VCU Libraries Gallery

Some Mistakes of Moses

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BL 2725_S6 1879 Some mistakes of Moses_Ingersoll back cover rsz.jpg
BL 2725_S6 1879 Some mistakes of Moses_Ingersoll front cover rsz.jpg
BL 2725_S6 1879 Some mistakes of Moses_Ingersoll 3 owners rsz.jpg
BL 2725_S6 1879 Some mistakes of Moses_Ingersoll Houdini Bookplate  rsz.jpg
BL 2725_S6 1879 Some mistakes of Moses_Ingersoll back cover rsz.jpg
BL 2725_S6 1879 Some mistakes of Moses_Ingersoll front cover rsz.jpg
BL 2725_S6 1879 Some mistakes of Moses_Ingersoll 3 owners rsz.jpg
BL 2725_S6 1879 Some mistakes of Moses_Ingersoll Houdini Bookplate  rsz.jpg
Title: Some Mistakes of Moses
Creator: Ingersoll, Robert Green
Date: 1879
Description: Book given to James Branch Cabell by Beatrice Houdini, from her collection.

The book was originally given by the author, Robert Green Ingersoll to his friend, John G. Mills on June 24, 1880. Harry Houdini acquired the book and added his bookplate opposite Ingersoll's inscription. James Branch Cabell wrote his name on the page above the inscription.

Robert "Bob" Ingersoll was a famous orator, nicknamed "The Great Agnostic." A friend of Walt Whitman, Ingersoll delivered the eulogy at Whitman's funeral. His inscription to Mills in this book is of special note as Ingersoll's oration at Mills' funeral (April 15, 1883) was considered scandalous for declaring that Mills was not a Christian; "Humanity was his God."

Beatrice Houdini gave this to James Branch Cabell in exchange for his autograph on a copy of Cabell's The Music From Behind the Moon: An Epitome. The letter from Beatrice Houdini requesting Cabell's autograph may be found here.
Citation:
Ingersoll, Robert Green, “Some Mistakes of Moses,” VCU Libraries Gallery, accessed October 15, 2024, https://gallery.library.vcu.edu/items/show/79858.