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UNKNOWN : 1925 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARY OF ONE AMERICAN WOMAN AND FAMILY DOING THE GRAND EUROPEAN TOUR IN GRAND STYLE

12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. On offer is a richly detailed, fascinating travel journal from the Roaring Twenties. Measuring 6.75 inches by 3.5 inches, this journal contains 136 pages and is approximately 72% complete. The leather cover is in good condition and all the pages are intact. The pages are not numbered nor are they dated. The handwriting is clear and legible. The author is unknown. It was written in 1925 from late June until approximately the end of August. Context suggests this is a young woman who is travelling with her mother and either friends or other family members. The journal begins June 26th: "Gary and Frank and Ed drove me down to New York. - Met Mother, Byron, Ruth and Emma at the Commodore - Went to Palais D'Or for supper..." [June 26]. They sailed the next day on the steamer New Amsterdam (correctly SS Nieuw Amsterdam) bound for Boulogne, France. Once disembarked, they head for Paris. She has an excellent eye for detail and keeps careful notes about all they see and experience: "Roomed and ate at Grand Hotel du Louvre - Food fair - rooms good - service in dining room rotten - elsewhere good. Cashed my first American Express check & studied the money - the exchange rate changed every day, but averaged 20 francs for a dollar as we reckoned everything from that. Taxis go miles for a franc & expect a 10% tip. If we wanted a taxi for sightseeing we gave him 20 francs extra and he stayed all day if necessary. One man Mother and I had one day carried a rocking rooster on his hood and a white terrier in his lap ..." [July 7]. "Saw Conciergerie - the old prison under the Palace where Marie Antoinette was kept before she was beheaded. We were shown her cell and the chair she used there - the actual blade which chopped off her head and numerous other relics". [July 9]. Visited Heidsieck's champagne factories where the wine has been seasoned in casks. It is bottled & put in cellars (of which there are 20 miles) upside down then turned around a little three times a day so that all the sediment will go to the cork. In a month the bottles are opened, tested and sorted as to quality. Then bottled or doctored as necessary and is ready for the customer. Each process is done on a different level but all in cellars. None of the workers have rheumatism - probably because they drink champagne! ..."[July 11]. "Next, they off to Switzerland where they visited Montreux & Grinndelwald. From there, they travelled into Italy, stopping first in Milan: "... Taken to Leonardo Da Vinci's "Last Supper". Has been restored by ironing out by modern artist. Belongs to government now." In Florence, she stood in Savronola's Square: "... where Savronola was burned at the stake now holds reproductions of Angelo's David . The original did stand there as a hitching post but is now in the academy of Fine Art. ..." On they went through Rome and Venice before turning northwards to Vienna. Her descriptions continue, capturing interesting details, often expressed with a wry humour: "Doges Palace full of paintings and not very homelike..." From Austria, they travelled through Germany and the Netherlands before crossing over to England. Her notes continue in the same detailed manner. Unlike many travellers, they didn't just stay in London but continued on north. Her description of the storied Warwick Castle is delightful: "... They say King Edward had an affair with Lady Warwick and spent much time there. I don't blame him. It's a wonderfully romantic spot! ..." They continued north to Edinburgh. While there, they visited Rosslyn Chapel. This beautiful chapel was constructed in the 15th century by William Sinclair of Norwegian/Viking and Scottish heritage. The architecture is intricate (the "Apprentice Pillar") and reeks of symbology. In the 1980's, Rosslyn Chapel began to be associated in the public's mind with the Knights Templar and Freemasonry. Books were written linking the esoteric knowledge of both these orders to the fantastic symbolism frozen in the stone carvings of Rosslyn. This was only magnified with the publication of The Da Vinci Code and the subsequent movie where Rosslyn Chapel played a significant role. "... to Rosslyn Chapel & Castle. Chapel is small but the beautified thing we have seen. Story of the carving of the post (the "Apprentice Pillar"); Architect couldn't think of a good design for it & so went to the continent and found his inspiration..." Several days later, they were in Liverpool boarding their ship for home. Her comments for the trip are quite few but her last one stands out: "Sunday morning, we struck a schooner. Everybody dressed and took life preservers and stayed up until dawn.Towing the schooner to New York. May make us late." In her memoranda section, she notes her shopping list and the names of shops and vendors such as Venice - Linens - Emma Centini Wear - Hotel Italie London - Mappin & Webb - Jewelry - Regent St. This is an outstanding travel journal. Rich in detail and very well-written, a historian would find a wealth of information and details within its covers. There is sufficient detail that a researcher could easily use this as a cross-referencing tool.. Illustr.: /. Manuscript. Book Condition: Good

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