[DeLand Chamber of Commerce]

'DeLand: The Athens of Florida' [Scarce 1920s Pictorial Land Boom Prospectus]

A visually striking and architecturally significant promotional booklet designed to position DeLand as the intellectual and cultural capital of the Florida Land Boom.

Featuring high-concept graphic layouts and a dual-front cover design, [tête-bêche] style this 28-page work emphasizes the city's unique identity as 'The Athens of Florida' through its educational institutions and citrus wealth.

KEY FEATURES 
+++ Visuals: Profusely illustrated with sophisticated graphic borders, monochrome photography of Stetson University and local citrus groves, and a vibrant full-color illustration on the inside cover. 
+++ Binding: Original stapled pictorial wraps; 8 x 9.25 inches. Features a unique 'Dual-Front' graphic orientation where both the front and rear wraps serve as primary thematic covers. 
+++ Content: Extensive focus on DeLand as the 'Educational Center of Florida', detailing the climate, the citrus industry, and the cultural life of the 'Athens' of the south. 
+++ Imprint: Attributed to the Record Company of St. Augustine based on typography and OCLC records. 
+++ Rarity: Scarce; OCLC locates only three institutional copies, all held within Florida libraries (FSU, UF, and the University of Miami). 

CONDITION Very Good -- A crisp, carefully handled copy. Features a gentle vertical fold to the center, likely from original mailing. A faint, previous owner's name is visible on the 'fishing scene' cover, but does not obscure the artwork. Internally clean with staples firm and no rust migration.
+++ Specs: 8 x 9.25 inches / 28 pages plus wraps.[St. Augustine]: [Record Co.], n.d. [c. 1925-1927]. First Edition. Stapled Wraps.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE -- 
During the mid-1920s, while coastal Florida cities sold surf and sand, DeLand marketed itself as a refined, inland 'Athens'. This prospectus is a prime example of the high-budget promotional material produced by the Record Company, which utilized avant-garde graphic design to distinguish DeLand from the more rowdy 'boom towns' of the era.

The booklet captures the city during its golden age of citrus and academic expansion at John B. Stetson University. Its dual-cover design—one side focusing on the sporting life (fishing) and the other on civic/educational status—reflects the sophisticated marketing tactics used to attract the 'educated' class of Northern investors and settlers.

SUBJECTS: DeLand Florida, Stetson University, Florida Land Boom, Citrus Industry, St. Augustine Printing, Educational History, Volusia County, Ephemera, Promotional Prospectus, Americana, Florida History.

Item #21545

Price: $225.00