Edwards, Elisa E. – Designer

My Him Book [1920s Flapper-Era 'Memory Book' in Original Box with Glassine]

New York: C.R. Gibson & Company, 1924.

A sparkling, beautifully preserved relic of Jazz Age social life, designed for a young woman to record the 'Hims' in her life, from 'First Hims' to 'Home Hims'. This 'Fine' copy shimmers with a unique iridescent cloth binding and remains housed in its original, seldom-seen protective box with the rare onion-skin glassine overlay.

KEY FEATURES
+++ Visuals: Extensively decorated throughout by Elisa E. Edwards with whimsical Art Deco illustrations of cupids, flappers, and gentlemen in formal attire. 
+++ Binding: Iridescent 'shimmering' red cloth that shifts light when tilted; the front board features a large black heart stamped with a central white-and-red 'Inlaid' heart-shaped vignette of a woman reading. 
+++ Content: A themed memory book with sections including 'First Hims', 'Home Hims', and 'Her Hims', designed for tracking romantic interests and social engagements. 
+++ Dust Jacket: Original onion-skin glassine jacket preserved, though toned with a closed tear and wrinkling. 
+++ Specs: 7 inches tall by 4.75 inches wide / Unpaginated [approx. 40 pages]. 
+++ Imprint: C.R. Gibson & Company, a premier manufacturer of high-end gift and memory books in the early 20th century. 
+++ Rarity: While Gibson books are known, this specific 'Him Book' title is scarce, particularly in the shimmering cloth variant with the original box.

CONDITION Fine in a Poor Box -- The book itself is in extraordinary, unused condition; the iridescent cloth is bright and the internal pages are crisp and clean, noting only a single ownership name ('Joyce Wilcox') on the 'Belongs To' page. The glassine jacket is toned with some edge wear. The original cardboard box is poor, with broken corners and significant paper loss on the front title flap, but has successfully protected the book for a century.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE --
In the 1920s, 'Memory Books' or 'Social Registers' became a popular pastime for the emerging 'New Woman' or Flapper. Unlike the stiff Victorian scrapbooks of the previous generation, these volumes reflected the more casual, playful, and male-centered social whirlwind of the Prohibition era. C.R. Gibson & Co. capitalized on this trend by hiring designers like Elisa E. Edwards to create books that felt more like art objects than simple stationery.

The 'iridescent' cloth used here is a notable technological artifact of 1920s bookbinding, intended to mimic the silk and sequins of evening wear. This volume serves as a social document of the era's dating rituals, categorized by the designer into the various stages of male companionship.

SUBJECTS: 1920s Social History, Flapper Culture, Art Deco Design, Memory Books, C.R. Gibson & Co., Romantic Ephemera, Jazz Age, Ephemera, Gift Books, Art Deco, Social Register.

Item #21553

Price: $65.00