The First Book of History Combined with Geography, Containing the History and Geography of the Western Hemisphere [With a Young Girl's [Susie Wardle] Penciled Plans to Runaway on Christmas to the City]

Colored maps and woodcuts; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; 216 pages; Circa [1858] Brewer and Tileston. Revised edition in quarter leather backed spine and pebbled brown cloth sides. Shallow loss to leather at crown and a short open chip over the front joint. Prior ownership in pencil at front of young Susie Wardle, 212 Mantonga [? ] St. Pottsville, PA. Below the ownership she has written the same word three times in pencil - could be "russian" but might be "ruffian." On the rear endpage pastedown in what appears to be the same hand Miss Susan Wardle has sketched out plans to leave for the big city (philadelphia) on Christmas day: "Miss Alice / is very cross to me and I am / going to leave school on christmas / and go to the City to school / for miss Alice is to cross / and I hope that I will get a / kinder teacher and if my teacher / is kind to me I will do good / and learn my lessons well and not [illegible]." While it can't be known if Miss Alice called young Susie Wardle a ruffian, we do know that Susie was born in 1858 in Pottsville and married 1872 in that town at the tender age of 14 to the ambitious Hat merchant, John H. Williams. The front free endpage has been torn away, perhaps upon which were recorded some other best removed opinions of Miss Alice. The last leaf of the index and rear blank endpage also torn away, perhaps to start a fire on the cold Christmas day walk to the big city. Text has scattered light toning and spotting and evidence of reading and use. Leather rubbed and scuffed over joints but though a little tender still sound. Good only but with some unusual and striking manuscript sentiments.…