A beautiful and yet mysterious writing in an old book.

[PleasantValley]

I recently acquired this old book as on my bucket list before i drop dead, or get shot by a jealous husband, is to retrace the steps Dr. Livingstone took in his travels in Africa. Using original old books and maps is the best way.

That brings us to this old book. In the blank protective page it says in very beautiful quilled handwriting...

D. McAffee
Merry Christmas
From
Your "Wife"..(two periods)

Dec 25th
1873

The writing is very easy to read and is stunning and looks like calligraphy.
Now, why put the word wife in quotes.

(putting on my Sherlock Holmes cap)

1. Could it be it was a woman who was his mistress that gave him the book for Christmas, 1873
or
2. Could it be a gay lover who gave him the book in Christmas 1873.
or
3. Could it just be a real close female friend who gave him the book and so many people mistook them as husband and wife, they started jokingly calling themselves that.

Either way, I was taken aback at how beautiful the writing was, and I get the sense it was written with true fondness for the person who received the book.
Something beautiful from the past we may never know the real answer for, but merely revel in the simple beauty of it.

What say you, fellow DP members? Give me your theories as to why the word WIFE was put in quotes.

My immediate, but possibly flawed assumption would be a mistress as the writing does looks feminine, but then i have to remind myself, back in those days most writing was this beautiful and people took pains over may years to make it look this way. A skill only master calligraphers can do today.

 

[Bum]

I recently acquired this old book as on my bucket list before i drop dead, or get shot by a jealous husband, is to retrace the steps Dr. Livingstone took in his travels in Africa. Using original old books and maps is the best way.

That brings us to this old book. In the blank protective page it says in very beautiful quilled handwriting...

D. McAffee
Merry Christmas
From
Your "Wife"..(two periods)

Dec 25th
1873

The writing is very easy to read and is stunning and looks like calligraphy.
Now, why put the word wife in quotes.

(putting on my Sherlock Holmes cap)

1. Could it be it was a woman who was his mistress that gave him the book for Christmas, 1873
or
2. Could it be a gay lover who gave him the book in Christmas 1873.
or
3. Could it just be a real close female friend who gave him the book and so many people mistook them as husband and wife, they started jokingly calling themselves that.

Either way, I was taken aback at how beautiful the writing was, and I get the sense it was written with true fondness for the person who received the book.
Something beautiful from the past we may never know the real answer for, but merely revel in the simple beauty of it.

What say you, fellow DP members? Give me your theories as to why the word WIFE was put in quotes.

My immediate, but possibly flawed assumption would be a mistress as the writing does looks feminine, but then i have to remind myself, back in those days most writing was this beautiful and people took pain over may years to make it look this way.

View attachment 67244987

View attachment 67244988

Or, yet another possibility, a woman that was engaged to him and would eventually become his wife sans quotations?

 

[PleasantValley]

Or, yet another possibility, a woman that was engaged to him and would eventually become his wife sans quotations?

Thank you, Bum. I had not thought of that.
Possibility number 4.

Still, isn't that writing absolutely beautiful, though?
Look at all the curves and swirls they put in the letters to given them a flair of the dramatic.
...and this was how they normally wrote!

 

[Tom Horn]

Looks like a reprint and the personal message was written in 1950. I hope you spent under 100 for it.

 

[Mycroft]

I recently acquired this old book as on my bucket list before i drop dead, or get shot by a jealous husband, is to retrace the steps Dr. Livingstone took in his travels in Africa. Using original old books and maps is the best way.

That brings us to this old book. In the blank protective page it says in very beautiful quilled handwriting...

D. McAffee
Merry Christmas
From
Your "Wife"..(two periods)

Dec 25th
1873

The writing is very easy to read and is stunning and looks like calligraphy.
Now, why put the word wife in quotes.

(putting on my Sherlock Holmes cap)

1. Could it be it was a woman who was his mistress that gave him the book for Christmas, 1873
or
2. Could it be a gay lover who gave him the book in Christmas 1873.
or
3. Could it just be a real close female friend who gave him the book and so many people mistook them as husband and wife, they started jokingly calling themselves that.

Either way, I was taken aback at how beautiful the writing was, and I get the sense it was written with true fondness for the person who received the book.
Something beautiful from the past we may never know the real answer for, but merely revel in the simple beauty of it.

What say you, fellow DP members? Give me your theories as to why the word WIFE was put in quotes.

My immediate, but possibly flawed assumption would be a mistress as the writing does looks feminine, but then i have to remind myself, back in those days most writing was this beautiful and people took pains over may years to make it look this way. A skill only master calligraphers can do today.

View attachment 67244987

View attachment 67244988

In the word "From", that looks like a heart, doesn't it?

Was that symbol used back in the 1800's?

 

[Bum]

Thank you, Bum. I had not thought of that.
Possibility number 4.

Still, isn't that writing absolutely beautiful, though?
Look at all the curves and swirls they put in the letters to given them a flair of the dramatic.
...and this was how they normally wrote!

Sadly, writing has become a bit of a lost art, and I place emphasis on "art".....My wife practices calligraphy and sends out Holiday and thank you cards written by hand; I do not have her degree of skill, but its lovely to see.

I think that Arabic calligraphy is among the most beautiful in the world, and Arab calligraphers are held in the same esteem as any other artist.

 

[Xelor]

Your guess is as good as mine re: the scare quoted "wife."

I recently acquired this old book as on my bucket list before i drop dead, or get shot by a jealous husband, is to retrace the steps Dr. Livingstone took in his travels in Africa. Using original old books and maps is the best way.

Red:
What a cool vacation planning rubric!

Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa, Map, 1857. This map traces the route of Livingstone’s travels from 1849-56. The segment selected here shows Linyanti, the village that served as the base for his cross-continental expedition of 1852-56.
Copyright National Library of Scotland





1858 1st ed David Livingstone AFRICA Missionary Voyages Congo Illustrated MAP

[I presume you're a good customer of Abe Books or a competitor so some stripe?]

 

[Lovebug]

Soulmates, since they may have shared the same interest?

 

[bearpoker]

I recently acquired this old book as on my bucket list before i drop dead, or get shot by a jealous husband, is to retrace the steps Dr. Livingstone took in his travels in Africa. Using original old books and maps is the best way.

That brings us to this old book. In the blank protective page it says in very beautiful quilled handwriting...

D. McAffee
Merry Christmas
From
Your "Wife"..(two periods)

Dec 25th
1873

The writing is very easy to read and is stunning and looks like calligraphy.
Now, why put the word wife in quotes.

(putting on my Sherlock Holmes cap)

1. Could it be it was a woman who was his mistress that gave him the book for Christmas, 1873
or
2. Could it be a gay lover who gave him the book in Christmas 1873.
or
3. Could it just be a real close female friend who gave him the book and so many people mistook them as husband and wife, they started jokingly calling themselves that.

Either way, I was taken aback at how beautiful the writing was, and I get the sense it was written with true fondness for the person who received the book.
Something beautiful from the past we may never know the real answer for, but merely revel in the simple beauty of it.

What say you, fellow DP members? Give me your theories as to why the word WIFE was put in quotes.

My immediate, but possibly flawed assumption would be a mistress as the writing does looks feminine, but then i have to remind myself, back in those days most writing was this beautiful and people took pains over may years to make it look this way. A skill only master calligraphers can do today.

View attachment 67244987

View attachment 67244988

She might have been a secretary or business associate of some kind with whom he had formed a close friendship, not necessarily including sexual intimacy.

 

[PleasantValley]

In the word "From", that looks like a heart, doesn't it?

Was that symbol used back in the 1800's?

I never noticed that before. Yes, it most certainly is a heart.
I understand they were using the heart long before the 1800, but not sure.

Thank you, it sure is a heart, isn't it.

 

[PleasantValley]

Your guess is as good as mine re: the scare quoted "wife."




Red:
What a cool vacation planning rubric!

Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa, Map, 1857. This map traces the route of Livingstone’s travels from 1849-56. The segment selected here shows Linyanti, the village that served as the base for his cross-continental expedition of 1852-56.
Copyright National Library of Scotland





1858 1st ed David Livingstone AFRICA Missionary Voyages Congo Illustrated MAP

[I presume you're a good customer of Abe Books or a competitor so some stripe?]

I have a reprint of his original book you are showing.
I first became interested when i found out his land navigation sextant techniques were so accurate, that today they were only about 50 to 80 feet off.
That made me sit up and take notice of someone who was pure genius.
He also was the first to develop a remedy for malaria. he called it " Livingstone's Restorer".
He also did not travel with bunches of armed men.
He would merely make his presence know outside a village and wait until he was invited in.
Yes, he had a few guns but they were for hunting for food.

That is why I am reading all I can, have old and modern maps and am going to retrace where he went, barring any political upheavals along the way.
It is on my bucket list before i kick the bucket.
...and yes, I will be bringing my sextant.

 

[PleasantValley]

She might have been a secretary or business associate of some kind with whom he had formed a close friendship, not necessarily including sexual intimacy.

Option number 5.
Thank you, bearpoker.

 

[hado117]

I recently acquired this old book as on my bucket list before i drop dead, or get shot by a jealous husband, is to retrace the steps Dr. Livingstone took in his travels in Africa. Using original old books and maps is the best way.

That brings us to this old book. In the blank protective page it says in very beautiful quilled handwriting...

D. McAffee
Merry Christmas
From
Your "Wife"..(two periods)

Dec 25th
1873

The writing is very easy to read and is stunning and looks like calligraphy.
Now, why put the word wife in quotes.

(putting on my Sherlock Holmes cap)

1. Could it be it was a woman who was his mistress that gave him the book for Christmas, 1873
or
2. Could it be a gay lover who gave him the book in Christmas 1873.
or
3. Could it just be a real close female friend who gave him the book and so many people mistook them as husband and wife, they started jokingly calling themselves that.

Either way, I was taken aback at how beautiful the writing was, and I get the sense it was written with true fondness for the person who received the book.
Something beautiful from the past we may never know the real answer for, but merely revel in the simple beauty of it.

What say you, fellow DP members? Give me your theories as to why the word WIFE was put in quotes.

My immediate, but possibly flawed assumption would be a mistress as the writing does looks feminine, but then i have to remind myself, back in those days most writing was this beautiful and people took pains over may years to make it look this way. A skill only master calligraphers can do today.

View attachment 67244987

View attachment 67244988

its simple, this was the mans wife. she had two periods per month, which made her such a bitch that the husband tried to stay away from her. She would occasionally write letters . so husband would be reminded that he was married.