Small Book
From the Westford Women Dolls Exhibit
This copy of Entertaining Histories, for Young Masters and Misses was printed around 1790. It measures only 2 3/8” x 4 1/8“. Remnants of the original tooled leather on wood cover were pasted onto the newer binding. The book contains many detailed images from printing plates. The “long s” is visible in the main text, and looks like an “f” without the full central line (italic form tended to just look like a large S). A variety of “rules” existed for use of this lower case “S,” while usage varied from country to country and even printer to printer. The style was phased out by the early 1800s. History of the Long S at the National Archives
The book was presented to Sally Carver Peabody (1783-1837) by her teacher at Westford Academy Amos Crosby (third preceptor). These books were purchased by the WA Trustees as gifts for students. The youngest in her class, Sally entered WA when she was only 9 years old, as part of the school’s first cohort of students in 1792. Her father, Jonathan Carver (1751-1805), was a WA founder and trustee. Sally was later memorialized as one of the Westford Women Dolls in the late 1980s.
W.1983.50.4