One of the things I enjoy most finding at garage and estate sales is ephemera. If you aren't familar with the term, it refers to any transitory printed matter which wasn't intended to be kept. Postcards, tickets, matchbooks etc. fall into this category. They generally aren't worth a lot of money, but I find them very interesting, particularly when they've been written upon by the previous owner.
While doing some inventory and clearance recently, I came across a small notebook/calendar I picked up somewhere, some time ago, to be less than specific. It spans the 1913/1914 year from July to June (I'm not sure why the odd range) and was sponsored by Bromo-Seltzer, an antacid that dates back to 1888.
The first pages were left blank and intended to be used as a notepad. Someone took advantage of that and wrote their Christmas list. The note is old, but I don't think it is comtemporary to the calendar's issuance based on the items requested.
The best part of the book is the list of measures to take when an accident occurs. I'm not sure what's worse: actually drowning or it's proposed remedy.
It also lists popular antidotes for poisons. The cure for Opium overdose sounds a lot like the cure for a hangover.
Apparently, you could order sheet music from the Bromo-Seltzer Pharmacy as well for the cost of postage. Aside from "The Star Spangled Banner", "My Old Kentucky Home" and "Nearer My God to Thee", allegedly sung as the Titanic sunk only a year earlier. "Flee as a Bird" is not to be confused with the John Lennon/Beatles release of the 1990's.
The back of the cover features the Bromo-Seltzer clock tower in Baltimore, Maryland.
It still stands.
The hours are marked by the letters in Bromo-Seltzer:
Take it easy tonight, and if you do overindulge, remember
Bromo-Seltzer.
Happy 2013!
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