Funny you would say that.

I was already thinking we could set up a lottery of 400 tickets at  
$10 each and sell them through the listserve.  But first we would  
decide which of say ten publicly accessible archives should receive  
the book, and each ticket would have the purchasers archive of  
preference written on it.  Then when all the tickets are sold we buy  
the book and draw tickets out of the box to see which archive gets  
the book for the first year, second year, third year, and so on. Or  
just draw for one location with the stipulation that it will be  
shipped to other archival locations for research.  Or make sure the  
receiving archive agrees to take it publicly digital like the U of  
Michigan does with a lot of stuff.

In any case, I apologize for my ignorance on how institutions of  
higher learning decide to acquire and proprietize such items.

Dave Trippel

On Nov 19, 2010, at 6:18 PM, James Nicholls wrote:

> Right - I'm off to buy a lottery ticket...
>
> On 19 Nov 2010, at 22:33, "David Trippel"  
> <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
>
> I was just about to post it to the website blog when I thought  
> maybe I should let the listserve see this important and unique  
> offering first.  I found it during a websearch and think it has  
> been up for sale only a week or two.
>
> Dave Trippel
>
> PS. I have no connection with or previous knowledge of the book  
> seller.
>
> <http://www.justincroft.com/book/987/beer-trade-protection-society- 
> minute-book-of-the-proceedings-of-the-committee-of-the-beer-trade- 
> protection-society>http://www.justincroft.com/book/987/beer-trade- 
> protection-society-minute-book-of-the-proceedings-of-the-committee- 
> of-the-beer-trade-protection-society
>
> ----------
>
> BEER TRADE PROTECTION SOCIETY. Minute Book of the Proceedings of  
> the Committee of the Beer Trade Protection Society.
> London:  1854-1866.
> Manuscript on paper, with some printed insertions, folio (365 × 235  
> mm), pp. [xxvi], 571 (later pagination), with numerous additions of  
> manuscript and printed material tipped in or loosely inserted,  
> densely but legibly written throughout in several clerical hands,  
> on bluish paper. Contemporary vellum, green morocco label  
> (abraded). An impressive volume.
> The minute book of a significant Victorian trade organisation,  
> representing the interests of an estimated 41,000 “beershops” and  
> 89,000 public houses in England. This is an extensive volume which  
> provides much information on contemporary attitudes to public  
> houses and the consumption of alchohol. The society was based in  
> London (also calling itself the Metropolitan Beer Trade Protection  
> Society) and was mainly concerned with the retailing of beer and  
> ale within the capital. It acted as a political lobbying group,  
> maintaining frequent contact with parliament and prominent  
> politicians, working to forward the interests of this major part of  
> the London economy. It also fulfilled several benevolent functions  
> in caring for retired or indigent
> inn-keepers and their widows. Licensing of the sale of alchoholic  
> drinks was less uniform than it became later in the century (and is  
> today). The Beerhouse Act of 1830 exempted the sale of beer from  
> the requirement of a justices’ licenses, allowing a large rise in  
> small retailers selling beer alone. The exemption was under  
> constant pressure, not least from temperance groups, and was  
> actively fought for by the Protection Society. It was revoked in  
> 1869 (after our minute book ends) with the introduction of the  
> Beerhouse Act of 1869. The volume contains several inserted copies  
> of correspondence with government ministers, notably Sir George  
> Gray, Home Secretary, together with correspondence with society  
> members. Several inserted letters are from London inn-keepers  
> requesting help in cases where they have been brought before  
> magistrates’ courts. A letter to the secretary, of 5 December 1856  
> (p. 232), relates the case of one Thomas Tomlinson of the Surrey  
> Hounds in Battersea, who had been summoned to answer a charge  
> against him at Wandsworth police court that he “did on Sunday the  
> 21st October last unlawfully open his house for sale of beer before  
> one o’ck in the afternoon of that day”. Two witnesses swore “that  
> they saw the servant of Mr Tomlinson let out 3 men one being drunk  
> from her masters house about 1/4 past 12 o’clock on Sunday”. An  
> attempt by the Committee to extend opening hours on the occasion of  
> the signing of the peace treaty ending the Crimean War was  
> rejected: in 1856, the secretary wrote to Sir Richard Mayne, Chief  
> Commisioner of the Metropolitan Police, requesting that the  
> beersellers be allowed to open their houses after midnight for the  
> “accomodation of the public” in celebrating the peace. The printed  
> insertions are mainly copies of minutes for meetings.
>
> £2500.00    (equal to approx. US$4007.05* or €2941.18* for 19  
> November 2010)
>
> ----------