Jiffy Bag Watch 3

This one comes a little late as work and family commitments have had to take priority.
However, I received another delivery and I am beginning to think that my choice.of title may have been a little.premature as yet another cardboard mailer surrounded todays aquisition.
However, the volume that is contained was The Fruits of Solitude by William Penn.

Hardcover, bound in orange cloth, this is another volume from the Everyman Library (#724) this time from 1942. The binding is a little loose, the spine is a bi faded and there is some foxing and discolouration to the pages, particuylarly on the end-papers.  Without the elaborate end-papers present in the Woolman volume and a spine absent of decoration, this edition is noticeably more austere.  The reason for this,I am intreagued to learn, is indicated by the presence of a symbol printed beneath the publishers details.

As this edition of the text was published during World War 2, the printers were obligated to print the book conforming to a given set of standards, presumably governing typeface size, margin sizes, white-space etc.
A cursory search for more information has led me to conclude that, ironically enough, such a standard appears to be little documented.

As for William Penn, well a brief biography printed in this edition readsL

'WILLIAM PENN, born in 1644, the son of an admiral.  Sent down from Christ College, Oxford, for nonconformity.  Became a Quaker in 1667.  In 1682 sailed to America and founded a Quaker colony.  From then until his death in 1718 he lived in Pennsylvania and England.'

I actually recall William Penn making a brief appearance in Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography.  I am intreagued as to how Penn's story will interract with Franklin's.

Jiffy Bag Watch 2 (well kind of....)

Well, not quite a jiffy bag today, more of a cardboard sleeve this time.  Anyway, it contained The Autobiography and Other Writings by Benjamin Franklin.  The copy I have received is the 1987 reprint of the softcover, Penguin Classics edition.
I have to say I am a little dissapointed the quality is a little worse than described, but I can live with it considering it cost only £4.00 with postage.
So, it is time to put away the eBook for now and get reading the print copy.

Jiffy Bag Watch 1

Well, the first of my online purchases since this journal began has arrived this morning and I have decided to share with you my excitement as the postie popped a tell-tale jiffy-bag through my door.

On opening said bag, I discover that the first to arrive is actually the third on my reading list:

The Journal with Other Writings by John Woolman

The book is an Everyman Edition of the text, published approx. 1909-10 by J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd. of London.
4 1/2" x 7" hardcover with grey-green cloth, this book is number 402 of the Everyman Library and bears the original end-papers.
Binding is a tad loose, but tight enough to be practical.  There is a little discolouration to the page edges and minimal creasing to a few pages, but otherwise it is in pretty good nick considering it only cost me £4.75 including postage.



I have to admit, I had no idea who John Woolman was, but a quick Wiki granted this knowledge:

"John Woolman (October 19, 1720 – October 7, 1772) was a North American itinerant Quaker preacher who traveled throughout much of British North America and in England, advocating against cruelty to animals, economic injustices and oppression, conscription, military taxation, and particularly slavery and the slave trade....
The Journal of John Woolman is not only considered to be an important spiritual document, but also a classic in English literature, as shown by its inclusion in the Harvard Classics. It is reportedly the longest-published book in the history of North America other than the Bible, having been continuously published since before the 1776 revolution."

Fascinating stuff I think you'll agree!  I look forward to reading what this chap had to say.