From My Shelf: Silent Auction Collectible, Rare and Out-of-Print Books

ATTENTION!!! The date at the top of the post doesn't change, because I just go in with each new bid, and "edit" the original post, but these bids are always current, up to the hour of the latest bids that have come in!!


Welcome to the live, regularly updated website list for From My Shelf's silent auction. This auction starts at noon on Friday the 13th and ends at noon on April Fools' Day. (I wanted the dates to be memorable!) The books are available to look at here at From My Shelf, 87 Main St, Wellsboro, PA, any time during our normal business hours. Also, please feel free to call or email with any questions or to make a bid!
(570) 724-5793 or from_my_shelf@yahoo.com

A portion of the proceeds from each winning bid goes to the Green Free Library for their inventory purchases. By buying these books, you are insuring that they have a loving home, preserving history, AND contributing to literacy in our area. Thanks!

Okay, then, here we go!!!



1. The Goodyears: An Empire in the Hemlocks by Thomas Taber, III
No. 5 in the series ‘Logging Railroad Era of Lumbering in Pennsylvania'
current bid: $8

2. Sawmills Among the Derricks: Kane, Kinzua Valley, Bradford, Crosby, Lewis Run by Thomas Taber, III, No. 7 in the series, ‘Logging Railroad Era of Lumbering in Pennsylvania’
current bid: $7

3. Sunset Along the Susquehanna Waters: Williamsport, Leetonia, Slate Run, Cammal, Glen Union, Gleasonton, No. 4 in the series, ‘Logging Railroad Era of Lumbering in Pennsylvania’
current bid: $9


4. The Little Washingtons by Lillian Elizabeth Roy
Grosset & Dunlap version, copyright circa 1920,
Starting bid $1

5. Dare Boys in Virginia by Stephen Angus Cox Chatterton 1910 …
owned and signed in front by Joseph Borden, of Antrim, PA
Current bid $6

6. Eldorado Found: The Central Pennsylvania Highlands: A Tourist’s Survey by Henry W. Shoemaker Gateway Press, Baltimore, 1993
starting bid $15

7. The Hardy Boys: The Missing Chums
Grosset version, copyright circa 1928 most of dj intact
Starting bid $2

8. The Hardy Boys: What Happened at Midnight
Grosset version, copyright circa 1931 most of dj intact
Starting bid $1

9. The Adventures of Sammy Jay by Thorton W Burgess
Little Brown & Co 1924 no dj
current bid $10

10. Hop-O-My-Thumb by Clifton Johnson, illus. Harry Smith,
part of the “Bedtime Wonder Tales” collection; publisher: Cupples & Leon Co, 1924 edition, acceptable to poor condition. Some loose pages, although all pgs are clean & unmarked. No dj.
Starting bid $7

11. The Tin Woodman of Oz ( a Little Golden Book)
by L. Frank Baum, adapted by Peter Archer, pictures by Harry McNaught,
published by Simon & Schuster, NY 1952 authorized edition,
Small “A” in bottom inside corner of final page of text indicates first edition
Starting bid $15

12. Walt Disney’s “Tonka” (a Little Golden Book) copyright 1959 by Walt Disney, based on the movie, based on the book, “Commanche” by David Appel
current bid $2.50

13. Little Golden Picture Dictionary (A Little Golden Book) copyright 1959 by Nancy Fielding Hulick, illus. by Tibor Gergely great condition
starting bid $2


14. A Day in the Jungle (A Little Golden Book) copyright 1943
by Janette Sebring Lowrey, pictures by Tibor Gergely
last page has an “I”; not first edition very good condition!
current bid: $5

15. Walt Disney’s Peter Pan and Wendy, copyright circa 1952 by Annie North Bedford/Eyvind Earle black ink has bled into edges of many pages,
cond. overall acceptable to good- “A” mark on last page, first edition thus.
Current bid: $12

16. Slapstick by Kurt Vonnegut hardcover with price-clipped vg dj. All pgs clean & unmarked, slightly musty but otherwise vg copy. 1976 Delacorte Press.
Starting bid $7


17. Poems of Love by John Dunne 1958 Folio Press edition in slipcase like new in every way except very slight musty smell, should air out fine, no mildew anywhere……
current bid $10

18. The Home Place by Brian Leyden New Island Press, Dublin
out of print paperback memoir in like new condition, with dj,
SIGNED by author
Starting bid: $18

19. The Beasts of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs
A.L. Burt Co, no printing date stated, but definitely NOT a first edition … The “Burt” company only did early reprints. This is, however, a hardcover in good+ condition with clean pages and only mild cover wear. No dj.
Starting bid $4

20. The Story of Long Ago : Myths of Greeks and Norsemen; Story of Early Man; & the History of the Old World from the Dawn of Civilization to the Fall of Rome
by Southworth & Southworth; Iroquois Publishing, 1934; good cond. HC, no dj.
Starting bid : $1

21. The Susquehanna by Carl Carmer
as part of the “Rivers of America” series, Rinehart Publishing, 1955,
ex-library with poor dj; library markings, musty smell
current bid: $5

22. The Sandman Companion by Hy Bender hardcover, stated first edition, full number line, signed (inscribed) by Neil Gaiman on title page,
as new condition Dj excellent
Current bid: $25

23. Little Lulu and Her Pals
David McKay Company, 1939 reprint, poor condition
starting bid: $2

24. Laughs with Little Lulu
David McKay Company, 1941 reprint, vg+ condition
starting bid: $10


25. Intoxicants and Opium in All Lands and Times
by Dr. and Mrs. Wilbur Crafts and Mary and Margaret Leitch hc 1906
revised edition, by the Reform Bureau in Washington, D.C.
starting bid: $40


26. Pennsylvania’s Oil Industry by Ernest Miller
booklet, excellent cond. 1974
current bid $2

27. Flatlanders and Ridgerunners by Jim Glimm, original paperback, not recent reprint; good to good+ condition; inscribed by Jim Glimm
starting bid: $15

28. Snakebite by Jim Glimm, hardcover, 1st edition, Univ. of Pittsburgh Press awesome condition!!!! Former owner’s name just inside cover, else as new!
starting bid: $40

29. Life in Wellsboro: 1880 - 1920 by Gale Largey gorgeous hardcover with like new dustjacket, no marks
starting bid: $75


30. Life in Wellsboro: 1920 - 1960 by Gale Largey gorgeous hardcover, as new in every way. Dustjacket still in great condition, a couple of small tears.
current bid: $100


31. Cherry Ames, Chief Nurse by Helen Wells Grosset & Dunlap edition, 1944 Book in good to vg condition, some edgwear, pages tanned. Dustjacket is good condition, lots of edgewear, otherwise clean & bright. Shows Cherry on a Pacific Island, in WWII gear.
current bid: $9


32. An Outline of Tioga and Bradford Counties in Pennsylvania, Chemung, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins, and Schuyler in New York, by Townships, Villages, Boro's and Cities by "Written expressly for the Gazette Company, Elmira, NY" copyright 1855 by the Gazette Company; hardcover in nearly acceptable shape: pages good, but binding broken
starting bid: $10


33. The Nation's Tribute to Abraham Lincoln compiled by Benjamin Franklin Morris; copyright 1866 by W.H. & O.H. Morrison;

inscription in the back says: "M. Mathias Welliner, Bought May 12, 1866, Lycoming County, Pa"

poor to acceptable condition. hardcover. very musty smell. waterstains throughtout the book, along edges of pages, especially at the top. binding intact, but a little loose in places. pages are very readable, no writing, not much tanning.

A copy of this book sold at auction in San Francisco in 2006 for $95.
starting bid: $50

34. Uncle Remus by Joel Chandler Harris, illustrated by A.B. Frost
Appleton Century Publishers, copyright 1895
some fading to red cloth over hardboard covers, pages clean with little to no tanning, no marks except for previous owners' names written inside front cover: CG Webb and Sally Webb (Judge Webb), binding still very good, no dj.
starting bid: $30

35. Presidents, Soldiers, Statesmen: 1776 - 1894, Volume 1 and Vol. 2 by H.H. Hardesty, copyright 1894 book begins with 1858 "The War of the Rebellion", which here means the stirrings of the Civil War 2 hardcovers in overall good+ condition: pages all well bound; binding is tight but spine slightly tilted, corners bumped. Cover is brown cloth (leather?) over hardboard, with gold-embossed lettering. No dj. Volume 2 includes the history & information on local people involved.
starting bid: $40

36. Glendale & Montrose by Jeffrey Moreau and James Walker, Jr. published by Pacific Bookwork, copyright 1966 softcover in near flawless condition, small tear at bottom front cover, else perfect. Pull-out map of route still attached and in perfect shape.
starting bid: $30

37. The Pacific Coast Company: Ships and Narrow Gauge Rails by Gerald M. Best, copyright 1992 (this is a reprint of the 1964 edition) by Signature Press
near flawless hardcover with near flawless dj
current bid: $20

38. From These Hills, From These Valleys: Selected Fiction About Western Pennsylvania
editor, David P. Demarest, Jr.
hardcover, copyright 1976 by Mellon Bank and the Univ. of Pittsburgh Press
book in very good condition, binding excellent with only slight tilt; all pages clean and unmarked; dustjacket has edgewear but is otherwise vg
starting bid: $5


39. Diary of A Binghamton Boy in the 1860's edited and explained by Marjory Barnum Hinman softcover booklet published in 1982 by the Union Press of Endicott, NY; overall very good condition
starting bid: $10


40. The Odyssey of Homer, translated from the Greek by Alexander Pope, Volume the Second printed in MDCCLIII (1753) in Glasgow

small hardcover bound in brown leather, most of spine is flaking off, but still bound, though not tightly. Pages tanned, with slight water marks/water damage along the top of some pages. Pages still very readable.

inside front cover is the following signature and date:
Benj. Morris, 1782

further below, also on the title page, is the following signature:
"Jos. P. Morris", without a date.
**current bid: $25**

41. The Gay Poet: The Story of Eugene Field by Jeannette Covert Nolan, illus. by Robert S. Robison hardcover, 1940, published by Julian Messner
No dj, red cloth over hardboard covers; edges rubbed; cover dingy; spine very slightly tilted, but still well-bound; pages clean, white, unmarked
starting bid: $1

42. Pictorial History of the Great Civil War
by John Laird Wilson, "special correspondent of the New York Herald"
2nd edition(?) copyright 1881 by J.R. Jones, published by W.W. Houston & Co
of Philadelphia, PA (original copyright was 1878 by John Laird Wilson)

beautiful red covers, embossed in gold lettering. Front and back covers completely detached at hinges .... a former owner "fixed" this by putting clear packing tape on the spine to hold everything together..... the book itself is still adequately bound, all pages bound together, nothing too loose. Pages themselves are clean & unmarked, with little to no tanning. This is a collection of accounts of the Civil War, battles on land and sea, compiled from many sources from the time, including 'carefully prepared biographies of the leading generals and naval commanders' and 'embellished with numerous fine steel-plate engravings of battle-scenes, and with fine portraits of leading generals'

This book is an excellent candidate for rebinding, and will be a great treasure for someone who loves the history of this era
current bid: $45

43. Three Fates by Nora Roberts hardcover, SIGNED first edition with full number line, in very good to like new condition. Minor edgewear only. NOT ex-library, not Book Club, not remaindered.
current bid: $4

44. Treasures from the Corning Museum of Glass: 32 Ready-to-Mail Full-Color Postcards copyright 1998
Beautiful book of collectible postcards in brand new condition.
starting bid: $5

45. The Blue and the Gray by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Ned Bittinger
Beautiful, out of print children's book, in very good to like new condition.
Only minor edgewear to book and dustjacket, otherwise as new.
No marks, not ex-library, not remainder.
starting bid: $20

46. Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and a Little Dog by Maj Lindman
copyright 1946 Albert Whitman & Company
Pictorial hardcover in overall excellent condition. Only minor edgewear to covers. All pages clean, white, unmarked. NOT ex-library. Such a cute example of children's art and literature of this era.
current bid: $11

47. Essays of Michel de Montaigne, selected and illustrated by Salvador Dali
translated by Charles Cotton Doubleday & Company 1947
Nice hardcover, black cloth over hardboard covers with green cloth on spine.
No dj. Pages clean, unmarked, in wonderful condition. NOT ex-library.
Binding tight & straight. No marks.
current bid: $15


ATTENTION!!! The date at the top of the post doesn't change, because I just go in with each new bid, and "edit" the original post, but these bids are always current, up to the hour of the latest bids that have come in!!

The Watchmen

Kevin Coolidge

“Their mission is to watch over humanity...but who is watching the watchmen?”

Excerpt from the diary of Captain Sparrow, new costumed vigilante: October 13th, 1985: I awake with my muscles stiff and sore, this all night crime fighting is tough work. I pop a couple of Tylenol™, swearing to track down the Tylenol Killer for making me work the childproof cap this early in my day. I turn on the evening news to see President Nixon announcing that the Russians are running rampant through Afghanistan. What's next, Pakistan? I switch off the news. I'm going to have a busy night ahead of me. Pimps, pornographers, predators – the criminal element is always stronger prior to a period of anticipated war or bloodshed, that and the full moon. I think I'll drop the cloak. It really completes the costume, but in practice I am always tripping over it, or getting it caught in things. It's going to be a long night, and I need to be streamlined. If it wasn’t for me and my costumed kin, this city would burn…

Welcome to the world of the Watchmen, an alternate reality which closely mirrors the contemporary world of the 1980s. Watchmen, published by DC comics, was originally a twelve-issue comic book limited series created by writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins. After the series concluded, the individual issues were collected and sold in trade paperback form. This book then went on to win a Hugo award in 1988, and was voted one of Time Magazine’s best English-language novels from 1923 to the present.

In Moore’s world, superheroes are real and very human. They have altered real world events – such as the Vietnam War, and the presidency of Richard Nixon, and increased tensions between the Superpowers. Superheroes have become unpopular among the public, which has led to the passage of the Keene Act in 1977. Now costumed vigilantes have been outlawed, and most are in retirement, or working for the government.

The story starts with the death of the Comedian, a government-sanctioned costumed hero. With the police having no leads, costumed vigilante Rorschach decides to probe further. Rorschach discovers a plot to kill off and/or discredit costumed adventurers, and sets out to warn four of his retired comrades.

Moore's characterization is as sophisticated as any novel. With Watchmen, Alan Moore’s intention was to present several "radically opposing ways" to perceive the world. He wanted to show heroes in an ambivalent light. Moore said, "What we wanted to do was show all of these people, warts and all. Show that even the worst of them had something going for them, and even the best of them had their flaws.”

Moore helped energize the comic book genre in the 80’s with V For Vendetta, Swamp Thing, and From Hell, but in his masterpiece Watchmen, the comic book medium “came of age”. Moore commented that he was able to purge himself of his nostalgia for superheroes, and instead he found an interest in real human beings. Perhaps, we have given a little too much power to our own leaders. Have we put too much faith in our own heroes? Have we given up our own personal responsibility to our own “watchmen” who are supposed to rescue us from our own fate? And just who is watching the watchmen???

Brother to dragons? Or a companion of owls? Email me at frommyshelf@epix.net. If you loved the Watchmen, you might want to check out the movie opening March 6, 2009. Teleport to http://frommyshelf.blogspot.com to find out the identities of past columns. Hobo is the hero of his own story in, “Hobo Finds A Home” a children’s book about a cat and his epic journey.