I have long been eyeing antique school notebooks, both relating to the study of math and writing/calligraphy, and finally found a lovely set of five of them from a seller in England, which I am listing individually. This is one of two hard-backed math notebooks with marbleized paper covers and printed endpapers with "A Collection of Arithmetical Tables for the Use of Schools" of a Samuel Gifford studying at Mr. Heale's Academy in Sherborne. The first of the two was dated 1828; this one I believe is from the following semester, spring of 1829.
This and the other math notebook feature what I believe would be described as Fraktur-style lettering for the headers of sections; completely exquisite! This notebook covers topics including The Rule of Three (Continued), with tons of word problems, Inverse Proportion, Fractions, and Reduction of Fractions. I especially love the word problems, which are both familiar in format but also tell us much about the times: "By a patent machine for making combs the teeth of two combs can be put in three minutes; how many can be manufactured in 28 days, if the machine is worked at the rate of eight hours a day?"; If 50 cows can be kept in a field 17 days, how long will the same pasture feed 70 cows?"; "If 14 pioneers make a trench in 18 days, in what time will 34 do the same?"; "If 13 cwt. of fine Lisbon sugar cost me 58l.10s, how much must I pay for 15 casks off the same, each cask weighing 4 cwt. 2 gr. 12 lb.?". Really fun to read--and great for a math refresher, or to hand over to the kids as a challenge!--and just really lovely.
83 filled pages + 2 printed pages at front with tables. Very good condition, crisp and clear and completely readable. Light wear to marbleized cover; exterior spine in good condition and very stable. 9 1/4" x 7 1/2" x 1/4".
