Cupid’s Fair-Weather Booke

Issued by Charles Scribner’s Sons in 1911, Cupid’s Fair-Weather Booke reunited illustrator John Cecil Clay (1875-1930) with the wit Oliver Herford for a sequel to their Cupid’s Cyclopedia of the previous year. The full title promises an almanack for any two years, with the parenthetical jab that true love ought to last that long, and the contents parody the forecasts and seasonal advice of old farmers’ almanacs, recast as predictions for lovers. Clay, a member of the Society of Illustrators who drew for Life and The Century Magazine, supplied color plates in his signature style merging women and flowers. Novelty books like this sold briskly as Valentine and engagement presents, and surviving copies document the gift book trade of the 1910s. Free PDF download available on BDeBooks.