Collectible California History
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A Rare Copy of Photographs Taken of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake & Great Fire

• Art
• California History
• New England History
• Geneaology
  

Title:

San Francisco in Ruins - A Pictorial History of Eight Score Photo-Views of the Earthquake Effects, Flames Havoc, Ruins Everywhere, Relief Camps

Publishing Info:

Photographs by J. D. Givens, Presidio, San Francisco, California
Copyright: A. M. Allison & J. D. Givens, 1906
First Edition: Published by Leon C. Osteyee, San Francisco, California, 1906
Engravings and Printing by Smith-Brooks Company, Denver Colorado
Historical Information: Givens lived on the Presidio where he served as the civilian post photographer of the Army.

Condition:

Front Cover: Poor – detached from book; should be maroon color with photo of burning building, but this copy is faded to greenish color, text imprint is worn, and photo is faint; Interior pages of photographs are slightly faded at edges, but otherwise Fine; slight wear at edges. Spine: Poor due to broken hinges and binding.

These books apparently were printed very quickly and sold as like magazines or newspapers at the time. Because the covers were printed on paper instead of book boards, there seem to be very few of them left in Very Fine condition. Thus, one with poor cover condition such as this one that has excellent photographs sell at a premium.

History:

It is unclear how many copies were printed for the first edition, but about 10 copies were found online. Most are in Poor to Good condition due to the covers being made of heavy-weight paper instead of boards. This does not seem to harm the value of these books as much as condition generally does for rare books.

Because photographer J.D. Givens lived on the Army base at the Presidio in San Francisco, he was able to move about the city more easily and quickly than others who recorded the events of the devastating 1906 earthquake and the great fire that consumed a large part of the city. He managed to capture eyewitness photos in the moments immediately following the quake, including rescue efforts that were underway. He also was on the scene of what is believed to be the outbreak of the fire. Then he quickly made it to higher ground and documented the fire as it raged across the city.

This book was passed down to the descendents of two female survivors of the event, who shared stories of sitting out on a curb in front of their beautiful Victorian home that was completely destroyed. The only possession they were able to save was a small china teacup.

Price:

$699.00