A VISION THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS

Gay, Maude Clark (1876–1952)

The Vision: The True Story of Crawford Notch [White Mountains - New Hampshire]

Lewiston, Maine: Journal Printshop and Bindery, [ca. 1930s].

THE MAKING OF CRAWFORD NOTCH.
An unusual die-cut New England regional pamphlet in which Maine author and public figure Maude Clark Gay retells in verse the traditional story of the opening of Crawford Notch. The poem follows the pioneer who discovers a route through the White Mountains and carries his vision to Governor John Wentworth.

The attraction of this little publication is as much physical as literary. The entire pamphlet is cut into the profile of a young woman, with the illustrated front wrapper using the silhouette as part of its design. The typography, ornamental devices, shaped leaves, and locally produced format give it considerably more presence than the typical regional-history pamphlet.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: A BOOK CUT TO ITS IMAGE.
+++ Gray pictorial front wrapper printed with a stylized profile portrait and title lettering; plain gray rear wrapper.
+++ Approximately 6 × 4.5 inches. Eight pages in stapled wrappers, the entire publication die-cut into a human profile.  
+++ Interior title page enclosed within an ornamental rule, with small decorative devices repeated through the text.
+++ Printed by the Journal Printshop and Bindery, Lewiston, Maine, whose imprint appears on the inside rear wrapper.

CONDITION: Very Good. Stapled binding remains sound; wrappers and interior leaves clean and well preserved. Mild age toning and slight handling consistent with the format. The shaped edges remain notably well preserved without substantial loss or deformation.

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE: TURNING LOCAL HISTORY INTO LEGEND.
Maude Clark Gay belonged to a generation of New England writers who preserved regional history through poems, stories, novels, and local legend. Born in Waldoboro, Maine, she began publishing while still a teenager and wrote frequently about the history and traditions of New England. 

Her public career adds another dimension. Gay served in the Maine House of Representatives from 1927 to 1930 and in the State Senate in 1933–1934. She was among the pioneering generation of women entering Maine state government after women's suffrage. 

CUT TO TELL A STORY.
The Vision turns the opening of Crawford Notch into a compact piece of regional mythology: wilderness, perseverance, government support, and the building of a road through the White Mountains. Its unusual silhouette construction gives that familiar New England tradition a distinctive physical form and makes the pamphlet collectible both as regional literature and as an example of novelty book design.

GENRES: Regional History, Local History, Poetry, Historical Verse, New England Literature, Illustrated Ephemera, Die-Cut Books, Novelty Printing.

SUBJECTS: Crawford Notch, White Mountains, New Hampshire, Timothy Crawford, Governor John Wentworth, New England History, Mountain Roads, Regional Folklore, Maude Clark Gay, Maine Authors.

Item #22567

Price: $75.00