Wm. Miller’s Catalogue of Wrought Iron Ranges (cover title)

Wm. Miller’s Catalogue of Wrought Iron Ranges 9 & 11 W. 5th St, Cincinnati, O. 1883 (cover title). Printed by Sullivan & Co. Oblong cloth folio, 82pp. Illustrated on nearly every page, plus two folding plates for extra-long commercial models. Cracking to both hinges and 1" puncture toward the lower front joint and rubbing to edges with areas of boards exposed. Fingersoil and discoloration; all the holes. 

Offering the “Handsomest, Most Complete, Best Regulated, and Largest Establishment” of wrought iron ranges in the country, the company later operated as the “William Miller Range & Furnace Co.” and sold “Miller-Monitor Wrought-Steel Ranges.” No copies of this publication, and only single copies of company catalogues from 1899 and 1903, are recorded in OCLC.

Technically a very damaged copy of a very rare trade catalog, but a wonderful example of an object’s lived experience (and the historical precursor of "I saw it on Pinterest" DIY projects). The reuse was likely done ca. 1900 based on the silks present, around the time a commercially made floss holder of the same design was being advertised in magazines. The stove catalog would have been obsolete by then, too, and its oversize interior seemed to offer a prime organizational opportunity. The first page shows how the holes were plotted out in pencil (just a little askew). Flosses are present for about half the book, with occasional tissues guards also tipped in.

The relatively thin pages ultimately proved unsuited for the task and many wads of floss are chaotically tucked into the gutters, emanating frustration. What remains of the incorporated flosses make the stoves look like they have grotesque spills. What a thing!