Published in London
We defy you to find a more unexciting book – or more used - book than this! Just think - this was published three years before the Battle of Waterloo!
It is a true curiosity.
And it will make you thankful that pounds, shillings and pence are no more.
For here is the book that will tell you that 37 x 17 Pence Halfpenny = £2, 13s and 11½d – and if you understand what that means - you are very old indeed!
Towards the beginning is a fascinating page:
‘The following things are very necessary to be known in various branches of business:’
An acre of land 160 perches
A barrel of ale 32 gallons
A barrel of beer 36 gallons (how strange)
A barrel of anchovies about 18lb
A keg of herrings 60, two of which make a hundred (shome mishtake here surely?)
A last of leather 24 dickers (hmm)
And so on….
The rest of the book is given up to endless tables telling you that 69 x 2 shillings 5 pence = £8 6s 9d
Good huh? And soooooo useful in 2014
This little book measures 6¼ x 3½inches
It is well worn (another way of putting this would be to say it is badly worn – funny thing the English language). Both covers and spine are of marked and rubbed tan-coloured leather and are detached or semi-detached. There are scribbled numbers on the inside covers and fly leaf plus a name – we think it reads T Toby Jackson 1833 – but maybe not – make your own mind up – see photo.
We are asking the princely sum of 32 guineas and for this price will post it to you - anywhere. We reckon that this is a piece of real social history and is probably the only one of these left in the world! You could try making an offer and see what happens...
