Just came across a banjo method book by Louisa Dewhurst - it looks rare (judging by the price!!). Do we know anything about her?  I think a Francine Dewhurst played with the Clifford Essex Pierrot's but may not be related.

  https://www.biblio.com/book/new-banjo-school-being-simplified-metho...

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It's ironic that the price of nearly $900 USD is being asked for by a business called "Poor Man's Books".

Yes, very ironic but that's inflation for you!!

Found a link to another book: Louisa Dewhurst's Songs: https://www.loc.gov/item/sm1884.10173/
Jody Stecher said:

It's ironic that the price of nearly $900 USD is being asked for by a business called "Poor Man's Books".

She was associated with Henry Dobson in NYC.

These "simple methods" are basically worthless beyond a curiosity.  Sometimes they contain some interesting opinions on banjos and playing, but for the most part they were published to separate people from their money.

I'll let old Henry show you what they are about...

https://archive.org/details/original-diagram-method-for-the-banjo-h...

According to this book, you should be able to play all the popular tunes proficiently in a few minutes.  Also, according to this book, if you want to know how to play the banjo then you should buy one of his other books. The important thing is to just keep buying his books!

Regarding "value" of banjo books/tutors/methods... When I have paid for them it is usually between $10 and $25.  I am usually the only bidder on ebay auctions.  Once I have them in hand, they get scanned and shared on the Internet Archive. 

There are a few book dealers that think they have gold and have placed huge price tags on them.  They don't sell.  We are starting to get to the point that there are very few books that have not been scanned and posted.  Should that drive up the price of these rare books... nah.  You have to have more than one person willing to spend money.

That is not a "book" but just a multi use title sheet.  The publisher would underline or stamp something next to the title of the piece included.  

Interesting that the words were by Eddie Dobson.  I have found the Dobson family to be that of scammers.  And like most family of scammers their story ends with tragedy.  The senior, Henry, made his fortune through real-estate (and I get the impression that he was a slumlord).  It was this real-estate money that financed their phony contests where they gave themselves the prizes.

carrie horgan said:

Yes, very ironic but that's inflation for you!!

Found a link to another book: Louisa Dewhurst's Songs: https://www.loc.gov/item/sm1884.10173/
Jody Stecher said:

It's ironic that the price of nearly $900 USD is being asked for by a business called "Poor Man's Books".

I remember reading about the dodgy Dobsons and thinking it would make a good drama series!  The book caught my eye as it was by a female banjo player.  Not many publications or compositions written by female players even though it was a popular instrument.  There are more women who composed ragtime piano pieces but not much for the banjo.  I've kept a list of tunes by female players - I can't remember if I've already posted it here - there are two by Madeline Rossiter in the library and would be great to find the others.

Elizabeth Buchanan:

Four in Hand 

Edith Fielden:

Mi Amor

Bonita (John Alvey Turner’s Banjo Budget 656)

 Florrie Chester:

Chester March (John Alvey Turner’s Banjo Budget 500)

 Annie Clara Barfoot:

Our Jack Polka (John Alvey Turner’s Banjo Budget 267)

 Alice Walkinshaw:

American Jig

Essex Jig

 Carlotta Rudge:

Carioca Waltz

 Augusta Hiscox:

Idle Moments Waltz (John Alvey Turner’s Banjo Budget 344)

 Madeline Rossiter: 

Romping Rossie (available on Classic Banjo Ning)

The Douglas Cakewalk (available on Classic Banjo Ning)

Flares and Flashes (march)

Edith Secor:
Eri King Fantasia

Golden Rod Reel

Mignon Waltz

Zephyr Schottische

Barcarolle Venetienne

Ethel G. Dahl

Dance Fantastique

Both of these women are American and these pieces were published by S. S. Stewart in A notation. 

The theme of the next ABF rally is "Stewart publications" and I have been going through and cleaning up my spreadsheets on all the music he published (and seeing what I don't have but might be able to find).

Here is one I recently scanned by Myra Marie Cobb:

https://archive.org/details/husking-party-reel-myra-marie-cobb

Thanks Mike - yes, I was interested as had not heard of her before and wondered if she was a Vaudeville singer/banjo performer that I hadn't heard of.  The index list shows the usual popular tunes that appear across tutors but also some self-penned tunes by Dewhurst.  

Thanks Joel for attaching the pdf for The Husking Party Reel - and have added the names to my list which is now creeping to two pages!

Is this about me and my Dobsons are con artists thing?  Because they were, and we have period accounts calling them out on it.  Also period accounts about their phony contests and questionable "teaching" practices which were designed with over promise and under deliver with a constant extraction of extra money from the mark... I mean student. 

I have examples of them just selling the same stuff over and over, in a different order with a different title. 

If the other is about Brewster-- he was a crook too and stole from Stewart.  And there is extant evidence to back up SSS' claims. 

Mike Bostock said:

From a research perspective we also have to avoid neatly ‘summarising’ individuals according to our own modern opinion. I was having a conversation this afternoon about another 19th century banjo-related individual with a public profile. One could (too) easily make similar negative summary in relation to this person. But the contemporary human context is nearly always more complex and nuanced. Add to that the crucial element of our cultural distance and not having a complete picture. In regard to the individual we were discussing this afternoon there are equally evidential factors that could be used to ‘summarise’ more kindly in mitigation.

Summarising and opinion are contaminated instruments. 

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