[AUTOGRAPH BOOK] The Ruskin Birthday Book: A Selection of Thoughts, Mottoes, and Aphorisms, for Every Day in the Year From the Works of John Ruskin 250+ Autographs of Royalty, Politicians, and VIPs.

Birthday books were popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This one has quotations from Ruskin printed on versos, while each recto lists several days of the month, with blank spaces underneath for the owner to write in or—as was done in this case—have friends, family and guests sign on their birthdays. This copy was most likely owned by a female member of the Royal Family of Montenegro, who lived in Rome from approximately 1900 to 1940. She was clearly a woman of stature, given the prominence of her guests. The book contains more than 250 autographs, including many European royalty, as well as other influential people of the era. Most notable: (truncated) Guglielmo Marconi, Czar Nicholas II George V & his wife, Queen Mary, Edward VIII, Benito Mussolini, Giacomo Puccini, Woodrow Wilson. The book was signed by a large number of Montenegrin Royalty, along with many relatives of Czar Nicolas II. Also represented are the royal families of Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Germany, England, Italy, Portugal, Scandinavia, and Brazil. The family name Fernie is prevalent. (Inventory #: 12350)