I have long been eyeing antique school notebooks, both relating to the study of math and writing/penmanship, and finally found a lovely set of five of them from a seller in England, which I am listing individually. This one I think is my very favortite amount them, of a Samuel Gifford studying at Mr. Heale's Academy in Sherborne, dating to 1831.

I find this exquisitely beautiful, and rather awe-inspiring for the fineness of the penmanship, augmented with pencil drawings of birds on three of the pages. My favorite section is nine pages worth of repetitions of commandment-like phrases to be remembered and taken to heart: "Avoid temptations to extravagance"; "Contentment is conducive to health"; "Employment promotes happiness"; "Patronize literature"; "Keep your promise"; "A fool uttered all his mind"; "Good humour is pleasing", etc. Then also stories and poems and excerpts of unknown authorship, including "The Pheasant" ("Nothing can charm the eye with a greater richness and variety of ornament than this beautiful bird..."); "The English Girl" ("Sporting on the village green / The lovely English girl is seen..") etc. And then, on the very last page, "Integrity": "The man of pure and simple heart / Through life disdains a double part. / He ever needs the screen of lies. / His inward bosom to disguise." Indeed!

48 pages total, 46 filled with writing. Good condition. The lighting conditions for my photos was not very good. On some of the pages with longer expository text and smaller writing, the text is a bit light but still readable. On the pages with larger and darker text, there is a bit of visibility (bleed through) of text on opposite page--more pronounced in my photos than in actuality and not disrupting the clarity or readability of the text. Wear to the exterior along the spine but still tightly bound and stable. 9 7/8" x 8" x 3/16".