[Illuminated Manuscript] Memory Lines from High School English at Chatham High School 1925 - 1929

1925-1929. Cloth. Very Good. A most unusual hand-made book. 8vo., 56 numbered leaves, plus acknowledgment page. Each leaf is written upon only on the recto side. What is most extraordinary about this album is that a high school student executed it with so much proficiency and dedication. While sketchbooks and artistic competence were far more prevalent then compared to now, this album is still a remarkable achievement for a youngster, and surely few of her contemporaries were so inspired by the English syllabus to attempt anything close to what we have here. The actual illustrations contained in this album are pleasing without being exceptional; it is the ornamentation, the borders and the calligraphy, that se this apart. These show an unusual sophistication for a adolescent, and they are applied not only tastefully, but also with a real panache. Wordlessly they create an atmosphere of reverence and delight, and they coax us to read the verse contained within. The material is organized by freshman, sophomore, junior and senior year, surely to track the syllabus, and one can assume that the compiler was selecting the pieces that made the deepest impression. There are some misspellings and the material is offered in condensed form. The leaves are clean and fresh. Minor wear to the binding.