaret V. Smith claims her uncle found the license "on the lawn" at the Jefferson (TN) County Courthouse, where it had been thrown away. County officials say no files from that period were discarded (let alone Crockett's), and judge Allen Wallace says there's "circumstantial evidence" that Smith's uncle stole the document (he worked for the courthouse in the 1930s-40s). In November, he ordered Smith to turn over the license.
Smith, 90, responded to the judge's order by saying "Well they are not going to get it," leading Jefferson County, TN to request a local order from a judge in Hillsborough County, FL. The Florida judge must decide whether to honor the TN order (she could be held in contempt and/or fined each day until she returns the license).
This one seems pretty clear-cut to me, as long as Jefferson County can show that records from that period were not culled. But we'll see what happens ...
Another case to keep an eye on!
[h/t Everett Wilkie, Ex Libris]
Showing posts with label Crockett Contretemps. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crockett Contretemps. Show all posts
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Forensic Report on Crockett Letter
The Federal Forensic Associates report on the Davy Crockett letter almost purchased by the state of Texas for $550,000 concludes that the document was produced much later than the 1836 date written on it. An examination of the ink revealed the presence of high amounts of calcium and magnesium: "Although these materials can be present due to environmental exposure, the abundance levels are more indicative of treatment of the exhibit [the letter] with chemicals normally used in the deacidification process employed by conservators to impede the acidic action of Iron based inks on paper. ... The presence of both Calcium and Magnesium indicate the use of multiple processes, either in conjunction with each other or at separate occasions. The routine use of Magnesium was not found until the 1980's with the introduction of large scale decidification equipment for the processing of many books and manuscripts in a timely manner."
The report concludes:
"Chemical examination data is consistent with deacidification processing of the exhibit by more that one process or on more than one occasion. The combination of these factors indicates that the exhibit was processed for deacidification within a relative short time after preparation of the writing. Given the availability of these processes, it is unlikely that the original writing would have occurred during the time frame represented by the date appearing on the exhibit.
... The exhibit contains many points of concern relative to the source of paper, treatment of the exhibit, and condition of the ink line. Although we can not eliminate all possible scenarios regarding the preparation of the examined exhibit which would account for these results, it is the opinion of the undersigned that the most probable scenario is the preparation of the exhibit at a more recent time, within the twentieth century, with the subsequent processing for deacidification."
Everett Wilkie adds: "The report also notes that the sheet has a stationer's mark showing a train and reading 'Holyoke Co.' That alone would have been enough to debunk the idea that the letter dates from 1836 since the Holyoke Paper Company wasn't founded until 1857." The report, after noting the presence of the stationer's mark, goes on to say "Even though a further study of this image is outside the scope of this report, it may provide additional information regarding the timeliness of the paper."
So, in short, the letter was probably produced sometime in the late mid- to late twentieth century, written on paper made - at the earliest - around 1857.
The report concludes:
"Chemical examination data is consistent with deacidification processing of the exhibit by more that one process or on more than one occasion. The combination of these factors indicates that the exhibit was processed for deacidification within a relative short time after preparation of the writing. Given the availability of these processes, it is unlikely that the original writing would have occurred during the time frame represented by the date appearing on the exhibit.
... The exhibit contains many points of concern relative to the source of paper, treatment of the exhibit, and condition of the ink line. Although we can not eliminate all possible scenarios regarding the preparation of the examined exhibit which would account for these results, it is the opinion of the undersigned that the most probable scenario is the preparation of the exhibit at a more recent time, within the twentieth century, with the subsequent processing for deacidification."
Everett Wilkie adds: "The report also notes that the sheet has a stationer's mark showing a train and reading 'Holyoke Co.' That alone would have been enough to debunk the idea that the letter dates from 1836 since the Holyoke Paper Company wasn't founded until 1857." The report, after noting the presence of the stationer's mark, goes on to say "Even though a further study of this image is outside the scope of this report, it may provide additional information regarding the timeliness of the paper."
So, in short, the letter was probably produced sometime in the late mid- to late twentieth century, written on paper made - at the earliest - around 1857.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Links & Reviews
Since my list of things to link to was starting to overflow, an extra collection of links this week:
- BibliOdyssey has engravings from works on magnetism by Athanasius Kircher. I'm partial to the last image (and the story behind it). They've also got a miscellany post with a little bit of everything.
- There's a new blog in town: Notes for Bibliophiles, by the Special Collections staff at the Providence Public Library. Good stuff. I've added a link.
- The Telegraph reports that the British Library has paid £1.1 million for the papers of Sir Harold Pinter. "Highlights include a run of letters from the Irish writer Samuel Beckett, an 'amusing' exchange of correspondence with the poet Philip Larkin, and a draft of Sir Harold's unpublished memoirs of his youth, The Queen Of All The Fairies." The BL plans to have the collection processed and open to researchers by the end of next year.
- Critical Mass reports the results of a survey on the ethics of book reviewing.
- Travis comments on the appeals of the Transy Four, noting in conclusion "I don’t know the likelihood of these arguments convincing three (or, I guess, only two) federal appeals judges to remand back to the district court for re-sentencing, but I can’t imagine the odds are in the boys’ favor. It seems to me that the sentencing judge got it about right. But I’m happy to see these idiots spending whatever money they have left on an attenuated appeals process." Read the whole post.
- Ian is back with a whole series of good posts at Lux Mentis, Lux Orbis - he includes some awfully nice words about my meager efforts here.
- Scott Brown comments on the end of the Crockett Contretemps, and includes some of Kevin Mac Dowell's thoughts as posted on Ex-Libris.
- BibliOdyssey has engravings from works on magnetism by Athanasius Kircher. I'm partial to the last image (and the story behind it). They've also got a miscellany post with a little bit of everything.
- There's a new blog in town: Notes for Bibliophiles, by the Special Collections staff at the Providence Public Library. Good stuff. I've added a link.
- The Telegraph reports that the British Library has paid £1.1 million for the papers of Sir Harold Pinter. "Highlights include a run of letters from the Irish writer Samuel Beckett, an 'amusing' exchange of correspondence with the poet Philip Larkin, and a draft of Sir Harold's unpublished memoirs of his youth, The Queen Of All The Fairies." The BL plans to have the collection processed and open to researchers by the end of next year.
- Critical Mass reports the results of a survey on the ethics of book reviewing.
- Travis comments on the appeals of the Transy Four, noting in conclusion "I don’t know the likelihood of these arguments convincing three (or, I guess, only two) federal appeals judges to remand back to the district court for re-sentencing, but I can’t imagine the odds are in the boys’ favor. It seems to me that the sentencing judge got it about right. But I’m happy to see these idiots spending whatever money they have left on an attenuated appeals process." Read the whole post.
- Ian is back with a whole series of good posts at Lux Mentis, Lux Orbis - he includes some awfully nice words about my meager efforts here.
- Scott Brown comments on the end of the Crockett Contretemps, and includes some of Kevin Mac Dowell's thoughts as posted on Ex-Libris.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Texas (Finally) Nixes Crockett Letter Purchase
The Crockett Contretemps is winding down, with news yesterday that the Texas Historical Commission has taken the long-awaited and inevitable step of announcing that it will not pay $550,000 for a letter purportedly (but clearly not) written by Davy Crockett before his death at the Alamo. The Houston Chronicle and Austin American-Statesman both have reports today on this latest update.
A report on the forensic analysis of the letter performed by Federal Forensic Associates, Inc. of Raleigh, NC was received by the THC yesterday, said spokeswoman Debbi Head, and upon receipt of that report the Commission decided it was best to return the letter to its seller (Ray Simpson III of Simpson Galleries in Houston). The full contents of the report have not yet been released, but will be made public next week, Head said. No handwriting analysis of the letter was done, although several experts reportedly offered to donate their services.
THC head John Nau defended how the Commission handled the Contretemps, saying "The contract was set up to provide the state time to determine whether or not we would go forward with the purchase. For the taxpayers and for the Texas archives, it unfolded the best way it could. It is a disappointment that it didn't turn out in a different fashion." Texas Governor Rick Perry also issued a statement yesterday afternoon: "Our hope and belief was this would prove to be a rare, historic acquisition for the state of Texas. Although that proved not to be the case, the Texas Historical Commission acted appropriately and followed the proper channels of due diligence after pursuing the potential purchase of the letter."
Bookseller Kevin Mac Donnell, who was one of the first to notice that the letter looked "off" told the American-Statesman that he's still not satisfied. "The way they handled it in providing information about the deal leaves a very bad smell. They owe the people of Texas some kind of answer. They were going to spend half a million dollars all in a hurry, they need to explain why."
Meanwhile, Ray Simpson III continues to have visions of dollar signs dancing in his head. "We are still hoping that it is the real deal. If not, we need to find out where it came from and exactly what it is," he told the Chronicle. He said that while he hadn't yet seen the report, Nau had told him "that it determined the letter's ink and paper match the period it is dated. 'If paper's right and the ink's right, then there has to be something else we don't know about it and why the state decided not to go through with the purchase.'"
Uh, yes, it's that the handwriting, grammar and penmanship are - obviously and entirely - not right. I'm glad Texas finally saw the handwriting (ahem, not Davy Crockett's) on the wall and put the kibosh on this deal.
A report on the forensic analysis of the letter performed by Federal Forensic Associates, Inc. of Raleigh, NC was received by the THC yesterday, said spokeswoman Debbi Head, and upon receipt of that report the Commission decided it was best to return the letter to its seller (Ray Simpson III of Simpson Galleries in Houston). The full contents of the report have not yet been released, but will be made public next week, Head said. No handwriting analysis of the letter was done, although several experts reportedly offered to donate their services.
THC head John Nau defended how the Commission handled the Contretemps, saying "The contract was set up to provide the state time to determine whether or not we would go forward with the purchase. For the taxpayers and for the Texas archives, it unfolded the best way it could. It is a disappointment that it didn't turn out in a different fashion." Texas Governor Rick Perry also issued a statement yesterday afternoon: "Our hope and belief was this would prove to be a rare, historic acquisition for the state of Texas. Although that proved not to be the case, the Texas Historical Commission acted appropriately and followed the proper channels of due diligence after pursuing the potential purchase of the letter."
Bookseller Kevin Mac Donnell, who was one of the first to notice that the letter looked "off" told the American-Statesman that he's still not satisfied. "The way they handled it in providing information about the deal leaves a very bad smell. They owe the people of Texas some kind of answer. They were going to spend half a million dollars all in a hurry, they need to explain why."
Meanwhile, Ray Simpson III continues to have visions of dollar signs dancing in his head. "We are still hoping that it is the real deal. If not, we need to find out where it came from and exactly what it is," he told the Chronicle. He said that while he hadn't yet seen the report, Nau had told him "that it determined the letter's ink and paper match the period it is dated. 'If paper's right and the ink's right, then there has to be something else we don't know about it and why the state decided not to go through with the purchase.'"
Uh, yes, it's that the handwriting, grammar and penmanship are - obviously and entirely - not right. I'm glad Texas finally saw the handwriting (ahem, not Davy Crockett's) on the wall and put the kibosh on this deal.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Crockett Contretemps Update
The Austin American-Statesman has some news from the Crockett Letter front: Regina Davis reports that part of the reason the Texas Historical Commission moved so quickly to purchase the letter may have been that "the agency had to spend or commit to spend the money in its Texas Historic Artifacts Fund by the end of the fiscal year, Aug. 31, or the money, about $800,000, would be returned to the state treasury."
THC chairman John Nau says this isn't so: "'I'm comfortable with it,' he said of the commission's handling of the purchase process. 'We built into the agreement with the owner that we would have 120 days to authenticate the document, which is adequate time to do the work. We are right on schedule to get the right answer.'"
Davis adds details from an emergency conference call meeting of the THC on 28 August for the purpose of approving the purchase of the letter; she reports that THC member Diane Bumpas "had reservations about the cost of the letter, saying that the price did not compare with what she had seen other documents sell for at auction." She also notes that John Nau and Ray Simpson III, the letter's seller, "had a longstanding business relationship," and that Nau had purchased items for his personal collection from Simpson's gallery. "Nau said his prior dealings with Simpson had no bearing on how the situation was handled."
"Monday was the deadline for interested parties to submit proposals for forensic document analysts and handwriting experts to authenticate the document. Federal Forensic Associates Inc. of Raleigh, N.C., the only bidder, was selected for the forensic document analysis, which determines the age of the paper and ink, and tests whether a document has been falsely aged. The contract is for $17,000, which will be paid by the commission, and the firm can immediately begin its analysis, commission spokeswoman Adrienne Reams said. No proposals were submitted by handwriting experts, so the commission is extending the deadline for that position until Oct. 29, Reams said."
Handwriting experts, here's your chance!
THC chairman John Nau says this isn't so: "'I'm comfortable with it,' he said of the commission's handling of the purchase process. 'We built into the agreement with the owner that we would have 120 days to authenticate the document, which is adequate time to do the work. We are right on schedule to get the right answer.'"
Davis adds details from an emergency conference call meeting of the THC on 28 August for the purpose of approving the purchase of the letter; she reports that THC member Diane Bumpas "had reservations about the cost of the letter, saying that the price did not compare with what she had seen other documents sell for at auction." She also notes that John Nau and Ray Simpson III, the letter's seller, "had a longstanding business relationship," and that Nau had purchased items for his personal collection from Simpson's gallery. "Nau said his prior dealings with Simpson had no bearing on how the situation was handled."
"Monday was the deadline for interested parties to submit proposals for forensic document analysts and handwriting experts to authenticate the document. Federal Forensic Associates Inc. of Raleigh, N.C., the only bidder, was selected for the forensic document analysis, which determines the age of the paper and ink, and tests whether a document has been falsely aged. The contract is for $17,000, which will be paid by the commission, and the firm can immediately begin its analysis, commission spokeswoman Adrienne Reams said. No proposals were submitted by handwriting experts, so the commission is extending the deadline for that position until Oct. 29, Reams said."
Handwriting experts, here's your chance!
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Latest Crockett News
Everett Wilkie passes along the latest updates from the Davy Crockett story, in the form of a post on the Houston Chronicle's Texas Politics blog.
Seller Ray Simpson submitted this affidavit last week to the Texas Historical Commission: "I am writing this letter of provenance regarding a letter dated January 9th, 1836. This letter was sold to my grandfather in the mid to late 1980's by a person purporting to be the great-great grandson of David Crockett. The letter is composed of one page handwritten on the front and the back. In it, the author discusses the beauty of Texas and his desire to make Texas his home. The letter is signed at the end 'David Crockett.' I have no reason to believe anything other than what was told to me by my grandfather. I have no financial proof of purchase because of the length of time between then and now."
"Meanwhile," the post continues, "the Texas Historical Commission said it will issue a request for qualifications of experts to determine the letter's authenticity by the week of September 24, at the latest. And Simpson has released the state from the financial expense of holding the $550,000 purchase price in escrow. The final sale requires proof of authenticity within 120 days."
[Update: Scott Brown weighs in, saying "This is about the lamest thing I've ever heard. ... Now mind you, Simpson Galleries bills itself as 'Houston's oldest fine arts auctioneers' and they sell Texas material. This is not just some guy with an old letter in his desk. Yet the best evidence Simpson can offer is that someone who is now dead once told him it was real. The first thing an auctioneer has to do is authenticate the items they are planning to sell. Is this sale representative of the standard they apply at all their sales? It's amazing to me that they didn't do even the most basic evaluation of the letter for authenticity. Texas should have gotten a second opinion before announcing the purchase, but the real fault lies with the seller who is supposed to be a professional."]
Seller Ray Simpson submitted this affidavit last week to the Texas Historical Commission: "I am writing this letter of provenance regarding a letter dated January 9th, 1836. This letter was sold to my grandfather in the mid to late 1980's by a person purporting to be the great-great grandson of David Crockett. The letter is composed of one page handwritten on the front and the back. In it, the author discusses the beauty of Texas and his desire to make Texas his home. The letter is signed at the end 'David Crockett.' I have no reason to believe anything other than what was told to me by my grandfather. I have no financial proof of purchase because of the length of time between then and now."
"Meanwhile," the post continues, "the Texas Historical Commission said it will issue a request for qualifications of experts to determine the letter's authenticity by the week of September 24, at the latest. And Simpson has released the state from the financial expense of holding the $550,000 purchase price in escrow. The final sale requires proof of authenticity within 120 days."
[Update: Scott Brown weighs in, saying "This is about the lamest thing I've ever heard. ... Now mind you, Simpson Galleries bills itself as 'Houston's oldest fine arts auctioneers' and they sell Texas material. This is not just some guy with an old letter in his desk. Yet the best evidence Simpson can offer is that someone who is now dead once told him it was real. The first thing an auctioneer has to do is authenticate the items they are planning to sell. Is this sale representative of the standard they apply at all their sales? It's amazing to me that they didn't do even the most basic evaluation of the letter for authenticity. Texas should have gotten a second opinion before announcing the purchase, but the real fault lies with the seller who is supposed to be a professional."]
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
A Little Levity
Columnist Scott Hollifield of the Winston-Salem Journal has some fun with the Crockett Contretemps.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Simpson Releases TX Money
The Houston Chronicle reports the latest from the Crockett Contretemps: on Friday, Texas Historical Commission head John Nau told the paper that the dealer who sold Texas the Davy Crockett letter "is no longer requiring the purchase price to be held by a neutral party until the authenticity of the document is verified. ... Nau did not elaborate or explain further, although he said the contract is still in force as the state attempts to determine authenticity."
It's not entirely clear what the immediate implications of this move are, but it is becoming increasingly more likely that Simpson Galleries will never see that $550,000.
"Nau said the commission is seeking 'the absolute best forensic analysis and expert handwriting analysis' and defended the state's contract and splashy announcement, saying officials wanted to prevent anyone else from buying the letter first." He did not announce the names of those involved with the consultations.
It's not entirely clear what the immediate implications of this move are, but it is becoming increasingly more likely that Simpson Galleries will never see that $550,000.
"Nau said the commission is seeking 'the absolute best forensic analysis and expert handwriting analysis' and defended the state's contract and splashy announcement, saying officials wanted to prevent anyone else from buying the letter first." He did not announce the names of those involved with the consultations.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Big Story Updates
I can't remember the last time we had two major biblio-news stories occurring at the same time like this - between the Crockett Contretemps and the Truro Trouble there are many updates to report this morning.
Crockett first, I guess, and as usual Scott Brown's got the inside track on all the new developments there. Here's the Texas Historical Commission press release (now removed from their site, according to the Houston Chronicle) announcing the purchase of the letter, and here's Scott's take on the THC's announcement that an expert panel will be convened: "Once again, the state of Texas has it all backwards. First, the governor personally announces the purchase before anyone does even basic analysis and now that the document is questioned, Texas is hiring the experts."
On ExLibris, Kevin MacDonnell posted yesterday that he sent a statement on the letter to several Texas papers, "and suggested that in the interest of public trust and transparency that they [the Texas Historical Commission] make the names and qualifications of their 'team of experts' known, including full disclosure of any connections, past or present, that those experts might have to the buyer or seller, as well as any court or state agency complaints ever registered against any expert on their team." I certainly hope they take his advice.
Scott also questions the dealer's story about finding the letter in a folder "tucked away in a desk." Does seem a bit fishy, doesn't it?
Switching gears, things are also moving quite quickly with the story I wrote about on Monday regarding the sale of the Phillpott Library by the Truro diocese. Local papers and the BBC are reporting that the diocese is "seeking legal advice to see if it has any cause for redress after losing out from the sale."
Pulling double-duty here - and doing so incredibly well - Scott has some important updates for us on this story too, as well as an important question that I've been trying to answer since December and will cast upon the waters now. He reports that the collection was originally appraised by a representative of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge in 2002 for £20,000 (making Thornton's later £36,000 offer seem pretty decent).
The comment that's drawn the most responses is Scott's final paragraph: "An interesting point not mentioned in the Times article is that the Macklin Bible - the massive extra-illustrated Bible that was the first item sold - went to a dealer who showed up at the auction house, razor
blade in hand, and cut out the 300 best drawings and prints, leaving the rest. The auction house, Dominic Winter, subsequently placed the remainder with an American university library. Anyone know where it ended up?"
That bible is the one I've posted about here (the post includes some new comments as this story has grown); since I first read about it in December I've been trying to figure out which American library it was that accepted the book after that wretched dealer (who has thus far managed to remain anonymous) took his razor blade to it. If anyone knows and can share, please do.
Crockett first, I guess, and as usual Scott Brown's got the inside track on all the new developments there. Here's the Texas Historical Commission press release (now removed from their site, according to the Houston Chronicle) announcing the purchase of the letter, and here's Scott's take on the THC's announcement that an expert panel will be convened: "Once again, the state of Texas has it all backwards. First, the governor personally announces the purchase before anyone does even basic analysis and now that the document is questioned, Texas is hiring the experts."
On ExLibris, Kevin MacDonnell posted yesterday that he sent a statement on the letter to several Texas papers, "and suggested that in the interest of public trust and transparency that they [the Texas Historical Commission] make the names and qualifications of their 'team of experts' known, including full disclosure of any connections, past or present, that those experts might have to the buyer or seller, as well as any court or state agency complaints ever registered against any expert on their team." I certainly hope they take his advice.
Scott also questions the dealer's story about finding the letter in a folder "tucked away in a desk." Does seem a bit fishy, doesn't it?
Switching gears, things are also moving quite quickly with the story I wrote about on Monday regarding the sale of the Phillpott Library by the Truro diocese. Local papers and the BBC are reporting that the diocese is "seeking legal advice to see if it has any cause for redress after losing out from the sale."
Pulling double-duty here - and doing so incredibly well - Scott has some important updates for us on this story too, as well as an important question that I've been trying to answer since December and will cast upon the waters now. He reports that the collection was originally appraised by a representative of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge in 2002 for £20,000 (making Thornton's later £36,000 offer seem pretty decent).
The comment that's drawn the most responses is Scott's final paragraph: "An interesting point not mentioned in the Times article is that the Macklin Bible - the massive extra-illustrated Bible that was the first item sold - went to a dealer who showed up at the auction house, razor
blade in hand, and cut out the 300 best drawings and prints, leaving the rest. The auction house, Dominic Winter, subsequently placed the remainder with an American university library. Anyone know where it ended up?"
That bible is the one I've posted about here (the post includes some new comments as this story has grown); since I first read about it in December I've been trying to figure out which American library it was that accepted the book after that wretched dealer (who has thus far managed to remain anonymous) took his razor blade to it. If anyone knows and can share, please do.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Crockett Contretemps Continues
The Houston Chronicle has today's update on the Davy Crockett letter saga - the Texas Historical Commission has now "retracted" spokeswoman Debbi Head's statement that they're "99.9% sure" of the letter's authenticity. "That was not the position of the commission at all," Commission executive director Lawrence Oaks told the paper, calling Head's words "a misstatement."
"Oaks said the commission will issue a 'request for qualifications; next week seeking experts skilled in forensics and other forms of historical document analysis. He said the document, offered by Houston dealer Ray Simpson III, would undergo scientific tests to determine the age of the paper and the ink, as well as other types of analysis. ... A team might be assembled rather than one individual, standard practices will be applied and the search for experts will be nationwide, he added. The commission hopes to move quickly and will exclude anyone with an 'ax to grind' or a conflict of interest."
"Oaks said the commission will issue a 'request for qualifications; next week seeking experts skilled in forensics and other forms of historical document analysis. He said the document, offered by Houston dealer Ray Simpson III, would undergo scientific tests to determine the age of the paper and the ink, as well as other types of analysis. ... A team might be assembled rather than one individual, standard practices will be applied and the search for experts will be nationwide, he added. The commission hopes to move quickly and will exclude anyone with an 'ax to grind' or a conflict of interest."
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Links & Reviews
- First, some updates: Scott Brown continues to stay on top of the evolving Davy Crockett letter story, including some important orthographical comparisons. He also heard from one autograph dealer who said that the $490,000 price tag was "a bargain" if genuine (though I'm still not sure why, given prior auction prices), but that "The uniformity of the writing certainly should cause a lot of concern. Davy Crockett did not write on straight lines like that." Finally, Scott's dredged up some earlier examples in which the dealer who sold this letter to Texas has been involved with the sale of non-genuine documents.
- Travis has been chasing down a very strange episode involving book thief Sherman Suchow [aka Charles Merrill Mount]'s testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee during the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. Here's his lead-up post, followed by a summary of the Mount's submission.
- Speaking of thefts, I happened to flick on the t.v. yesterday afternoon and stumbled on an episode of Fox' "Masterminds" about the 2004 thefts from the special collections department at Transylvania University. Naturally it's a bit overdone (it is Fox, after all), but on the substance they did fairly well.
- Hanover College (IN) has mounted a web version of their ongoing Captain Cook exhibit.
- At Book Patrol, Michael highlights some Edward Gorey news, including an exhibit of Gorey's Dracula work at the Cartoon Museum and a brief Harvard Magazine profile from earlier this year [pdf].
- Joyce catches some great biblio-news bits that missed my radar screen on the first pass; don't miss any of these.
- Before he jumped into the Davy Crockett fray, Scott posted an excellent volley in the Google Books debate, dismissing the argument that Google Books is not a good tool in this way: "... any 'ordinary' reader who blindly assumes that a free scan of an out-of-copyright edition of a complicated eighteenth-century book is a good source for reading gets what they pay for. This is the problem with most information on the Internet. You have to use it with care because you don't know by whom or for what purpose it was put online. ... In short, it doesn't matter if you are reading a book online using Google Books, checking one out from the most prestigious library in the world, or buying a brand-new copy from your local bookstore, the advice is the same caveat lector." I'll have more on Google Books soon since I've had some interesting interactions with it recently.
- Richard Davies lists the biggest ABE sales for August, in which a special edition of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (one inscribed at Rowling's midnight reading) sold for $5,500. The highest-seller for the month was a complete copy of Athanasius Kircher's Itinerarium Exstaticum Quo Mundi Opificium, which fetched $11,728.
- Rare Book Review notes the recent sale at auction of a copy of Francis Frith's Egypt, Sinai and Jerusalem: A Series of Twenty Photographic Views (1860). The hammer came down at £63,250, more than three times the presale estimate - quite a haul for a book discovered during an attic clear-out earlier this year.
- In today's NYTimes, John Wilson reviews Of a Feather, Scott Weidensaul's new history of American birding. I'm looking forward to this one; my copy is staring at me from the "to read soon" shelf as I type.
- And finally, as work on the Great Jefferson Library Project continues (quickly!), an article from The New Yorker on another of Jefferson's passions - wine.
- Travis has been chasing down a very strange episode involving book thief Sherman Suchow [aka Charles Merrill Mount]'s testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee during the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. Here's his lead-up post, followed by a summary of the Mount's submission.
- Speaking of thefts, I happened to flick on the t.v. yesterday afternoon and stumbled on an episode of Fox' "Masterminds" about the 2004 thefts from the special collections department at Transylvania University. Naturally it's a bit overdone (it is Fox, after all), but on the substance they did fairly well.
- Hanover College (IN) has mounted a web version of their ongoing Captain Cook exhibit.
- At Book Patrol, Michael highlights some Edward Gorey news, including an exhibit of Gorey's Dracula work at the Cartoon Museum and a brief Harvard Magazine profile from earlier this year [pdf].
- Joyce catches some great biblio-news bits that missed my radar screen on the first pass; don't miss any of these.
- Before he jumped into the Davy Crockett fray, Scott posted an excellent volley in the Google Books debate, dismissing the argument that Google Books is not a good tool in this way: "... any 'ordinary' reader who blindly assumes that a free scan of an out-of-copyright edition of a complicated eighteenth-century book is a good source for reading gets what they pay for. This is the problem with most information on the Internet. You have to use it with care because you don't know by whom or for what purpose it was put online. ... In short, it doesn't matter if you are reading a book online using Google Books, checking one out from the most prestigious library in the world, or buying a brand-new copy from your local bookstore, the advice is the same caveat lector." I'll have more on Google Books soon since I've had some interesting interactions with it recently.
- Richard Davies lists the biggest ABE sales for August, in which a special edition of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (one inscribed at Rowling's midnight reading) sold for $5,500. The highest-seller for the month was a complete copy of Athanasius Kircher's Itinerarium Exstaticum Quo Mundi Opificium, which fetched $11,728.
- Rare Book Review notes the recent sale at auction of a copy of Francis Frith's Egypt, Sinai and Jerusalem: A Series of Twenty Photographic Views (1860). The hammer came down at £63,250, more than three times the presale estimate - quite a haul for a book discovered during an attic clear-out earlier this year.
- In today's NYTimes, John Wilson reviews Of a Feather, Scott Weidensaul's new history of American birding. I'm looking forward to this one; my copy is staring at me from the "to read soon" shelf as I type.
- And finally, as work on the Great Jefferson Library Project continues (quickly!), an article from The New Yorker on another of Jefferson's passions - wine.
Friday, September 07, 2007
Davy, Davy Crockett ...
It would appear that the state of Texas recently forked over $490,000 to purchase a copy of Davy Crockett's 'last letter,' written two months before he died at the Alamo.
Scott Brown at Fine Books Blog has been all over this story, and since I don't want to duplicate his work (nor hopelessly attempt to to improve upon it) I'm just going to link to his many posts from yesterday:
First, Scott introduces the story and provides images of the Texas letter and a known Crockett holograph letter. Then, some hi-res handwriting comparison and the note "If I had to guess, I'd say this was a fair copy of the letter, not a forgery - that is to say, if the letter turns out not to be in Davy Crockett's hand, the person who made it didn't intend to deceive, s/he simply wanted to make a copy."
Soon Scott heard that the Texas Historical Commission was "starting the verification process" and has up to 190 days to cancel the purchase, and was told by a "leading autograph dealer" that in the Crockett letter purchased by the state, "none of the characteristics of Davy Crockett letters I have on file show up."
Then came the price comparisons, in which Scott showed that Crockett letters rarely fetch more than $25,000 at auction, let alone $490,000 (the gallery owners who sold the letter to the state are quoted as saying "The document likely could have sold for a much higher price in an open auction, ... but the family wanted to offer it to Texas first."
Eventually, Scott received word from Debbi Head, Senior Communications Specialist at the Texas Historical Commission. She told him that the letter was purchased quickly, before authentication: "The opportunity to purchase came pretty suddenly, and we didn't want to let it slip away." Until the verification process is complete, she said, the money paid for the letter is in escrow, and they'll be "looking to procure the best forensic and signature experts" to check out the letter.
Seems to me that whoever's responsible for this purchase at the state level got a little bit ahead of the game.
This morning, the Associated Press reports on the questions raised, including comments from Everett Wilkie and Kevin MacDonnell saying that the letter is almost certainly a fair copy, judging by the correct spellings and punctuation, handwriting, &c. Most surprising is the quote from Ms. Head, who told the AP she's "'99.9 percent sure' the letter is real. 'We just want to have it authenticated by our experts to put us at 100 percent certainty that this is the real document.'" Seller Ray Simpson agreed, saying "I am very positive that this is the original Davy Crockett letter. We do think it's right, and we do think it will be proven through the state's third-party investigation."
I guess we'll just have to see about that; it certainly looks like a fair copy to me.
More to come, I'm sure.
Scott Brown at Fine Books Blog has been all over this story, and since I don't want to duplicate his work (nor hopelessly attempt to to improve upon it) I'm just going to link to his many posts from yesterday:
First, Scott introduces the story and provides images of the Texas letter and a known Crockett holograph letter. Then, some hi-res handwriting comparison and the note "If I had to guess, I'd say this was a fair copy of the letter, not a forgery - that is to say, if the letter turns out not to be in Davy Crockett's hand, the person who made it didn't intend to deceive, s/he simply wanted to make a copy."
Soon Scott heard that the Texas Historical Commission was "starting the verification process" and has up to 190 days to cancel the purchase, and was told by a "leading autograph dealer" that in the Crockett letter purchased by the state, "none of the characteristics of Davy Crockett letters I have on file show up."
Then came the price comparisons, in which Scott showed that Crockett letters rarely fetch more than $25,000 at auction, let alone $490,000 (the gallery owners who sold the letter to the state are quoted as saying "The document likely could have sold for a much higher price in an open auction, ... but the family wanted to offer it to Texas first."
Eventually, Scott received word from Debbi Head, Senior Communications Specialist at the Texas Historical Commission. She told him that the letter was purchased quickly, before authentication: "The opportunity to purchase came pretty suddenly, and we didn't want to let it slip away." Until the verification process is complete, she said, the money paid for the letter is in escrow, and they'll be "looking to procure the best forensic and signature experts" to check out the letter.
Seems to me that whoever's responsible for this purchase at the state level got a little bit ahead of the game.
This morning, the Associated Press reports on the questions raised, including comments from Everett Wilkie and Kevin MacDonnell saying that the letter is almost certainly a fair copy, judging by the correct spellings and punctuation, handwriting, &c. Most surprising is the quote from Ms. Head, who told the AP she's "'99.9 percent sure' the letter is real. 'We just want to have it authenticated by our experts to put us at 100 percent certainty that this is the real document.'" Seller Ray Simpson agreed, saying "I am very positive that this is the original Davy Crockett letter. We do think it's right, and we do think it will be proven through the state's third-party investigation."
I guess we'll just have to see about that; it certainly looks like a fair copy to me.
More to come, I'm sure.
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