A Collection of Inscribed and Significant Books from the Personal Library of Earnest Elmo Calkins, Relating to Advertising and Deafness, Including Association Copies and Calkins' Own Works.
Various Publishers. Item #CAT0130
A collection of books from the library of Earnest Elmo Calkins, who had the twin distinctions of being a pioneer in the design of the modern advertising agency and also being one of the first prominent American deaf businessmen.
Highlights of the collection include a copy of The Advertising Man inscribed to his business partner Ralph Holden, and his own personal revision copy of Modern Advertising. Also included are Calkins’ On the Technique of Being Deaf and two other works by Calkins.
Calkins, born in Illinois, was fully deaf by the time he was an adult. After a first failed stint in New York, he managed to get a job in advertising for a firm in Peoria and eventually made his way back to New York City, landing at the Bates agency after studying at the Pratt School of Design. Calkins, with another Bates employee, Ralph Holden, launched the immensely influential Calkins and Holden firm in 1902. “With Ralph Holden, a fellow employee at Bates, Calkins launched in 1902 the prototype of the modern advertising agency. Holden managed business aspects of the firm and made the most of face-to-face contacts, while Calkins contributed the creative advertising ideas. Calkins and Holden prepared campaigns for their clients that were directed at influencing consumer attitudes and behavior.
The appearance of advertisements was transformed, with careful attention to typography and to illustration, including the introduction of photography.” - ANB. Calkins went on to enjoy a long and fruitful career, committed to the idea of advertising as a higher art form. Upon retirement he wrote exten-sively on the subjects of advertising and deafness.
List of titles:
• Calkins, Earnest Elmo. The Advertising Man. First edition, 1922. Inscribed to Ralph Holden on front free endpaper, with the Calkins and Holden bookplate on front pastedown.
• (same) On the Technique of Being Deaf. New York, 1923. One of 200 copies. With a Christmas card from Calkins and his wife Angie laid in.
• (same) A Sentimental Pilgrimage. New York, 1922. Signed by Calkins. • Calkins, Earnest Elmo; Holden, Ralph. Modern Advertising. First edition, New York, 1909. With corrections in Calkins' hand.
• Bok, Edward. Twice Thirty. New York, 1926. With two letters laid in from Bok to Calkins, one discussing Calkins’ re-ceipt of the Edward Bok award from the Harvard Business School in 1925. Bok writes: “Your work in the advertising field has certainly made you thoroughly deserving of the confidence and respect of people...”Wade, Edward (et al). 39th Annual of Advertising and Editorial Art. Calkins’ personal copy, cus-tom bound for him. Calkins wrote the introduction to the book. Also laid in are two letters from the editors discussing Calkins’ contribution.
Seven contemporary books on advertising, all inscribed by the authors to Calkins, including:
• Thorpe, Merle. How’s Business? New York, 1931.;
O’Shaughnessy, James. Easy to Read. New York, 1928.;
Durstine, Roy. The Advertising Business. New York, 1928.;
Hall, S. Roland. Short Talks on Retail Selling.New York, 1915.;
Young, Vash. A Fortune to Share.New York, 1931.;
Chapman, Clowry. Trade-Marks. [with] The Law on Advertising. New York, 1930 and 1929. Books generally very good to near fine with light normal wear.
Many with the Calkins bookplate and on endpapers and library stamp on spine.
Price: $1,800.00