[Rarebooks] FS: Manuscript poetry copybook kept by one Mary P. Kimball, Watertown, 1843-1850

[Robin Bledsoe]

For your consideration, offered here first:

Manuscript poetry copybook kept by one Mary P. Kimball, Watertown 
[MA???], 1843-1850.$80 (trade terms)

Kimball opens her copybook on January 25, 1843: “I have here a 
collection of choice flowers with nothing of my own but the string that 
ties them.”There follow 25 leaves of more than 40 handwritten poems or 
selections and 2 poems clipped from newspapers; small slip with a few 
penciled lines laid in. The rest of the book is blank.

Not all the poems are credited.Some of the titles are “Dedication for a 
book of Poetical Extracts” by Mrs. Huntly[?], “On the Death of a Sister 
while abroad at School” by Mrs. Sigourney, “December 31,” “There’s 
Beauty in the Deep” by Brainerd, “Preaching of Flowers,” “The Emigrant’s 
Farewell” by the late Principal of the Female Seminary at Hartford, “The 
Snow Flake,” “Missionary Hymn by S.F. Smith, “Mine Old Plaid Cloak,” 
“Parting,” “Ode to Disappointment” by H.H. White, and selections from 
Burns, Channing, and Coleridge.One selection is headed, “A Little Girl 
about nine or ten years of age was once asked where she obtained her 
talent for writing poetry.She returned the following lines as an answer.”

Chiefly in ink, in a small neat hand, written on both sides of the 
paper. A few selections are in pencil.The bottom half of one leaf has 
been neatly cut away, with no apparent loss to the texts there.Most of 
the selections, credited or not, are signed “Mary P. Kimball,” “Mary,” 
or later “Marie” at the bottom.One or two are in a hand that to an 
inexpert eye looks slightly different from Kimball’s.

Original marbled boards (scraped), cloth spine.Ca. 6 x 7 1/2 
inches.Overall very good.

Not yet listed on our online sites.

-- 
Robin Bledsoe, Bookseller (ABAA)
1640 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA  02138   shop hours Tuesday-Saturday 12-6
617-576-3634

www.bledsoebooks.com

Good art and horse books since 1973