Jack and Jill: A Village Story by Louisa M. Alcott (Illustrated, Inscribed), 1910 📜🏡✨

1. Introduction 📜🔍🏛️

This is a first illustrated edition of Louisa May Alcott's novel, Jack and Jill: A Village Story. The book follows the lives of two friends and their community. As an illustrated edition published in 1910, this volume is an artifact for collectors of classic children's books and Alcott's works.

This volume is a record of Alcott's continued popularity decades after her death. The book's content and its illustrated format document the social and cultural life of late 19th-century New England. The volume is distinguished by a personal inscription, which provides it with a specific history of ownership.

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2. About the Book 📖✍️✨

Jack and Jill: A Village Story is a coming-of-age novel for children. The story is set in the fictional New England town of Harmony Village and follows the lives of two friends, Jack Minot and Janey "Jill" Pecq. The narrative chronicles their physical and emotional recovery after a serious sledding accident and their journey from childhood into youth.

This 1910 illustrated edition is a record of early 20th-century bookmaking, with illustrations that provide a visual representation of the story. The book was originally published by Roberts Brothers in 1880, but this edition was published by Little, Brown & Company. The volume documents how publishers re-imagined classic works for new audiences.

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3. About the Artist/Author/Maker ✍️🏛️

Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) was an American novelist and poet. Raised in Concord, Massachusetts, among transcendentalists like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, Alcott's life was a constant struggle with financial hardship. She used her writing to overcome this struggle and to explore themes of family and self-reliance.

Alcott was an abolitionist and a feminist who remained unmarried. She used her writing to challenge traditional gender roles and advocate for women's suffrage and temperance. Her stories are documented for their realistic characters and their portrayal of family life. Her legacy is rooted in her literary output and her views on social progress.

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4. Historical/Political Era Context 🌍🕰️📜

This book was published in 1910, a time that reflects the Progressive Era in the United States, when education and social reform were central concerns. Alcott's story, originally from the post-Civil War era, provides a factual glimpse into a time of social change. The book captures the spirit of a community-oriented society.

The book serves as a record of the values and mores of an era when childhood was increasingly seen as a period of moral development. The 1910 publication of this illustrated edition documents the continued importance of Alcott's work as an educational tool. 

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5. The Ideal Collector 💡🧐🏛️

This book is intended for a curator of rare children’s literature, a scholar of American social history, or a private collector of Alcott's works. A collector would appreciate the book's physical attributes and the history contained within its pages.

It is for a reader who is serious about understanding the literary and cultural currents of the 19th century and its legacy in the 20th.

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6. Value & Rarity 💎✨🏛️

As an illustrated edition with a personal inscription from 1910, this book is a valuable asset. Books from this era, particularly children’s books, often did not survive in good condition. The presence of a personal inscription adds a specific layer of history, making this copy a singular item.

The price is a direct reflection of the book's rarity, its documented history, and its condition for an item that is 115 years old. 

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7. Condition 🔎📚✨

This volume is a survivor from the early 20th century, showing wear consistent with its age.

• The decorative cloth cover shows some rubbing and scuffing, particularly along the edges and on the spine.

• The binding remains solid and tight, with no detached or loose pages.

• The pages have some expected toning throughout, a natural process for paper from this period.

• The interior text block is clean and free from any major tears or stains.

• There is a personal inscription on a blank endpaper.

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8. Fun Facts & Unique Features 🤓📜🤩

• The novel was originally published as a serial in St. Nicholas magazine before being released as a complete novel.

• The book's plot is based on a real-life sledding accident that happened in Concord, Massachusetts, involving Alcott's neighbors.

• Alcott wrote this book while caring for her sister, May, who was in declining health, an experience that is reflected in the story’s themes of recovery and care.

• The inscription and handwritten price marking on the endpaper provide a record of the book's specific journey through ownership.

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9. Supporting Information 🏷️📦💰

• Title: Jack and Jill: A Village Story

• Author/Maker: Louisa M. Alcott

• Year: 1910

• Publisher/Foundry: Little, Brown & Company

• Place of Origin: Boston, MA, USA

• Format/Binding: Hardcover, Illustrated

• Edition: Illustrated Edition

• Rarity: Rare

• Transcription: "To Dorothy Roberts Richardson From Auntie Louise Easter 1917" and "KX 1.50"