Sally's ABC - Sewed in a Sampler in 1795 - Dugald Stewart Walker - 1929 - Signed

Sally's ABC - Sewed in a Sampler in 1795 by Sally Jane Tate, a book drawn by Dugald Stewart Walker, based upon an actual sampler from 1795. The book published by Harcourt, Brace and Company has a 1929 copyright. The book is unpaginated, but is estimated at 50 to 60 pages long and measures 8.5 x 11 in size. The ornate, art nouveau-style illustrations are done in a dark brown-black ink with teal green accents.

No doubt owing to the specialized nature of this book, there are not a lot of copies available today. Adding to the appeal of this book is a hand-written dedication and signature by Walker -- the calligraphy is distinctly Walker's, but the letters show a bit of hand-written wobble and the signature is completely consistent with Walker's, down to the little hallmark that he left on many of his works. The dust jacket for this book is included, but is in a separate sleeve, owning to its fragile state.

This whimsical, lovingly-rendered book is a wonderful treasure and a beautiful collectible.

BOOK CONDITION

As noted, the dust jacket is in a separate sleeve, and the front and back covers are included. The back over includes a bio of Walker and a summary of the story of Sally's ABC. The cloth cover shows some staining in the upper right-hand corner. Based upon other copies of this book that I have seen in person and in photos, I think the stain is due to the type of glue that was used to attach the cloth cover to the boards. There is some wear and erosion on the edges and the spine, but the cover is largely sound.

The interior has no rips, tears or markings other than Walker's inscription. There is some age-related tanning to the pages, but the book is in very clean and solid condition.