THE ANNALS OF HARPER'S FERRY WITH SKETCHES OF ITS FOUNDER, AND MANY PROMINENT CHARACTERS CONNECTED WITH ITS HISTORY, ANECDOTES, &C, BY JOSEPHUS, JUNIOR. SECOND EDITION.
Martinsburg, W. VA: Office of the "Berkeley Union" 1872. 126pp, two plates, stitched. Original printed and illustrated wrappers [chipped at extremities without affecting text or illustration]. Front wrapper illustrated with a portrait of John Brown [repeated after page 32], rear wrapper with a portrait of John W. Garrett [repeated after page 110]. Text clean. Advertisement for the Mountain View Hotel in Harper's Ferry laid down on the plain inner rear wrapper. Good+.
This is the second edition, substantially enhanced, "the unexpected success of a prior and much smaller edition" [Hagerstown, 1869] having prompted it. The book treats the early history of the Town, but emphasizes the important period from John Brown's raid through the end of the Civil War. Born in Ireland, Barry spent most of his life in Harper's Ferry and became an authority on its history. He witnessed many of the described events, including the John Brown Raid; he attended Brown's trial.
The advertisement for Mountain View Hotel measures 4" x 6.25" and contains about 20 lines of text. It reads: O.E. MALTBY| J. JESSE MOORE| MOUNTAIN VIEW HOTEL, HARPER'S FERRY, WEST VIRGINIA. LATELY RENOVATED AND PUT IN THROUGH REPAIR, IS NOW OPEN FOR THE ACCOMMODATION OF TRAVELERS. THE PROPRIETORS HAVE SPARED NO EXPENSE IN RENDERING THE HOUSE COMFORTABLE AND CONVENIENT... THE GREAT NATURAL BEAUTY OF THE SURROUNDING SCENERY, THE SALUBRITY OF THE PLACE AND THE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS CONNECTED WITH LOCALITY, SHOULD NOT BE OVERLOOKED BY TOURISTS... T.H. PERCEVAL, SUPT., MALTBY & MOORE, PROPRIETORS.| YOUNG, PRINT." It was probably printed around 1872: an 1872 article in the West Virginia newspaper "Spirit of Jefferson" states that the traveling public "may now rely upon accommodations" in the area. ["Spirit of Jefferson," Charles Town, West Virginia, June 18, 1872, Vol. 25, No. 25, Page 3, Column 1.]
Howes B191. 137 Eberstadt 65. Item #33625
Price: $275.00