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Hi All,

First time poster here.  I recently came across a book called, "Companion Autographs."  It bears a publication date of 1877, and appears to be an autograph book half full of facsimile autographs/famous passages by well known names (of the time at least) and half empty, presumably for the owner to fill with his/her own autograph collection.

I recently listed it on eBay before doing much research on it (tisk tisk, I know).  Does anyone know anything about this book, or has anyone come across one before?  I don't know the forum policy on linking eBay auctions, so I'll refrain.  I've attached a few pics of the book to this post. 

Thanks for your time and any information you have would be most appreciated.

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Hi, Randall. Welcome to the site. I personally don't know anything about this book, although your book now convinces me that collecting autographs is a time-honored hobby.

As far as linking to eBay auctions, people, myself included, do it all the time. However, I don't know if people generally link to their own auctions. I guess that would sort of be like free advertising. That may be frowned upon, I don't know.
Looks like a neat book. Good luck with the sale.

Thanks guys.  @James: Yeah, I didn't want to throw up an eBay link and make the thread look like a shameless bit of self-promotion.  This book came from a recently departed family member's estate, and I'm just trying to figure out more about it.  Collecting autographs does indeed seem to be an old hobby.  I wonder if a study has ever been done to determine just how far back it goes?

I kind of wonder how far back autograph collecting goes myself. Obviously at least 128 years, anyway!

Here's a little story. My maternal grandfather, who passed away when I was only five-years-old and was more than three generations older than I, played minor league baseball. He was actually pretty good. He won the league batting title one season in the 1920s and hit 25 home runs. His name was Lester Claybrooks.

Well, apparently one year when Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig were barnstorming around the country in the off-season, my grandpa got to play a game against them. Afterwards, as my mother told it, my grandpa invited Lou and the Babe to grandpa's house for dinner. They accepted. That's one of the coolest things I've ever heard. Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig ate dinner at my grandparents' house!

So I asked my mom if they got the two icons to autograph any baseballs for our family. She said not that she remembered. Plus, she said, back then people didn't really collect autographs! lol! I told her she couldn't be any more wrong about that. So I showed her pictures of Babe Ruth with a bucket full of baseballs he was signing, plus pics of all the kids at games clamoring for the Babe's cherished signature. I let her know that autograph collecting has been going on for many, many decades!

That's a great story James!  If only your grandparents had known to ask for an autograph, you might be living large today!  That's a really cool family story, that I hope gets passed along.

Thanks for the nice comment. Just as you suggested, I told my mom that it was too bad that grandpa didn't dump about 50 baseballs on the dinner table and say, "would you two please sign these?" And then afterwards, put them all away in a dresser drawer for the next 90 years! That pile of baseballs would have turned into a huge pile of cash!

There were people that always collected autographs almost from the beginning I think.  What created "modern" autograph collecting was the Civil War.  The introduction of the carte-de-viste (CDV) as a way to cheaply mass produce photographs allowed people to get signed photographs of military, political and entertainment figures.  After the Civil War people would write to Robert E. Lee and U. S. Grant and receive "autographs."   I suspect this is when through the mail (TTM) autographs really took off.  Later larger cabinet style photographs were popular to get signed especially of political leaders.  I always consider the Civil War as the advent of modern autograph collecting. 

I suppose you could argue that something similar was happening over the pond in the propaganda wars waged by the Roundheads and Cavaliers before they beheaded Charles 1 where 'images' of the principal participants were collected.

It would seem many of us like to have a piece of the action, so-to-speak, or some type of memento, whether that be through an autograph or another form.

I have seen this book or at least one just like it about 30 years ago.  A friend of mine showed it to me and I know it had Edgar Allan Poe in it.  The reproductions in it are really good.  Not sure how many were made but autograph books were very common at that period of time. 

Scott, this book does indeed have Poe's signature in it.  It may very well be the same type of book your friend showed you years ago.

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