Bibliophemera

The Holmes Book Company in Oakland, California, founded in 1925, was located at 274 Fourteenth Street in 1931 according to the postmark date on the postal cover below. A reputable book shop for collectors and browsers through much of the 20th century, the Holmes Book Company had another reputation—it was haunted! Before the business closed in 1995, the Oakland building at 274 14 th Street had become widely known for its paranormal activity. Local psychics and employees claimed for years that the store was inhabited by at least two distinct ghosts: The Phantom Book-Thrower, who threw books off shelves and across the room and the Basement Ghost who roamed the collection of California and Oakland historical memorabilia. This spirit appears to have not shared the volatile behavior of its counterpart upstairs. The folklore that developed around these ghostly encounters remained with the store until its closure. Holmes was Harold C. Holmes, who lived from 1877-1965. A brief biography of H...

I like this piece for the history found in the world of books, writing, and printing. This is a motto card, or credo card, produced by the Roycroft Shop in East Aurora, New York. These small, collectable cards were popular during the early 20th century as inspirational keepsakes. The Roycrofters were a community of artists and craftspeople founded in 1895 by Elbert Hubbard in East Aurora, NY and played a significant role in the American Arts and Crafts Movement. The motto card here is representative of their craftsmanship—letterpress printing on handmade rag paper, rough-textured and deckle-edged. Robert Louis Stevenson and the Quote: Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894) was a highly celebrated Scottish novelist, poet, and essayist, famous for classics like Treasure Island and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.  This quote for the Roycrofter piece is taken from his essay titled Lay Morals , which he began writing in 1879. He died before finishing it and it was published p...