You never know when you are going to run across a piece of American history you are going to put up for auction that touches you in a way this item has me. Reviewing the history of this item struck me that I found this era's equivalent Harry Potter story. This book is part of a series of books involving a twelve year old boy who is on his own set in many settings. The settings where designed to give the young readers a taste of how to deal with real life situations in a changing environment of the time as transportation methods where opening up the world. These books where published from the 1850's to the early 1900's and where vastly popular during their time. This book covers his adventures on the high seas of the Atlantic. The personal nature of this book struck me as it has a personal note from a teacher to student as a gift for meeting the attendance requirements. The style of the handwriting is reflective of the time and really gives this book character beyond one I have seen in some of the older books I have put up for auction. A great find and one of the reasons I love doing this is you never know when you are going to run into a piece of Americana that reflects a personal touch from a time gone by. If interested in seeing the inscription I have it posted www.ronlinesales.com. Check it out in my book section.