[Printed on Vellum] The Earthquake, 1886

The Earthquake, 1886. The City Council of Charleston, South Carolina to the Executive Relief Committee. New York: De Vinne Press, [1887]. 15pp. One of ten copies printed on vellum. A special presentation issue of Charleston’s official earthquake relief record, printed by Theodore L. De Vinne, one of the leading American printers of the period and a central figure in the revival of fine printing in the United States.

This copy specially prepared for William A. Courtenay, Mayor of Charleston, with the front cover stamped in gilt, “The City Council to Wm. A. Courtenay, Mayor,” and with the presentation page completed “Copy for Wm. A. Courtenay, Mayor,” above the gilt seal of the city and the signature of the clerk of council.

Full tree calf, covers with gilt Greek-key border, front cover lettered in gilt, gilt turn-ins, Courtenay family bookplate to front pastedown. Measures approx. 6" x 9". Some rubbing to edges, corners bumped and worn. Spine worn with some chipping to leather. Paper remnants to ffep, with some small marks to front endpapers. 

The Charleston earthquake struck on the night of August 31, 1886, damaging roughly two-thirds of the buildings in the city, with total damage estimated at about five million dollars. The city’s Executive Relief Committee records, now preserved at Charleston County Public Library, include correspondence, financial records, repair vouchers, reports, and other materials documenting the city’s organized relief effort.