We recently discovered a delightful old book that brings to life Harvard at the turn of the 20th century. A Harvard Alphabet : The Verses by W.B.W and H.W.P. and Another : The Drawings by J.G.C. and R.E., hardcover book published in 1902 by W.B. Wheelwright and H.W. Palmer, The Harvard Co-Operative Society, Cambridge, Mass. The book goes through each letter of the alphabet and has a woodcut illustration accompanied by a Harvard themed poem for each. Unsurprisingly, the students seem to engage in a lot of smoking and drinking, and of course digs at rival Yale.

The females illustrated are in full Victorian dresses and the men usually have on a sweater and tie or jacket and tie. Some sample verse below:

N is the Note Book we carry each day;

To while at dull lectures the hours away.

We fill it with pictures, with verses and jokes,

For we know when we please we can buy printed notes.

K is for Kegs, whose contents and dregs

We drain till our legs

No longer support us.

Like Omar Khayyam,

While we still have a dram

We don’t give a damn,

Let the Proctor report us.

The full identity of the authors beyond the initials they used in publishing the book are: William Bond Wheelwright, Henry Webster Palmer, Floyd Reading Dubois (all 1901 alumni of Harvard).

We have a nice selection of collegiate collectibles on our website including lots of Harvardiana and hopefully a copy of A Harvard Alphabet