Rethinking S.W. Erdnase by Thomas A. Sawyer
This is the first digital-edition of Thomas A. Sawyer's Rethinking S.W. Erdnase, which was first published in a small hardcover-edition (of about 105 copies) in late 2015.
The book has an in-depth discussion of different approaches that might be considered in attempting to figure out who S.W. Erdnase was. Many people probably tend to "shoot from the hip," and to use intuition and common sense. Those are not necessarily the best tools available.
Rethinking S.W. Erdnase includes a fair amount of information regarding Frederic J. Drake & Co., including images relating to the 1912 Drake catalog (as found in the 1912 Publishers' Trade List Annual). The frontispiece is basically a portrait of Frederick J. Drake, based on his image in the 1912 catalog referred to.
The book attempts to place the Whaley-Gardner-Busby book (The Man Who Was Erdnase) into context. In the course of this book, the Whaley-Gardner-Busby book is the subject of criticism relating to Whaley's general approach in working on the book and regarding the weaknesses of the main conclusions of the book.
The book also looks at the cases of three of the main candidates (Edwin Sumner Andrews, Milton Franklin Andrews, and Wilbur Edgerton Sanders), to demonstrate some of their main strengths and weaknesses. That discussion may be helpful in the evaluation of other candidates.
Did Marshall D. Smith really illustrate The Expert at the Card Table? Was he really the "M.D. Smith" of the title page? Surely he was - well, pretty surely - but are there any reasons for doubting that? This book includes an extended discussion of that issue.
Essential reading for those seriously interested in the S.W. Erdnase authorship question!
Preface
Chapter 1: The Nature of the S.W. Erdnase Authorship Problem
Chapter 2: An Approach Useful in Evaluating Candidates
Chapter 3: The Name "S.W. Erdnase"
Chapter 4: Coincidences
Chapter 5: Did S.W. Erdnase Have Earlier Writing Experience?
Chapter 6: The Copyright of The Expert at the Card Table
Chapter 7: The Principal Candidates
Chapter 8: Edwin Sumner Andrews
Chapter 9: Milton Franklin Andrews
Chapter 10: Wilbur Edgerton Sanders
Chapter 11: James McKinney & Co.
Chapter 12: M.D. Smith
Chapter 13: The State Hotel
Chapter 14: 73 Plymouth Place, Chicago
Chapter 15: Other Tenants at 73 Plymouth Place
Chapter 16: Frederick J. Drake & Co.
Chapter 17: An Informal Discussion of the Three Principal Cases
Chapter 18: S.W. Erdnase and Self-Publishing
Chapter 19: David Alexander's Theories
Chapter 20: The Real Impact of The Man Who Was Erdnase
Chapter 21: Comments on My S.W. Erdnase: Another View
Selected Bibliography and Colophon
List of images:
Portrait of Frederick J. Drake
The front cover of an early printing of The Expert at the Card Table
A page from a 1912 Drake catalog
A Frederick J. Drake & Co. letterhead from 1917
The back cover of an early printing of The Expert at the Card Table
An early Drake advertisement for The Expert at the Card Table
The first page of the copyright application
The front cover of the Drake catalog in the 1912 P.T.L.A.
Fuzzy Four-Footed Folks, printed by James McKinney & Co.
The title page submitted with the copyright application
A message from Frederick J. Drake
