[Bush, George H. W.] Phillips Academy Class Day Exercises. Andover [Massachusetts]: Phillips Academy, 1941. Small booklet of six leaves (12 printed pages), saddle-stitched, with card covers. Tipped in is a small card advising graduates not to store diplomas in a cedar chest as the aromatic oils therein might soften the ink over time. A just about fine copy of this ephemeral item. #1524. $75. The listed members of the class of 1941 included George H. W. Bush, the future 41st president of the United States, although he actually graduated in 1942. The ceremonies listed here were held on Thursday, June 12, and included a short musical comedy sketch by students entitled "Beat Me Daddy Before I Graduate," (a reference to the then-popular tune "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar"), set in an Army barracks. Characters include FDR and Herman Goering. The formal graduation ceremony itself {"Order of Exercises at Exhibition") was held the following day, June 13th. Six months later, America would be at war with Japan and Germany. Bush turned 18 on June 12, 1942 and immediately enlisted in the Navy to train as a carrier pilot. A comparison of the present list with the names in the Order of Exercises for 1942 shows six cases of overlap, including that of Bush. But a comparison of the two Order of Exercises lists for 1941 and 1942 show none. The meaning of this anomaly is unclear. Bad proof-reading? Student prank? Last minute decision to repeat the year? A curiosity at the least.

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Bibliographic Details

Title: [Bush, George H. W.] Phillips Academy Class Day Exercises
Publisher: Phillips Academy, Andover [Massachusetts]
Publication Date: 1941
Binding: Paperback
Condition: Fine

Store Description

When I began my bookselling business in 1996 I called it "Eldritch Books" because that adjective at least partly covered the type of material I offered (and because its similarity to my own surname seemed so -- eldritch). "Ghost stories" would be another handy, if somewhat reductive, term. Most of it is fiction from the 19th and early 20th century with a strong emphasis on the fantastic. Since the most familiar and relevant genre terms in use today -- "science fiction," "fantasy," "supernatural," "horror" -- were not so much in use when these books were first published, pegging them that way can be anachronistic. But that should give you the general idea. I don't have much in the way of American pulp (either in magazine or specialty press book form) but otherwise my interests range widely from high-brow to middle-brow to low-brow to amateur/eccentric. You're more likely to find rare and obscure works here than high spots. (Or at least they're obscure now, whatever their status was when first published.) In 2001 I went to work for L. W. Currey as cataloguer and general assistant. Since 2014 I've been back working on my own. I have exhibited at convention fairs (such as WFC and Readercon) in the past. I began collecting and studying antiquarian fantasy around 1980. Some of my essays have appeared in genre publications such as NYRSF, Wormwood and F&SF. I tend to carefully research my inventory and write extensive notes. (If another dealer wishes to make use of any of these notes, I'd appreciate the courtesy of putting such excerpts in quotes and giving proper attribution to me. That's what I do when I quote from any of my reference works.) I will be gradually listing my inventory on ABE over the coming years. I hope you find something of interest.

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Robert Eldridge, Bookseller
NY, U.S.A.

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