My Nan's dear little book

The dearest little book, a precious inheritance from Nellie Winifred Argyle

My mother's handwriting on the back of this photo of her mother, Nellie Winifred Argyle.

My Nan has been on my mind.

Her story and that of her ill-fated parents has been one of my great discoveries during this "Life in the Letters' project.

I have this little book in my lounge here at home and I peep into it regularly. It was gifted to Nan for her birthday, the 29th May in 1921, and she would have been 22 years old. I cannot make out the name of the person who gave it to her.

Doreen has this photo of Nellie as a little girl. It was taken by a photographer from Freshwater on the Isle of Wight. My mother wrote on the back of the photo, giving Nan's full name and birth date.

Nellie is so beautifully dressed, she is seated on an ornate chair on a shaggy rug and her little shoes peep out under her full dress. Her hair is in curls and she looks at the camera with slight surprise or maybe with curiosity.

Her life would change so radically, she would come to South Africa, separated from her mother because of the divorce and start a new life here.

The little book is a novel called Sir Roger de Coverley and has a few delightful illustrations. It has a cloth cover and was published by Sisley's of London who, charmingly, are "Masters of Beautiful Books"

This morning I read the foreword to Nan's book by Anthony Trollope.

It talks to me.  I too have a love for a book, the anticipation of a good read or just dipping into a book is a pleasure in itself.

I love that this little book is mine now, that when I see it I think of my early years with my Nan.
I treasure it.

Foreword:

"Book love, my friends, is your pass to the greatest, the purest, and the most perfect pleasure God has prepared for His creatures. It lasts when all other pleasures fade. It will support you when all other recreations are gone. It will last until your death. It will make your hours pleasant to you as long as you live." Anthony Trollope 

 'Anthony Trollope was one of the most successful, prolific and respected English novelists of the Victorian era.'