Wright
Howes (1882-1978), a highly regarded bookseller based in Chicago, is remembered
for his fundamental bibliography on Americana, U.S.IANA. This bibliography of uncommon and rare Americana is
enhanced by Howes’ concise and witty annotations. He was an acknowledged master in the
field. The first edition was published
by R. R. Bowker Company in 1954 under the title U.S.-IANA (1700-1950): A Descriptive Check-List of 11,450 Printed
Sources Relating to Those Parts of Continental North America Now Comprising the
United States. Howes considered the
first edition a work in progress and welcomed input on revisions and
additions. He labored diligently on a definitive
second edition that appeared in 1962.
The first and second editions sold quickly and remain essential for any
book person interested in the subject. I
highly recommend John Blew’s recent article about Wright Howes and his
bibliography in the April 2012 Caxtonian.
(http://www.caxtonclub.org/reading/2012/apr12.pdf).
The reading of Blew’s article was both
enjoyable and vexing—vexing because it reminded me that I had yet to find an
interesting association copy for my collection.
This inspired a search of copies online and I located one that showed
promise. It was the first edition,
listed by a prominent bookseller, and described as having numerous annotations
throughout. I
sent an inquiry to the bookseller asking about any ownership / provenance
markings. An assistant in the shop
replied:
