Cotsen Children’s Library

Front wrapper with an engraving illustrating a fable. Golden Precepts. Hartford, 1776. (Cotsen 34370)

Since we are inaugurating a long weekend celebrating Independence Day today (huzzah for a holiday on Monday!), I thought it might be appropriate to share an equally important contemporaneous manuscript to the Declaration of Independence from the Cotsen collection.

The above image is the front wrapper of Samuel Holbrook’s copy book. Composed between June and September 1776 in Hartford, Connecticut and Boston, Massachusetts, this copy book is a rare written artifact that has survived from the time of the founding of this country. A copy book (or copybook) is an educational practice book in which a pupil practices penmanship and the basics of reading (and often arithmetic) by copying as closely as possible passages from an engraved instruction manual. So of course, they often contained alphabets of Roman and italic letters, upper and lower case to copy.

page [8]

Sam Holbrook’s copy book happens to have an entry that is a day earlier than a very auspicious date for this country:

page [1]. Notice that Sam is using red ink for the headings and black for the precepts.

As you might have guessed, besides learning the rudiments of penmanship, copy books were often meant to be morally instructive by providing life advice. These kinds of proverbial couplets pictured above, and other aphorisms, are typical fodder for copy books and other forms of moral instruction throughout the eighteenth century (think of the various kinds of “sayings” from the wildly popular Poor Richard’s Almanac).

page [11]. Notice that Sam used red, blue, and black ink on this page.

Either Samuel Holbrook hadn’t heard the recent news about independence or had (Gasp!) Tory sympathies. In the image below, Sam has copied out an extensive praise of British merchants and their far-reaching benefits:

page [13]. Sam was probably using a British copy book, which might also explain all the pro-English sentiments.

If you want to read more about how this Cotsen copy book has been featured in our public outreach program, Cotsen in the Classroom, check out this blog post by Dr. Dana on her blog: Pop Goes the Page.

Happy Fourth of July, everyone!

Ratt-Brollopet [The Rats’ Wedding]. Illustrated by A. W. Eskiltuna, Sweden: Oberg, 1930. (Cotsen 29024)

Vintage for the mother of the bride? Medals are always correct for the father.

Kichibe Tsutsumi. Nezumi no yomeiri [The mouse’s wedding]. Tokyo: Seiseido, 1916. (Cotsen 99577)

No one will ever forget this bride’s arrival . It’s not just the vehicle that makes a statement, it’s her attendants’ fabulous gowns.

Louis Moe. Blomsternes bog eller: Rosens bryllup med sommerfugeln [The Rose’s wedding to the Butterfly]. Copenhagen/ Kristiana, Oslo: Gyldendalske Bodhandle/ Nordisk Forlag ca. 1926. (Cotsen 22055)

A blueprint for a dream country wedding.

Alfred Konner. Die Hochzeit des Pfaus [The Peacock’s Wedding]. Illustrated by Klaus Ensikat. Berlin: Altberliner Verlag Lucie Groszer, 1994. (Cotsen 72709)

A gown as romantic as the occasion.

Aleksandur Bozhinov. Zlatna kniga za nashitie dietsa [The Golden Book for Our Children]. Sofia, ca. 1945. (Cotsen)

A stunning alternative to the billowing lacy veil.

Adolf Holst. Die Hochzeit im Walde [The Wedding in the Woods]. Illustrated by Else Wenz-Vietor. Leipzig: Alfred Hahn’s Verlag, ca. 1926. (Cotsen 1027)

Ethereal but timeless elegance. A dress that can dance the night away.

Carl Sandburg. The Wedding Procession of the Rag Doll and the Broom Handle and Who was in It. Illustrated by Harriet Pincus. New York: Harcourt, Brace, & World, 1967. (Cotsen)

And nothing but happy endings…

Cotsen Children’s Library

Princeton University

The Spirit of 1776: An American Copy Book Older than This Country (Slightly)

Bridezillas! What Animals Wear to their Weddings