I sure do love alphabets, and happily they've manifested in so many excellent incarnations--with unlikely survivors my favorite kind! This is an 1853 copy of Merrill's New Illuminated Alphabet Book, published by Rufus Merrill, Concord, NH, and which I think may have been the first edition, as I can find no earlier reference to it, though I have found later. Paper cover, with beautiful upper and lower case alphabets on the flip, and then each page devoted to two letters (with the exception of U and V sharing a half), with a phrase and illustration for each letter. My favorite is the imagery incorporated inside each letter--a milking bucket and stool inside the C that stands for cow, for example, or a birdhouse inside the M for Martin. Very sweet, and not many of these out there, that is for sure.
8 1/4" x 6 1/8" and in stable antique condition--plenty of wear, toning to the cover, scattered stains, corner wear and folds, but holding together well and ink strong and clear throughout.
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