William Schley-Ulrich tells me that the inscription pasted above the Maplecroft seal in this eBay sale Nancy Stair- Elinor M Laine Owned by Lizzie Borden 1905 is from Emily Dickinson. It is a lovely poem, don’t you think? And if you know anything about the life of Dickinson (1830-1866), it has a bittersweet connotation.
THERE IS NO FRIGATE LIKE A BOOK
There is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away,
Nor any coursers like a page
Of prancing poetry.
This traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of toll,
How frugal is the chariot
That bears a human soul!
Emily Dickinson
