Uncle Herbert's Speaker and Autograph Album Verses

Uncle Herbert's Speaker and Autograph Album Verses: A Choice Collection Carefully Selected and Arranged" by Uncle Herbert. Sold by subscription only. J.A. Ruth & Co, Philadelphia and Chicago, 1887. 8vo up to 9½" tall. 416 pages. Brown cloth boards, black front titles, gilt spine titles; scrolled wraparound borders. Brown decorative endpapers. Rubbing to board edges and light scuffing to boards; text block is in fine condition without marks, tears or folds, very light toning.
"...Nothing that could in the slightest degree prove objectionable has been admitted. All the pieces are pure in language, lofty in sentiment, pithy, bright, sparkling. None dull or prosy. Beginning with the short simple pieces for the "little prattlers", the book gradually runs into those for older children, thus about one-third of the Speaker is given to pieces suitable for children under eight years of age, one-third for children from eight to twelve years old, and the remainder for older ones." This was especially designed for school or parlor recitations and also for fireside amusement. Many of these selections were also chosen with use in autograph albums under the headings: Dedicatory, Sentiment, Love, Humorous, Remembrance, and Miscellaneous. Some of the selections for the recitations and readings are: Beauty Everywhere, Bright Little Dandelion, Flea Powder, Burial of Sir John Moore, Be Pleasant, Good Night, I'm Very Young, It's Not Worthwhile to Hate, Little Brown Bushy-Tail, Katydid, Lake of the Dismal Swamp, The Counter Sign, Make Your Mark, Miss Tidy, Mr. Socrates Snooks, Mamma's Boy, Popping Corn, Presentation Speech, Marco Bozzaris, Sally in Our Alley, The Little Dreamer, Song of the Camp, The Violet, The Oyster Man, The Love of Country, The Lost Doll, A Visit From Saint Nicholas, The Modern Belle, What a Leaf Said, Useful Little Words.