My Book About the Post Office c.1914

February 14, 2014 · by · in Books, Vintage Prints · 2 Comments

My Book About the Post Office by Edith Robarts c.1914

Illustrated by Thomas Somerfield

Blackie and Son Limited

London Glasgow Bombay

First edition. Small quarto. 80 pages. 22 full-page illustrations, fourteen of which are in colour, double-page colour centre-spread and numerous black and white drawings in the text by Thomas Somerfield. Cloth-backed paper boards with titled colour plate mounted on the upper cover. The story of Monica’s letter to her brother Cyril from the time she posts it at the village post office until the moment it reaches Tibasu, near the Bay of Bengal, three weeks later (it takes more than half the book to reach Dover, so that much hasn’t changed) – as well as much else about the post office. Free endpapers slightly browned and spotted. Covers a little marked and rubbed at edges. Good. Scarce.

… here are the colour and black and white large plates… being uploaded as I scan them in…

If you are interested in high resolution scans, up to 600dpi .jpg & .tiff files, let me know.

My Book About the Post Office Cover

My Book About the Post Office Cover

Original cover

My Book About the Post Office Plate 1

My Book About the Post Office Plate 1

Plate 1

My Book About the Post Office Title

My Book About the Post Office by Edith Robarts – Title

Title Page

My Book About the Post Office Plate 2

Mail coach snowed up

Plate 2

My Book About the Post Office Plate 3

Paying for a letter in olden times

Plate 3

My Book About the Post Office Plate 4

A clear road for His Majesty’s Mails

Plate 4

My Book About the Post Office Plate 5

Exchange of mail bags at Wayside Standard

Plate 5

My Book About the Post Office Plate 6

King Edward’s Building

Plate 6

My Book About the Post Office Plate 7

Foreign mail, Mount Pleasant

Plate 7

My Book About the Post Office Plate 8

Packing foreign parcels, Mount Pleasant

Plate 8

My Book About the Post Office Plate 9

Sorting parcels, Mount Pleasant

Plate 9

My Book About the Post Office Plate 10

Polly is forwarded by Express Service

Plate 10

My Book About the Post Office Plate 11

Custom Officials, Mount Pleasant

Plate 11

My Book About the Post Office Plate 12

Children paying into the Savings Bank

Plate 12

2 comments

  1. jane gorringe · · Reply→

    Can you help please? Oxfam has been given a copy of this book but the cover is in poor condition and separating from the pages. The pages and illustrations are intact and clean. Do you think there is any value in it. I can’t track down another copy so hope you can comment.Regards Jane

    1. antiqueprints · · Reply→

      Generally damaged books are not considered valuable, but the individual illustrations, if mounted or framed, are still nice and can be sold. I imagine you should be able to get about £10+ for the book, you could try selling it online, on ebay or contact the postal museum, I am surprised that there are no copies of it on Abebooks.
      You are welcome to email me a photo of the cover, perhaps I can give you a more precise estimate. My email is valeria.ekresb@hotmail.co.uk
      Kind Regards,
      Valerie

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