The MayFlower from 1855 was only $30 in 2018, which is roughly the equivalent to what it cost to buy in 1855. Despite appearances meant to convey otherwise, this book was never a treasure, but that doesn't mean it wasn't prized. Gift books by nature were meant to be most valuable to the people who received them - they were designed and sold to take advantage of a book's already natural capacity as a deeply personal object. At one point, this copy belonged to Rebecca Walton of West Cambridge, and I like to think of all the things it could have meant and signified to her. To me, it is the subject of a masters thesis, hard researched, hard written and well received. It is a sign of three years of good work and the still lingering questions of what books mean to our lives.
by Emma Sarconi