To view prices and purchase online, please login or create an account now.



Montgomery Ward & Co. Catalogue and Buyers' Guide 1895

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title Montgomery Ward & Co. Catalogue and Buyers' Guide 1895
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Montgomery Ward & Co.
Foreword by Nick Lyons
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:656
Dimensions(mm): Height 292,Width 216
Category/GenreAntiques and collectables
ISBN/Barcode 9781602392380
ClassificationsDewey:973.87
Audience
General

Publishing Details

Publisher Skyhorse Publishing
Imprint Skyhorse Publishing
Publication Date 1 May 2008
Publication Country United States

Description

"Our mail order methods meet many wants," wrote a poetic but anonymous copywriter on a page of the 1895 Montgomery Ward & Co. catalogue. He had a gift for understatement. At its zenith from the 1880s to the 1940s, Montgomery Ward, like its cross-town Chicago rival, Sears, sold virtually everything the average American could think of or desire-and by mail. This was a revolution, and Ward's fired the first shot. To buy spittoons, books of gospel hymns, hat pins, rifles, wagons, violins, birdcages, or portable bathtubs, purchases that used to require many separate trips to specialist merchants, suddenly all the American shopper had to do was lick a stamp. This unabridged facsimile of the retail giant's 1895 catalogue showcases some 25,000 items, from the necessities of life (flour, shirts) to products whose time has passed (ear trumpets). It is an important resource for antiquaries, students of Americana, writers of historical fiction, and anyone who wants to know how much his great-grandfather paid for his suspenders. It is a true record of an era.

Author Biography

Nick Lyons is a former English professor and book publisher, as well as the author and editor of many books on various topics. He lives in New York City.