A Little Journey to the Home of John B. Stetson by Elbert Hubbard 1911

[DaveProc]

https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_Little_Journey_to_the_Home_of_John_B_S/ESMqAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq="a+little+journey+to+the+home+of+john+b+stetson"&printsec=frontcover

 

[alanfgag]

I believe someone posted a copy some years back. I've searched through the antique stores on the old Roycroft campus, where many examples from the old print shop can still be purchased. I own a number of them but have never found a copy of this one.

 

[Aerielle Max]

Very interesting book. I wonder where can we get old copies.

 

[RossRYoung]

I own a number of them but have never found a copy of this one.

Did you ever come across a copy, Alan? I think @Jesse John said he found one on Etsy. This one came from LiveAuctioneers, and I believe I was the only bidder but after their fees and shipping, it was still pretty pricey. Very nice condition for being suede bound though.

 

[TWKundrat]

Found my little paperback version on eBay some time back. Not sure why it turned the picture sideways.

 

[alanfgag]

Did you ever come across a copy, Alan? I think @Jesse John said he found one on Etsy. This one came from LiveAuctioneers, and I believe I was the only bidder but after their fees and shipping, it was still pretty pricey. Very nice condition for being suede bound though.

View attachment 693454 View attachment 693455 View attachment 693456 View attachment 693457 View attachment 693458 View attachment 693459 View attachment 693460

Great catch. The Roycroft print shop was in East Aurora about 25 miles from me. There were once hundreds of old volumes available to buy in the antique stores around the campus. I purchased a number over the years but never found a copy of this one. The nicest volumes were produced in the first years of the 20th century - before Elbert Hubbard's death on the Lusitania. This one looks lovely. Congratulations!

 

[Trouser Bark]

Interesting. Some of the graphic art in that book was clearly either drafted by or heavily influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright. This (right) page nearly looks torn from one of his window designs of the time.

 

[DaveProc]

Interesting. Some of the graphic art in that book was clearly either drafted by or heavily influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright. This (right) page nearly looks torn from one of his window designs of the time.

I believe the font is from the Arts and Crafts movement, or possibly it's offshoot the Prairie Style, of which Frank Lloyd Wright was a student and most prominent proponent.

 

[alanfgag]

I believe the font is from the Arts and Crafts movement, or possibly it's offshoot the Prairie Style, of which Frank Lloyd Wright was a student and most prominent proponent.

The Roycroft was a residential community centered around arts and crafts located in the town of East Aurora, southeast of Buffalo. There are a number of historical overlaps that make for an interesting read if you have the time for a Wikipedia journey. Elbert Hubbard, the Roycroft founder, had a day job as an executive for the Larkin Company - a soap manufacturer located in Buffalo. Darwin Martin, who would rise to prominence at the Larkin Company and later assume Hubbard's position was a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright's work and became a major client and benefactor in the first decade of the 20th Century. He commissioned Wright to design his Buffalo residence. The Darwin Martin house is a major opus of Wright's prairie style of architectural design and has been restored in recent years as a museum. The massive office building for the Larkin Company was built around the same time - sadly it was demolished in 1950.

It is likely that Wright and Hubbard connected during his time of work in Western New York. They were both influenced by the arts & crafts renaissance of that period - mission furniture and furnishings and the graphic design influence of William Morris were dominant themes in both of their work.

The work that emerged from the print shop at Roycroft Campus was beautiful. It was once plentiful in the shops around East Aurora and not expensive to buy. I acquired a number of pieces over the years, though the Stetson volume still eludes me.

d