Assignment #3: Book Traces

I want to start off by saying that Sojourner truth library is extremely intimidating. This was my first time searching for books at a college library. It was very tedious searching for a 19th century book that also had 19th century marginalia. After over an hour of picking the books that looked most worn out (this was my strategy) I finally hit the jackpot when I picked up “Phillip Massinger” edited with an introduction and notes by Arthur Symons. The title alone was very confusing because Phillip Massinger is the main author and it contains “the best plays of the old dramatists.”

http://www.booktraces.org/book-submission-philip-massinger

However, after reading through the book it was made clear that Phillip Massinger was the author of numerous plays that constituted the book and Arthur Symons provided readers with a bibliography of Phillip Massinger and spoke about his plays.

Picture of Phillip Massinger
Picture of Phillip Massinger

 

“Phillip Massinger” was published in London in 1887 and its publisher is London Vizetelly.

As soon as you open the book,on the inner hardcover there is a name that reads: Hailey S. Carles Jr. and is barely visible but after 5 minutes of analyzing each letter with a flashlight I was able to make out the name.

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After searching all over the internet I was not able to trace this name to any person. This was probably because it was just an average person in London, who owned this book and wrote their name to show possession.

The book itself is very old and smells like it as soon as you open it. By this I mean it literally smells “dusty” and made me sneeze as I flipped through the pages.

The other marginalia that I found (on the first 2 pages after opening the book) was for the most part illegible and I was unable to understand its purpose.

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There is however, the number 600 clearly written which could indicate what is equivalent to 900 dollars ( a lot of money back then).

What I found most interesting were the way some pages were set up (shut together) making the pages in the middle of that binding hard to read.

 

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From pages 9 to 96 there are 11 “sections” where the binding is like this, making it hard to read what is in between them.

This seems to have been done purposefully but I am not sure for what reason or if this is a characteristic of 19th century books but it was very interesting and different.

Overall I enjoyed learning about marginalia and having the chance to actually find a 19th century book with personal hand writing from the 19th century. Book traces and preserving this marginalia is important to understanding how people used books in the 19th century.

Book Traces

When you think of William Wordsworth you think of one of the greatest romantic poets. The man who help create the Romantic Age in English literature. But this blog post is not just about William Wordsworth it is about one of his books i obtained in our school library. This book is called The poems of William Wordsworth and it contains a collection of his poems as well as some interesting hand written things. Within the book there was hand written comments, which were varies titles of some of his poems. The inscription said “Strange Fits if passion have I known She dweltIMG_8423 among the untrodden ways I traveled among unknown men A slumber did my spirit seal” this is written in a type of writing that is originated in 1800’s to 1900’s. I am not sure on why this is important to this certain person who wrote it. It could be about one of his/her love ones or it could be about the pain that they are undergoing.  But this is not the only Marginalia that i have found there is another entree the reads “May have written this when he change from love to ammeter the hie setter quiet love” at least that is what i got from it, i am unsure if that is accurate. Yet i would love to see what that means in the sense it where it is placed, that was placed on page 123 and the bottom of his poem Lucy Gray; or, Solitude. This has to pertain to this writers view on William Wordsworth. I wish I could talk to these people that wrote these so i can see there logic and  what it pertains to, because these could be relating to anything in the word whether it be about their personal life or the world surrounding them.

Travels to Great Britain

 

To find reader traces in a university library book seems impossible, even the old books from the 1800 are in such good and clean condition. Still, after leafing through some 20 and more books in the travel section (DA), I picked a small hand book for travelers, and in it there was a hand written note. The book is Baedeker’s Great Britain Handbook for Travellers , published in Leipzic (original spelling), Germany and in London, Great Britain in 1897. It’s a small red book written in almost microscopic letters and it contains colored maps, plans and panoramic illustrations of different places in Great Britain. It provides a great deal of information about the country using this tiny little font type.

writing on the book

The hand written note is placed around the book title, written in ink in an old fashion style. I couldn’t decipher the writing so Prof. Swafford was called for help and her reading was: “Paddington St, Leave for Wells at 1.20 (Bristol) 3.88. Leave Bristol for Yeaton + Wales 5.25          6.47″. It seems the note was maybe a preparation for a trip in England. To add to this assumption I also found a folded big colored map of (just) England that was placed in a special pocket in the Inside cover of the book.

a map of Great Britain

The map is a little fragile so very gently I managed to open it without tearing and to my surprise an itinerary was marked on the map in dark ink .

open map fo Great Britain

The book was, after all, used as a travelers handbook despite its very clean state. Maybe the text wasn’t that useful, but the map definitely was.

Submitted to Book Traces : http://www.booktraces.org/book-submission-baedekers-great-brittain/

Booktraces: 1880 prize

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http://www.booktraces.org/submission-successful/

While searching in the stacks, I came across a small, dark green, hard-backed book with gold leafing on the pages and the front and back covers. It was titled “William Cullen Bryant; A Biographical Sketch, With Selections From His Poems and Other Writings.” The first thing i noticed was this inside cover because of the blue sticker attached to it. The sticker includes a decorative font and appears to be a gift tag for a christmas gift from the principal, to a student (Master Edward J. Brooks) at St. John’s Middle Class School in Tottenham, for “Excellence In Arithmetic.” This book was the first prize award. What really struck me was the fact that this was made out is 1880! The calligraphy it is written in is amazing and beautiful. The book itself was published in Gaslow in March of 1880, and given as a gift in December 1880. The author is A.J. Symington. Aside from the prize tag, there is no personal writing or other marginalia in the book. The book is falling apart and the pages are brown and pulpy. It is so amazing and interesting that we can see time paralleled, and personal relations through history. I looked up Tottenham: an area in the London Borough of Haringey, in north London, England, about 8 miles northeast of Charing Cross. How did this book, belonging to a man named Edward Brooks in England end up in the New School Library which would later become SUNY New Paltz’s Library system? It’s amazing trying to think of the many ways this could have happened, but also how fortunate for us here at this school to have such a worldly, historic collection amongst us for use. I was so amazed that i was able to check out some of these beautiful old books that are pretty much historical documents themselves.

 

Book Traces Response – An Ode?

The book that I ran into in the PS section of the library is a book of poems by James W. Riley entitled Green Fields and Running Brooks.  Skimming through the pages, I saw a bunch of poems with dates for titles, names, and a lot dedicated to months and seasons. The first annotation I saw was on page 51, apart of the poem entitled ‘A Dream of Autumn’. I could tell immediately it had that specific signature of a 19th century person, and I almost found it romantic when I read in that handwriting “only one”. Although the poem is a description of what the feeling of fall is, and how the author yearns for it, I feel that the “only one” is almost like a metaphor for someone who reminds them of fall, and the sentimental, beautiful, transitioning feeling that it brings. Maybe I’m overanalyzing and I’m just a hopeless romantic and this poem was to be read in a class say, and that was the “only one” the teacher was going to read.

The other annotations I found were underlinings in a poem titled ‘Elizabeth’ which I thought was very serendipitous of all people to find. Another reason I think that the “only one” annotation is with romantic intentions is because these underlinings are done in the same ink, and Elizabeth happens to be a poem seeming to mourn someone who has passed but holds sweet memories within the author.

This is important to have found because it let’s finders, like myself, let our imaginations run wild.. It can tell us the effect it had on readers in the appropriate setting. If we have the means of who took out this book in the past 100 years, we can learn about their lives, and what this book meant to them. I think stood as a personal book that someone owned and really enjoyed both of those poems. It gave me the chance to transport myself back in time to imagine what it could have been in this person’s shoes.

http://www.booktraces.org/book-submission-green-fields-and-running-brooks/

 

Book Traces

I found this assignment to be extremely exciting and interesting. Upon receiving instructions, I knew immediately that I wanted to find something by one of my favorite poets, John Keats. I found the Keats section and determinedly looked through every single book there. Alas, nothing was left behind for me to find. With a heavy heart I turned away from the Keats shelf, disappointed in the Victorians, and saw the Dickens shelf right behind me. I thought to myself why not give Dickens a try? After looking through a few books, I found the first volume of the Works of Charles Dickens, and inside I found an inscription! Once I was finished with my happy dance I took a closer look at what the inscription said: Amy Louise Cooper June 28th 1888. This was probably a gift to Amy, and she was given it on the 28th of June 1888. The book itself was published in 1868 in New York. I flipped through the other volumes of Dickens’ work on the shelf and found her name in two more, meaning that she or a family member must have donated the books, possibly after her death. I felt a strange connection with Amy, as if I gained some sort of access to her personal life. Now, I will not hesitate to mark up my books! Maybe in the future a student will find my books in the library while doing research on the 21st century.The importance of this assignment is that it forced us to actively seek out 19th century books and to crack their spines and look through the pages. I ended up telling my sister, who devours books on the daily, about this project and I sent her on a mission. I told her to go to our local library and look through the 19th century books in the collection. I advised her that patience and time were required for this task, and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with!

Here’s my Book Traces submission.Inscription

Book Traces

When I entered the library to search for marginalia, I honestly thought it would be a quick process. I could get there after my last class, look through a few old books, find one with some really interesting writing in it, and arrive home long before dinner. Well, that’s not exactly how it played out. I got to the library and decided to just look through some random old books and sheet music. I found nothing. After about an hour, I decided to direct my focus toward the education section, because of my abnormal obsession with education systems. I looked at all of the call numbers I could find, then refined my search, then tried again.

After approximately two hours and sixteen minutes total, I found History of Education by Thomas Davidson. The book was published in 1900 by Charles Scribner’s Sons. Upon opening the book, I discovered that one of the pages before the book starts was filled halfway with handwritten notes. These notes are quotations that a girl named Louise Patricia O’Malley wrote down when she was attending Simmons College in 1917. There is one quote by Socrates, and two quotes by a “Sir Moore.” I did some research, and it seems that both quotes by “Sir Moore” are variations on quotes also by Socrates, which makes me wonder how she found them. They are all about education, which makes sense because of the book. I found the book for free on Google Books, and searched it to find these quotes, but they were not in the text. This means that either Louise had heard the quotes, liked them, and wrote them down, or perhaps she was instructed to do so. I also looked up the name Louise Patricia O’Malley, and found the Simmons College Bulletin that contains the Annual Catalogue, with Louise’s name in it. She is listed under “Degrees Conferred in 1917,” so I assume that was her year of graduation.

When I found the book, I was just relieved that I could finally go home and eat something. Now as I’m writing this, I’m actually incredibly fascinated by these traces. It’s pretty amazing how I could find out so much information from a few quotes someone wrote in her textbook 98 years ago.

You can see my Book Traces submission, here!

Writing

Book Traces

I was on the verge of giving up while looking in the stacks of the SUNY New Paltz Sojourner Truth Library for marginalia. Then, I came across a book that appeared to be from the 18th century due to its leather spine with several cords binding it together. When I gently pulled the book out, I read that it was from 1855. The book was called, The Life and Letters of Sydney Smith. Nowell C. Smith had written the book after Sydney Smith died. This book is Volume 1, and I had seen Volume 2 on the shelf below it.

As I skimmed the delicate pages of the text, I thought this was going to be another unmarked book. However, near the end of the book, page 449 to be exact, I found two newspaper snippets. One was a full article that dated back to 1945. The article is from the Times Literary Supplement and the author writes about Sydney Smith and a new book that is called “The Smith of Smiths,” that will, apparently, better depict Sydney Smith’s life. The newspaper also had an illustration of Sydney Smith in the middle of the text.

The other snippet is what seems to be a reply from the author of The Life and Letters of Sydney Smith, N. C. Smith, to whomever wrote the newspaper article. His tone is defensive as he explains some of the reasons for his choices as a writer. N. C. Smith states that he, “regrets cutting down the index to save space.” I found this interesting because in our Digital Humanities class we are learning that it is important to have every piece of a book. References were also cut out of Nowell’s text to save space. The references from a given time period can play a key role in research and I am glad Smith had addressed his mistake.

The Times Literary Supplement still thrives today as the leading internationally forum of literary culture. This publication serves as the only literary weekly and has no competition. There are many reviews of literary works included in this journal.

After reading the page in which the article and snippet are found, it seems that the particular page have little to nothing to do with the article. The newspaper cut-outs were probably just shoved into a random area of the book.

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Marginalia Assignment- Maisie Miller

The Efficent Life

Maisie Miller

Book Traces Assignment

9/30/15

The Book Traces assignment was intriguing, mysterious, and so interesting! I loved exploring the stacks of the library and even though the class had ended, I was left to explore for the following two hours. My findings were not always conclusive; however, and so I posted a variety of books on Book Traces to demonstrate marginalia.

My favorite find of marginalia for the assignment was inside a book titled “ The Efficient Life” by Luther H. Gulick, M.D., published by Doubleday, Page & Company in 1907. The book itself is health advice from a the director of physical training in the New York City Schools. It features, in its first couple of pages, images of Theodore Roosevelt in different modes of expression; as well as, a dedication to the president. My favorite chapters from this delightful book include: “The Attack on Constipation”; “Stimulants and Other Whips”, and “Pain-The Danger Signal”. Inside most chapters are underlined passages, most the text is already italicized, but further pencil markings assure significance. Whomever was leaving these traces, was in ill health for sure. The traces are throughout the book but, specially the ones shared with Book Traces, are on pages 105, 135, and 93. They are based on idea’s of health that haven’t progressed much by modern standards, which is interesting. (Pics below)FullSizeRender IMG_8865 IMG_8866 IMG_8868 IMG_8871 IMG_8872

 

Another book with marginalia I shared with Book Traces was from “Poetical Works” by Alice and Pheobe Cary, published by Houghton, Mifflin and Company in 1882. I went directly to the poetry section of the library in hopes of finding some thoughtful notes inside. What I found in “Poetical Works”, was mostly just check marks, however, on pages 328-329, I encountered a couple favorites. Under the chapter deemed “Poems for Children”, someone has written names, check marks, alternative words and comments on the poems listed. I believe one name on 328 says “Johns” and another on page 329 “Mimi Coy”. Pursuing this lead, I tried to locate a Mimi Coy, and a John Coy, and other combinations of the name until I gave rest. There was no resolution, but the poems they love demonstrate their personalities I like to think. John loves greek heroes, as his favorite is Ajax, and Mimi Coy is perhaps being bullied in school? Without answers, there is only curiosity. (Pics Below)IMG_8864IMG_8875IMG_8876IMG_8877

The final book I shared with Book Traces was “The Best Play’s of the Old Dramatist John Ford” written by John Ford, complied and edited by Havelock Ellis. It was published in London, in 1888. The book is old, and worn. Pages are falling apart, and it is in need of repair. I will note that in the front cover there is a illegible name as well as a address for a book seller in Oxford. I shared page 346, where inside, the word “revenge” is underlined as well as rewritten. The book is heavily marginalized with stage directions, however I found this note to be of particular peculiarity. Was this a central idea to the character? Or a central idea to the reader? It is a play, and thus I expect that this was a theme present to the character, but maybe more imagination suggests the more dramatic idea of a vengeful reader reminded of a task at hand.(Pics below)

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Throughout the stacks, I picked up and put back plenty of books that were full of marginalia but fell out of the time period we were allowed to pursue. However, I cant resist sharing my favorite find of the assignment although its publishing date falls a couple year too late. “Elizabethan Verse and Prose” selected and edited by George Reuben Potter was published in 1928 by Henry Holt and Company. On the first page, Ruth Mack Havens writes that she received this book from Raymond, during Christmas of 1928. She also writes that she is from New Paltz. Throughout the 615 page book, Havens writes long notes about each poet and highlights and annotates her favorite excerpts! Fascinating opinions and connections are demonstrated throughout her notes. Its almost like reading another book entirely!(Pics below)

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LINKS TO MY BOOK TRACES:

http://www.booktraces.org/book-submission-the-efficient-life/

http://www.booktraces.org/book-submission-poetical-works/

http://www.booktraces.org/book-submission-the-best-plays-of-the-old-dramatist-john-ford/