LADY'S ALMANAC FOR THE YEAR 1867

Lee & Shepard. hardcover. Very Good. 0x0x0. Exquisitely collectible and also readable; tightly bound with cafe-au-lait-colored boards with bright gilt engraving and elaborate blind-stamped ornamentation--unrubbed and only slightly bumped at corners; AEG; 32mo; 128 only mildly age-toned p. on fine paper, plus "Advertising Department"--33 p., plus back paste-down showing fascinating ads for piano-fortes ("55 prize medals have been awarded to Chickering & Sons during the Past forty-Three Years"), nitrous oxide laughing gas, accompanied by engraving of dentures, the "patent erasable tablet," Oliver Optic's Books, anti-moth subcarpet felt, White's improved mop wringer, the A.F. Johnson & Co. Sewing Machine, accompanied by engraving showing lady working at what appears to be an ornate writing desk but it is a sewing machine, the Peerless Cook Stove (with engraving), and others equally interesting. Only marks are old price and a gift inscription in beautiful hand "Presented to Lizzie by Alfred Jan. 3rd 1867." there is some faint staining on corners of first few pages, gradually disappearing. Includes many recipes within, ranging from dishes such as buckwheat cakes, recommended as a cure for diarrhea, to veal in blanquette, choux a la creme, apples meringuee and other staples of French home cuisine. Each month includes a calender page giving such information as the length of the day, the phases of the moon, etc., with an appropriate poem (a selection from Whittier's "Snowbound," for January, for example), and a blank ruled page for Memoranda. Articles include "The Game of Croquet and Its Laws," "Winter Life of Plants," "Mosses," "Waste and Want,"and "Woman and Her Toils." Fiction features "He That Hasteth to be Rich Troubleth His Own Household. " Much poetry, ranging from the excellent (Longfellow and Whittier) to the mawkish "Child and Cherub." Charming and informative peek into a past world.