Tom, three thoughts come to mind which may help: 1) Mary Taylor may have recently learned to write, and she may be practicing on the only paper available to her. I remember doing something similar - although not in a precious personal book - when I was trying to develop a distinctive personal signature. 2) John, Dorothy, and Robert may be the names of Mary's children, not other owners. The handwriting style looks similar to Mary's own. 3) Writing "upside down" on inverted pages makes sense when trying to write on the end pages of a thick book; it gives a right-handed person a more stable surface to write on. Love the detective in you! Carry on!!
I'm currently doing a post-grad history project on an individual person - and it absolutely is a delight to get closer and closer to the person across the gulf of time. My next two projects I have in mind are also 'biography'-based. Best of luck in finding Ms. Taylor!
Hi Tom! Thanks for this video. I recently saw a book (A Full and Just Account of the Present State of The Ottoman Empire In all its Branches by Aaron Hill) owned by a Sarah Cholmley who inscribed it in 1709 (N.B. I do not own this book. I saw it on a Facebook group dedicated to antique books). Sarah's hand was much more practiced and calligraphic. On another page of the same book, there is an inscription by a Sarah Gregory with a seemingly less practiced hand. Above Sarah Gregory's inscription there are a few squiggles reminiscent of Mary Taylor's squiggles and flourishes. Sarah Gregory and Sarah Cholmley may or may not be identical (one the married name of the other), but in any case I believe Sarah Cholmley was born in 1688 and was the daughter of John Cholmley, Esq. of St. Olaves Parish in Southwark and his wife Alice. John was a brewer and member of parliament. He is also listed as a subscriber to the publisher of the very book in which Sarah wrote her name(s). All of this is to say, Mary Taylor's annotations seem like interesting examples of a wider practice among female book owners (who were presumably young, Sarah Cholmley for example was 20 when she inscribed her book in 1709) in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. It would be wonderful to have a database of such annotations or a collection of books with them. The former is a bit of a pipedream, the latter perhaps a somewhat expensive conception for a collection. Anyway. Thanks again for your video!
This was fascinating! I did notice, the handwriting on the end pages in the book from the British Library seems pretty consistent. Messy, but within range for a single person, and not that dissimilar from Mary's various attempts in your book. It makes me wonder if the names were Mary writing down other people she was thinking of- siblings, children, perhaps her spouse... It may be worth looking for a Mary associated with all of those names. Still potentially a lot of them (John and Robert at least would have been very common, not sure about Dorothy) but not quite as big a task as the overwhelming number of Mary Taylors.
Since i saw the short i keep thinking at Mary Taylor. What a quest, is amazing that you found one of her books. She is more than remembered, and her mantra became so powerful over the centuries. This would be also a quest for The British Library, for the UK archives, with you being the main researcher, to start a campaign of finding who she really was. A documentary. What a great story would become. I was so emotional seeing this video, is almost irrational how a random person from 300 years ago can have such an imprint on us. Hope that the power of internet will prevail and some other findings will follow. Thank you for all this!
We Remember you, Mary Taylor, And we Honor that Memory. Know that Your Name Has Risen from Anonymity To Worldwide Fascination, Simply because you asked, "When this you see, remember me."
I am just starting this video but you have no idea how excited i am to see this! Ever since your youtube short, i have not been able to stop thinking about Mary.
"If this you see, remember me." What a beautiful thing to write. It inspires me to write to my children and husband 💕 I hope I'm not the only one who got a little teary-eyed when her name was found in the second book. 🥹
Tom, thank you so much for this video, it is brilliant. I think of how Mary reaches out through the centuries and wonder how many of us give thought to that same thing one day, of us being remembered? Back in 1696 and before cheap mass-production, that book was a treasure: a beautiful, tangible object of prayer and devotion, a treasure chest of memory, and no doubt well-thumbed from use. Surely it had enriched her whole life! Carrying it to services, praying at home, imbuing that beautiful leather binding with the oils of her hands....and how many of her descendants did likewise? I guess we will never know, but we have the testimony of that book in 2024, with one of the silver clasps missing. On a side thought, I have a book with a similar story: when I was a kid and moved into our house, the previous family left behind a stack of books and one in particular from 1923 was fascinating (not as old as 1696, but still read by someone and similarly annotated). It was a basic grade school Catholic Catechism, and had their names inscribed. But what was most humorous was the previous owner back in the day also took the time doodling a picture of the good old monsignor, in his cassock and what I presume to be his biretta (clerical cap) which makes me chuckle. Even in the day, kids were bored in catechism class!
Interesting video. Working on the premise that only an affluent upper class family was likely to be able to purchase a book like this in the 1690s, it may be of interest to note that a portrait in the National Portrait Gallery Collection called ‘The Children of John Taylor MP of Bifrons Park’ names one of the children sitters as a Mary Taylor. The father John bought the property in 1694 around the same date of some of the descriptions in the your book and when he could have been creating a library collection for the house. The house itself was near Canterbury and was demolished around the time of WWII which could have been the time when any library could have been dispersed. There must be millions of Mary Taylor’s of course but still could be a possible lead?
Hi, I very much enjoyed this video. Old books are often so interesting, not just because of their content, but because of the markings in them and their past ownerships. Thanks for showing this. I'd like to suggest that there are a few other things, however, beyond the marks that we know about Mary Taylor. First, we know that she was from a wealthy family. The luxury of the book precludes poor and even most middle-class families. So, that should narrow it down a bit, as, for example, an "apprentice," would likely be unable to afford such a book. We know that she was married. Perhaps you could get more information about her by determining who her husband was. The second book might give additional clues beyond what was written in it. If it were originally in the British Museum, they likely have a record of who donated it and when. That might lead back to Mary. Also, as an aside, the prayer she wrote in the front of the book seems to be pulled from several psalms. I note passages from Psalms 5 and 17, among others. I doubt this will help identify her, but thought I'd mention it none the less. Also of note, the woman who was captured by pirates, her husband owned the "Speedwell" which was a British Privateer last referenced in 1631 (which would account for how his wife was captured by pirates). Perhaps she could afford such a book. Anyway, I hope this helps track her down.
very curious , also very old, i didnt expect to see a book from the late 1600s early 1700s with owner notes jotted down , amazing, and her handwriting did improve over the years into artistic beautiful writing style/font
This was an absolutely lovely video, and a fascinating look into your research process, thank you for sharing it with us. I can only hope that you continue on this search and tell us of your findings about Mrs Taylor!
Lovely video! Aside from the wonderful Mary Taylor research, Restoration-year 1660 Common Prayer copies in any size are far from common I'd say, but socially, historically, the 1660 BCP is a priceless (often overlooked) bit of the English story. After years of parliamentary ban, Common Prayer was openly printed again with the return of Charles II., but in a pinch to fill a void. It was necessarily a reprint from Charles I's reign, including outdated state prayers for Charles I and Henrietta Maria. The liturgical readings were also unchanged, the Great Bible version not only in the Psalms but for the whole lectionary. The Savoy Conference was yet to be held, resulting in the famed 1662 Revision. But re: this particular copy, the separately printed parts, BCP, Bible, WBP, of course were assembled (bound) in or after 1663, when the first part, 1660 Common Prayer, was suddenly outdated by the '62 Revision. Good money was laid out. Nobody in the early modern period would have thought that a problem: earlier versions of the prayer book, even Henrician bibles, were still regularly used for generations, throughout the Georgian period, even later, which is why so many are in such poor condition. This little Restoration copy with its minor bit of wear and tear (not faults but English history) is a beauty! 3-in-1 octavo for private devotion with female ownership in the reign of William III, perfect. I have the large folio Common Prayer printed the same year, 1660, sadly without church provenance.
In the 1690s, “Mrs” would have been spoken as “Mistress.” “Madam” was used to refer to older women, and at times to younger ones as a mark of respect. She may have shifted to “Madam” by 1705 simply because she’d aged out of “Mistress,” as it were.
I am presently writing a book... a book about my experiences. A book about soulmates and deep connections through time. I never believed in any of that sort of nonsense. I have been doing a lot of research in Scotland, digging through family archives and church documents. I do now, most definitely! Tom, that is a book you may not want to part with. At least not until you find out who Mary Taylor is. Consider the type of book it is, she would have come from a very wealthy household and just after the English Revolution.
Hi Tom, I'm Marc's mum and I love this piece! Mary wanted to be heard and remembered in times when women were institutionally silenced. I would love to hear more about her...and you! Thank you for sharing.
What a suspenseful video! Thank you for the detailed information about the British Library! Does that apply to folks from outside the UK? Tom, I noticed that at the end, you say "IF this you see" rather than "When." That speaks to me of a sense of humility on your part. And while I don't hold with the woo-woo, I do suspect you were meant to find this book. It also makes me admire Mary Taylor for her confidence that the tome and her inscription would last. What a treat for a gloomy Sunday morning!
When did the widow Mary Taylor's husband die? I have to admit, that's the first candidate that seems most likely, and a plea for remembrance would be in place for someone who had just lost a family member. It's the repeating that's puzzling, though. I'm trying to think of what kind of life situation a person would be in that would prompt them to do that. Have you ever seen any other books that had their owners' names written over and over in them like that? Might the book have been owned by one Mary Taylor and passed down to her daughter (and maybe on to a granddaughter)? In the second book, the handwriting looks like a child's, and too different from the other, I think. And given that the name is already common, there's no way to know if it's the same person.
My first thought is that she's a young teenager. The time that we start to see that we're part of a bigger world and enormous cosmos than our family and immediate community. And I say this having been a book-loving teenage girl some 55 years ago, who still has a few books from then. And a few of them are inscribed very similarly and equally repetitively. I wonder if you need to start looking earlier for her birth records? (Edited for typos)
I see your reasoning. However, note that in one inscription she calls herself "Mrs. Mary Taylor", so it seems that "Taylor" is a married name. Despite some stereotypes, teenage marriage is actually very unusual in 17th century England (except perhaps for the upper aristocracy where marriages are political alliances). So, she's likely at least in her early twenties by the time she makes the first inscription. Of course, this is not certain. She may have never married and still used "Mrs" as an adult, for example. However, the odds say she wasn't a teenager when she made the first inscription.
Have you considered contacting Mud Larks like Nicola White to see if any has found a matching clasp? They find things like that on their UA-cam videos.
One possible reason for the multiple names in the book from the library, is that they could have been Mary Taylor's classmates from school. I would research schools from the area during that period. She may have still been a student in 1696, just prior to marriage. Also, if Mary Taylor was her maiden name AND her married name, marriage registers of the period might be easier to research, because you would be looking for only one surname. That is rare!
One thing that struck me is the change of her title from Mrs. to Madam. Would that be significant? Could "Mrs." be more of an honorific - unmarried, abandoned, or divorced Southern women here in the US would sometimes refer to themselves as "Mrs." even though no husband was in sight. The other clue worth pursuing would be the names John and Dorothy - could they be her children? Would a parish register include that information? Might be time to search some of the genealogical databases!
I had wondered about the transition from Mrs. to Madam as well, but I don't know enough about early 18th century manners to know if those terms are interchangeable.
It would be funny if she was an older sister whose things were constantly borrowed with the excuse "oh i didn't see this was yours!" and this was her precaution (?
There must be someone out there that owns another book with her name inside. It could be a collector or a family member. I want to know who Mary Taylor was. Obviously, she came from an affluent household because she could write and afford books. I hope someone contacts you with more information.
I annotate my €10 paperback books. Sometimes they are quite messy. What surprises me again and again is that so much confusing stuff is written in books that must have had a much higher value when they were still new and hot off the press.
Tom thks for your videos. Is Mary Taylors, "remember me" not a prayer similar to the prayer of the man on the cross? I think it is.The wonderful thing is the Lords answer assuring him he will be with Him in paradise
Who was Mary Taylor? Nobody important. Edit: For those misunderstanding, this is a reference to several of Tom's other videos in which he refers to "nobody important" - a young woman who historically began signing her name in the books she collected, and who is, in fact, extremely important to modern book collectors.
Mary Taylor, the books' owner, may not have been an adult! In fact the sort of playful scribbling of her motto upside-down etc. points to a young person, perhaps a little bored with her lessons, or practicing her' hand'. The book of aphorisms is likely something that they gave to young people as moral instruction, as especially to girls, who would use them to practice their embroidery skills, a common past time of the genteel class. The fact that it had more owners' names inscribed, does point to it as being a didactic text. We shouldn't always assume we're dealing with adults...I was 18 yrs. a teacher, and this resonates to me of a young person.
So instead of writing something sensible. Letters, poems, anecdotes 🤷🏻♀️. This woman defaced her books, with what is essentially “me me me me me I I I I “ An Instagram model of her time.
It's possible that book collectors may see this video and later notice that they have books that Mary Taylor wrote in.
Hoping!
Tom, three thoughts come to mind which may help:
1) Mary Taylor may have recently learned to write, and she may be practicing on the only paper available to her. I remember doing something similar - although not in a precious personal book - when I was trying to develop a distinctive personal signature.
2) John, Dorothy, and Robert may be the names of Mary's children, not other owners. The handwriting style looks similar to Mary's own.
3) Writing "upside down" on inverted pages makes sense when trying to write on the end pages of a thick book; it gives a right-handed person a more stable surface to write on.
Love the detective in you! Carry on!!
One book:
- for saying prayers
- for reading the bible
- for singing psalms
- and for practicing your handwriting!
Spot on!
I'm currently doing a post-grad history project on an individual person - and it absolutely is a delight to get closer and closer to the person across the gulf of time. My next two projects I have in mind are also 'biography'-based. Best of luck in finding Ms. Taylor!
I could watch these videos all day long! Adventures, travels, and books! I'd love many more of these videos! I love all of your videos ❤❤❤
Fabulous journey, hopefully more of MT's books are discovered.
Hi Tom! Thanks for this video. I recently saw a book (A Full and Just Account of the Present State of The Ottoman Empire In all its Branches by Aaron Hill) owned by a Sarah Cholmley who inscribed it in 1709 (N.B. I do not own this book. I saw it on a Facebook group dedicated to antique books). Sarah's hand was much more practiced and calligraphic. On another page of the same book, there is an inscription by a Sarah Gregory with a seemingly less practiced hand. Above Sarah Gregory's inscription there are a few squiggles reminiscent of Mary Taylor's squiggles and flourishes. Sarah Gregory and Sarah Cholmley may or may not be identical (one the married name of the other), but in any case I believe Sarah Cholmley was born in 1688 and was the daughter of John Cholmley, Esq. of St. Olaves Parish in Southwark and his wife Alice. John was a brewer and member of parliament. He is also listed as a subscriber to the publisher of the very book in which Sarah wrote her name(s). All of this is to say, Mary Taylor's annotations seem like interesting examples of a wider practice among female book owners (who were presumably young, Sarah Cholmley for example was 20 when she inscribed her book in 1709) in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. It would be wonderful to have a database of such annotations or a collection of books with them. The former is a bit of a pipedream, the latter perhaps a somewhat expensive conception for a collection. Anyway. Thanks again for your video!
This was fascinating! I did notice, the handwriting on the end pages in the book from the British Library seems pretty consistent. Messy, but within range for a single person, and not that dissimilar from Mary's various attempts in your book. It makes me wonder if the names were Mary writing down other people she was thinking of- siblings, children, perhaps her spouse... It may be worth looking for a Mary associated with all of those names. Still potentially a lot of them (John and Robert at least would have been very common, not sure about Dorothy) but not quite as big a task as the overwhelming number of Mary Taylors.
I will surely remember her now because of this video
Since i saw the short i keep thinking at Mary Taylor. What a quest, is amazing that you found one of her books. She is more than remembered, and her mantra became so powerful over the centuries. This would be also a quest for The British Library, for the UK archives, with you being the main researcher, to start a campaign of finding who she really was. A documentary. What a great story would become. I was so emotional seeing this video, is almost irrational how a random person from 300 years ago can have such an imprint on us. Hope that the power of internet will prevail and some other findings will follow. Thank you for all this!
Thank you for not letting Mary Taylor be forgotten.
We Remember you, Mary Taylor,
And we Honor that Memory.
Know that Your Name
Has Risen from Anonymity
To Worldwide Fascination,
Simply because you asked,
"When this you see, remember me."
I am just starting this video but you have no idea how excited i am to see this! Ever since your youtube short, i have not been able to stop thinking about Mary.
Same!
"If this you see, remember me." What a beautiful thing to write. It inspires me to write to my children and husband 💕
I hope I'm not the only one who got a little teary-eyed when her name was found in the second book. 🥹
this is so wonderful, as a book lover, and small collector, books are more than just an object.
Tom, thank you so much for this video, it is brilliant.
I think of how Mary reaches out through the centuries and wonder how many of us give thought to that same thing one day, of us being remembered? Back in 1696 and before cheap mass-production, that book was a treasure: a beautiful, tangible object of prayer and devotion, a treasure chest of memory, and no doubt well-thumbed from use. Surely it had enriched her whole life! Carrying it to services, praying at home, imbuing that beautiful leather binding with the oils of her hands....and how many of her descendants did likewise? I guess we will never know, but we have the testimony of that book in 2024, with one of the silver clasps missing.
On a side thought, I have a book with a similar story: when I was a kid and moved into our house, the previous family left behind a stack of books and one in particular from 1923 was fascinating (not as old as 1696, but still read by someone and similarly annotated). It was a basic grade school Catholic Catechism, and had their names inscribed. But what was most humorous was the previous owner back in the day also took the time doodling a picture of the good old monsignor, in his cassock and what I presume to be his biretta (clerical cap) which makes me chuckle. Even in the day, kids were bored in catechism class!
Interesting video. Working on the premise that only an affluent upper class family was likely to be able to purchase a book like this in the 1690s, it may be of interest to note that a portrait in the National Portrait Gallery Collection called ‘The Children of John Taylor MP of Bifrons Park’ names one of the children sitters as a Mary Taylor. The father John bought the property in 1694 around the same date of some of the descriptions in the your book and when he could have been creating a library collection for the house. The house itself was near Canterbury and was demolished around the time of WWII which could have been the time when any library could have been dispersed. There must be millions of Mary Taylor’s of course but still could be a possible lead?
Hi, I very much enjoyed this video. Old books are often so interesting, not just because of their content, but because of the markings in them and their past ownerships. Thanks for showing this. I'd like to suggest that there are a few other things, however, beyond the marks that we know about Mary Taylor. First, we know that she was from a wealthy family. The luxury of the book precludes poor and even most middle-class families. So, that should narrow it down a bit, as, for example, an "apprentice," would likely be unable to afford such a book. We know that she was married. Perhaps you could get more information about her by determining who her husband was. The second book might give additional clues beyond what was written in it. If it were originally in the British Museum, they likely have a record of who donated it and when. That might lead back to Mary. Also, as an aside, the prayer she wrote in the front of the book seems to be pulled from several psalms. I note passages from Psalms 5 and 17, among others. I doubt this will help identify her, but thought I'd mention it none the less. Also of note, the woman who was captured by pirates, her husband owned the "Speedwell" which was a British Privateer last referenced in 1631 (which would account for how his wife was captured by pirates). Perhaps she could afford such a book. Anyway, I hope this helps track her down.
This is my favourite UA-cam video in a long time.
I really enjoyed this mystery. Would love to see more and I'm going to share it with my mum!
There’s a very good chance that John and Dorothy and Robert are family members. It’s worth checking for Taylors of those names.
very curious , also very old, i didnt expect to see a book from the late 1600s early 1700s with owner notes jotted down , amazing, and her handwriting did improve over the years into artistic beautiful writing style/font
This was an absolutely lovely video, and a fascinating look into your research process, thank you for sharing it with us.
I can only hope that you continue on this search and tell us of your findings about Mrs Taylor!
Lovely video! Aside from the wonderful Mary Taylor research, Restoration-year 1660 Common Prayer copies in any size are far from common I'd say, but socially, historically, the 1660 BCP is a priceless (often overlooked) bit of the English story. After years of parliamentary ban, Common Prayer was openly printed again with the return of Charles II., but in a pinch to fill a void. It was necessarily a reprint from Charles I's reign, including outdated state prayers for Charles I and Henrietta Maria. The liturgical readings were also unchanged, the Great Bible version not only in the Psalms but for the whole lectionary. The Savoy Conference was yet to be held, resulting in the famed 1662 Revision. But re: this particular copy, the separately printed parts, BCP, Bible, WBP, of course were assembled (bound) in or after 1663, when the first part, 1660 Common Prayer, was suddenly outdated by the '62 Revision. Good money was laid out. Nobody in the early modern period would have thought that a problem: earlier versions of the prayer book, even Henrician bibles, were still regularly used for generations, throughout the Georgian period, even later, which is why so many are in such poor condition. This little Restoration copy with its minor bit of wear and tear (not faults but English history) is a beauty! 3-in-1 octavo for private devotion with female ownership in the reign of William III, perfect. I have the large folio Common Prayer printed the same year, 1660, sadly without church provenance.
Absolutely fascinating ❤
This was brilliant!
Brilliant!
In the 1690s, “Mrs” would have been spoken as “Mistress.” “Madam” was used to refer to older women, and at times to younger ones as a mark of respect. She may have shifted to “Madam” by 1705 simply because she’d aged out of “Mistress,” as it were.
The ownership history of books is fascinating!!
I am presently writing a book... a book about my experiences. A book about soulmates and deep connections through time. I never believed in any of that sort of nonsense. I have been doing a lot of research in Scotland, digging through family archives and church documents. I do now, most definitely! Tom, that is a book you may not want to part with. At least not until you find out who Mary Taylor is. Consider the type of book it is, she would have come from a very wealthy household and just after the English Revolution.
Hi Tom, I'm Marc's mum and I love this piece! Mary wanted to be heard and remembered in times when women were institutionally silenced. I would love to hear more about her...and you! Thank you for sharing.
That's fascinating, congratulations and thanks
I find it georgous that i may too be remembered like this in the 2300s ❤❤
What a suspenseful video! Thank you for the detailed information about the British Library! Does that apply to folks from outside the UK?
Tom, I noticed that at the end, you say "IF this you see" rather than "When." That speaks to me of a sense of humility on your part. And while I don't hold with the woo-woo, I do suspect you were meant to find this book.
It also makes me admire Mary Taylor for her confidence that the tome and her inscription would last.
What a treat for a gloomy Sunday morning!
Outstanding!
Fantastic video again! I wonder if Mary Taylor will appear again in another book one day
I am emotionally spent. Thank you for letting this
us see!
That is still a beautiful book!
Good detective work.
When did the widow Mary Taylor's husband die? I have to admit, that's the first candidate that seems most likely, and a plea for remembrance would be in place for someone who had just lost a family member. It's the repeating that's puzzling, though. I'm trying to think of what kind of life situation a person would be in that would prompt them to do that. Have you ever seen any other books that had their owners' names written over and over in them like that? Might the book have been owned by one Mary Taylor and passed down to her daughter (and maybe on to a granddaughter)?
In the second book, the handwriting looks like a child's, and too different from the other, I think. And given that the name is already common, there's no way to know if it's the same person.
My first thought is that she's a young teenager. The time that we start to see that we're part of a bigger world and enormous cosmos than our family and immediate community. And I say this having been a book-loving teenage girl some 55 years ago, who still has a few books from then. And a few of them are inscribed very similarly and equally repetitively.
I wonder if you need to start looking earlier for her birth records?
(Edited for typos)
I see your reasoning. However, note that in one inscription she calls herself "Mrs. Mary Taylor", so it seems that "Taylor" is a married name. Despite some stereotypes, teenage marriage is actually very unusual in 17th century England (except perhaps for the upper aristocracy where marriages are political alliances). So, she's likely at least in her early twenties by the time she makes the first inscription. Of course, this is not certain. She may have never married and still used "Mrs" as an adult, for example. However, the odds say she wasn't a teenager when she made the first inscription.
This was a brilliant video. I wonder who Mary Taylor was. I do hope she had a happy life.
Have you considered contacting Mud Larks like Nicola White to see if any has found a matching clasp? They find things like that on their UA-cam videos.
One possible reason for the multiple names in the book from the library, is that they could have been Mary Taylor's classmates from school. I would research schools from the area during that period.
She may have still been a student in 1696, just prior to marriage.
Also, if Mary Taylor was her maiden name AND her married name, marriage registers of the period might be easier to research, because you would be looking for only one surname. That is rare!
One thing that struck me is the change of her title from Mrs. to Madam. Would that be significant? Could "Mrs." be more of an honorific - unmarried, abandoned, or divorced Southern women here in the US would sometimes refer to themselves as "Mrs." even though no husband was in sight. The other clue worth pursuing would be the names John and Dorothy - could they be her children? Would a parish register include that information? Might be time to search some of the genealogical databases!
I had wondered about the transition from Mrs. to Madam as well, but I don't know enough about early 18th century manners to know if those terms are interchangeable.
It would be funny if she was an older sister whose things were constantly borrowed with the excuse "oh i didn't see this was yours!" and this was her precaution (?
That book is older than the USA!!
Ok I'm invested now
There must be someone out there that owns another book with her name inside. It could be a collector or a family member. I want to know who Mary Taylor was. Obviously, she came from an affluent household because she could write and afford books. I hope someone contacts you with more information.
Did the library or museum not have information on the origin of the book?
I annotate my €10 paperback books. Sometimes they are quite messy. What surprises me again and again is that so much confusing stuff is written in books that must have had a much higher value when they were still new and hot off the press.
Tom thks for your videos. Is Mary Taylors, "remember me" not a prayer similar to the prayer of the man on the cross? I think it is.The wonderful thing is the Lords answer assuring him he will be with Him in paradise
Ok, so we need Kate Winslet in this movie. "Remember Me - Mary Taylor's Tale"
Who was Mary Taylor? Nobody important.
Edit: For those misunderstanding, this is a reference to several of Tom's other videos in which he refers to "nobody important" - a young woman who historically began signing her name in the books she collected, and who is, in fact, extremely important to modern book collectors.
Nobody important? Blimey, that’s amazing! Do you know, in 900 years of time and space I’ve never met anyone who wasn’t important before. 🤔
Well said Doctor.@ilikemandalorians9861
Only an ancestor you're descended from, so no, no body important.
One wonders if anyone shall speak about your books in 300 years.
Mary Taylor, the books' owner, may not have been an adult! In fact the sort of playful scribbling of her motto upside-down etc. points to a young person, perhaps a little bored with her lessons, or practicing her' hand'. The book of aphorisms is likely something that they gave to young people as moral instruction, as especially to girls, who would use them to practice their embroidery skills, a common past time of the genteel class. The fact that it had more owners' names inscribed, does point to it as being a didactic text. We shouldn't always assume we're dealing with adults...I was 18 yrs. a teacher, and this resonates to me of a young person.
Not bad shape, for knocking about for three centuries. Interesting mystery.
do we know that it wasn't written from someone who gifted it her
Just discovered a Mary Taylor was a close friend of Charlotte Brontë. Wonder if there is a relationship?
Maybe the other names are family members, even children.
Well, as I can’t risk to travel outside of here.. I can’t tell you
You may have found the founder of a book graffiti cult
So instead of writing something sensible. Letters, poems, anecdotes 🤷🏻♀️. This woman defaced her books, with what is essentially “me me me me me I I I I “ An Instagram model of her time.
Are the squiggles her trying out her quill?