University of Kansas Libraries — Kenneth Spencer Research Library
Ownership inscriptions name John A. Riston and Sumner W. White. A card records “Mrs. Riston” giving the volume to White on December 25, 1884. John’s widow, Elizabeth V. (McClung) Riston, is the probable presenter, but the card gives no initials and the relationship is unrecorded.
Binding Description
Original black publisher’s cloth with a gilt sphinx and blind-stamped concentric circles, borders, and corner ornaments. A full-length black cloth-tape spine repair crosses the joints and extends onto the adjacent board edges.
Provenance
Ownership inscriptions name John A. Riston and Sumner W. White. A card records “Mrs. Riston” giving the volume to White on December 25, 1884. John’s widow, Elizabeth V. (McClung) Riston, is the probable presenter, but the card gives no initials and the relationship is unrecorded. Later documentation places the copy in an Argosy Egyptian catalogue as item 149 at $22.50, recommended by J. Seaver, before the University of Kansas acquisition; intervening dates are unrecorded.
Provenance Chain
- John A. Riston — inscribed owner
- Elizabeth V. (McClung) Riston — probable presenter, December 25, 1884
- Sumner W. White — recipient, December 25, 1884
- Unrecorded subsequent ownership
- Argosy Book Stores — Egyptian catalogue, item 149
- University of Kansas Libraries — Kenneth Spencer Research Library
Copy Notes
- The chromolithographic title carries the red block-capital SECOND EDITION statement, and the 1859 copyright slip survives.
- A pencilled notation reads 11/13/52; its meaning is unconfirmed.
Evidence and Documentation
Kenneth Spencer Research Library copy scans and repository documentation
