Edward F. Ellis Rip Van Winkle Collection

The late author and Buffalo librarian Edward F. Ellis bequeathed several book collections, the products of over forty years of book collecting, to the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library in his will. One of the largest of these the Ellis ABC Collection of alphabet books, which started with 435 titles and has grown to include more than 700 volumes.  Two of the books in this collection were written by Ellis himself, and his wife Martha Yellen Ellis, Alphabet of New York Bookshops (1940) and Alphabet of Buffalo (1947).  Martha was the sister of Jack Yellen, the songwriter best known for the 1920s hits “Ain’t She Sweet” and “Happy Days Are Here Again.”  

Perhaps the most unique collection are the books and other materials inspired by “Rip Van Winkle,” the Washington Irving story that first appeared in 1819.  Included among the many editions are fine bindings, such as the Roycroft printing of 1905, as well as editions by important illustrators such as N. C. Wyeth, Arthur Rackham and Barry Moser.  Prints, signs and figurines are also part of the collection.