I did some deep digging through some troughs of paper this week in southern Maine, happily rewarded for my efforts by turning up a 1840 letter with beautiful cross writing, listed today, as well as this early child's catechism with woodcut engravings, which I believe is 18th century and of New England. It is partial (surely there was a whole alphabet of lessons/proclamations before getting to the XYZ that begins the first page here, and the last page ends mid sentence), but I find it very special feeling, especially the woodcut engravings of the cock who doth crow and the bee who stung a mastiff, and a nightingale and butterfly and ant and lion and haymaker and lark who soars toward the sky, too. With black thread hand-stitching holding the pages together. I've done some searching of the pages but can't turn up exact matches, though it certainly bears similarities to the New England Primer of the colonial period.
3 3/4" x 3". 18 leafs (36 pp). As found, partial, and delicate, with edge loss to pages and variation to the quality/inking of the woodcut illustrations, original to the printing. Holding together and stable if handled with a care.
You might also like
