RARE 1887/1897 Uncle Sam’s ABC Book LINEN W.B. Conkey Victorian American Antique For Sale

Uncle Sam\'s A·B·C Book — Rare Antique Linen Alphabet Book, ca. 1887/1897, W.B. Conker Co., Chicago
A genuinely rare and visually striking piece of American ephemera — a children\'s alphabet primer printed entirely on linen, intended to teach the ABC\'s to American children at the turn of the 20th century. The patriotic cover features Uncle Sam himself seated on a throne, open book in hand, flanked by a bald eagle and shield, all beneath a star-spangled arch. A second cover variant titled \"Linen A·B·C Book\" features children emerging from billowing American flags — equally dramatic and collector-ready.
The interior contains twenty-six illustrations, three per page, each paired with a large red uppercase letter and three vocabulary words. The letter \"D,\" for example, depicts a duck, a dog, and a donkey; \"H\" shows a hunter, a hound, and a hare; \"I\" features an insect, ink, and an infant. Printed in red and black on linen throughout.
Condition: Shows expected age wear — rubbing, soiling, toning, and some light bleed-through from the red-printed sections. The linen substrate is intact; the book retains its structure and all pages are present. The patriotic covers remain highly legible and visually compelling. Approximate size: approximately 4.25\" x 6.5\".
Rarity: This title is documented as exceedingly scarce. Institutional copies are known at the Free Library of Philadelphia (1887 edition) and Southern Methodist University (1897 edition). It appears rarely if ever at sale. The linen construction — deliberately chosen by the publisher to withstand the handling of young children — is likely the primary reason any copies survive at all.
A remarkable artifact for collectors of: Americana, early children\'s books, antique ABC books, linen paper ephemera, American patriotic memorabilia, or 19th-century educational material.