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Last Voyage of the Lusitania First Edition Signed 1956

Hi All,

I was very happy to have found this book for all of $38. Not much in the way of exemplars - the presentation appears correct. Lusitania is the sister to the ship I research and write about - Mauretania.

Below the book are some images of my Lusitania collection. There is a very rare fragment from a watertight door from Shelker Deck (orange) and an Elgin watch mechanism in its case ("green") as well as an Elkington of Birmingham sterling spoon (lower right) purchased in the Lusitania's Barbershop - hallmarked to 1909. The small framed photo is of the mass graves being filled in 1915 at Queenstown. Anything else you see is Mauretania. The image can be enlarged.

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Permalink Reply by Scott Paul on April 4, 2024 at 2:15pm

You no doubt have seen this one on ABE but with the same ink maybe they were signed for a bookstore or book signing. Great collection. I have a stereopticon almost exactly like that.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on April 4, 2024 at 2:17pm

Thank you! Yes indeed. That was important in my decision. None of my friends have it or have it photographed so that was all I had apart from the obvious.

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Permalink Reply by DP on April 4, 2024 at 5:00pm

Great collection Eric. Fun looking at your collection photos.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on April 4, 2024 at 5:16pm

Thank you David! I really appreciate it. :-) Sharing is where the fun is.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on April 6, 2024 at 2:36pm

Hi David,

Here are some better images of my Mauretania/Lusitania collection. I have just finished the display in my parlor. This is a 30 year collection. At least what I can fit is out - all the bits of the ships are there but much of my library is not - no space. The bookends are made from Mauretania's decking. Just the original books from 1907-1935 and the last two books I illustrated and researched. The blue ribbon bookmark on the "Illustrated Mauretania" was my idea (as was the book) - for the Blue Ribband, which she held from 1907 until 1929. These photos are very large and can be blown up quite nicely. There is mahogany and gold leaf molding from the 1st Class Lounge, walnut molding and intricate carving from the Grand Entrance, a gleaming Admiralty Brass porthole dog, a low pressure turbine blade from her engines, deck bolts, an ashtray cast from her Manganese Bronze propellers set in teak decking, unique unpublished stereo construction photographs, a glass paperweight sold in her Barbershop, Elkington of Birmingham Barbershop souvenir sterling silver spoons from Lusitania (1909), Aquitania (1913) and Mauretania (1907, MV), and a German postcard viewer which I show with a Lusitania card in, a bridge siren and a section of her teak railing with a thermometer set in. I'm sure I am forgetting a few things. I managed to get photographs of the card viewer and even got one off in the stereopticon.

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Permalink Reply by Scott Paul on April 6, 2024 at 2:56pm

A great historical collection very nice indeed!

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on April 6, 2024 at 3:10pm

Thank you Scott. I am happy you enjoyed it. That means a lot to me. I have waited forever to be able to see all this stuff at once and I am very happy to be able to share it. It is done - but I do have small acrylic and brass easels for the 2 Lusitania salvage items coming in the mail.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on April 9, 2024 at 9:53am

The brass and acrylic easels arrived - museum quality. Image below:

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Permalink Reply by Scott Paul on April 9, 2024 at 10:07am

Very nice Eric it shows the artifacts off very well.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on April 9, 2024 at 10:19am

Thank you Scott. Now I need a few small plate stands and perhaps a couple more of these display stands for the Nagasaki/Hiroshima and 1939 New York World's Fair collections. Hopefully this room will be finished soon. It is a hands on place - everyone is free to pick anything up. I find that holding something really makes a difference. There is only one part of my 1939 collection that can't be picked up - below. I am waiting on a 1936 Buffalo 5C.