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The "Punkin Centre" Books

Despite Cal Stewart's fame as a pioneer recording comedian, his career as an author and publisher has received little attention. In 1901 Stewart copyrighted the texts of his earliest "Punkin Centre" stories, many of which were selling well on discs and cylinders. By 1903 he had combined these tales with some original poetry (which he did not record) and released the collection in an illustrated, self-published book, Uncle Josh Weathersby's "Punkin Centre" Stories.

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The relatively rare copy shown above appears to be one of the earliest printings, a self-published edition credited on the spine to The Punkin Centre Co., Chicago. No publisher credit appears on the title page, but a 1903 copyright to W. L. Eckhardt and Calvin E. Stewart is cited, with printing credited to the Regan Printing Company of Chicago. This is the "Talking Machine Edition," which apparently was sold (or possibly given as a premium) by phonograph dealers.

Scattered among the familiar Uncle Josh stories are rare autobiographical glimpses ("The author was born in Virginia, on a little patch of land so poor, we had to fertilize it to make brick") and Stewart's unrecorded poetry. He drew on his early days working the Western railroads in "Yosemite Jim, or, A Tale of the Great White Death":

Did you ever hear tell of the Great White Death,
That creeps down the mountain side,
Leavin' behind it a ghastly track
Whar those who have met it died?
Well, pard, as true as I'm a-livin',
No man wants to see it twice...

By 1905 Stewart's book had sold well enough that it was acquired by the Chicago publishing firm of Thomas & Thompson. The company reused the original Regan printing plates but initially added some advertising at the back for its popular Peck's Bad Boy series. Thomas & Thompson kept the book in print for many years; one very late edition includes a listing of Stewart's Victor records released as late as 1920. Later printings are fairly common, and many have a less attractive cover in black (rather than silver) on lighter blue-green cloth.

Various other editions appeared from time to time, all printed from the Regan plates and maintaining the identical pagination. Regan even issued its own version in 1908, with a blue cover. A replica edition, printed in the 1980s, contains additional material not found in the original and is easily distinguished from the authentic printings.