Worried about contentious political conversations ruining the holidays? The DeGolyer has just the sign for you!
This sign comes from John Crichton of the Brick Row Book Shop in San Francisco. As Crichton recounts, early in his career, he would frequently visit the legendary Vermont bookseller Ken Leach. Ken had this broadside hanging outside his office for years. It likely originated from a social club, fraternal order, or saloon. According to Crichton, Ken Leach was as taciturn and straightforward as the sign itself.
During one of Crichton’s visits toward the end of Ken’s career, he noticed the sign was gone. Shocked that the broadside had even been for sale, Crichton asked about it, only to be met with Ken’s characteristic bluntness: “You didn’t ask.”
Crichton later came across the broadside again at the office of booksellers Jack and Joyce Hanrahan, who, at the time, weren’t ready to part with it. But when they retired a few years ago, the broadside was once again available, and Crichton was finally able to acquire it. It hung in the Brick Row Book Shop—once again, not for sale.
Fortunately, Crichton had facsimiles made by Alastair Johnston of Poltroon Press in Berkeley, and in 2023, one of these was generously gifted to the DeGolyer.