World War I book, made into scrapbook by U.S. soldier, stuffed with ephemera

Description: I am offering for sale a strange, fascinating, one-of-a-kind book, a hardcover account of the World War I Battle of Bourges, which was transformed into a scrapbook by Thomas Marsicano, a soldier with the American Expeditionary Force. The book itself is rare enough, an on-the-spot compilation of stories, cartoons, drawings, photographs and maps, and the book is falling apart, as you can see in the photos. Its real value lies in the great mass of documents, handwritten notes and lists, and photographs collected by Marsicano. Some of these are taped to the pages of the book, and many of them are loose, stuffed into the rear of the book. Marsicano was a private, later a corporal, with the 363rd Infantry Division, Company D. Some of his official documents taped to the front pages of the book include his registration certificate, a postcard from his draft board, a "night pass" from the Headquarters U.S. Troops Bourges, and a typewritten note from his major, stating that Marsicano, "having been named an acting non-commissioned officer of Company D., is entitled to mess in the non-commissioned officers' Mess of this Company." There is also a meal ticket for the U.S.S. Troy, on which he sailed from Brest to Brooklyn in August, 1919. In the rear of the book, there are dozens of pieces of ephemera, including a handwritten chart showing the breakdown of the First, Second and Third Armies into corps and divisions. There is a handwritten list of American War Casualties, plus a note that "10,000 American soldiers married in France, many not to return to States." There is also a handmade little booklet, onion-skin typing paper "bound" in construction paper, showing the structure of the U.S. Forces in France. Another handwritten note lists total losses by the British Empire, while another lists "the admitted German losses." Marsicano's honorable discharge certificate, both the original and a mimeograph reproduction, are included herein. One of the coolest artifacts is a collection of post-card-size photos, all connected accordion-style, of life aboard the U.S.S. Troy, the ship Marsicano sailed home on. These includes photos of the officers' dining room, the kitchen, workers shoveling coal into the ship's engines, a photo of the ship nearing the statue of Liberty, and another of the New York skyline. There is also a small collection of daily editions of The Trojan Journal, "Published by Men of Army and Navy on Board the U.S.S. Troy." These one-sheet, double-sided "newspapers" feature news of the day from around the world and aboard the ship, including the news of "two youthful stowaways" found on the ship — a 16-year-old Serbian and an 11-year-old Belgian! The final issue of The Troy Journal, published on August 19, 1919, has a lead story that begins this way: "Some early bird on forward deck is going to let out a wild yell tomorrow morning. Instead of waves and an unbroken horizon line, he will see something solid, barely rising between water and sky. That will be Sandy Hook, the first American real estate to been (sic) seen for many a month." Another original certificate is one noting that Marsicano had been promoted to Corporal, on the last day of 1918. Another certificate is his enlistment record, showing that he was "enlisted, or inducted," on Oct. 13, 1917, in Oakland, California, and left for France on Feb. 16, 1918. He was married when he joined the Army, working as a timekeeper, and he suffered no wounds in the service. There is even a Certificate of Baptism from the Church of the Holy Spirit in Fairfield, California, showing that he was baptized on June 13, 1892, six months after his birth. There is one anomaly, a list of casualty figures from later wars, including the Vietnam War, evidently added to the scrapbook by a very old Marsicano, or perhaps by someone in his family. I pack carefully and ship promptly, free via USPS Media Mail.

Price: 124 USD

Location: Billings, Montana

End Time: 2025-01-10T14:23:42.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD