Friday, January 22, 2016

The Jolly Book of Funcraft

Patten Beard - The Jolly Book of Funcraft (1918)

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The author had two other Jolly Books on playcraft and boxcraft.  This one is "fun" for Valentine's Day, August, Lincoln's Birthday, Christmas and so on, going so far as to include "Carrot Fun", "Hobo Fun" and "A Plasticine Party".  There are instructions on things to make, games to play, that sort of thing - this is a resilient and long-lived children's book genre.

Emma Patten Beard was born in Syracuse and lived in Norwalk CT, apparently with her father (a pastor and also an author).  She graduated from Bradford Academy in 1899.  Who's Who Among North American Authors for 1925 (p31) claims she was related to Margaret Fuller through her mother. This isn't mentioned in the Fuller biographies I checked but then again why would they?