Help Identifying Old Box

[jimi43]

Andy. Sorry mate, rather hard typing on mobile screen especially with dowell hole in wrist! Getting laptop today otherwise insanity will set in! Read up too on the social history of libraries. But think this is one of the older ones. Was he around in 1850? Jim

 

[AndyT]

Andy. Sorry mate, rather hard typing on mobile screen especially with dowell hole in wrist! Getting laptop today otherwise insanity will set in! Read up too on the social history of libraries. But think this is one of the older ones. Was he around in 1850? Jim

Sorry to hear about the dowel in your wrist - hope it's not too flimsy - surely a good time to invest in a Domino?

Mudies were around from 1842 till the C20th so the box could have been used by them, but let's not jump to conclusions. I've got as far as finding two of their old catalogues on-line, which do show that there were deliveries to provincial offices or to your nearest railway station, and that there were different classes of book - but they refer to a separate pamphlet for full details of the various subscription options. These seem to have been at least as complex as our mobile phone tariffs!

The standard price for the 3 volume novel seems to have been in place from the 1820s for an amazing 60 years, till it was eventually ousted by a better educated working class wanting cheaper books to read.

 

[jimi43]

Thanks for the update Andy. I look forward to your replies now! Today was my birthday so the other highlight of the day was a present from my parents ;- Making and Modifying of Woodworking Tools - Jim Kingshot. Wonderful book. Shall use my time wisely whilst in here! The operating scrubs make great overalls! Later mate. Keep the episodes coming!

Jim

 

[Richard T]

Hello Jim, hope you're doing ok and that you have your lap top now.
We were (finally) sorting out the shed yesterday and I came across a box of bits that yielded about 50 hand made nails of a very similar look to those in your box. Don't know where they came from but someone must have spent some labour of love extracting and recycling them.

They have smaller heads than than those that I make end up having - and look like the head was made in a countersunk hole like a screw head. I have been making an almost medieval type over a domed heading block. Fascinating to piece together this evolution.

Best wishes me old mucca

 

[jimi43]

Cheers for the nail insight Richard. It's little snippets like this that make woodworking so very fascinating!

On the laptop front, sadly no. As I am in for the quad bypass they said I can prob use the laptop by Monday. So it's the little Nokia for now unfortunately!

Keep the research going though so I have something to read later.

Cheers

jim