Some cool stuff inside 1878's "Young Folks' History of Germany"

Unfortunately, this handsome 1878 edition of Young Folks' History of Germany by Charlotte M. Yonge is falling apart in its 14th decade of existence.

But, before its final farewell, I wanted to put a spotlight on some of the delights within this particular edition.

(If the book itself is something you're interested in, good copies can still be had for prices in the $25 to $35 range. Note that there are several different editions. This is the one published by Estes & Lauriat of Boston.)

Once we get past the gorgeous cover, the first thing of note is this cool inscription, made to Willie for Christmas 1880, on the first blank page.

Yonge's book traces mythological and actual Germanic history from Valhalla and the Nibelungen up through the Confederation of the Rhine and Wilhelm I. There are plenty of Ottos (no relation) along the way. In the first chapter, Yonge writes:

"The history of the German Empire rightly begins with Karl the Great, but to understand it properly it will be better to go further back, when the Romans were beginning to know something about the wild tribes who lived to the north of Italy, and to the coast of the Gaulish or Keltic lands. ...

"The country was full of marshes and forests, with ranges of hills in which large rivers rose and straggled, widening down to their swampy mouths. Bears and wolves, elks and buffaloes, ran wild, and were hunted by the men of the German tribes. These men lived in villages of rude [sic?] huts, surrounded by lands to which all had a right in common, and where they grew their corn and fed their cattle. Their wives were much more respected than those of other nations; they were usually strong, brave women, able to advise their husbands and to aid them in fight; and the authority of fathers and mothers over their families was great. ...

"The German tribes all believed in the great god Woden, his brother Frey¹, and his son Thor, who reigned in a gorgeous palace, and with their children were called the Asa gods."

* * *
Here are some of the neat illustrations that are sprinkled throughout the first, more fanciful, half of the volume.

The Elves
They are described as shadowy creatures who lived throughout the woods and plains and watched over humans at night.²

Volkyria
These are, of course, the valkyrie, supernatural beings that choose who would live and who would die in battle.

Brunhild
Brynhildr (or Brünnhilde, or Brynhild) is one of the most notable shieldmaidens and valkyries in mythology.

Haroun al Raschid's Gifts
Yonge writes: "The great Khalif Haroun al Raschid ... sent gifts to the great king of the Franks — an elephant, a beautiful tent, a set of costly chessmen, and a water-clock, so arranged that at every hour a little brazen ball fell into a brass basin, and little figures of knights, from one to twelve, according to the hour, came out and paraded about in front." The elephant was named Abul-Abbas, and it remained with Charlemagne for perhaps seven to eight years before its death.

* * *
The final treat with regard to this volume represents a great addition to the Tucked Away Inside archives. There was a very small envelope, about 3¼ inches wide. The pencil writing on the front appears to state: "For Delerium - Dissolve one in 6 tea-spoonsful of water. One teaspoonful every ½ hour."

At least, I think that word is Delerium (a misspelling of delirium). Does anyone see any likely alternatives?

Inside the envelope was a tiny piece of paper that had been folded several times. I unfolded it and inside there was ... some white powder.

I threw it away.

Not everything should be kept around.

Footnotes
1. I'm not sure if Odin and Freyr are actually brothers. But, then again, they're not actually real. And it's really complicated.
2. Yonge adds: "A great many of our best old fairy tales were part of the ancient German mythology, and have come down to our own times as stories told by parents to their children."

Making the most of a 1928 postcard to Edna Albert

(Note: This is another one of those posts that I thought would be a "quickie," and then things took a turn during the research.)

This pre-stamped penny postcard was mailed from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in May 1928 to Miss Edna Albert in Gardners, Pennsylvania.

Pre-stamped blank postcards were popular for people who wanted to send messages as cheaply as possibly.

And, of course, if you could write small, you could really get your money's worth from your penny. The postcard shown here is a good example of the efficiency of small, cursive writing.

Here's my best estimation of what the note states:

"Dear Edna: Some time ago I rec'd your letter with Mr. S. letter. At the time we were studying Japan. The letter came just at the right time, and tomorrow evening we are having our spring exhibit. Well part of the letter is on our chart for exhibit, the part with reference to the different counties - population, etc. The kiddies thought it was just lovely to have something direct from Japan. I have worked hrs. & hrs. for this exhibit. I wish you could be with us. My sister-in-law has been very ill in the General Hospital. Taken sick very suddenly - very seriously ill for a few days. She is better now, and getting along nicely. It kept me very busy - burning the candle at both ends. I had some help at the house, but still much depended on me. Such is life. Glad to know when you wrote me that father was quite well - a very remarkable man. I see Mr. Roddy quite often - pass his home on my way to work. Pardon a card. I will try to write a letter just as soon as I have more time - I'll be rushed for a while. Love, L.G."

Edna Albert was, among other things, an author. She wrote Little Pilgrim to Penn's Woods, a tale of a family coming to the New World in a quest for religious freedom. It was published around 1930.

She died in April 1960 and had a somewhat bizarre end in Gardners. Her death was reported on the front page of the April 4, 1960, issue of The Gettysburg Times with the headline "Miss Edna Albert Found Dead By Friend Sunday; Had Fallen Off Porch."

Here's a long excerpt from the article:

Miss Edna Albert, 81, author and well known in the county for her activities in the WCTU and YWCA, was found dead Sunday morning at 8 o'clock at her home in Latimore Twp., Gardners R. 1.

Dr. C. G. Crist, Adams County coroner, said death was caused by a broken neck and fractured skull caused in a fall from an 18-foot high porch roof to the ground where she struck a flagstone.

The body was found by Mrs. John Peters, Gardners R.D., who had gone to Miss Albert's home to drive her to services at the Chestnut Grove Lutheran Church, about three miles away, of which she had been a member for many years.

Dr. Crist set the time of death at 6 o'clock.

Suspect Fright
Those called to the home found the doors locked and a chair was placed blocking her bedroom door. Marks on the windowsill of her bedroom indicated that she had crawled out of that window to the porch roof. She was found with a cane in her hand. It was surmised that she may have been frightened by some noise in the house and went out on the roof, then frightened and confused had fallen to the ground.

In good health physically, she had walked a mile or two nearly every day visiting friends in the area. She had walked to the Chestnut Grove church several weeks ago.

She was a daughter of the late Franklin Albert, who had been a teacher at the Millersville school, and Hannah Mauger Albert. She had been raised in the Millerville [sic] area. Her mother died when Miss Albert was three years old and she had resided with her father until his death in 1931. She lived in a house near Gardners which had been the home of her grandparents.

A native of Millersville, Lancaster County, Miss Albert was graduated from the Millersville State Normal School and then attended Dickinson College where she graduated with Phi Beta Kappa Honors in 1905.

She was a member of the Adams County Historical Society and of the county WCTU [Women's Christian Temperance Union].

She was the author of "Little Pilgrims in Penn's Woods," [sic] a best seller and Book-of-the-Month selection for children's libraries several decades ago. ...

Surviving are a brother, Frank, and a sister, Mrs. Elizabeth Gold, both of Los Angeles.

This 1928 postcard is signed with the initials L.G. and makes reference to "father." I wonder if L.G. could be Edna's sister, initialing as "Liz Gold" (or Lizzie or Lizabeth).

This won't be the final mention of Edna Albert here. I have a half-dozen other 20th century postcards that were addressed to her, including one with handwriting much smaller than that featured on this postcard.

Book cover: "Grandad and the Magic Barrel" by Ruth Manning-Sanders

• Title: Grandad and the Magic Barrel
• Format: Hardcover. All pages full color
• Size: 6.5 inches by 8.5 inches
• Pages: 24
• Author: Ruth Manning-Sanders
• Illustrator: Robin Jacques
• Publisher: Metheun Children's Books Ltd., London
• Printer: William Clowes & Sons Ltd.
• Color reproduction: Lawrence-Allen Ltd.
• Year: 1974
• ISBN: 0 416 78890 4
• Notes: This 41-year-old children's book is a wonderful rarity. It's a single tale by Ruth Manning-Sanders published as a hardcover book, with full-color illustrations on every page by her longtime "A Book of..." collaborator, Robin Jacques. ... This is one of three Manning-Sanders stories that were published as single-tale volumes in 1974, but the only one illustrated by Jacques. The other two — Stumpy: A Russian Tale and Old Dog Sirko: A Ukrainian Tale — were illustrated by Leon Shtainmets. ... Grandad and the Magic Barrel is a comic cautionary tale about the dangers of greed and cloning. And Jacques' stippling-technique illustrations greatly enhance the tale's enjoyment. He and Manning-Sanders were truly well-paired storytellers. ... This book, by the way, originally sold for 95 pence, per a sticker on the back cover.
• Excerpt:
  

  "We can keep fish in it," said Grandad.
  
  And he picked up the fish and dropped it into the barrel.
  
  Oh, oh, see there! See there! No sooner had that little fish fallen into the barrel than the barrel was full of fish to the brim. Tom began taking out the fish, but as many as he took out, just that number of new fish appeared in the barrel.

Luckyday buttons — the talk of the town

Here's the front and back of a 3¼-inch-wide card that once held spare or replacement buttons from a brand called Luckyday.

Some of these buttons were produced in Muscatine, Iowa, which was once the Pearl Button Capital of the World, according to an informative article from the Muscatine History and Industry Center.

If you're interested in reading more about vintage buttons, one good place to start is the Button Floozies blog.

1907 postcard: Nubilous but moonlit sky hangs over riverside town

As I sit here typing, it's 12° F outside and the fierce winds have died down for the moment. Here's an early 20th century postcard featuring a painting of a cloudy summer night, with a full moon shining through the overcast sky and down onto some riverside rooftops.

I can only read the second of the two postmarks on the back of the card. It was stamped on December 9, 1907, in Linden Hall, Pennsylvania. There are two possibilities for what Linden Hall could refer to:

• Linden Hall is a girls' school (founded in 1746) in northern Lancaster County. I suppose it's possible that it once had its own post office.
• There was a Linden Hall in Centre County, Pennsylvania, which thrived until the 1920s. It definitely had a post office around the turn of the century. It is now the Linden Hall Historic District.

I don't have a great guess as to which of those two it might be.

The split-back postcard is addressed to Miss Bertha Tressler of Linden Hall and the short message is: "I beg your pardon for not writing yet but will write soon. E.R.H." Yes, another one of those postcards to indicate that a longer correspondence is on the way.

Another mystery of this postcard is the publisher. This is the tiny logo on the back. It might be H.K. & M. Some sources indicate that it's Hubert Kohler & Co. of Munich, Germany.

Early 1900s Valentine wish: "And p'r'aps my spiders too"

Here's a great vintage Valentine that was posted by the @HarvardArchives Twitter account. It was, according to the tweet, sent to a Harvard professor of zoology in the early 1900s.

See all 10 of Papergreat's Valentine posts, full of vintage coolness.

Two Postcrossing arrivals from Belarus

I seem to get a disproportionate number of Postcrossing cards from Belarus. Which is perfectly cool. It's neat to see how many people in that nation are involved in the international exchange of postcards. The country even has its own official Postcrossing stamp!

I especially liked the two recent cards that I received from Belarus, because they had ties to culture and folklore.

This card came from Anastasija (Nastya) in Brest, a city of 300,000+ in extreme western Belarus.¹ The English subtitle for this postcard illustration is "How a hen saved a rooster." Anastasija writes in her note: "Our country has a rich history and there are a lot of fairy-tales [that] were translated from our language to other languages. This tale is one of the most popular in our culture."

I haven't yet found the specific tale that she and the postcard are referring to. I did, however, find one website that states: "In Belarusian folklore, the rooster is a heroic character, and comes to protect weak people. It crows with a sound like 'Ку-ка-ре-ку.'"

It does look, though, as if the hen (and not the rooster) is the heroic character in this folk tale.

This postcard is from Kate, age 16, in Grodno, which is also in western Belarus, north of Brest.

She writes:

"Postcard depicts Kupala Night. Kupalye — an ancient folk festival associated with the summer solstice. It is celebrated on the night of 6July7.² Kupalye holiday was considered magical. On this day, nature blossoms, mermaids came out of their hiding places, boys and girls ... sang, danced, jumped over the fire, which eliminates the various afflictions and diseases. Girls wove wreaths of flowers. [They] make wishes and [throw] wreaths into the river. Also, people searched [for] paparotuika flower (flower of happiness) at night."³

Wikipedia adds: "Girls may float wreaths of flowers (often lit with candles) on rivers, and would attempt to gain foresight into their relationship fortunes from the flow patterns of the flowers on the river. Men may attempt to capture the wreaths, in the hope of capturing the interest of the woman who floated the wreath."

Footnotes
1. Brest was formerly known as Brest-on-the-Bug (because of the Bug River), which is a seriously cool name.
2. Regarding the date, Wikipedia states that Kupala Night "is celebrated in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia currently on the night of 6/7 July in the Gregorian or New Style calendar, which is 23/24 June in the Julian or Old Style calendar still used by many Orthodox Churches."
3. Other possible spellings I found for the Flower of Happiness include paparats-kvetka and Kvetka paparatsi. I believe it is what we might call the fern flower.

Mystery tiny notepad from the past

Here's the cover of a tiny notepad that we came across while sorting through some stuff at my mom's house.

The notepad measures just 2⅛ inches by 4 inches. There is no indication anywhere of the publisher or manufacturer.

The illustration features a dippy dog who is apparently being lifted into the air by something he caught with his rod and reel (though I hesitate to read too much into the picture). The fact that we can't see everything that's happening makes me think this might have been part of a set of small notepads. Putting them side-by-side might have revealed the full cartoon. But that's just a guess.

A Google "reverse search" for this particular image did not yield any results.

So it might remain a mystery...