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UNKNOWN : 1941 VERY CHARMING ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARY HANDWRITTEN BY MULTIPLE MEMBERS OF ONE CALIFORNIA FAMILY WELCOMING ADORED BABY MIKE IN HIS FIRST YEAR OF LIFE

12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. On offer is an original, very charming, very simple yet moving diary of one year in the life of a beloved child. Measuring 7.5 inches by 5.0 inches, the diary contains 365 pages. The cover, bindings and pages are all in very good condition.. The handwriting is very legible. The authors of the diary are unknown: the plural because this diary actually has entries written by several people. It follows one year in the life of a child - 'Mike'. He is never identified by other than his first name. The entries are written by his father, his mother, a sister, his grandmother and his aunt Mabel. Some entries are 'written' by Mike as someone tries to voice what may be going through his mind. The diary is written in the year 1941 and context indicates that the family lived in California. That Mike is loved and cherished shines through the pages. Mike was born in July 1940. The diary traces all the major milestones that any child passes in the first year or so. "He was glad to see Mommie at 10. Ate nicely from his cup. After a couple of hours, Ma tried to rock him to sleep but he was adamant. So he crawled off his quilt every 2 minutes while Ma spent her time putting him back on. GP (grandpa) came and played with Mike. He was so happy. ... Pa fed him supper - huge bites. He sat in his buggy at dinner. We put him to bed about 7:30 and Pa guitared him to sleep". [Mar 1]; "He napped while Ma went to get Pa at the airport. Pa's first words were "Where's Mike'. ... He slept 3-5. Ate supper and then crawled over everything and body. ... Finally went to bed at 20 of 8 and went right to sleep. Wakened twice in the nice. Pa thinks he's wonderful" [May 4]; "Dear Diary. Well I guess it was not a dream about Mom and Dad coming home but they sure weren't in any hurry to come down and see me this A.M. So, when they did come for breakfast, I said "Well folks, see you later"!! ... Got up this AM at 5:15 dressed and had a very little breakfast. Pulled the buttons off my overalls. I took the overalls right off. ... " [Sept 13]: "A new back tooth is discovered by his g.g.m. so we know another reason for his b and crossness at sleepy time. ... My while salve is doing wonders for his chaffed bottom. A bunch of Reader's Digests are just the right size for him. ..." (signed gm)" [ Nov 2]. This is a thoroughly delightful record of this boy's life at age 1-2. It is also very creatively written and displays a real love for him by all members of this family. Within its pages though are also clear glimpses into what life was life for an ordinary family living in California in the 1940s. From that perspective, this diary offers a social scientist an excellent view of life at that time. A person interested in women's studies or the role of women at that time would find the daily descriptions of domestic life and child care an excellent source of information.. Manuscript. Book Condition: Good +

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