Physical Book - Lessons for Lovers
Seen on the first page of the text is writing in the margin, or marginalia, that reads, "To the Honorable Douglas Kinnaird, from sincere obliged friend, The Author." The writing was slightly difficult for the class to decipher and the spellings of the last name could vary to be "Rimaird," "Rinnaird," or "Kinnaird," the latter being a prominent figure in London furing this time. Douglas Kinnaird was an English banker and politician as well as a friend of Lord Byron, English poet and leading figure of the Romantic movement during the early to middle portion of the nineteenth century. The significance and a further ananlysis of this marginalia, in addition to an image of the page, will be presented and discussed further down in this section of the project.
The second digitzed page of Lessons for Lovers in this collection is the title page. Like most title pages from this century, readers are given the full title of the book along with the publisher's name (Hurst, Chance, and Co.), the location of publication, and the year of publication. However, on the following page, there is another publication's name listed: Bradbury and Dent. Bradbury and Dent, at this time, was located on Oxford Arms Passage ust west of Warwick Lane near St. Paul's Cathedral. The printer and publisher information for this text will be addressed further in a different section of this project.
Along with the title pages, the digitized collection displays the table of content which spans over two pages. It shows the nineteen sections that make up the whole of Lessons for Lovers. Following the table of contents, this digitized selection contains the introductory page to section one, "The Life and Confessions of a Hypochondriac. A Poem in Six Books. Addressed to a Lady." Also found on this page is the first stanza of a poem written by Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, French poet and playwright who lived during the late seventeenth century to 1741. The first stanza of the poem, titled Ode Tirée Du Cantique D'Ézéchias or Ode from the Song of Hezekiah, translated to English reads:
"I saw my sad days
Decline towards their inclination;
At the noon of my years
I touched my sunset:
Death, spreading his wings,
Covered with eternal shadows
The brightness I enjoyed;
And, in this fatal night,
I sought in vain the rest
Of my fading days."
The solemnity of Rousseau's poem is complimentary to the author's writing in this section, as she illustrates her experience dealing with love and how she came to be known as a hypochondriac. Jean-Baptiste Rousseau is also mentioned in Book II of the text as he Hypochondriac, or the author of this section, writes how she decided to become a poet.
After this page in the digitized collection, we are presented with the beginning of the final section of Lessons for Lovers, titles, "Fragments, Found in the Portfolio of a Young Lady Whose Body was Discovered at the Foot of one of the Loftiest Crags in Cumberland." One fascinating piece of this page is the footnote written by the editor that follows the ending of the section's title. The editor writes, "In the following Fragments, the reader must not expect to find a Story; — if they possess any interest, it is derived from their unreserved display of influence of love, on the mind, and actions, of an enthusiastic and impassioned female."
The final digitized page of Lessons for Lovers in this collection is a page from the middle of "Fragments..." This page contains another footnote written by the editor that states, "This, and the remaining Fragments, denoting too plainly the insane state of the writer, were found written on her tablets, on the summit of the rock from which the unfortunate precipitated herself." As we noted from the full title of this section, the author, presumably the Unhappy Young Lady listed as one of the three authors, died after falling from "one of the loftiest crags in Cumberland." The editor's claim that these fragments demonstrate the "insane state of the writer," can arguably be a reflection of the attitude towards women's literature throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It also raises an abundance of questions surrounding his regard of the author's expression of love and the solemnity of heartache as insanity: Does the editor consider the author to be insane because she presumably committee suicide? Is it her expression of love through her writing that constitutes insanity? Then, shouldn't every individual who displays sadness or longing be considered insane? These questions may be answered by linking the text to the time period, as discussed in the "History of Anonymity" section. The editor's footnotes are also indicative of the expected gender roles and norms towards the beginning of the Victorian period, around the time when this text was published: Women are confined to the domestic sphere; Writing and publishing were considered inappropriate for a woman to take part in, etc.
Within one of the multiple title pages of Lessons for Lovers we see a short couple of lines of marginalia. It seems to be a signed copy by the "author" of the book. We say "author" because, according to the actual title, the authorship is not credited to one person, but to three people: "a hypochondriac, and unhappy young lady, and an elderly gentlewoman of considerable experience". Yet, this signed copy seems to say, "For the honorable Douglas Kinnaird from his sincere, obliged friend, the author". Therefore, this marginalia, although at first glance seeming to be an simple signing to someone close the author, brings us to a couple clues. It adds to the question of who wrote this book, by also making us ask how many people wrote this book. It also provides us with an actual name. This name might or might not lead to the discoveries of more people related to the author(s). It is also important to note that due to the cursive writing, there may be other interpretations to what the message may say and what the spellings are.
After further investigation, Douglas Kinnaird has been found as an important man of his time, and friend to more than one poet.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Kinnaird
The original, physical copy of Lessons for lovers, in several poems. By a Hypochondriac, an unhappy young lady, an Elderyly Gentlewoman of considerable experience which the Oakland University special collections holds is extremely valuable, as well as important to future learners. As you can see from the photos within the exhibit, the book is clearly worn down. Noting various shades of brown with some green discoloration. It is about 18.5 centimeters long, and 11 centimeters wide. For a size reference, attached is a photo of the physical book next to an average sized human hand. Considering the size of the book, it was easy to carry it around in a purse or jacket pocket. This could have even been attributed to the weak binding and excessive wear and tear. Some individuals within the eighteenth century chose to have their copy of a particular book rebound, but this one stayed in its original format.
The book was published on what is called publishers' boards, which is essentially a ton of paper pressed together very firmly. At the time, these boards were the cheapest option of publishers. They were seen to be the economy level of publishing. Also, there is upcycled paper in the binding, which can be seen by the text within the worn down walls. As noted earlier, the book could have been rebound in a more flattering binding, such as leather, but the recipient chose to keep it in its original gifted form. The book did not have smooth edges either, as many of our modern day books do. They were rough, uneven, and discolored.
Take a look at the photos of the pages within the book. There are many fingerprints as well as dirt and stains. This book had its fair share of use throughout the years. Also, it was pointed out by Oakland University librarian Emily Spunaugle that there are signs of foxing on the pages. This can be seen within the photos provided, especially in the back of the book. There has also been a page ripped out, although it is unknown if this was an accidental or purposeful occurrence. The Antique Booksellers Association of America defines foxing as a “rust colored spots which occur on paper resulting from oxidation of both organic and iron impurities left behind during the paper making process. Only when these impurities exist in the paper, given exposure to the right humidity and temperature factors, will foxing occur. This process is intrinsic to the paper; some paper will never have the rusty, brown, yellow spots known as foxing.” (Abaa.org)
Books such as these hold so much value and importance in an English majors learning process. While handling books such as these, it takes patience and care. It will always be well worth it to take an extra moment if you can with pieces like these. Seeing first hand an item from the time periods we hear about in our courses really aids to understand the time period. Some might say it is just an old book, while others say its history.