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CHRISTIAN AITKEN : 1907 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIAY HAND WRITTEN BY AN ALL AMERICAN MAN, POSTAL CLERK AND PHILADELPHIA MAN ABOUT TOWN

12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. On offer is a very complete diary of a young man in the early years of the 20th Century. The diary measures 7.5 inches by 5 inches and has 365 pages. It is 100% complete. The book is in good condition and all of the pages are intact. The handwriting is legible and easy to read. The author is a young man named Christian Aitken. In the diary, he also wrote his first name as Crisfield, but census records list the young man as "Christian H. Aitken". The census lists his birthday as August 23, 1884 (noted in the diary also), which made him 23 years old in 1907. Aitken was single and lived with his parents. He did not specifically mention what type of work he did, however context suggests that he worked at the post office, mostly night shifts, and it is known from other sources that he was appointed a substitute postal clerk and then promoted a postal clerk in 1903. He wrote of when he joined the "service", learning the scales and of huge volumes of mail. Aitken writes extensively about Philadelphia. His diary is replete with the common, everyday details that add colour and richness to his descriptions. They paint a vivid picture of life in the city: "Quit the office at 9 A.M., stopped at H & H with macks and had a bite to eat, then came home via RAC, read the paper a while, went out, stood 23rd & Ridge Ave awhile, then went to the rink and watched the performers awhile, came back to the old stand and had a talk with 'Pops Cookhill'. Came home about noon and had dinner after reading an article in the Sat. Eve Post. Bought a hat at Smiths. Stopped at Eddie's house and we went to the skating rink ..." [Feb 16] "... we had intended to go to William Grove Park but we didn't ... went downtown via 20th St. and took subway cars and went to Buckwood Park, a resort beneath Woodside Park. Came home on the L to 52nd St. to Girard to 29th St. and had supper. Then went down to the O.S. and met Bill at Boyles and we went to Strawberry Mansion and heard Welsh sing a few songs, then we met the girls and came in together via 20th St. and had ice cream at Mahler's, sat on the step a while and then went to work." [June 23]. He very often went to the (then) Philadelphia Athletics games, and kept the scores in the back of the diary. He also played baseball, fished, bowled, skated etc. He spent a lot of time playing pool, poker, board games, and when he wasn't busy with those pastimes, he was in the movies, seeing shows or just hanging out on street corners or with his friends, both male and female. On his vacation, he travelled to several Pennsylvania towns and to New York City. While in NYC, he visited Coney Island, went to the horse races, the Bowery, saw the "Pennsy RR Station" under construction, 5th Ave and more. He noted many of the local daily events, several of which he saw first hand - fires, a suicide, accidents, a riot, an embezzler at work, being stopped by the police and more. "... Big Fire - Broad and Buttonwood Sts. ..." [Sept 8]. "... On our lunch hour Thomas and I took a stroll through the deserted streets. We were doing Commerce St. When we were suddenly confronted by a couple of cops. ... they inquired who we were and where we were going. They thought we were a couple of hobos ..." [Oct 16]. For an urban historian, this is a detailed and colourful description of Philadelphia at the turn of the last century. His descriptions are detailed and offer an excellent insight into the life of a young working man at that time. He mentions a number of friends and describes the popular social life of young men and women at that time. Through his words, this lively social scene comes to life.. Illustr.: /. Manuscript. Book Condition: Good

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