Dr.
Purple has made a house call and intends to stay awhile. It is my house specifically, third shelf to
my right, the newest delivery to the library.
Dr. Samuel S. Purple (1822-1900) did not author the work that just
arrived, he owned it. The book is a
tribute to his friend and legendary Americana collector, Henry C. Murphy
(1810-1882). Once finely bound in half
morocco and marbled boards with an elaborate, gilt spine, the book’s binding
has been battered and rubbed over its long journey, apparently un-appreciated
by some previous handlers, but protecting the contents within. There is the faint scent of cigar smoke. I plucked it from the flotsam and jetsam for
pennies, restoring the appreciation if not the binding.
