My favorite find of the week and one of my favorites ever, which feels especially poignant right now (and seems just about all of us would do well to review some basic facts about what the constitution says, how laws are passed, how representatives are elected, the responsibilities of citizens, etc. ) 32 pages of manually typed text cut out and taped down (with what I find quite beautiful much toned bits of tape everywhere), all prepared in advance of taking the US citizenship test in 1952. And, it appears from the names of three people handwritten on the very last page, that it was handed along from one aspiring citizen to the next. I found it in southern Maine and that is clearly where it was created, with questions included pertaining specifically to elected representatives, counties, etc in the state of Maine in 1952. Elsewhere, national elected representatives are named, Harry Truman, Dean Acheson et al. And quite an obsession in the 1950s is seems with Betsy Ross! Photos document pretty much every page and give the best sense--though type-written text in hand is darker and clearer throughout, just right. So much here that feels resonant to me, starting with the erosion of "liberty and justice" from the metallic foil flag pasted onto the first inside page.
8 3/8" x 6 3/4". 16 pages filled front and back (32 pp) + 6 blank. Good condition, all pages tightly bound, covers in good shape, paper not brittle, all text completely readable. Toning as evident, all very much to the good in my opinion.
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