FOSTER HALL REPRODUCTIONS Songs Compositions and Arrangements by Stephen Collins Foster, 1826-1864.
Privately printed by Josiah Kirby Lilly: Indianapolis, Indiana. 1933. Item #98-2486
Produced by the staff of Foster Hall. Three clothbound slipcases in a metal case with booklet. From the description provided by Josiah Kirby Lilly: "One thousand sets requiring eight tons of especially made rag paper . . . Three thousand slipcases, and one thousand steel cabinets, have been produced and are being placed in libraries. . . to be kept in the reference department . . . " Steel cabinet is 15 x 12 x 11", slipcases are 14.5 x 10.5, brown cloth with gilt lettering on spines, each slipcase has each one a printed label "Foster Hall Reproductions 1933 Set No. 900," volume one has a printed presentation label (Foster Hall, etc.) to a "Public Library" April 1934; volume two has an additoinal piece of sheet music "My Story of Love" with a typed note from the Foster Hall curator indicating that this song was set to the music of Foster's "This Rose will Remind You" and published "recently" by Shapiro, Bernstein Co., NY and supplied courtesy of Mr. Shapiro and that it was issued on July 4,1946, the 120th anniversary of Foster's birth; volume three has an addenda listing three titles that were added in August 1938; none of the additions in volume two and three are lsited in the accompanying booklet, booklet is 13 x 9.5, printed wraps, 22 pp. Ex-lib, steel cabinet is scratched, worn (some of the brown paint has come off(, library stamp on cabinet (but not on the slip cases or the music or booklet), slip cases are well worn, rubbed, soiled, edges fraying, scratched, lettering obliterated on volume two and only partially worn off on volume three, booklet has light soiling on covers, music has occasional light soiling, a tiny tear, light creasing/curling else contents very good. In the introduction by Lilly, he indicated that this set contain two hundred discovered Foster songs plus arrangements of his work plus his arrangements of other people's work. The booklet lists these contents by title, first line index and classified index. All items listed are present in this set. One item of interest is that they list Foster's "Fighting for the Flag Day and Night" as being part of the set which would be impossible since their note stated "Reproduction impossible as no copy of this song has been found." INCLUDED IS A TYPED LETTER ON JOSIAH K. LILLY'S STATIONERY (WITH ILLUSTR OF FOSTER HALL) ADDRESSEDTO THE LIBRARY THAT IS RECEIVING THIS GIFT AND SIGNED BY JOSIAH LILLY. LIMITED TO ONE THOUSAND GIFT SETS, THIS IS NUMBER 900. Extra postge required.
Price: $250.00