Wyeth, S[amuel] D[ouglas]. HARRY BRIGHT, THE DRUMMER BOY; Or, The Young Hero who Loved the Union "Stars." Philadelphia and Baltimore: Fisher & Brother, [stereotyped by C.W. Murray, Washington, D.C., c.r. 1864]. 144 pages. Five woodcut plates, including frontispiece, all reckoned in the pagination. Original publisher's gilt-stamped cloth; all edges gilt. 10 x 8 cm. The cloth is largely faded from the original purple to tan, and the gilt is dull. A little soiling to the frontispiece and title page, and a few minor spots elsewhere, but generally clean. Good plus. Early ownership inscription on front pastedown dated Christmas 1867.
Apparent first edition. A tale of the Civil War written for a juvenile audience. Woodcuts include vignettes of the battles of Antietam and Gettysburg and a portrait of Gen. Meade. There is also a brief narrative of a naval battle in the War of 1812, as told by the protagonist's grandfather, illustrated with a woodcut depicting an American warship pursuing a British vessel.
Samuel Douglas Wyeth (1817-1881) was a journalist and printer from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He struggled financially, and by the time of the Civil War he relocated to Washington, D.C. He left behind a wife and several children with whom he never reunited, and he lived alone the remainder of his days in a cheap, garret apartment. Yet, he was one of the most recognizable people in the nation's capital during his lifetime. Wyeth attained success as the author of several guidebooks about Washington, including The Federal City, and he used his money to amass an art collection of some acclaim. However, he was best known for his personal presence in the U.S. Capitol, where he sold photographs and acted as an informal guide for many years. His kindness to visitors and his knowledge of the Capitol impressed all who met him. When he passed, several national newspapers published his obituary, and he was widely remembered as "The Old Man in the Dome" (e.g., National Republican, Jan. 17, 1881, p. 1 and Chicago Tribune, Jan. 16, 1881, p. 2).
Very scarce. OCLC locates only three copies (Library of Congress, Western Michigan, and A.A.S.); not in NUC. $200
Apparent first edition. A tale of the Civil War written for a juvenile audience. Woodcuts include vignettes of the battles of Antietam and Gettysburg and a portrait of Gen. Meade. There is also a brief narrative of a naval battle in the War of 1812, as told by the protagonist's grandfather, illustrated with a woodcut depicting an American warship pursuing a British vessel.
Samuel Douglas Wyeth (1817-1881) was a journalist and printer from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He struggled financially, and by the time of the Civil War he relocated to Washington, D.C. He left behind a wife and several children with whom he never reunited, and he lived alone the remainder of his days in a cheap, garret apartment. Yet, he was one of the most recognizable people in the nation's capital during his lifetime. Wyeth attained success as the author of several guidebooks about Washington, including The Federal City, and he used his money to amass an art collection of some acclaim. However, he was best known for his personal presence in the U.S. Capitol, where he sold photographs and acted as an informal guide for many years. His kindness to visitors and his knowledge of the Capitol impressed all who met him. When he passed, several national newspapers published his obituary, and he was widely remembered as "The Old Man in the Dome" (e.g., National Republican, Jan. 17, 1881, p. 1 and Chicago Tribune, Jan. 16, 1881, p. 2).
Very scarce. OCLC locates only three copies (Library of Congress, Western Michigan, and A.A.S.); not in NUC. $200
