P.T. Barnum receives The Philosopher’s Stone

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❧ Upper cover is folded toward the front, in order to be used for mail­ing this copy to a recip­i­ent; it has been addressed in ink: ”P. T. Bar­num Esqr. Amer­i­can Museum New York”; below the address are the words ”By Steam Liv­er­pool June 1.” (the year ‘‘1850’’ is writ­ten in graphite beside the num­ber 1).
In the cor­ner of the folded sheet is the book­sellers’ label of T.H. Lacy, used as the return address. At an unknown time, someone removed the postage stamp at right.
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In addi­tion, this copy has two marks of own­er­ship on the t.p.: the ink stamp of the William Sey­mour The­atre Col­lec­tion and a note in graphite, which reads: ”Very good of the kind, but not of our class.” It is not known whether the note was writ­ten by Bar­num him­self.
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Taylor, Tom, 1817-1880.
The philosopher’s stone : an entirely new and original satirical and politico-economical Whitsun morality, extremely serious and very comical / by the author of Diogenes, The vicar of Wakefield, &c., &c.
London : T.H. Lacy, 17, Wellington Street, Strand, [between 1849 and 1857]
Call number (THX) TC023 Box 156a
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Series: Lacy’s acting edition ; 14
Notes: Libretto only.
T.H. Lacy was located at 17 Wellington Street, Strand from 1849 until 1857. In 1857 he moved to larger premises at 89 Strand. Cf. Oxford dictionary of national biography.
“First produced at the New Strand Theatre, Monday, May 20th, 1850”–T.p. verso.
Includes titles of airs (popular and borrowed) to be sung.
Includes cast list.
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Text supplied by rare book cataloger, Scott Carlisle.