The idea behind book traces is that a book from the past is more than just what was published. A book is something people read, write in, think about, and give to one another. In this sense, a book from the past can tell us about the people that owned/read that book.
The book I found certainly falls into this category. When faced with the assignment to find a 19th century book with writing in it, my first thought was Samuel Clemens. For whatever reason, I can rarely remember his more common name, Mark Twain. The first book I found in the library was “Merry Tales” by Twain. This was published in 1892. The writing that I found in the book was also from 1892, so it would be my guess that the person bought this book new.
The inscription, which is on one of the blank pages in the beginning of the book, reads “For Ada B. Richardson, From your friend Annie M. Amied
Bon Voyage – April 30, 1892”
My guess is that Annie bought this book in 1892, wrote this inscription, then gave it to Ada before she went on some kind of trip. Annie may have chose this book to give her because it’s a collection of short stories which Ada would be able to read on the road.
In this case, this book is certainly more than a book. It was a gift from one friend to another. Maybe this book was the last exchange between these two people. If nothing else, this book is proof of these people in the past.