First Day Cover - Ethelyn Emery Keays

5 years ago

For the past year or so, I’ve been tenaciously checking used bookstores/online book sellers for a reasonably priced copy of “Old Roses” by Ethelyn Emery Keays (both the 1935 and the 1978 edition with a foreword by Leonie Bell). After having no luck, I finally decided to check eBay as you can occasionally find old books there. I didn’t find the book, but I did find something else…

It is a 1978 First-Day Cover (FDC) featuring Mrs. Keays. (First-Day Covers are envelopes that are cancelled the first day that a stamp is issued.) It was part of a limited-edition series of First-Day Covers focused on women’s history. Over a five-year period, creator and developer Judith Kaplan, designed, researched, picked the subjects, and completed the write-ups for more than 170 women. Many of the FDC subjects were later commemorated on US stamps.

This FDC was just a few dollars and in mint condition; I'm glad I happened upon it! Here’s the front of the envelope and the biographical card that was tucked inside.

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belmont8

5 years ago

Yes, would love to have known her. She died the year after I was born. Imagine her as a grandmother figure.

Did you see that info about being a playwright in Douglas Seidel's article about her? I turned up that nugget for Doug, and also found the photo of her.

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Comments (6)

jerijen
5 years ago
How fun! I just this morning recommended this book to someone . . . not realizing that it had become hard-to-find. But it's a GREAT book.

Mine is the 1935 edition . . . A bit delicate and well-loved, but really wonderful.

Mrs. Keyes also wrote a number of terrific articles for the ARS Annuals, back in the day, when McFarland was the editor. Those are also terrific publications, and I have to thank the late Bob Edberg for making sure that I had a number of them.
RedBird_7a EastTN thanked jerijen
RedBird_7a EastTN
Original Author
5 years ago
I'm glad you enjoyed seeing it, Jeri! It was an unexpected find -- a little treasure. Good news...it occurred to me to check our university's ag/horticulture library and sure enough, they had "Old Roses" (both editions) so I'm reading it now. Already there are so many things I like about her writing and the book itself. It is chock full of material, her enthusiasm is contagious, and I so appreciate her respect for meticulously researching the roses. I understand that her material (I'm assuming that means plants and research notes) all went to the University of Maryland -- it is stunning to think that they lost it all! I also love how she talks about one of the best parts being the people she's met - the gardeners and rose lovers. In the 1978 edition there's a list of all of her articles in the ARS annuals. I'm reading those as well, as our university library also the entire set of the annuals.
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belmont8
5 years ago
That's a great find! It looks like the postcard used a detail of the dust jacket from the 1978 reprint for its image. The text sounds like it could be from Colman's publicity materials–not that there's anything wrong with that.

I love how eBay searches can turn up something unexpected.
RedBird_7a EastTN thanked belmont8
belmont8
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
By the way, for anyone else looking, I just saw at least 3 reasonably priced copies of "Old Roses" on ABE Books.
jerijen
5 years ago
Belmont, I saw those, too.

Doesn't she sound like someone you'd like to know? She was a playwright, too!
RedBird_7a EastTN thanked jerijen