Books for Sale

1. *Back in Print*Conservation and Restoration of Horse Drawn Vehicles
2. A Manual of Coaching by Fairman Rogers
3. Springs for Horse-drawn Vehicles - Click here for index
4. Volume 15 of the Hub
5. Horse Drawn--Military, Civilian, Veterinary--Ambulances - Click here for index
6. Horse-drawn Cabs
7. Wallpaper Fore's Grand Coronation Procession
8. Horse-Drawn Funeral Vehicles - Click here for index
9. Carriage and Wagon Axles for Horse Drawn Vehicles
10. Hitch Wagons For City Driving - Click here for index
11. Manual of Falling Bow Tops For Horse-Drawn Vechicles - Click here for table of contents and index
12. The Royal Mews  by Mary Stewart-Wilson
13. Horse Drawn Vehicles: Colored Plates from The Hub November 1882-January 1893 - Click here for a list of Manufacturers represented
14. A Treatise on Carriages by William Felton
15. A Collection of Essays on Horse-Drawn Carriages and Carriage Parts by Dr. Gordon S. Cantle
16. Coson Carriage Collection at Beechdale edited by Roger Morrow
17. Working Drawings for Horse-Drawn Vehicles - Click here for list of drawings
18. Horse-Drawn Sleighs - Click her for index
19. Wheelmaking: Wooden Wheel Design and Construction - Click here for Bibliography
20. Brewster & Co. Specification Records

2. A MANUAL OF COACHING by Fairman Rogers

A Manual of Coaching by Fairman Rogers published by the Carriage Museum of America. Limited to 250 copies. 279 pages, b/w illustrations and drawings. This reprinting was made possible through the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Waller.

Originally copyrighted in 1899 and published in 1901, it is the "rule book" to which all coachmen worthy of the name strictly adhere. Copies of the original occupy a special place in their owners' libraries. Recognizing the singular importance of this book, The Carriage Museum of America reprinted it in 2000, and soon sold out entirely. This newly reprinted edition is a very welcome addition to the coaching library and a handbook no real lover of carriages and coaches can ignore.

The book has 27 chapters, covering a historical analysis of the development of the coach, its components, how to drive it, how to execute neat turns, how to turn it out properly, and just about any other tidbit of information you might want about the vehicle, the harness, the proper horses, and the demeanor of the coachman. Included are 30 pages of a list of books that further amplify his observations and thoughts. Replete with the most minute information and detail about every aspect of coaching, this book is nonetheless written in a very clear, lucid style so that it is a joy to read.

3. SPRINGS FOR HORSE-DRAWN VEHICLES

Springs For Horse-drawn Vehicles, Edited by Susan Green, and Don Peloubet published by the Carriage Museum of America. Limited to 250 copies. 254 pages, 9" x 12" profusely illustrated. This the first comprehensive book on the subject of springs for the gears of horse-drawn vehicles. Other springs for horse-drawn vehicles might have been for the cushions, tops and poles, but those were not included in this book. Don Peloubet and Susan Green spent many long hours over a period of several years sorting through advertisements and articles on springs that were published in the old trade journals for carriage builders. In America the first trade journal to be published was the New York Coach-Makers Magazine in 1858, changing its name to the Hub in 1874. A second trade journal was started in Philadelphia in 1865 called the Coach-Makers International Journal, changing its name in 1873 to the Carriage Monthly. After sorting through the material from these two trade journals a second step was to cross reference the material with some 2,009 spring patents issued by the United States Patent Office.

After organizing all the material it still remained a mystery as to: how did they know how to calculate the spring sizing to a sixteenth of inch. John Foggett in his essay on the "Manufacture of Steel Carriage Springs," published in 1881 mentioned a couple of people: 1. Richard Lovell Edgeworth who lived from 1744-1817 in Ireland and France seemed to be one of the first people to do experiments with carriages having springs, to determine if it took less draught. 2. Daniel Kinnear Clark seems to have been the first person to use mathematical calculations and engineering principles. Clark a railroad engineer first published his work on springs in 1855 in "Railway Machinery: A Treatise On the Mechanical Engineering of Railways: Embracing the Principles and Construction of Rolling and Fixed Plant." The book has included the information of Edgeworth and Clark.

After Foggett another important work to be published was in 1912 by David Landau an engineer in the spring department of the Sheldon Axle Company, Wilkes-Barre, PA. Landau mentions a railroad engineer George R. Henderson who published his works in 1895-1896 on springs, rather late in the carriage era, but the information has been included in this book for the study of modern day carriage builders.

Another classical work on the subject of springs that has been included is an "Essay On the Suspension of Carriages," by the noted English writer and builder William Phillipson, Newcastle-On-Tyne published in 1888.

Over all the book is an authoritative reference book on the subject. It has a glossary, index, many notes, footnotes, bibliographies, and cross references throughout. Since it is so authoritative our expectation is that it may lead to further studies on springs.

4. VOLUME 15 OF THE HUB

REPRINTING OF VOLUME 15
(April 1873 March 1874) OF THE HUB.
Limited to 60 copies.

This is a very rare volume of the Hub not microfilmed by the Library Congress and we know of only one complete original volume and this was used to fill in the missing information from the Carriage Museum of America’s collection.

History of the Hub
Click here to view the index

IN THIS VOLUME.

Four color plates.
Large Fold out Sheet of Costs of Repairing Vehicles.
History of the Rubber Tire in Berlin, Germany.
Articles by J. L. H. Mosier, Foreman Blacksmith, Brewster Co.
Series Strength of Timber by John Anderson.
Numerous Variety of Two Wheeled Dog carts.
Merits of Full and Half Fifth wheel.
New Book steps.
Landaulet.
Wesley Fallon’s Carriage Factory, St. Louis, MO.
Drafting Lessons.
Wheel Building.
Ornamental Designs for Painting.
English Apprentice System by Charles S. Middleton.
Philadelphia Circular front Coupe.
Long and Short Lock in Carriages by William Stewart.
Origin of the Silver Plating Trade.
New Patterns for Trimming.
New Patterns for Lamps and Door Handles.
Tom Connolly’s Carriage Factory, Dubuque, Iowa.
Latest Fashions Plates of Carriages and Sleighs from: England, Germany, France, Ireland, Roumania, Norway and America.
London Four In Hand Club.
Four In Hand Club Australia.
Bending Sleigh Timber.
Vienna Exhibition.
London International Exhibition.
Wings of Fenders of Carriages.
London Prize Cabs by C. S. Middleton.
Second Meeting of Carriage Builders’ National Association.
Morel’s Coach Factory, Paris.
Each Month Contains Feature Articles For:
Wood Shop.
Gear Shop.
Smith Shop.
Paint Shop.
Trimming Shop.
Correspondence.
Trade News.

5. HORSE-DRAWN--MILITARY, CIVILIAN, VETERINARY--AMBULANCES.

The archives of the Carriage Museum of America has provided the foundation for yet another unique book for horse drawn vehicles, focusing on ambulances. There have been only a handful of books published about ambulances--some of them being very authoritative treatises. This book compiles information that was scattered in other publications to make an unique treatise of its own standing. The first section of the book covers the military ambulance focusing on the specifications and drawings that could be found for building such vehicles. In order that civil-war re-enactors can make a complete and authentic turnout the specifications for the harness is included along with the reprinting of the text from the Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion relating to the history of the ambulance corps.

Florence Nightingale is given credit for the first organized effort of caring for wounded and injured during the Crimean War 1854-1856. At the beginning of the Civil-War caring for the wounded and injured was virtually non existent, but by the end of the war there was a highly organized ambulance corp. The Military ambulance chapter ends with specifications and drawings of the ambulance of 1900-1915 and illustrations of them in use.

The second section of the book begins with the history of civilian ambulance reprinted from an 1885 Reference Handbook of the Medical Sciences. It is around 1866 that the civilian ambulance service began to be organized in city hospitals and this chapter contains the drawings and specifications that were printed in the Hub and Carriage Monthly for the professional carriage builders--published monthly they contained the latest and best improvements in ambulances from United States, England and France.

The second part of this section of the books contains stories and illustrations of what it was like to be on an ambulance call in the city from publications like Harper’s Weekly and Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper. This section ends with illustrations of the harness for the horse for emergency vehicles--largely adapted from the harness used by fire departments. The hospital ambulance service was always striving to be the most effective, and being able to hitch the horse in the least amount of time helped to dispatch the ambulance in the quickest way to the victim.

Many people in the 21st century probably do not realized what a huge problem it was to care for all the horses on the streets. Some horses became sick through neglect and others slipped and lost their footing. Section three of the book is veterinary ambulances for horses drawn by horses--with a few small animal ambulances for cats and dogs. Henry Bergh is given credit for starting the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and establishing the use of the horse ambulance in New York City in 1869. There were horses every where on city streets and it was an enormous and overwhelming problem what to do with sick and injured horses--this often led to problems of sanitation if the horses weren’t cared for.

Private companies that had hundreds of horses in use such as the fire department and milk delivery companies soon followed suit with their own private company ambulance. Frank Leslie and Harper Bros., were listed as a members of the S. P. C. A., and their newspapers were active in trying to change public opinion and stop the abuse toward dumb animals with articles on the use of the check-rein and other abuses. Over all, section three covers a large range of topics relating to the life and death of 19th century horse--the horse plague, care of the military horse. The book ends with the “Life of 19th Century Cats and Dogs.” The book covers a variety of topics related to the horse drawn ambulances, with something of interest to anyone interested in history, horses, ambulances, or military history. ISBN 1-880499-16-9. 500 illustrations. 370 pages. Soft cover. United States of America $35.00 | Kentucky Residents $37.10 | All other countries $45.00

6. HORSE-DRAWN CABS

Click here to view the index

United States of America $27.00 | Kentucky residents $28.62 | Canada & Mexico $35.00 | All other countries $37.00.

7. Wallpaper Fore's Grand
Coronation Procession
Reprinting of FORE'S GRAND CORONATION PROCESSION--CORONATION OF QUEEN VICTORIA IN 1838. It is approximately 57 feet long 4 inches high divided into four sections. It has been printed as a wallpaper border. Fores' Correct Representation of the State Procession On the Occasion of the August Ceremony of Her Majesty's Coronation, June 28th, 1838. 48 state carriages shown. For full description of the Coronation Procession from the Sun June 28th, 1838 click here. Reprinted by Gagné Wallcovering, Inc., for the Carriage Museum of America--Original copy donated by Richard Harrington, of Massachusetts. Printing sponsored in Part by Gloria Austin for the Austin Carriage Museum.

United States of America $60.00 | Kentucky residents $63.60 | Canada & Mexico $74.00 | All other countries $75.00.

8. HORSE-DRAWN FUNERAL VEHICLES--
19^th Century Funerals
This is the most comprehensive book to be published on horse-drawn funeral vehicles--hearses, undertaker's wagons, embalmer's wagon, pall-bearers' coach, and florist wagons--with specifications and engineering drawings for the different vehicles. The book starts out with a summary of some of the leading hearse manufacturers with separate chapters for the following builders: James Cunningham, Son & Co., Rochester, New York--Crane & Breed, Cincinnati, Ohio-- Merts & Riddle, Ravenna, Ohio--George L. Brownell, New Bedford, Massachusetts--Tolman, Worcester, Massachusetts--St. Louis Coffin Co., St. Louis, Missouri. The chapter on hearses starts out with the earliest known American hearse in the collection of the Maine State Museum, and starting in 1856 the book includes all the hearses found in the old trade journals for carriage builders to 1909. Following the chapter on hearses is a chapter on trimming--lamps, fringes and hardware--for hearses. The chapter on undertaker's wagon starts with a undertaker's wagon from a private collection having wooden axles and the chapter ends with the most elaborate enclosed glass paneled vehicles. A small chapter on embalming wagons also includes illustrations of some of the accessories used by the embalmer in the 19th century. Examples of the distinctive type of vehicle that became known as the Pall-bearers Coach are given just before the extensive chapter on 19th floral tributes and florist wagons. A rare book of Floral Designs from 1888 was used for many of the engraving in this special chapter of Floral Tributes. 19th century funerals, the second half of the book, is largely due to Michael P. D'Amato, Esq., and his collection of engravings from Harper's Weekly, Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper and others. 19th century funerals starts with the funeral of Henry Clay in 1852 and ends with various old photographs of the early 1900s. Separate chapters have been included in the book for Military Funerals with Caisson and the funerals of Presidents and Ex-Presidents ending with Grover Cleveland. For the final chapter some of the prose and poetry of the 19th century for funerals is reprinted. This is the result of many different collections in libraries and private collections, being used. 800 illustrations, 414 pages.

Other Links (hearse lapel pin)

United States of America $37.00 | Kentucky residents $39.22 | Canada & Mexico $48.00 | All other countries $50.00.

9. CARRIAGE AND WAGON AXLES FOR HORSE DRAWN VEHICLES

Click here to view the index

CARRIAGE AND WAGON AXLES FOR HORSE-DRAWN VEHICLES, compiled by the Carriage Museum of American and edited by Don Peloubet. Axle-making techniques blossomed in the second half of the 19th century, at the high point of the carriage trade, following closely the development of wheel-making. This industry saw tremendous changes throughout the period, moving from individual wooden axles handmade by the wheelwright, to iron axles forged by the blacksmith, and finally to lathe-turned axle arms fabricated of iron and steel in factories specializing in axles.
     Like its companion, Wheelmaking, this book is a compilation of articles on axle making taken from late 19th century journals published in America for the carriage industry. The articles are divided into ten sections: the first is a long, general chapter on the development of axle-making, followed by sections on axle setting, axle manufacturers, patent axles, ball/roller bearing axles, axle types, lubrications, repair, and tools and equipment. Together they provide the reader with an in-depth look at the evolution of the art and industry of axle-making, and offer tremendous value to those interested in the actual practice of the trade, as well as those interested in the history of this important technology. Profusely illustrated, 250 pages, 9 x 12 soft cover.

United States of America $20.00 | Kentucky residents $21.20 | Canada & Mexico $25.00 | All other countries $30.00.

10. HITCH WAGONS FOR CITY DRIVING
This is the most comprehensive book of technical information published for Wagons, with the information being compiled from the original professional trade journals of the 19th and early 20th century. It is profusely illustrated with over 500 drawings with a a text of precise dimensions to 1/16 of inch, as 19th century wagon builders were highly skilled engineers, mechanics and draftsmen.
     The book is divided into seven main chapters, with the first four chapters for fashions which show a side view and any painting ornamentation, plus the text with dimensions and description.
Chapter 1, City Wagons is a variety of heavy platform wagons: wholesaler's butchers' truck, three-ton coal truck, baggage transfer truck, flour and feed wagons, etc.
     Chapter 2, Stake trucks is a variety of heavy platform trucks that do not have closed sides such as: the goose-neck truck, carriage delivery truck, flour and feed truck, kindling wood truck, and brick truck.
     Chapter 3, Furniture Wagons, has wagons with closed sides and open sides, vans and a group of piano movers wagons.
     Chapter 4, Beverage Wagons, has been the most requested type of wagon and includes all types of beverage wagons: wine delivery, bottled water, heavy brewery wagons, and a large group of milk wagons from the wholesale milk delivery truck to the retail milk wagon.
     Chapter 5, Parts for Wagons, gives more specific details for making tops, gears, brakes, seats, springs, single & double trees. Dynamometer Tests With Wagons by Prof. J. W. Sanborn and Tests of Vehicle and Implement Woods by H. B. Holroyd & H. S. Betts are featured in Chapter 5 for additonal data.
     Chapter 6, is extensive and is known as the Working Drawings (engineering drawings or blue prints) with the different views of the wagon drawn to scale with a wide variety of wagons represented: mineral water wagons, distilled water wagons, bottling wagons, stake trucks, dumping wagons, wholesale delivery trucks, lumber wagon, grain carrying wagons, brewer's delivery wagons, furniture wagons, ice cream delivery truck, sugar barrel truck, goose neck trucks, ending with 18 drawings for milk wagons.
     Chapter 7, is called "Turnouts," this has some outstanding vintage photographs of some of the wagons hitched with the horses at work and winners of the Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia Work Horse Parades.
An index is included which lists some of the leading wagon builders: Sebastian of New York, Rech-Markbaker, of Philadelphia and others.
     392 pages. Softcover.

United States of America $45.00 | Kentucky residents $47.70 | Canada & Mexico $50.00 | All other countries $55.00.

11. MANUAL OF FALLING BOW TOPS FOR HORSE-DRAWN VEHICLES, compiled by the Carriage Museum of America, 440 pages.

This is the first comprehensive book on the subject of falling tops, such a book was not even available during the carriage era. The book covers a period from 1860 to 1900 and it is very specific about the different drafting and construction techniques and styles for a certain time period. The subject of curtain fasteners would fill up a book by its self. Due to limited space only the major curtain fasteners were included that were advertised in the trade journals. However, an extensive list of patents for curtain fasteners and tops is included for reference. In-depth chapters are included for the following types of falling tops: Buggy Tops, Tops for Drop-Front Phaetons, Close Tops (Victorias, Cabriolets, Stanhope Phaetons, Portland Cutters, etc.), Extension Tops, Landau Tops, Landualet Tops. Landau tops are the most difficult tops to make and this book gives detailed illustrations for both the Lohner and Kellner system of hinges. This book contains information that enabled carriage trimmers to draft and construct the top from scratch, therefore this would be the most comprehensive guide for people building new carriages. Restorers will find it a comprehensive book with many articles on materials, cutting, and trimming. Besides being a book of instruction for builders and restorers it also acts as a chronological table for collectors and museums.

      The book is a compilation of the articles from the Hub and Carriage Monthly in the library of the Carriage Museum of America. These trade journals are the most valuable primary reference resource for technical information for the horse-drawn vehicle industry. Since this information is so rare and valuable, it is the sincere wish of the Carriage Museum of America that by making this information available to others this information will be preserved for future generations. 440 pages soft cover. United States of America $70.00 | Kentucky residents $74.20 | All other countries $85.00