Of everything I buy and sell, I think it is the doodles inside the pages of old books that feel most immediate and full of life to me--like small, secret manifestations of private thoughts and wandering minds, which are just complete delights to discover, 200+ years later in this case! The book is a 1808 copy of The Scholar's Arithmetic, owned by a Charles B. Haynes, who left his marks all over its pages--in the form of lots of mathematical calculations but, very happily, also in the form of heavily annotated endpages and a series of small ink drawings of women. And some long since dried roses, too! Photos document the drawings, but there are many pages with ink written calculations not documented too. A really wonderful example of why I am forever opening antique school books, I'd say.
8 5/8" x 5 1/4", 216 pages. Plenty of wear to the covers, general toning throughout, and 1 loose page, but overall good condition, binding holding, ink very strong.
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