First, finely powdered silica is not something you all want to mess with. As
an inhaled dust it causes a permanent, disabling, potentially fatal lung
disease. See silicosis in your favorite medical reference.
Second, I just got back from several days of travel in the eastern U.S. and
one of the things I ran accross was a ten volume set of books on photography
from 1909. I did not buy it and I don't know if it is still in the bookstore
I found it in. Since it is a bit out of the way the chances are good.
The cost was $100 plus $11 handling for shipping. I don't know if that
included the postage.
Complete Self-Instructing Iibrary of Practical Photography
J.B. Scriever, Editor in Chief
Scranton, PA: American School of Art and Photography, 1909
Ten volumes as follows:
I Elementary Photography, 396 pgs
II Negative Development and After-Manipulation, 393 pgs
III General Exterior Photographic Composition, 366 pgs
IV Photographic Printing, 425 pgs
V Photographic Printing, Part II, 393 pgs
VI At-Home Portraiture, Flashlight, Interiors, Lenses, 439 pgs
VII Studio Portraiture, 615 pgs
VIII Art Portraiture Studio System, no page count listed
IX Commerical, Press, Scientific Photography, 447 pgs
X Netative Retouching, Etching, and Modeling, Encyclopedic Index, 485
pgs.
3/4 Leather, Foxing, Pieces missing from spines, Hinges cracking, Vol. X rear
cover loose. Bindings are in fair condition. Text and Illustrations in Very
Good Condition.
This is taken more or less exactly from the write up that the bookstore
produced. I looked through one volume and the description seems accurate to
me. The bindings appear to be acid tanned leather which really disintegrates
over time.
I'd have bought them myself if the price has been lower but other than that
I have no stake in this. If you are interested let me know and I'll sort
out the requests and send the bookstore's address and phone numbers to one
of you. I think that will work better than just posting the info and
possibly starting a free-for-all or a bidding war.
Let me know.
Eugene Robkin
erobkin@uwcmail.uwc.edu
Note: Our main server, our mail server, and our mail system are all due for
change sometime in the next few weeks so reply soon before everything starts
bouncing.
ER