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[ MASSACHUSSETTS, Boston and Cape Cod; ITALY, Palermo. ]
ELLIS, Luther. Diary and Sailing Log.
One volume. 1860.
Nautical diary kept aboard the bark "Henry Hill" with eyewitness account of the revolt in Palermo and Garibaldi's assault; written on interleaves in Old Farmers' Almanack from 1860, re-bound and re-covered in marbled paper as a diary, with retailer advertisement (Hooper, Lewis & Co., Boston) as first page. Chipping to front cover edge, else good; overall a remarkable "make-do" affair.
62 pp. 7-1/2' high x 4-1/2" wide, 1/4" thick.

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(Above) "Wednesday, April 4th, Palermo. At daylight this AM a revolution broke out, the populace in arms firing at 10, the city under martial law, fighting going on outside the City, at 4 pm the firing continues, no carriages or vehicles in the street, all the fishermen leaving their boats, no person allowed to enter or leave the city unless from the sea. The steamer came in from Messina.

"Thursday, April 5th. Weather very warm, fighting continues outside the city. A steamer frigate making an attempt to bombard a small town south ea. of Palermo".

(Above) This spread shows how a Boston stationer took Old Farmer's Almanck sheets and bound them with blank sheets to form an interesting "make-do" journal which Luther Ellis used as his maritime travel diary. (Below) This delightful typographic festival formed the frontispiece for the volume. This is an early, and self-exemplifying object lesson in 'what you see is what you get' printing options. Diarist Ellis apparently practiced his handwriting by copying lines from the advertisment between those same line..

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