Year: 1885
Publisher: The Book Society, London
Edition: Illustrated Victorian Edition with full-page chromolithographs and wood engravings
Language: EN
Pages: 608
Condition: G
Binding: HC
- The Journey of a Precious Book: The Story of John Robson.
If you look closely at the very first pages of this beautiful, antique book, you will find a handwritten message from a long time ago. It says: "Presented to John Robson by the teachers of Jeams Colliery Wesleyan Sunday School on his leaving home to enter Business life. April 15th 1888."
These elegant letters tell the true story of a young man, a grand adventure, and a special treasure that survived for nearly 140 years to eventually find a home in our bookcase.
A Brave Step into the Big Wide World
In the spring of 1888, a young man named John Robson was living in a busy coal-mining village in the north of England. In those days, life in the mining districts was incredibly tough. Almost every boy in the village had to leave school early to go work deep underground in the dark, dangerous coal mines.
But John was different. He was very bright, and every Sunday he went to the chapel school, where the teachers taught him how to read, write, and do arithmetic. John worked so hard and was so clever that an extraordinary opportunity came his way: he was chosen to leave the mines behind and move to the big city to start a career in the business world, perhaps as a clerk or a bookkeeper.
A Compass and a Guardian Angel Leaving his family and his small village to go to the big, unknown city was very exciting, but also a little scary. On his very last Sunday, April 15th, 1888, his Sunday School teachers gathered around him to say goodbye.
As a parting gift, they pooled their money to buy him this exact copy of The Pilgrim's Progress. In those days, a book filled with such magnificent, full-page colour illustrations was a rare and expensive luxury. The book tells the story of a brave traveler who leaves his home behind to embark on a long, challenging journey toward a better and brighter future. His teachers gave it to him not just as a gift, but as a compass and a guardian angel, to remind him to always stay kind, honest, and brave in the big city.
From Generation to Generation.
John Robson took this book with him on his life's journey. Because it was the most precious thing he owned, he looked after it with the greatest care. He survived the challenges of the big city, built a beautiful life, and eventually passed this book down to his own children.
Through all those years, the book was cherished and protected. It traveled across oceans and through time, until it finally arrived here with us. Whenever you look at these beautiful, antique pictures, remember the story of John Robson: a young man who worked hard, chased his dreams, and stepped bravely into the future.
- Dit is het verhaal van John Robson, een dappere jongen uit een mijnwerkersdorp die dankzij zijn slimheid in 1888 een kans kreeg op een beter leven. Zijn leraren gaven hem als afscheidscadeau een prachtig, oud boek mee, dat hem moest gidsen op zijn avontuurlijke reis in de grote stad.
Als je dit 130 jaar oude boek openslaat, zie je een handgeschreven boodschap uit 1888 voor John Robson. In een dorp waar iedereen in donkere mijnen werkte, viel John op door zijn intelligentie op de zondagsschool. Met dit boek, dat gaat over een avontuurlijke reis, mocht hij het zware mijnwerkersleven achterlaten voor een mooie kantoorbaan. Het boek diende als een kompas en beschermengel voor zijn nieuwe toekomst.
