Between the Covers

Hardcover. 12mo measuring 4" x 6.5". Red cloth with "My Him Book" stamped in gilt on the front board. Designed by Elisa E. Edwards. Very good with detached text block and worn edges. Additionally included is a telegram from 1937 and 18 sepia-toned or black and white gelatin silver photographs measuring between .25" x .25" and 2" x 3" with some captions.

A commercially printed book entitled *My Him Book* used by Pauline Volckens to document her lovelife in the 1920s. The book features pages reading “First Hims,” “Childhood Hims,” and “College Hims,” among other prompts where Pauline was able to fill out information on her boyfriends, first kiss, and unrequited love during these times. Pauline used 25 of the 33 pages to discuss the men in her life beginning in 1922. An early entry reads, “William Bowden, 1st him that ever kissed me really. Hot stuff but more on that later.” In an entry about a German beau she writes, “he was just slightly Jewish.” Other entries discuss dating boys to make former boyfriends jealous, not being as interested in a boy as he was in her, and boys she “truly loved.” In one of these she writes, “I guess I loved him cause he hated me.” On some of the pages Pauline just lists names and dates without further explanations such as under her “High School Hims” and her “Jazz Hims.” Under a name in “Sad Hims” she writes that he “fell for that imbecile from the Jewish Sorority when I loved him most.” The page entitled “Love Hims” includes small snapshots of some of the boys mentioned in the previous pages numbered in order of when she fell in love with them from 1922 to 1927. The final pages entitled “Notes” to which Pauline has added “on love hims only” she gives further information about some of the most important reoccurring names in the book. One of these, William Bowden, whose name appears throughout the book repeatedly, begins with a repetition of the fact that he was her first kiss. After this the page has been cut out and it appears that Bowden may have been the boy she lost her virginity to but decided to edit out later. On the same page she wrote a caption on the corner illustration which reads, “to Bill, Little virgin? Real Thing, Polly”? Senior ring. Kiss me? Jewish sorority. Finis.” Additionally laid in are snapshot photographs including a photo strip of Pauline in full flapper attire.

A modest but interesting journal following a young woman’s lovelife in the 1920s.

Item #427172