Call Number:

Ms Codex 2173

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts

Extent:

1 volume(s)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

British library catalog, 1853-1860, Ms. Codex 2173, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania

Date:

1853-1860 (inclusive)

Form:

Library catalogs and Diaries

Abstract:

The British library catalog dates from 1853 to 1860 and documents the 145 holdings of a largely Christian library, possibly from a Sunday school in Yorkshire, England. The catalog's creator was possibly the Sunday school's teacher. The volume also contains the owner's diary entries detailing the 1953 deaths of her sister and mother.

The creator of this volume and the library whose catalog it represents are unknown, although it is possible that it was created by a Sunday school teacher in Yorkshire, England.

Ten nights in a bar room and what I saw there by Timothy Shay Arthur, which is included in this catalog, is a temperance novel, written in 1854 to discourage readers from consuming alcohol. It was the second most popular book of the Victorian era, after only Uncle Tom's Cabin. (Chrzan)

Sources:

Chrzan, Janet. Alcohol: Social Drinking in Cultural Context, Taylor & Francis Group, 2013, p. 76.

The British library catalog dates from 1853 to 1860 and documents the 145 holdings of a largely Christian library, possibly from a Sunday school in Yorkshire, England. The catalog's creator was possibly the Sunday school's teacher. The volume also contains the owner's diary entries detailing the 1953 deaths of her sister, Sarah, and her unnamed mother.

The volume is bound in quarter leather with marbled paper boards. Several pages have been torn out of the volume. It begins with a library catalog (p. 1-8) that lists 145 holdings. Most of these are Christian titles, though some secular works are included.

Examples of the Christian titles include Ellen the teacher by Barbara Hofland; The hoary head and the vallies below by Jacob Abbott, 1838; Ten nights in a bar room and what I saw there by Timothy Shay Arthur, 1854; The mother's recompense by Edith Wharton; Letters to young ladies by L.H. Sigourney, 1837; A token for children : being an exact account of the conversion, holy and exemplary lives, and joyful deaths of several young children by James Janeway, 1671; The still hour by Austin Phelps, 1860; The higher Christian life by William Boardman 1858; Missionary encouragements in India; Hymns for little children; and The Christian treasury periodical.

Examples of secular titles include Johnson's dictionary, The court and people of Persia, Gassel's lessons in German, Whett's geography; and Wax flower guide. The diary entries run from June 4th through August 9th of 1953 and document the creator's sister Sarah's death on June 4, 1853 and mother's death on July 27, 1853. There are also entries about daily and church-related activities. There is also a "work done" log that details sewing and embroidery projects completed by the volume's creator.