"Only known copy"

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Posted By: Max Weder

Rather than hijack's the thread with Dan's post about the "only [other] known copy" of Gus Green's book, I thought I might offer a few comments.

"only known copy" is often stated by rare book sellers with respect to copies in the OCLC
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OCLC

Dan, I'm not sure where you picked up your reference, but if a book was published in three editions, I would venture that there are still a number of copies still around.

I have seen references to "only one copy listed in the OCLC", and I have been staring at two copies of the same book on my bookshelf. I believe the OCLC only categorizes books in libraries, so it wouldn't have details of the holdings in private libaries.

The rare book world and the sports memorabilia world don't often intersect, and each seemingly knows little about the other. There is one on-line bookseller who in his listing for Anson, A Ballplayer's Career, notes " This is a much nicer copy than the three others that have appeared at auction in the past quarter century". This description has been up for at least 5 years, in which time I have seen at least 25 copies of this book offered on ebay and an equal number in the various memorabilia auctions.

That said, in 20 or so years of book collecting, I haven't seen the Green book offered (or at least I can't remember). Perhaps Barry has seen it.

Max

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

I have been searching the internet and rare book sellers for years and the only copies of "A Complete History of the Nebraska Indians" I can find are mine and Yale's....so I probably should have said "only known copies to me". Barry has told me he has never seen the book..which can actually be described better as a pamphlet as it was not a hardcover book. The other book by Green "Fun and Frolic with an Indian Ball Team" I have only seen in 4th Edition and I actually believe this is the only edition that exists and that editions 1-3 are actually "A Complete History...." According to "Fun and Frolic" 3,000 copies were made of the first edition so I'm sure there has to be more out there, but I have yet to run across a bookseller that has one. You are far more connected in the world of rare books than I and if you can find a copy of that book I would be astounded. I know you have a copy of "Fun and Frolic", and that one does pop up on occasion, but if you ever find a copy of that book that is not 4th edition I would surely give you a kidney for it.

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Posted By: Max Weder

Dan

I'll hold out for a hair transplant, rather than a kidney.

I'll check out my copy of Fun and Frolic, but I'm pretty sure as you suspect that it is a 4th or later edition

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Posted By: leon

This discussion is also pertinent to cards too. I almost always say "known" when I talk about rarity.....it makes a lot of sense. regards

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Posted By: barrysloate

Hi Max- just saw this thread. No, never seen the book, and never heard of it.

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Posted By: DD

Check out books.google.com. A great online resource as they attempt to scan and catalog every book ever. A brief search on Guy Green Nebraska Indians, for example, turned up many references, including a 3rd printing mentioned in the American Catalogue from 1910.

I also found a reference to a Fun and Frolic edition from 1976.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

David, thanks for that link. I found a book/magazine from 1931 with advertisements from Guy W. Green looking for Indian ballplayers. I now have something to add to my wantlist and this also could lead me to evidence that Guy W. Green reorganized the NI in 1931. He sold the team to the Beltzer brothers around 1910 and there is no record of the Nebraska Indians playing any games in the 1920s.

I have always wondered if Guy Green had anything to do with this incarnation of the NI.