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Boy Crusoes, by Jefferys Taylor (RARE, Our Boys Library, Prize Inscription), 1888 🏝️🧭📜

Name: Boy Crusoes, by Jefferys Taylor (RARE, Our Boys Library, Prize Inscription), 1888 🏝️🧭📜
Brand: Wall Antiques
Price: 325.00 USD
Availability: InStock

$325.00

Sale Sold out

1. Introduction 📜🔍🏛️

This is a rare antique edition of Boy Crusoes; or, The Young Islanders by Jefferys Taylor.

This charming volume, part of the Our Boys Library Edition, was published in 1888 by Worthington Co. and features a decorative pictorial binding. The book is a premier acquisition for any collector of 19th-century children's literature or decorative bindings. It is a genuine collector's item due to its:

Our Boys Library Edition status with its decorative binding.
Prize Inscription, which transforms the book into a tangible piece of personal history.

2. About the Book 📖✍️✨

Boy Crusoes is a children's adventure novel that tells the tale of young castaways who find themselves on a remote island.

The story follows their journey of survival, ingenuity, and friendship as they learn to navigate the challenges of their new environment. The narrative is a classic take on the "Robinson Crusoe" theme, celebrating the values of courage, self-reliance, and cooperation.

3. About the Author ✍️🏛️✨

Jefferys Taylor was an English author who specialized in writing children's literature, particularly adventure stories and moral tales.

His achievements lie in his ability to craft narratives that both entertained and educated young readers, often through a lens of adventure and exploration. Taylor's work was popular in the 19th century and contributed to the development of the children's adventure genre.

4. Historical/Political Era Context 🌍🕰️📜

The publication of this book in 1888 places it at a time when children's literature was immensely popular. This edition reflects the aesthetic of late 19th-century decorative pictorial bindings, which were a common way to make books visually appealing to young readers.

This book serves as a time capsule of the late Victorian era, highlighting the values of moral and social education.

5. The Ideal Collector 💡🧐🏛️

This volume is for a curator of 19th-century children's literature, a historian of the Victorian era, or a private collector of antique decorative bindings and prize books. It is an ideal acquisition for an individual who values a book not just for its physical rarity but for its intellectual and historical importance.

This book speaks directly to a buyer who is interested in the intersection of publishing history, moral education, and the evolution of books as cultural objects.

6. Value & Rarity 💎✨🏛️

This 1888 edition of Boy Crusoes is a valuable and collectible item for its beautiful decorative binding and its unique history. The book’s pictorial binding, with its intricate design, is an example of late 19th-century decorative book art, making it a highly attractive display piece.

The personal inscription transforms the book into a tangible piece of personal history, revealing its past as a cherished award. As a non-replicable asset with a documented history, its worth is focused on its market scarcity and unique characteristics.

The book is approximately 137 years old, a testament to its survival.

7. Condition 🔎📚✨

This book is a used hardcover edition with a decorative pictorial binding.

Binding: The binding shows visible wear consistent with its age, including rubbing, scuffing, and some discoloration to the boards.
Interior: The pages are age-toned but remain clear and legible.
Inscription: A handwritten inscription is on the front endpaper.

8. Translation of Inscriptions/Ephemera (Conditional) ✍️📜🔤

This book contains a personal inscription on the front endpaper that transforms it from a collectible into a singular historical artifact. The inscription documents the book's history as a cherished prize. The presence of a date and the name of a church makes this a verifiable piece of the book's story.

Transcription: The handwritten inscription on the front endpaper reads: "Joshua Kanan, from, Church of Our Savior, Christmas 1888".

9. Fun Facts & Unique Features 🤓📜🤩

The story's central theme of castaways on a remote island is a variation on the classic Robinson Crusoenarrative, a genre that was immensely popular in the 19th century and remains a staple of children's adventure stories today.
Decorative pictorial bindings like this one were an important part of the book design and publishing industry in the late 19th century, making this book a piece of art as well as literature.
The use of books as Christmas gifts and prizes was a common practice in the late Victorian era, highlighting the importance of literature in moral and educational instruction.
The inscription provides a direct link to the book's past, revealing the name of its original owner, Joshua Kanan, and the specific occasion for which it was gifted: Christmas, 1888.