Author: Frear, William
Title: Five Weeks in Europe. A Photographic Memorandum
Description: S. l. (Troy, NY), By the author, 1889. First Edition. First edition, 1 of 500 copies; 15 1/4 x 11 3/4; pp. [102]; blue and cream cloth over boards, with gilt title and decorations; all-gilt page edges; illustrated with photogravures, plates, and in-line images; small rubbed spots to corners and tips of spine; a few light spots to cloth; gift inscription to ffep verso; occasional finger smudges to margins of several leaves; dated and dedicated by the author on the limitation page (later cancelled in ink); overall in very good condition. A lavish and beautiful folio, the book outlined a remarkable, 5-week European trip of one of Troy, NY's most prominent citizens of the 19th century. William Frear (1841 - 1910) began his career at the age of 16 as a lowly clerk at a local store. It was said that in just six years, he "mastered every detail of the dry-goods trade and developed a superior aptitude for business.." He opened his own store in 1865 and by 1870 he had 400 employees and over a million dollars in yearly sales. He would be remembered for being the first to put a full-page advertisement in a newspaper and for allegedly introducing the now-standard trade motto: "Satisfaction guaranteed, or your money cheerfully refunded." He would also become a trustee of the Troy YMCA and YWCA, director of the Citizens Steamboat Company and the Troy City National Bank, etc. Very good .

Keywords: Europe, Travel


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