Professional Scrapbook kept by the Cycling Editor of the San Francisco Examiner
San Francisco, CA: 1898. Good. Item #50235
San Francisco, CA: 1898-1900. Oblong quarto (22x30.5cm); coarse green burlap cloth over black pebble-grained cloth, five newspaper clippings pasted to upper cover; [56]pp. of which 38 are filled. Burlap spine quite worn, bottom third mostly perished, board edges otherwise rubbed with exposure at corners, hinges quite tender with a few leaves separated but present. About Good, though contents quite legible. Contents include eighty-one newspaper clippings; nine telegraphs; four autograph notes; one typed letter; and seventeen pieces of ephemera, including railway tickets, press passes, cards to both the California Associates Cycling Club and the Bay City Wheelmen, and tickets to different cycling matches and tournaments.
Professional scrapbook kept by cycling editor of the San Francsico Examiner Herbert Deans Clark (sometimes spelled Clarke). The majority of the clippings relate to good roads advocacy and local competitive cycling, at the time involving a lot of record breaking--not surprising for a sport so early in its infancy. Some material relates to Clark's second job at the Fireman's Fund insurance company, including a very stern letter from the board about a scoop he leaked to another company. Additional highlights and scoops include:
- Telegraph announcing a breaking case, "See story Evening Bulletin H.C. Schooley trick bicyclist killing girl Rhode Island give brief record of him where can we get picture." Accompanied by Clark's article "Murder May Be Proved: Outlook Becomes Darker for Schooley the Bicyclist. Her body shows that her assailant used her roughly."
-Telegraph offering Clark an exclusive (not cycling related) scoop, "Two prominent theatrical people [Constance Pollard and Edward Eckert] meet here and were married yesterday after being divorced four years...Two photos."
- Typed letter signed by cyclist Charles F. Gates announcing his retirement due to poor health. "As far as cycling is concerned I gave up the whole matter in October and will probably never have anything to do with general cycling...I am beginning all over again, as I have lost all I made since coming to California. And I have decided to tackle mining in the desert where the dry air and outdoor life will probably restore me to health and ward off consumption, at least I hope so."
- Illustrated news clippings covering the death of cyclist Clinton Coulter in a train derailment; cycling races in Sacramento; and the men's cycling team who had performed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.
A rich record of the early California competitive cycling scene, as well as an excellent snapshot of beat reporting at the turn of the century.
Price: $1,250.00