Collection ID: 0002 | Metadata type: TEI | TEI XML | Data

Title

Commonplace book

Authors

• Wright, John, M. D

Other related names

• Stratham, Ann, former owner
• Wright, Euphemia, recipient
• Wright, Charles William Henry, recipient

Call number

Ms. Codex 1638
(Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Rare Book & Manuscript Library)

Alternate identifiers

• bibid: 5790408
• http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017/d/medren/5790408

Publisher

The University of Pennsylvania Libraries

Language

English with the first 13 pages in Latin

Origin

Date

1780-1800

Place

London, England

Summary

This commonplace book was written by Wright to impart knowledge and ideas to his son Charles and daughter Euphemia. The first seven leaves of the book contain patient prescriptions for various medical ailments in abbreviated Latin. The entries are listed chronologically beginning 16 May 1780, with the inclusion of patient name and age. A table of contents follows, listing the title, author, and page of each of the poems, prose passages, quotes, elegies, hymns, and prayers copied by Wright. The items are by various English authors and there are some quotations from the Bible. The items recorded by Wright are often followed by his comments, explanation, interpretation, or advice that are sometimes addressed to Charles and Euphemia. Some of the authors Wright copied are, Alexander Selkirk, William Cowper, Alexander Pope, James Beattie, and Mrs. (Anna Letitia) Barbauld. Following the excerpts of prose and poetry are original writings by Wright on various topics from his life experience. He has titled some Maxims or axioms. Other topics by Wright include love, marriage, truthfulness, bashfulness, modesty, the keeping of birds and beasts, and sense and nonsense. The last two leaves of the volume are written upside-down. On these leaves Wright has recorded information regarding correspondence related to his wine importing business. The leaves include names of clients, dates, amount of port, and costs.

Notes

• Ms. codex.
   
• Title supplied by cataloger.
   

Extent

62 leaves : 187 x 123 mm. bound to 187 x 123 mm

Foliation

Paper, 62 leaves; 1-16, [i-ii], 17-115, [116-122], contemporary pagination in ink, upper outside corner.

Support

Paper

Binding

Contemporary brown cardboard covers with illegible ink writing, leather spine.

Layout

Each page written in black ink. on unlined paper, some pages are divided into columns or quadrants, some pages written oblong, starting from the back cover the last two leaves written upside-down.

Script

Written in cursive and print by John Wright.

Provenance

• Formerly owned by Ann Statham (inscription on inside front cover: Book written by my great grandfather (maternal) Dr. Wright. Ann Statham).
   
• Sold by Justin Croft Antiquarian Books (Faversham, England), 2012.
   

Subjects topical

• English poetry--18th century
• Port wine--Early works to 1800
• Medicine--Formulae, receipts, prescriptions--Early works to 1800

Genres

• Codices
• Commonplace books
• Poems
• Prescriptions
• Maxims
• Manuscripts, English--18th century
• Manuscripts, European

Licenses

• Text

  This description is ©2016 University of Pennsylvania Libraries. It is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License version 4.0 (CC-BY-4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. For a description of the terms of use see the Creative Commons Deed https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

  URL

  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

• Text

  All referenced images and their content are free of known copyright restrictions and in the public domain. See the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark page for usage details, http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/.

  URL

  http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/