The Captain David Perry Web Site
KING GEORGE'S WAR
1. Childhood
1741-57
FRENCH & INDIAN WAR
PRE-REVOLUTIONARY YEARS
1st WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE
(Revolutionary War)
WAR'S END, CONFEDERATION & CONSTITUTION
PARTISANISM
and
2nd WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE
(War of 1812)
Appendices
A. Editions
B. Book Descriptions
C. Biographies
D. Errata
Click here
TO OBTAIN A COPY
of the new, hardback annotated, illustrated edition of
Perry's Recollections,
DGJ ed.
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LIFE OF DAVID PERRY. APPENDICES.
Appendix A.
EDITIONS.
[ To order a hard copy of Recollections click here. ]
First (1822)
Second (ca. 1903-30)
Third (1928)
Fourth (1971)
Fifth (2012) Other Editions
There are 15 verified extant copies of the original 1822 edition of Recollections of an Old Soldier _ perhaps not Perry's own title, but a "subtitle" suggested by Simeon Ide, the young printer in Windsor, Vermont who generously printed Perry's manuscript. According to one collector, the book is "excessively rare," worth today hundreds of dollars, depending on condition. To those who are descendants, it is priceless. Going through an attic or family papers and clutter, it would be easily overlooked, maybe even thrown away. It's appearance is unpreposessing. [view image, actual size 4.5"x7.2"]. It was Simeon Ide, in his advertisement/preface, who recorded for us the circumstances surrounding its first publication and his own impressions of the "hoary-headed veteran of four score"* who wrote it. We, the future generations to whom Perry addressed his memoir, are indebted to the original printer and to those editors who re-published his book; without their editions, David Perry's priceless memoir would have been lost not only to his descendants but to the world at large.
The second edition was published on demand between 1903 and 1930 by a great great granddaughter of Capt. David Perry: Mrs. John Ferris Alden (Mary Emma [Bogue] Alden) of Rochester, NY. Mrs. Alden (1854-1939) was a member of the DAR and a family genealogist who copied an 1822 edition by hand, probably over a period of time, had it printed, and endeavored to share it with as many descendants of David Perry as she could find. The price? A modest $1. Although her edition contains several significant changes and instances of missing text,* its worth cannot be overemphasized-- without it, most later editions (including this one) would not have existed.
![Mary Emma [Bogue] Alden](meba55a.jpg){kind=link}
The third edition, unrelated to the second, was edited and published by William Abbatt in 1928 in his Magazine of History with Notes and Queries "Magazine of History with Notes and Queries: Extra Number - No. 137." Vol. 35, No. 1. as Extra No. 137. This edition follows the original text more exactly. Both these editions are rare, however. Only fifty five copies of each Extra Number in the series were printed.
The publication responsible for the greatest number of hard copies is the Polyanthos edition, published by Winston DeVille in 1971 The electronic and web editions were completed in 1998 and 1999 respectively. Hopefully, the forthcoming annotated, illustrated edition will become another link in the chain of events which continues to bring David Perry's recollections to his posterity "for whom [he] has written these memoirs".*
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FIRST EDITION (1822 or Ide edition).
Perry, David. Recollections of an Old Soldier: the Life of Captain
David Perry, a Soldier of the French and Revolutionary Wars.../
written by himself. Simeon Ide, editior. Windsor, Vt.: [Vermont]
Republican and [American] Yeoman Printing-Office, 1822.
The book is excessively rare.
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SECOND EDITION (1903-30 or Alden edition).
Perry, David. Recollections of an Old Soldier : the Life of Captain
David Perry, a Soldier of the French and Revolutionary Wars.../written by himself. Alden, Mrs. John Ferriss Alden [Mary Emma
Bogue Alden], editor. Rochester, NY: Vredenburg & Co. c1903-1930 (printed on demand).
[This edition is said to be an "exact copy of the
original,"
but with several instances of text missing, added or changed.* It was probably a transcription painstakingly handwritten by Mrs. Alden, and thus was, to the best of her knowledge, an exact copy.
Publication data given therein is from the first edition (1822).
Mrs. Alden was the great-great-granddaughter of David Perry and Anna Bliss.]
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THIRD EDITION (1928 or Abbatt edition).
Perry, David. "Recollections of an Old Soldier : the Life of Captain
David Perry, a Soldier of the French and Revolutionary Wars.../written by himself."
Magazine of History with Notes and Queries: Extra Number - No. 137.
Vol. 35, No. 1. William Abbatt, editor.
Tarrytown, NY, 1928.
[This edition, annotated by Abbatt, is the nearest to the 1822 edition with respect to actual text, but
a few errors and
changes are still present.]
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FOURTH EDITION (1971, DeVille or Polyanthos edition).
Perry, David. Recollections of an Old Soldier : the Life of a Soldier
of the French and Revolutionary Wars.../ by Capt. David Perry.
De Ville, Winston, editor. Cottonport (and later New Orleans), La.:
Polyanthos Press, 1971.
[NOTE: Aside from the title page with certain modifications, the text of this edition is a facsimile reprint of
the Alden edition, printed using the exact printing plates created for Mrs. Alden's edition, which had missing text
as stated above, so neither this nor Alden's edition contains all of the 1822 edition text.
The name of the publisher Winston DeVille, founder of Polyanthos Press (which was purchased by
Frontier Press•)
first came to me via a letter
dated July 16, 1971 to descendants of David Perry, Mr. & Mrs. Ralph
Perry of Ira, VT, stating that Recollections of An Old Soldier "is [his]
company's first book." A copy of this letter was given me by Dr. William
L. and Dianne (Perry) Whiteman of Eastford, CT. I have since been in
contact with Winston DeVille who published David Perry's Recollections
much like the original publisher Simeon Ide had -- without thought of
monetary gain, but only of reproducing a priceless record. DeVille, who published many historical documents and was an historical researcher and author as well,
recalls that he printed
1,000 copies and chose Perry's Recollections as his first publication because he and Perry shared the same birthday.]
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FIFTH EDITION (2012, Jones edition).
Perry, David. Recollections of an Old Soldier : the Life of a Soldier
of the French and Revolutionary Wars.../ by Capt. David Perry.
Jones, D.G., editor. Centerville, Ut.:
Kitkooh Publications, 2012.
[NOTE: For forthcoming edition information click here.
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OTHER EDITIONS
(Non-printed editions).
Perry, David. Recollections of an Old Soldier : the Life of a Soldier
of the French and Revolutionary Wars.../ by Capt. David Perry.
Jones, D.G., editor. Centerville, Ut.
Combined Electronic Edition 1998, Web Site edition 1999.
Other editions section under construction
Sources for Editions
Further information temporarily unavailable.
LINKS:
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