Description: "Mode of Sparking," a four-page handwritten poem. The poem is written on a single sheet of paper measuring about 15 3/8" x 12 1/8", folded in half to make four pages, each measuring about 7 11/16" x 12 1/8". The poem is a satiric commentary on courtship ("sparking"). It describes a teacher's instruction to a young man on the "systematic rule" by which the student may win the maiden he desires. The prescribed method involves waiting for the girl's parents to potter off to bed, then snuffing the candle, and then kissing the young lady passionately -- but interrupting the activity to eat some pumpkin pie. The poem concludes: "This is indeed a curious school / that teaches thus to act the fool." We believe this poem dates from the early 1800s for several reasons. First is the style of handwriting. Second is the spelling -- the letter "f" is used for the penultimate "s" in certain words (for example, "miss" is spelled "mifs" and "kiss" is spelled "kifs". Third, the poem was likely written before electricity or gaslight because it discusses in detail how to put out a candle ("Turn top for bottom in the stick"). Condition: There are visible fold marks, and some of the folds are beginning to wear through. There is a stain on the first page as shown in photo. There is a partially-erased pencil notation on the lower right-hand corner of the first page (a column of numbers added together). There is a pencil notation "enough" on the second page; it is unclear whether that is meant to be an editorial change to the poem. There is also a stray pen or pencil mark on the last page that does not affect the text. There are slight dog-ears at the corners, which are being flattened. Some corners are missing small bits of paper. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Our father was a bibliophile who collected rare books, letters, and ephemera for more than 60 years. For now and into the foreseeable future, we will be listing rare paper items from his estate. Take a look at all our items for sale. We combine shipping upon request. Please LET US KNOW if you’ve purchased multiple items so we can combine.
Price: 75 USD
Location: Slingerlands, New York
End Time: 2024-03-16T22:36:52.000Z
Shipping Cost: 5 USD
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