I found this at Book Castle. I’ve not read it yet, and I suspect I won’t for a while. But I simply have to show you what I found inside:
The inscription says (to the best of my ability to read that pretty handwriting):
Isabel Barr
Prize for Needle-work
Thom Mv Mumford
Lupton School
June 19.1914
This inscription is 94 years old. 1914!! The book was published in 1906. Do the maths, people!!
There are two other things left in the book that may yield clues to where it came from. The first is this card, announcing the services and Bible classes for the Evangelical Free Church:
So we know the book either came from BC or passed through there at some point. The last item doesn’t tell me much. It’s a bookmark that is torn at the bottom:
Here are a couple of colourplates inside the book, because they’re pretty:
I love finding things like this! I’m always curious about who owned an old book that eventually lands in my lap. To think this one made the trip from almost a century ago and is still in such a good condition! This is officially the oldest book in my collection now. Yes, I’m completely thrilled!
on Nov 16th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
A friend commented on a syndicate feed that my “Thom Mv Mumford” is more likely to be “From Ms Mumford”. Go see!
on Nov 17th, 2008 at 2:06 am
Wow, this is thrilling! Congratulations on such an excellent find! :)
on Nov 18th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Nice book.. I like classical style books hehe ^^ Especially if its very very ancient :D
on Nov 18th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
WOW! Interesting! Those days people’s handwriting was very “classy”, it’s not easy to find handwriting like this now, everyone is practically “writing” away on the keyboard ;p
on Nov 20th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Smithers BC is a ‘resource town,’ meaning home to hewers of wood and drawers (verb tense there) of water. The 7 digit phone number probably indicates the 1960s at least, though I might be wrong there - it’s a bit of history I’m not familiar with - and the lack of postal code suggests earlier than 1974 or thereabouts… but congratulations on a great find.
on Nov 22nd, 2008 at 10:21 am
I think its ‘From Mr Mumford’
it just so happens that the ’s’ is rather elaborate in the ‘Isabel’
while the ‘r’ resembles those written in ‘Barr’, ‘Prize’, ‘for’ & ‘needlework’
Great Find Gette!!!