Edward & Mary Bok, The Man in the White House 1929 EXTREMELY RARE

Description: The Man in the White House - A Bit for Thought for Every Day in the Year Ahead. Carrying with it the Heartfelt Wishes for a Year of Happy Realization of Your Closest Desires from Edward and Mary Bok. Privately published in Merion, PA in 1929. Hardcover, around 16 pages. There is a dent in the bottom of the back cover as shown in photo. There are no bookplates, ink names, pen/pencil notations or similar flaws. The text pages show some discoloration due to age. The volume is beautifully bound in full leather with extremely detailed gilt decoration. This brief meditation draws parallels between the criticism leveled at Woodrow Wilson during and after World War I, and Wilson's later rehabilitation in the public's opinion, with the popular view of Lincoln during the Civil War and after his death. This work is extremely rare, having been produced only for the Boks' friends and family at Christmastime 1929. It was Edward Bok's last published book -- he died of a heart attack on January 9, 1930. A listing on eBay for another copy of this book states that only eight copies are known to exist. Well, make that nine copies -- our father somehow managed to acquire one during his 60+ years of collecting in the Philadelphia area. This publication is marred by the appearance of a swastika on the title page. We don't think Edward Bok was a Nazi sympathizer -- remember, this was 1929, when the symbol had not yet acquired the infamy of association with the Nazi regime. From his biography (see summary below), Bok appears to have been dedicated to world peace. In 1929, he probably viewed the symbol as an ancient Indo-European sign for auspiciousness and good luck (which, historically, it was). Edward William Bok (1863 – 1930) was a Dutch-born American editor and Pulitzer Prize-winning author. He was editor of the Ladies' Home Journal for 30 years (1889-1919). He also distributed popular home-building plans and created Bok Tower Gardens in central Florida. In 1882, Bok began work with Henry Holt and Company. In 1884, he became involved with Charles Scribner's Sons, where he eventually became its advertising manager. From 1884 until 1887, Bok was the editor of The Brooklyn Magazine, and in 1886, he founded the Bok Syndicate Press. After moving to Philadelphia in 1889, he obtained the editorship of Ladies' Home Journal when its founder and editor Louisa Knapp Curtis stepped down to a less intense role at the popular, nationally circulated publication. During his editorship, the Journal became the first magazine in the world to have one million subscribers. It became influential among readers by featuring informative and progressive ideas in its articles (except as to women's rights, which Bok oddly opposed). In 1895, Bok began publishing in Ladies Home Journal plans for building houses which were affordable for the American middle class – from $1,500 to $5,000 – and made full specifications with regional prices available by mail for $5. Later, Bok and the Journal became a major force in promoting the "bungalow", a style of residence which derived from India. Plans for these houses cost as little as a dollar, and the 1 1/2 story dwelling, some as small as 800 square feet, soon became a dominant form of new domestic architecture in the country. Bok established a number of awards, including the $100,000 American Peace Award in 1923, given for the "best practicable plan for U.S. cooperation in world peace." In 1924, Bok's wife Mary Louise Curtis Bok founded the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, which she dedicated to her father, Cyrus Curtis, Bok's 1920 autobiography The Americanization of Edward Bok: The Autobiography of a Dutch Boy Fifty Years After won the Gold Medal of the Academy of Political and Social Science and the 1921 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Our father was a bibliophile who collected rare books, letters, and ephemera for more than 60 years. For now and into the foreseeable future, we will be listing rare paper items from his estate. Take a look at all our items for sale. We combine shipping upon request. Please LET US KNOW if you’ve purchased multiple items so we can combine.

Price: 999 USD

Location: Slingerlands, New York

End Time: 2025-01-27T03:27:09.000Z

Shipping Cost: 20 USD