[E1712-F] (E-17-12) Book and Journal Orders
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This folder contains correspondence and other documents relating to books sent to Edison or ordered by him. Among the items for 1917 are letters pertaining to Edison's interest in obtaining information on lapidary practice, biology, German diplomacy, and selenium cells. Also included is correspondence with Judge Abram J. Dittenhoefer, author of the recently published How We Elected Lincoln: Personal Recollections of Lincoln and Men of His Time, in which Edison recalls seeing Lincoln and his Democratic opponent, Stephen A. Douglas, as a young boy. A letter from Edison's personal business secretary, Richard W. Kellow, to Luce's Press Clipping Bureau expresses the inventor's interest in acquiring "all clippings pertaining to 'submarine accidents.'"
Approximately 20 percent of the documents, including all items with substantive Edison marginalia, have been selected. The unselected material includes unsolicited correspondence from authors and publishers, cover letters for complimentary copies, routine letters of thanks or refusal, letters relating to shipping and billing, and routine orders for Edison's technical staff.