Autographs
Signed Book: "The Transit of Venus" First Edition from the March King "John Philip Sousa"
JOHN PHILIP SOUSA (1854-1932). American Marching Band Conductor and Composer of over 300 works, best known for military and highly Patriotic Marches, also known as "The March King" or the "American March King", best-known for composing "The Stars and Stripes Forever."
1920-Published First Edition Fictional Novel, Hardcover Book, "The Transit of Venus", Author Inscribed and Signed, "To Miss Edith Daselary from John Philip Souza - July 1924" on the front flyleaf in blue ink, publisher Small, Maynard & Company, Boston, Extremely Fine. This book by John Philip Sousa, author is illustrated by Helen Bell, measures about 5.25" x 7.5" with 250 pages with light scuffing to the spine. This earliest first edition book, is now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive.
Sousa wrote the original "Transit of Venus March" as a March, scored for a Military Brass Band, written by John Philip Sousa in 1883 to celebrate the 1882 "Transit of Venus" and published by the J.W. Pepper Company. The musical work score was erroneously thought to be lost for over 100 years when a piano transcription published in 1896 was found by a Library of Congress employee in 2003. Copies of the original Pepper company publication, however, do survive.