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BIRCH BARK FROM LAKENWILD, MAINE

 

(TRADE CATALOGUE)  BIRCH BARK FROM LAKENWILD, MAINE.       

(Philadelphia?: circa 1885-1890). Oblong 8vo. Printed wrappers. 24 pages, 2 folding plans.

A rare item with only one copy recorded on OCLC -Yale.  A fascinating prospectus for a planned summer community in Washington County, Maine, way down East and even today very sparsely inhabited.  The full title page reads: "Lakenwild, a rare opportinuty to secure a home or a good investment on the investment plan.  Ten dollars buys a building lot in payment of two dollars monthly for five months."  There are two double-page folding plat-plans laid in; together they show about 800 small rectangular building lots, a few fronting on Big Schoodic Lake and others on Black Duck Cove.  The agent for the development was N.S. Read.  The copy is typical Victorian hyperbole: "To show the advantage of securing one of more of these desirable lots while this offer lasts, simply as a profitable investment, you have only to refer to the late history of any one of the many justly popular summer resorts of Maine, notably among which are Bar Harbor, Booth Bay, Mount Desert, Old Orchard, York Beach, etc.  lots of land, bought five years ago at Bar Harbor for $10 are now worth many thousands."

This project was in fact a scam.  Printed self wrappers printed on paper imitating birch bark.  With eight wood-engraving illustrations and eight pages of advertisements.  Also includes one other piece or printed ephemera (order form) laid in.  Small rust-marks in the gutter from the staples.

 

SOLD