You Can Judge a Book by its Cover

Well, maybe not all of the time ~ but how many times are you drawn to a book by its cover? When I am out and about at a flea market or antiques show, the covers are always what get my attention first ~ always a disappointment when the inside doesn't measure up to the outside!

{beautiful old cover designs ~ I passed these up}

Great Gaskell's Compendium of Forms ~ the cover isn't quite as ornate as some I have seen, but still a nice design and a wealth of information and images inside ~ everything from business forms, penmanship, poetry, agriculture, architecture, social etiquette (including funeral etiquette), even carving meat ~ certainly something for everyone! I have quite a collection of this type of book ~ many companies published them ~ this one is from 1882 and is in pretty nice shape for its age. I found a sales slip (shown on the last photo) in the book ~ it sold for $3.50 ~ probably pretty pricey for that era. With a book like this, who needs a television?! I did not pass this one up!

{ornate chapter heading}

{beautifully illustrated good and bad manners}

{elocution and oratory positions}

{gorgeous penmanship}

{color lithograph showing how to set a table}

{helpful hints to romance your special someone!}