This little fellow is Rollo Holiday, the principal character of Jacob Abbott’s multi-volume series of books for children, first published in the 1850s and reprinted periodically during the last half of the 19th century.
Rollo lives with his parents (Mr. and Mrs. Holiday, of course, who don’t seem to have first names) and Jonas and Dorothy (who don't seem to have last names), the household’s outside/inside domestic help; he’s got a cousin James and a friend George, whose father is a local farmer. The stories are selectively sprinkled with other town characters that pop in and out of Rollo’s life; the books are chock-a-block full of morals, ethics and drama.
In his “Notice to Parents,” Abbott explains that although his Rollo Books for children are meant primarily for entertainment, he also intends they will stimulate thinking, expand linguistic skills and, perhaps most importantly, cultivate “the amiable and gentle qualities of the heart...”
I have an odd sense of connection to this Jacob Abbott. He was born in Hallowell , Maine in 1803 (about 30 miles north of me), graduated from Bowdoin College Andover Theological (where my brother lived for twenty-odd years) and was later pastor of a Congregational Church in Roxbury , MA
I’ve got ten Rollo books. They were purchased by my great-grandfather Selah Howell (1840-1910), who read them to his children; in 1880, he mentions Rollo in his diary:
Read Rollo to dear Will after supper and before his bed
In his last will and testament, Selah states:
The Rollo Books I give to that one of my children who has the most children. If none of them has children, which God forbid! the Rollo Books are to be divided equally among “the joys of my life,” the said Fred, Fanny and Will.”
(Don’t you just love the “God forbid!” in there? Talk about drama!)
Well, Fanny (see “The Face,” posted May 25) and Will each had two children, and Fred had none. Somehow, my line (Will’s) got the lion’s share of the Rollo Books, and they now live on the top shelf in my living room bookcase.
It’s amazing to me that Rollo, although he’s a child of a lost time and place, still has relevance. He learns life’s lessons as we all learn – by parental guidance (hopefully) and by personal experience (definitely). He does chores, learns his manners, rescues baby birds, carves jack-o’-lanterns, builds bridges and catches squirrels.
And learns the importance of keeping promises.
“Why, father?”
“Because I want you, when you grow up to be a man, to be bound by your agreements. Men will hold you to your agreements when you are a man...”
Hmmmm. Really?
Perhaps, one hundred fifty years after publication, the Rollo Series should be required reading for all politicians...
...and they’re just for starters!
NOTE: Be sure to visit other Sepians at http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com
Never heard of the Rollo series. I might do some research on my own!
ReplyDeleteI think they're actually reprinting them in paperback! You should be able to Google 'em!
DeleteI don't know whether they ever made it to this side of the Atlantic, but what a lovely thing to have,
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure where you are (England?), but I think they were published internationally; not sure. It is fun to have books that have run through four generations!
DeleteThe only Rollo character I've come across was a gypsy boy in the Rupert annuals, probably completely unheard of by all North Americans.
ReplyDeleteNope, never heard of the Rupert annuals...I'm interested, though: Titles? authors?
DeleteHere you are.
DeleteOh, he's a BEAR! That's great -- I don't know if we got these here in the US, I'll have to scout around. Thanks for sending the link, Brett!
DeleteI haven't heard of the Rollo series. I feel the poorer for it.
ReplyDeleteThey're republishing them in paperback: what goes around comes around, I guess. They do show interesting aspects of life in the northeastern US in the late 19th century!
DeleteI've not heard of these books before but they sound adorable & quite the terrific family treasure.
ReplyDeleteThey're pretty innocent, for sure! What's fun is the different signatures inside the covers: my mother's, her father's, her grandfather's.
DeleteThese are new to me as well. They sound ideal for children - but would today's children be interested. Keep them safe.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure that today's children would be interested...until they got old enough to understand that it presents the world as it was when their ancestors were young. I hated them when I was a kid (too boring, etc.), but love 'em now!
DeleteA treasure you have there; books with a moral and enjoyable as well (we hope).
ReplyDeleteOne of the great things about morals -- they're durable! It's what makes these little books a good read 150 years later!
DeleteI'm smiling at your observation of the absence of first and last names. Look at the those spines! They 're so beautiful! How wonderful to books!
ReplyDeleteHazel
That name business is interesting. I hate to say it, but I think the adults were too important to have first names (use my title, please) and the domestic help too unimportant to have last names. And I agree, Hazel, that books are wonderful things to pass through generations.
Deletemissed typing: "inherit"
ReplyDeleteThey do sound like something an adult would find more interesting than a child. I wonder if kids in the "olden" days actually enjoyed them. Interesting in an historical way and of course, for you, because they came through your family.
ReplyDeleteI know my grandfather loved them when he was little. After all, kids were central characters, which was Abbott's genius, in fact -- and Rollo did things that my grandfather did, so I can see why he found them enjoyable.
DeleteI've just recently purchased a whole set of the Rollo books by Abbott. But mine are all about travel. Each one is about a different country or city. They're beautiful books with very nice illustrations. Do you think he did different types of series? Yours seem a bit different.
ReplyDeleteNancy
I've got four of the travel series, Nancy; you're right -- they're nice! Abbott wrote more than 100 books, and they're broken down into various series. He did a whole group of books for girls, too, but I've never seen any of those.
DeleteThe books obviously contain more than just the stories printed in black and white - there are memories in there, and part of your family history as well.
ReplyDeleteAnd remarkable details about life in the 19th century -- things that we just don't think about today. One of Rollo's chores, for instance, was picking up all the wood chips from the chopping block area and collecting them in a basket -- used in the kitchen stove for direct heat under a specific pan...
DeleteYes, a lesson for politicians for sure! The books are quite handsome.
ReplyDeleteThey really are beautiful books...in fact, most books back then were lovely -- lots of gilt, raised lettering...and nicer typefaces, too; most fonts easy to read,I think.
DeleteI love the wording of your great grandfather's will - priceless!
ReplyDeleteMy Dad loved Biggles books - when many of them somehow went missing from his mother's house, I scouted around in old bookshops for years picking up old copies. His grandson, my nephew now loves them.
I don't know the Biggles books. I'd never heard of Rupert annuals, either, until Brett clued me in (see his comments above). So, help me out, Jackie...what are the Biggles books?
ReplyDeleteThe books look like they weren't handled by children. I have several of my mother's childhood books, and they aren't in very good condition.
ReplyDeleteI actually think they were handled a lot -- the covers are VERY sturdy, and the spines held up nicely...but there is definitely wear and tear on the pages. But they're just great books. My childhood books look like your mother's books: I was rough on books!
DeleteHow good that you have inherited some of the Rollo Books. They sound a very interesting collection even if out of date. I can't imagine young children of today's modern, whizz bang world, being motivated by these types of books. However, what a great piece of tangible history.
ReplyDeleteYou're probably right, Diane -- today's kids are too busy relating to their machines to be motivated by Rollo books...I continue to hope, though, that they will come to their senses! Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteHi Deb, I really enjoyed this whole article. I haven't heard of Rollo Holiday before now, but will keep my eyes open for them now.
ReplyDeleteKathy M.