Tom-Boy Sue
by [Music – Sheet Music – Gender] Reardon, Harry; Whiteway, William
Malden, Massachusetts: Edward A. Bowen, 1910. Folio, wraps, 5 pp. Fine condition.. An unrecorded sheet about two romantic youngsters by Harry Reardon, who was apparently a local composer of comic songs active in the Brockton, Massachusetts area during this period (we find a newspaper record in newspapers of a recital at the Fidelity Lodge in Brockton in 1911). The song extols the virtue of a girl named (Tom-Boy) Sue, and laments “Remember when folks called you ‘tomboy’ /... Read More
Offered by Auger Down Books
Right Over Wrong. Coming Right Along. Song & Chorus
by [Music – Hutchinson Family – Abolition] Hutchinson, Jesse; The Hutchinson Family
New York: Horace Waters, 1855. Sheet music measuring 10 ¾ x 14 ¼ inches, 6 pp. Foxed with wear to edges; very good to excellent.. A scarce Hutchinson Family sheet, published in 1855, with an abolition theme. The song goes, in part: “The captive now begins to rise and burst his chains asunder, While Politicians stand aghast in anxious fear and wonder. No longer shall the bondman sigh beneath the galling fetters, He sees the Dan of... Read More
Offered by Auger Down Books
Eight Dollars a Day. Written & Dedicated to the Congress of the U.S.
by [Music – Hutchinson Family – Political Corruption] Hutchinson, J.J.; The Hutchinson Family
Boston, Massachusetts: Olivery Ditson, 1848. Folio, 14 x 10 ½ inches, 5 pp. Slight splitting to covers, contents fine, very good plus overall.. The sheet for the anti-politician polemic “Eight Dollars a Day", which was apparently a crowd favorite at the Hutchinson Family’s performances. The song lambastes the political class and its waste, insinuating, among other things, that the politicians were spending their bloated salary on alcohol: “A flaming speech is made by one when the call is... Read More
Offered by Auger Down Books
Anna Steiniger, A Biographical Sketch; In Which Is Contained A Suggestion Of The Clark-Steiniger System of Piano-Forte Playing
by [Music – Women] Cobb, John Storer
Boston, Massachusetts: G. Schirmer, Jr., 1886. Forty page booklet measuring 4 ¼ x 6 ½ inches, in paper wraps. A biography of German pianist Anna Clark-Steiniger by English writer and cremation proponent John Storer Cobb. The biography details Steiniger’s early years as a student of Theodor Kullak and Ludwig Deppe, her rise to prominence and performances with friends including Etelka Gerster, and her arrival in the United States with her American husband Frederick Clark. Though popular at the time,... Read More
Offered by Auger Down Books
De Old Church Yard in de Lane, or Darling Minnie Gray. Originally Sung by Milt G. Barlow of Haverly’s Minstrels
by [Music – Nineteenth Century – Minstrel Shows] Haverly’s Minstrels; Rutledge, John
Cincinnati: F.W. Helmick, 1875. Quarto, 14 x 10 ½ inches, 5 pp. Binding split, some marginal chips, good condition.. Sentimental minstrel-era ballad associated with the touring repertory of J.H. Haverly’s Mastodon Minstrels, one of the largest and most commercially successful minstrel organizations of the 1870s, with an illustrated cover using the trope of an elderly African American man which was popular in Uncle Tom’s Cabin-era touring shows. The song is attributed to John Rutledge, a performer and songwriter... Read More
Offered by Auger Down Books
Autograph Letter Signed to Albert Bagby Regarding a Lecture at the Newport Town and Country Club, late 1880s
by [Music - Women’s History] Howe, Julia Ward [Bagby, Albert]
Newport, 1880. Single page with writing on both sides, signed by Howe. Fine condition. Fine. A short but interesting note from Julia Ward Howe to Albert Bagby, the Illinois-born musician who trained with Liszt in Germany and would eventually be a longtime host of “Mr. Bagby’s Musical Mornings” at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York, where it was a fixture among the high society set. Bagby’s career as a host started after presenting a paper to the Newport Town... Read More
Offered by Auger Down Books
I See Tho My Eyes Are Closed. Dedicated to W. C. Handy
by [Music – Blues – Inscribed Copies] Aaronson, Lazarus A.; Handy, W. C.
New York: Handy Brothers Music Co., Inc, 1951. Quarto sheet music, single folded leaf making 4 pp. Light toning to margins, else near fine. 9 x 12 inches. “Sample Copy” stamped on cover. Inscribed and signed by W. C. Handy on the front cover to Miss Sybil Gregory, dated June 16, 1951, the year of publication. Near Fine.. An uncommon Handy Brothers Music Co. publication issued late in the career of W. C. Handy (1873–1958). The song is... Read More
Offered by Auger Down Books
The Blue Melody. Society’s Latest Syncopated Walk. As First Played by Sophie Tucker’s Five Kings of Syncopation
by [Music – Early Jazz – Ragtime] Pinkard, Maceo
Omaha, Nebraska: Maceo Pinkard Music Publisher, 1917. Folio sheet music, 11 x 14 inches, 3 pp. plus cover. Light edge wear and small creases; a couple tiny tears to margins, very good with strong color and excellent internal condition.. An early jazz-era composition by the important African American songwriter Maceo Pinkard (1897–1962), issued from his short-lived Omaha publishing venture during the first years of the national “jass band” craze. The cover advertises the piece as a “1917 ‘Jass... Read More
Offered by Auger Down Books
Emancipation Hymn. Composed and Dedicated by Permission to the Salem Union League
by [Music] [Abolition] Fenellosa, Manuel
Boston: Oliver Ditson and Company, 1863. First Edition. Fine. Manuel Fenellosa and his brother-in-law Manuel Emilio came to the United States from Spain in 1836 aboard the SS United States. They settled in Salem, Massachussetts, first forming a band and then a music school. They were friends of the publisher John P. Jewett, who published their work and let them perform at his home. Jewett was also the publisher of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Both Fenellosa and Emilio composed... Read More
Offered by Auger Down Books
Tears Make My Rainbows
by [Music – Con Artists – Theatre – Chicago] Lander, Max; “Princess Dalla Pattra”
Chicago, Illinois: Egyptian Press, 1932. Folio, 5 pp. Wraps torn at seam, slightly musty odor, good condition.. An unrecorded composition by a woman who travelled through the midwest claiming to be a descendant of Cleopatra using the name Princess Dalla Pattra. The details of the princess are murky, as she disappears from newspaper records after 1930, when she admitted in court to using a manager to stage a publicity stunt in St. Louis.[1] In her hearing, she also... Read More
Offered by Auger Down Books
Promotional Photograph of The Fat Boys
by [Music – Hip-Hop History] The Fat Boys; Mountain, Peter
Providence, Rhode Island, 1985. Approximately 5 x 7 inches. Very good contrast; overall near fine. With stamp on verso attributing photo to Peter Mountain and London Features International Ltd. Near fine.. Promotional photograph for the hip-hop trio The Fat Boys; from left to right: Mark “Prince Markie Dee” Morales (1968–2021), Damon “Kool Rock-Ski” Wimbley (b. 1966), and Darren “Buff Love” Robinson (1967–1995). The Fat Boys were a hip-hop group formed in Brooklyn, New York, in the 1980s. They... Read More
Offered by Auger Down Books
Fox’s Piano Trade Directory of the United States, 1916-17
by [Music] Fox, Ralph
Chicago and New York: Ralph E. Fox, 1916. First Edition. 8vo, wraps, 360 pp. Some wear, mark to front wrap, bright contents, very good overall. Very Good. Ralph E. Fox published this directory of the American music trade, which gives a detailed overview of the American instrument trade in the early 20th century, from roughly 1911-1929. The directory lists piano dealers in each state, and gives precise information on all piano factories and their outputs, financials, and prices.... Read More
Offered by Auger Down Books
Photograph of Eartha Kitt and the Newport Jazz Festival, 1957
by [Music - Jazz] Schatt, Roy
New York, 1958. Silver Gelatin Photograph measuring 8 ½ x 11 ½ inches, with Schatt’s marks verso with his notation “Vintage ‘58” in ink. A fine example, fine contrast. A striking image of Eartha Kitt and her band performing at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival, taken by the prolific photographer Roy Schatt, perhaps best known for his photographs of James Dean. This is a vintage example, likely printed in 1958 from the “1958” and “Vintage” marks to verso. We... Read More
Offered by Auger Down Books
The Entertainer — A Rag Time Two-Step
by [Music – Ragtime] Joplin, Scott
St. Louis: John Stark & Son, 1902. Folio sheet music, illustrated color pictorial cover. 5 pp. (including cover). Early issue dedicated to “James Brown and His Mandolin Club.” A notably bright and well-preserved example with strong color and only light edge wear; small chips to corners of second and third leaves with no loss to printed portion, very good overall, an unusually attractive copy of one of the most famous publications of the ragtime era. Very good.. First... Read More
Offered by Auger Down Books
Elite Syncopations
by [Music – Ragtime] Joplin, Scott
St. Louis: John Stark & Son, 1902. Large-format folio sheet music for piano solo. Trimmed to 9¼ x 12 inches. Light edge wear with small chips to lower corner (approx. ¼ inch), else very good; a bright and attractive example. Very good.. First edition of one of Scott Joplin’s classic ragtime compositions, issued during his most productive period with the St. Louis publisher John Stark. Joplin (1868–1917), widely known as the “King of Ragtime,” helped establish ragtime as... Read More
Offered by Auger Down Books
Collection of Seventeen Publicity Photos of Performers from the Golden Age of Soul Music, circa mid-1960s
by [Soul Music]
California and New York, 1960. Silver gelatin prints on glossy stock, most 8 x 10 inches. Fine. A fine collection of press photos from an amazing period in American music, with many classic soul singers included, many of whom were represented by the William Morris Agency. Subjects include: Clyde McPhatter, Ketty Lester, Barbara McNair, Leon Bibb, Sheryl Easly (who performed with the Sal Salvador Orchestra on a recording in 1963), Adam Wade, Sam Cooke, Odetta, Nipsey Russell, Leslie... Read More
Offered by Auger Down Books
Willie, My Brave. To Mrs. A. L. Robinson
by [Music – American Song – Illustrated Sheet Music] Foster, Stephen C.
New York: Firth, Pond & Co, 1851. Folio sheet music, illustrated tinted lithographic cover by Sarony & Major. 5 pp. (including cover). Approximately 13 x 10 inches. Light toning and minor edge wear; archival tape to spine, likely removed from a volume at some point, very good overall.. A particularly handsome illustrated edition of Stephen C. Foster’s sentimental ballad “Willie, My Brave,” featuring an elaborate tinted lithographic cover by the New York firm of Sarony & Major. The... Read More
Offered by Auger Down Books
Large Collection of W. C. Handy Blues Sheet Music including multiple editions of “St. Louis Blues,” together with “Beale Street Blues,” “Yellow Dog Blues,” “Harlem Blues,” “Loveless Love,” and Others, Most Printed by Pace & Handy or Handy Brothers
by [Music – Blues – Black Music Publishing] Handy, W. C., et al.
New York: Pace & Handy; Handy Brothers Music Co.; W. C. Handy; Richmond-Robbins; Robbins Music Corp.; and others, 1958. Approximately 29 pieces of sheet music together with a 32-page Blues folio. Folio format. Generally very good overall with typical handling wear, toning, and occasional edge wear.. A substantial accumulation of blues sheets centered on the work of W. C. Handy (1873–1958), the composer widely known as the “Father of the Blues.” Spanning more than four decades of publication... Read More
Offered by Auger Down Books
![The Memphis Blues (Or Mr. Crump). [Inscribed to Noble Sissle]](https://d3525k1ryd2155.cloudfront.net/h/996/309/1738309996.0.l.jpg)
The Memphis Blues (Or Mr. Crump). [Inscribed to Noble Sissle]
by [Music – Blues – Inscribed Copies] Handy, W. C.; Robinson, J. Russel
New York: W.C. Handy, 1940. Folio sheet music, 8 pp. Inscribed to Noble Sissle and signed by both J. Russel Robinson and W. C. Handy. Excellent condition.. The sheet music for one of the foundational publications of American blues, inscribed to Noble Sissle. Written by W. C. Handy with collaborator J. Russel Robinson and first issued in 1912, “The Memphis Blues (Or Mr. Crump)” is widely considered one of the first blues compositions to achieve broad popularity through... Read More
Offered by Auger Down Books
Trocha. A Cuban Dance
by [Music – Dance – Cuba / Caribbean – African-Americana] Tyers, W. H.
New York: Jos. W. Stern & Co, 1890. Folio sheet music, illustrated pictorial cover printed in orange. 5 pp. (including cover). Approximately 13 ½ x 10 ½ inches. Covers detached, loss to front cover, contents complete, fair to good.. A decorative late nineteenth-century dance publication for “Trocha,” described on the cover as “A Cuban Dance,” composed by the African American composer and bandleader W. H. Tyers. The elaborate pictorial cover incorporates stylized tropical foliage and island scenery rendered... Read More
Offered by Auger Down Books
Italian Guinea Pig Boy
by [Music – Prejudicial Etymology – Nineteenth Century – Sheet Music] Lingard, William
Folio, 9 ½ x 13 inches, 5 pp. Margins trimmed quite tight to title, with some loss to publisher information on rear cover, small chips, else near fine, with the hand colored lithographic cover by H.C. Maguire in fine condition. Near Fine.. An interesting piece of sheet music perhaps shedding light on the term “guinea” as it applies to Italians which, though it originated in Europe, migrated to the United States. Lingard’s song begins “I’m poor Italian guinea... Read More
Offered by Auger Down Books
Collection of Ten Pieces of Original Sheet Music by Stride Piano Great Willie “The Lion” Smith, 1937-1949
by [Music – Jazz – Sheet Music] Smith, Willie “The Lion”
New York City: Edwards Music Co. and others, 1949. Ten pieces of sheet music (see full inventory below). Overall Near Fine.. A representative group of sheet music publications by Willie “The Lion” Smith, one of the defining architects of Harlem stride piano and a central transitional figure between ragtime-era keyboard traditions and modern jazz performance. Active in New York during the formative decades of twentieth-century jazz, Smith developed a powerful pianistic approach combining rhythmic authority, harmonic sophistication, and... Read More
Offered by Auger Down Books
An Archive of Songs, Some Annotated, and a Partial Draft of Woody Guthrie’s Hard Hitting Songs for Hard Hit People from the Collection of Harold Ambellan, Guthrie’s Collaborator and Benefactor
by [Music - Folk Music] Guthrie, Woody; Ambellin, Harold
New York, 1940. Eighty-five pages, including sixty loose pages and a partial draft of Guthrie’s Hard Hitting Songs for Hard Hit People, totaling twenty-five pages. With one handwritten page. One page - a typewritten copy of “The Ballad of Harry Bridges” - with a handwritten note by Guthrie to Ambellan. With photocopies of several letters from Guthrie to Ambellan included. Also with a broadside of the Carol Tree Carol by Alan and Elizabeth Lomax (1940) and a notecard with... Read More
Offered by Auger Down Books
You Were There / You Were in Little Rock if You… Belonged to the NAACP
by [African-Americana – Civil Rights Movement – Little Rock Nine] NAACP
New York City, 1958. Folded flyer measuring 7 ¾ x 5 ⅝ inches, bifolium. Fine condition.. A membership flyer printed in April of 1958 published as part of a fundraising drive around the Little Rock Nine. The NAACP was actively fundraising in 1958 to raise money for legal costs in the face of state-led actions in the south attempting to ban the organization. The risk of membership lists from the south being published made the growth of membership... Read More
Offered by Auger Down Books
the Future belongs to all of us Equally….. join NAACP
by [African-Americana – Civil Rights Movement] NAACP
New York City, 1959. Single leaf measuring 8 ½ x 11, with text on both sides. Near Fine condition with light normal wear and toning at edges.. A membership flyer printed in April of 1958 published as part of a fundraising drive around the Little Rock Nine. The NAACP was actively fundraising in 1958 to raise money for legal costs in the face of state-led actions in the south attempting to ban the organization. The risk of membership... Read More
Offered by Auger Down Books