1885 RARE SELECTIONS 4 ALBUM WRITERS ACROSTICS VALENTINE AUTOGRAPH BK GREETINGS

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1885 RARE SELECTIONS 4 ALBUM WRITERS ACROSTICS VALENTINE AUTOGRAPH BK GREETINGS:
$19.99

Up for sale is a wonderful little antique title, Selections for Album Writers, a how-to guide or sorts published by De Witt, New York, in 1885, and essentially for those at a loss for what to write in someone\'s autograph book or on a greeting card, or what to say in a toast.

The book is a softcover, with pale green wraps, and it has 118 pages of text followed by 10 pages of advertisements, for such titles as The Art of Courtship; Cartier\'s & Baron\'s Practical Illustrated Waltz Instructor, Ball Room Guide and Call Book; Fortune-Telling by Cards; or, Cartomancy Made Easy; How to Manage Amateur Theatricals; Webster\'s Practical Letter-Writer; Webster\'s Ready-Made Love-Letters; Webster\'s Business Man; and De Witt\'s Connecticut Cook Book and Housekeeping Assistant.

Printed on the spine of the book are the words: \"Price] SELECTIONS FOR ALBUM WRITERS [25 Cents.\"

The words on the title page (the first page) say it all, so I\'ll transcribe them in full:

SELECTIONS

FOR

ALBUM WRITERS.

CONTAINING A CHOICE VARIETY OF

DEDICATORY PIECES, COMPLIMENTARY TRIBUTES,

AND

BRIEF BEAUTIFUL EXTRACTS,

APPROPRIATE FOR EVERY PERIOD AND CONDITION OF LIFE,

SUITABLE FOR

WRITING IN ALBUMS AND FOR VALENTINES.

ALSO,

Original Birthday Verses,

THE ENTIRE ALPHABET IN

POETICAL ACROSTICS,

AND

A RARE COLLECTION OF TOASTS,

SUITABLE FOR EVERY SOCIAL EVENT, WHETHER PUBLIC OR PRIVATE.

NEW YORK:

DE WITT, PUBLISHER,

NO. 33 ROSE STREET.

The next page is a list of other \"Popular Hand Books, for Readings and Recitations,\" all available from De Witt, and following that is the table of contents of the book I\'m selling, and they are:

Introductory
For the First Page of an Album
Birthday Verses
Childhood
Youth
Manhood
Woman
Beauty
Love
Marriage
Humorous
Miscellaneous
Valentine Verses
Acrostics
Toasts and Sentiments

The next page is an \"INTRODUCTORY\" from the unnamed \"THE AUTHOR\", and it reads:

Almost everybody has written, will write, or ought to write, at least occasionally, a few lines -- more or less pleasing -- in the Autograph Album of an acquaintance, a dear relative, or a dear friend. If not blessed with a happy facility for composition, the apparently trifling task must have tried the patience and the temper of the willing but unable scribe. In vain does he ransack the cells of memory; every appropriate line seems buried in the tomb of the Capulets; while as to original thoughts, they are as scarce as a cuckoo\'s eggs in a nest of her own. It is in such cases that this book will prove \"a friend indeed\"; supplying suitable ideas and sentiments dressed in the classic robes of set and stately prose, or in the free, artless, unconfined dress of a Nora Creina.

In the great number of brief pieces contained in this book will be found the most copious supply of choice autograph verses that has ever appeared in any work of its kind -- \"the best thoughts of the very best writers.\" You may take almost any piece you please, and you will almost always find a real pleasure in seeing it above your autograph.

I just have to transcribe some of the acrostics, which I absolutely love (and all these girls\' names are quite popular again today, I might add, which is why I chose them!):

ANNA: Artist might seek to sketch thy face, / None quite portraying its rare grace; / Nor could the masters, old in art, / The beauty paint reflected from thy heart.

DAISY: Dear little children love to trace / A cheerful beauty in your face; / In every motion, action, turn, / Some added charm they swift discern-- / Your cheeks with modest blushes burn.

EVELYN: Entering thy soul\'s deep recesses, / Veiling thine eyes with caresses, / Early came Modesty guest; / Lightly imprinting her likeness, / Yearning to aid thine uprightness-- / Never another so blest.

KATE: Kindly may life prove to thee, / Artless maiden, young and fair; / Take its blessings gratefully, / Each good gift with others share.

OLIVIA: \"Oh, make her beautiful within!\" / Like Plato old, to God on high / I raise my earnest prayer :-- / \"Virtue, oh teach her to descry / In all but that which leads to sin, / And keep her pure and fair!\"

SOPHIA: \"Sweet, I fain would pen for thee / Ode of choicest poesy; / Please thee with its rythmic [sic] grace, / Honoring both thy mind and face. / Ill could it e\'en then express / Aptly, thy rare loveliness.

ZOE: Zone of orient gems inclose / One whose cheeks excel the rose, / Enwreathed by locks as black as sloes.

Okay, I have to include one guy\'s name (okay, it\'s because of a certain wonderfully gifted and versatile, and charismatic actor soon to appear in a movie called Dr. Strange):

BENJAMIN: Bold, yet thoughtful and loving, / Earnest, truthful and brave;-- / Never a pleasanter a picture / Jewish history gave. / And if you are like your namesake, / Manly, yet gentle and leal, / Instant and glad in obedience, / Never regret you\'ll feel.

In case you\'re wondering, the word \"leal\" is a word of Scottish origin meaning \"loyal\" and \"true.\"

The condition of the book overall is acceptable to good, considering its age and the inferior quality of paper on which the book is printed. The front and back covers have chipping, spotting, staining, bends, creases, rubbing, etc. Except for the book\'s title sheet, which is spotted and foxed, and has rust around three staples holding the pages together, and for page 118, which has two purple X\'s on it, the pages are relatively clean and unmarked, though they are age-toned, spotted here and there, and, for a number of pages near the end, corner-bent at the top. The book has a very slight old-paper odor but not really a musty smell nor a smoky one.

This wonderful little book instructing people on how to write pithy aphorisms, give memorable toasts, or \"create\" great acrostics, is being sold AS IS, AS DESCRIBED ABOVE AND PICTURED WITHIN. I am setting a very reasonable Buy It Now price for this rare title.

Shipping and handling for the book: $4 to U.S. addresses (via Media Mail) and $11 to Canada and $15 to Europe, Japan, Australia, South America, and elsewhere in the world (the latter two via First Class International Mail, aka Air Mail, which is now the CHEAPEST method possible abroad).

If it happens that I have underestimated the shipping price, I hope you will not be averse to my increasing it the required amount, once I get the item all packed and ready for shipping. Likewise, if I\'ve overestimated the cost for shipping, I will issue you a refund via PayPal (but for no more than $3, which I think is fair but which is negotiable).

Note that due to \'s strict policy, I ACCEPT PAYPAL ONLY FROM ALL BUYERS, both in the U.S. and abroad. If you want the book sent more quickly to you (e.g., via Priority or Express Mail), you must request this asap after winning or purchasing it (or beforehand, if possible), and I will adjust the amount accordingly.

I will do my best to send the item out to you no more than 2-3 business days following receipt of payment (that is, when PayPal informs me that your payment has been posted to or otherwise cleared in my account).

If you are the winner or buyer of this book, PAYMENT IS EXPECTED WITHIN TWO WEEKS (14 DAYS) FROM THE END OF sale OR PURCHASE DATE. If you cannot pay within this time frame, please contact me asap so we can work something out. I\'m very flexible and understanding, but I would appreciate communication from you one way or another.

If for some reason you are not satisfied with your purchase, either because I have erred in describing it or overlooked some damage or the like, please contact me WITHIN TWO WEEKS (14 DAYS) with an explanation and I will refund your money -- less shipping and handling and my and PayPal fees -- or negotiate an exchange once the book is back in my possession and IS IN THE SAME CONDITION IN WHICH IT WAS SENT TO YOU.

Thanks for looking, and please don\'t hesitate to email me if you have any questions about this great antiquarian how-to manual for non-writers.