Juliana; or, the Selfish and Unselfish Contrasted

Massachusetts Sabbath School Society , 1854. Hardcover. Acceptable. Written for the Massachusetts Sabbath School Society, and approved by the Committee of Publication." Pious books in this series are so rare some are in museums, including MOMA. This particular work contrasts two sisters left destitute after a series of disasters touched off by the death of their father and bread-winner. (Polyanna would be considered clinically depressed compared to Julianna, who is confident that she and their mother can support them doing "wax work," among other things.) Frontis. engraving reduced because left margin cut away, and there is a two-inch closed tear at lower edge; penciled writing on upper margin. 198 pages, on strong but quite foxed pepr. Although the inner pages are unmarked, the end pages and paste downs have many penciled markings, ranging from children's scribbles to rather beautiful exercises in 19th c. penmanship; back end page is torn in half, both front and back gutters are cracked but boards still intact and not quite detached from sturdy text block of sewn signatures. Embossed design on stained and faded boards is quite scuffed, with real abrasion at crown and foot of spine and at lower corners. Nevertheless, this rare and sociologically interesting volume deserves skillful rebinding.