Traveling salesman's subscription book, Vol. 1, 1847, undated

This collection contains two subscription books kept by an unidentified traveling salesman, for use in the sale of subscriptions to the publication of An encyclopedia of domestic economy by T. Webster and Mrs. Parkes, A biography of wonderful characters by Henry Wilson, and Incidents of travel in Yucatan by John L. Stephens. Both volumes contain tipped-in prospectuses for the publications, as well as hand-written lists of subscribers from areas across Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa. The occupations of many of the subscribers are also listed.

The first volume also contains A condensed catalog of Valuable Standard Productions from the publishers Harper & Brothers, New York, which contains available titles in the areas of agriculture and domestic economy, theological literature, biography and history, voyages and travels, college and school books, essays, belle-lettres, ethics, and education, arts and sciences and natural history, dictionaries and encyclopedias, medical and surgical science, poetry and the drama, juvenile works, miscellaneous works, and Harper's popular libraries.