It only measures 3-3/8” tall and 2” wide and has a gold stamp on the front and back cover. It is one of the latest additions to the CHS collection. The title is A Story for the Beautiful and it is inscribed “For Mary from Mary” and Hartford, 1845. The binding may be an example of Allen S. Stillman’s work, a Hartford binder.
A Story for the Beautiful was actually written by N.P. Willis and published in The New Monthly Magazine in 1839. What caught my fancy was the first paragraph in which the author states:
It is a conceded point that an author may chose his readers. The devout are separately addressed, so are the political, so are the scientific, so are the rich and the poor, so are the learned and unlearned. I address myself to the beautiful! Stop here plain reader! This tale is not for you! Continue reading
inside the CHS 