‘Manuals of Old New York' 1916–1919 Valentine's Antique 1st Editions – Volumes I, II & III

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An exceptionally clean reproductions, an unscathed bookset of early 20th-century hardback annual editions from a sequential series titled the ‘Manual … Read more An exceptionally clean reproductions, an unscathed bookset of early 20th-century hardback annual editions from a sequential series titled the ‘Manual of Old New York’. Originated by David Thomas Valentine, the revered archivist, and Chief Clerk of the New York Common Council, a publisher of early New York history, he founded his legendary franchise in 1841. Compiled meticulously from hundreds of manuscripts and photographs, this densely illustrated trio present many fine-grain photogravures, fold-out elevation drawings, and street-level depictions, capturing many landmark views of City Hall Park and Wall Street, with rare historical essays, early skyscrapers, and buildings such as the original Grand Central Depot well before the present-day reshaping of the New York skyline. The volumes of this early monograph appear as a celebrated "New Series" revival of Valentine’s early manuals compiled by noted American preservationist Henry Collins Brown, and re-edited between 1916 and 1919. These three consecutive volumes follow Valentine’s exact methodology for rescuing forgotten municipal archives from oblivion, bound in their original, deeply textured blue cloth with gold-stamped vignettes on the hardcovers, including two gilt Henry Hudson’s ship insignia on the cover. Each delicate antique volume features many sophisticated, scarce histories, highly curated archival legends, maps, and stories of.gravity from the age of Peter Stuyvesant forward. Reviving David T. Valentine's pioneering passion for rich visual media, editor Brown packed the volumes with rare and extensive 4-fold and 8-fold lithographic plates tracing Manhattan's shifting topography, from its Dutch colonial roots to its growth into the American Gotham City during the Late Gilded Age. The books are a trove of breathtaking press releases, large multi-panel fold-outs, architectural diagrams, and forgotten, unexamined panoramic lithographs of New York, and the excellent vignettes filling a bookcase of prime US memorabilia for an executive desk, traditional parlor browsing table, or private library. The trio of books is an irreplaceable set of near-forgotten stories of the early Big Apple, perfectly tailored for the discerning antiquarian eye in the Big Apple.

Books ! – III
Valentine's Manual of the City of New York for 1916-7
Edited by Henry Collins Brown
Valentine Publishing Company, 256p

Valentine's Manual of the City of New York for 1917-1918 New Series No. 2
Edited by Henry Collins Brown
The Old Colony Press, 448p


Valentine's Manual of Old New York
Volume III New Series 1919
Edited by Henry Collins Brown
New York 1919 Valentine's Manual Inc., 381p See less