Before the Internet, Wal-Mart, and the shopping mall, there was Montgomery Ward.
"Our mail order methods meet many wants," wrote a poetic but anonymous copywriter on a page of the 1895 Montgomery Ward & Co. catalogue. He had a gift for understatement. At its zenith from the 1880s to the 1940s, Montgomery Ward, like its cross-town Chicago rival, Sears, sold virtually everything the average American could think of or desire—and by mail. This was a revolution, and Ward's fired the first shot. To buy spittoons, books of gospel hymns, hat pins, rifles, wagons, violins, birdcages, or portable bathtubs, purchases that used to require many separate trips to specialist merchants, suddenly all the American shopper had to do was lick a stamp. This unabridged facsimile of the retail giant's 1895 catalogue showcases some 25,000 items, from the necessities of life (flour, shirts) to products whose time has passed (ear trumpets). It is an important resource for antiquaries, students of Americana, writers of historical fiction, and anyone who wants to know how much his great-grandfather paid for his suspenders. It is a true record of an era. 20,000 black-and-white illustrationsBook Description
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Review
Nearly every page of the telephone-book-sized 1895 Montgomery Ward & Co. catalogue, reprinted in an unabridged facsimile edition by Skyhorse Publishing, is a nostalgist's dream....Hours of fascination. -- The New Yorker
About the Author
Montgomery Ward & Co., founded in 1872, was the world's first mail-order goods business. The company once boasted more than 600 stores but since 2004 is exclusively an online retailer.
Nick Lyons is the editor of Hemingway on Fishing, The Best Fishing Stories Ever Told, The Quotable Fisherman and The Little Red Book of Dad's Wisdom. He has written over twenty books, mainly on fishing, in addition to hundreds of articles on the subject, which have appeared in magazines such as Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, and Fly Fisherman. He splits his time between New York City and Woodstock, New York.
Nick Lyons is the editor of Hemingway on Fishing, The Best Fishing Stories Ever Told, The Quotable Fisherman and The Little Red Book of Dad's Wisdom. He has written over twenty books, mainly on fishing, in addition to hundreds of articles on the subject, which have appeared in magazines such as Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, and Fly Fisherman. He splits his time between New York City and Woodstock, New York.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Back In The Old Days,
By P.Marzec "Author" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Montgomery Ward & Co. Catalogue and Buyers' Guide 1895 (Paperback)
The Montgomery Ward catalog is just what I needed. I'm writing a historical romance set in the 1890s and the catalog has been so helpful as a visual aid with the clothing, furniture, and even kitchen utensils available to people at that time.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Montgomery Ward Catalogue,
By londonliz38 "liz" (ohio) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Montgomery Ward & Co. Catalogue and Buyers' Guide 1895 (Paperback)
I absolutely loved this product. I am a history scholar and it really gave me an insight to what products were available to consumers at that time. Great piece of history for history buffs and excellent reference for anyone that likes advertising,clothing,etc from that time period.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun journey into the past....,
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Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Montgomery Ward & Co. Catalogue and Buyers' Guide 1895 (Paperback)
I enjoyed going through the Montgomery Ward catalog of 1895, it was a fun journey into the past and the book is marked one of my Definite Keepers.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Please Read Remarks and Rules Before Ordering. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
roll plate, expansion balance, fancy engraved, pickle dish, sauce boat, cake plate, union milan, stereoscopic views, cigar case, bleached cotton, sauce tureen, paper shell, rolled plate, firing pin, drawing paper, covered butter, jointer plane, double bass, bourgeois type, covered vegetable, steel square, agate buttons, scarlet letter, gospel hymns, tea saucers Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Solid Gold, Per Per, United States, Men's Overshirts, Gold Front, Cream Pitcher, Each Per, Sugar Bowl, Shirt Waists, Brilliant Set, French Seal, All Wool, The New, Black Silk, Popular Edition, Old English, Prayer Book, Individual Butters, Odd Fellows, Mother Hubbard, New York, Bone Dishes, Shell Pin, Fruit Saucers, Waltham Movement Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Please Read Remarks and Rules Before Ordering. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
roll plate, expansion balance, fancy engraved, pickle dish, sauce boat, cake plate, union milan, stereoscopic views, cigar case, bleached cotton, sauce tureen, paper shell, rolled plate, firing pin, drawing paper, covered butter, jointer plane, double bass, bourgeois type, covered vegetable, steel square, agate buttons, scarlet letter, gospel hymns, tea saucers Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Solid Gold, Per Per, United States, Men's Overshirts, Gold Front, Cream Pitcher, Each Per, Sugar Bowl, Shirt Waists, Brilliant Set, French Seal, All Wool, The New, Black Silk, Popular Edition, Old English, Prayer Book, Individual Butters, Odd Fellows, Mother Hubbard, New York, Bone Dishes, Shell Pin, Fruit Saucers, Waltham Movement Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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