I started with publishing the Checklist for three reasons: it established a baseline of Elder’s output, it was a chunk of work that could be completed in a reasonable time frame, and I had an eager publisher. A bibliography, one that I would feel proud to call my own, is a work of far larger scope. The logistical problems are daunting:
- after 25 years of searching, there are still titles of which I have never seen a single copy
- many of Elder’s books were published in multiple bindings, and/or special marketing names, and/or matching slipcases
- Elder published a large amount of ephemera: calendars, greeting cards, postcards, mottoes, etc.
- a huge amount of material was surely destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire
- further material was no doubt lost during each bookstore move, and when the company was closed in 1968
And, of course, at the end of the road I would still need to find a publisher. So, a bibliography may happen, but you’ll have to wait a while.
updated 2024-10-07