Brattlecast #94 - Salesman's Sample Books

Today we’re taking a look at salesman’s sample books. These were not complete books, but mock-ups, usually consisting of sample pages of text, possibly with a few illustrations, examples of different available bindings, and a space in the back to take down orders. They were brought door to door by traveling salesmen around the time of the American Civil War, and can be rare and collectible today. The example we have in the studio with us is a sample copy of Grant’s Memoirs, one of the best works of military autobiography, and a bestseller at the time of its publication, largely due to an ingenious marketing ploy by its publisher, Mark Twain.