ANONYMOUS “The Good Fortune Birthday Book” [Samuel Ward, 1938]

ANONYMOUS. The Good Fortune Birthday Book.

Boston: Samuel Ward, 1938. 5" x 3.75", unpaginated. Original brown cloth, front board lettered in gilt “Fortune Telling Birthday Book,” spine plain. Ownership page completed in ink (“Mary Louise Landry,” with street address), with an additional ink signature inside front cover. A decent number of date pages have names written below them, presumably acquaintances of the original owner. Cloth shows moderate rubbing and surface wear, light fraying at spine ends and corners, and a small dampstain to lower front board; gilt somewhat dulled but legible. Text block clean with light age-toning, no loose leaves observed. A sound, complete copy. Very Good.

A compact novelty gift book arranged by calendar date, offering brief character sketches and predictions for each birthday. First published in 1938, as stated on the copyright page (“Made in U.S.A.”), the volume was intended as a personalized keepsake, evidenced here by the filled-in ownership and inscription pages. Each date receives a concise paragraph outlining temperament, ambitions, and prospects in love and domestic life - typical of prewar popular astrology and parlor divination culture.