High School Notebook.
New England, ca. 1880. Item #1266 Square 8vo. 200 x 175 mm., (8 x 6 ¼ inches). 81 pages of manuscript on paper, text in ink, written in one hand; a 20 page section has been neatly removed at the end of the notebook. Bound in original black buckram with black leather tips and spine; spine rubbed with some loss to the top layer of leather, otherwise sound and attractive. Signed in pencil “Anna Doran” on front free endpaper. Nicely preserved science notebook, written by an advanced high school student, learning the elements of geometry, chemistry, and physiology. The greater part of the notebook features lessons in geometry, written in a clear and neat hand suggesting this was the final document to present at the end of class. The geometry lessons begin with definitions, each with a drawing of a geometric form. This part is followed by thirty-nine propositions, increasing in complexity from a basic diagram of a triangle to “A square described on the hypotenuse of a right angled triangle is equal to the sum of the squares described on the other two sides;” with a diagram showing the angles and the square and their respective sizes. The geometry lessons is followed by chemistry, with a focus on solids, gases, and liquids, with diagrams illustrating the propositions offered by the teacher. The section on physiology covers the human body and its organs and how they function. The notebook is clearly written and well organized. Ms. Doran supplies headings describing the content of the section, mathematical figures very precisely drawn, formulas, and scientific tables documenting the experiments she is performing, especially in the chemistry section. Science notebooks by young American women are rarely found in the market. It is more likely to find a notebook with literary and historical notes, especially at the end of the 19th century. Although the identity of Anna Doran has remained obscure, she presents a growing class of educated young women, schooled in the sciences as well as the arts, and preparing to take their place in laboratory as well as the classroom.
Price: $1,500.00