Description:

Ford Henry 1863 - 1947 Henry Ford signs first edition copy of "The Story of Mary and Her Little Lamb", book published by him and wife Clara Jane Bryant in 1928

Hardcover first edition copy of "The Story of Mary and Her Little Lamb" published in Dearborn, Michigan in 1928 by "Mr. and Mrs. Henry Ford", with half-title page signed "Henry Ford" in black fountain pen near center right. Book has faux leather brown covers gilt-embossed with book title, and marbleized endpapers. Signature is clear and strong. Book in overall very fine condition. Missing front end paper, loosened binding at front hinge, and former Pontiac, MI book owner address label affixed to front end paper. Expected wear includes some light cover scuffs and paperclip ghost impressions. Book measures 5" x 7.875".



"This is the story of Mary and her lamb, the school, and all the other persons and incidents noted in the famous verses. There was a Mary, and there was a lamb", begins this delightful account of the real Mary of Sarah Josepha Hale's verses. This children's book includes facsimiles of historical documents, drawings, photographs, and stills from the 1912 silent film of the same name to recount the personal history of Mary Sawyer (1806-1889), a Massachusetts farm girl who famously befriended an abandoned lamb.

The name of Henry Ford (1863-1947) is synonymous with cars. Ford was one of the founders of the Ford Motor Company established in 1903. Ford perfected mass production techniques, which enabled the manufacture of cheaper cars. Automobiles would revolutionize transportation throughout the world, and millions of Americans with disposable income discovered the delight and danger of driving.

Ford's personal fortune thus guaranteed, he pursued numerous extracurricular interests. In addition to running his corporation, Ford became involved with publishing. He subsidized a weekly journal called the Dearborn Independent in the 1920s. "The Story of Mary's Little Lamb" was not Ford's first foray into children's book publishing; he published "The Case Against the Little White Slaver", an anti-smoking book, in 1914.

Ford was an extremely polarizing figure. He championed a living wage, a 40-hour work week, and the hiring of women, blacks, and the handicapped, yet he also publically espoused anti-Semitic views. Ford's publishing of children's and public service books only further complicates this image.

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June 14, 2017 10:30 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

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