Shipp, Margaret Busbee.

[Manuscript Prayer/Gift Book and Ephemera From Acclaimed Magazine Author].

[Raleigh, North Carolina]: [1920s?]. 7¼” x 4¾”. Full leather with gilt decorations and “M.B.S.” stamped to front board and 56 pages. Also included are 23 letters and 13 photographs. Book very good with light wear; ephemera generally very good.

This is a manuscript/extra-illustrated book created by an accomplished magazine writer, Margaret Busbee Shipp. It's offered with some family photographs as well as letters written to her.

Shipp was born in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1871. In 1894 she married Lieutenant William Ewen Shipp with whom she had two sons, William, Jr. and Fabius. William died in July 1898 while leading African American troops at the Battle of San Juan Hill. According to NCPedia.org,
“To augment her limited military pension the young widow, with two small sons to raise, now turned her thoughts to writing for the national magazines . . . From a highly literate father she had inherited a remarkable memory and while still a child was given to rattling off quotations from Shakespeare . . . Further, apparently prior to her husband's death she had had material accepted by the Charlotte Observer and possibly by other North Carolina periodicals . . .Her first story to be accepted by a national magazine, Ainslee's, appeared in January 1899. By 1903 she was published in Collier's, Everybody's, and Munsey's and in 1910 by the prestigious Saturday Evening Post. . . Munsey's printed at least thirty-six of her stories between 1903 and 1926, Others for which she wrote were American, Blue Book, Century, Cosmopolitan, Designer, Green Book, Maclean's of Canada, National, Pearson's, Red Book, Rotarian, Smith's, The Smart Set, Southern Review, Watson's, Woman's Home Companion, and Youth's Companion.”

The book was created for Margaret's son, William. It begins with a photo of both her sons as young boys, along with a glued on news clip of a poem entitled Sons. 30 of the pages are blanks intended for Margaret's hand where she has written various bible quotes and prayers, provided other clippings of poems and pasted another photo of her sons as young men. The other 26 pages consist of a bound-in 1922 bible readings pamphlet which is heavily annotated by Margaret.

Included with the book are 13 photographs, 23 pieces of correspondence and several leaves of manuscript though we are not sure if any of those are in Margaret's hand. There's a lovely 8” x 10” portrait of Margaret and one of her sons taken by the important and prolific Raleigh photographers Wharton and Tyree. Other images include a cabinet card of Margaret with her young boys and a CDV of Margaret's mother. We have not closely examined the letters which appear to be from various friends and family. Very good. Item #3509

Price: $400.00