Summers at Brady

This Limited Edition copy (No. 30 of 50 copies) of "Summers at Brady", by Ernstine Fischer Rickner is an unique literary piece that was published by the Press of the Good Mountain in 1988. It is the author's biographical remembrances of her summer vacations trips from Rochester, NY to her grandfather's farm located at Brady Lake near Kent, Ohio. These trips took place over a five year period that encompassed World war II. Her recollections are presented in a non-chronological fashion, but rather to give a sense of what it was to be alive and growing up in the war years.

The book itself is in actuality 5 smaller books, each measuring approximately 5 ¾ x 8 inches, contained within a paper wrapper. The individual books are string bound with paper covers. The individual books are:

Book One, The Departure
Book Two, The Farm
Book Three, The People
Book Four, Pastimes
Book Five, The Leave-taking

Each of the books has few pages of text, ranging from 3 to 11, plus end papers, title pages, colophon, and a preface (Book One). What the books may lack in the extent of exposition, it more than makes it up in the craftsmanship of the presentation. The book was composed, printed, and bound by Thomas Alan Reckner, the son of the author. The types used are by Frederic W. Goudy, and the paper is Strathmore Courier. The book was published in a limited edition of 50 copies, with this item being number 30. There is an inscription, signed by Thomas A. Reckner, on the Book One end paper that reads "12/8/88 For Mr. Hart, With highest regard & admiration. /s/ Thomas A. Rickner".

The illustrations accompanying this description show the set of books in its dark blue paper wrapper and, for Book One, the inscription, the Title page, the preface (which provides an example of the type used in the text), and the colophon page. The books are all in like-new condition.