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rcb1023

Aluminum Book Page?

rcb1023
12 years ago

Hello All,

I had been metal detecting on a piece of land that was once farmed. I found this piece of aluminum halfway wadded up at the bottom of a tree with 2 nails in it. Anyway I unfolded it and found that it had imprinted writing on it. In fact it appears to be a page from a book. I'm curious as to how old this may be and what book the writing was taken from. Any help would be greatly apprecited.

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Thanks for any help.

Comments (16)

  • lindac
    12 years ago

    Looks like an aluminum printing plate.....some time not too long ago, newspapers printed on plates like that. Usually they recycled them....but sometimes they sold the plates if they were, say an announcement of your engagement.

  • cloudy_christine
    12 years ago

    But the text is not reversed, as it would be if anything was printed from it.

  • lindac
    12 years ago

    Hmmmmm....????

  • calliope
    12 years ago

    I think Linda is correct on this. The paper is not pressed against this plate. The plate transfers the image over to another take-up reel and that would be reversed if you looked at it and then that is pressed onto the paper.

  • calliope
    12 years ago

    Yes, I just googled offset printing and we were right. The image is transfered to a rubber mat or blanket from the alulminum plate, and that rubber mat contacts the paper in the press. Therefore the printing on the aluminum plate would be normal, reversed on the rubber blanket and back to normal on the paper finished product.

  • rcb1023
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks for your responses. That's very interesting. It appears to be page from a book. I can read most of it. Is there a way to find out what the book was? Thanks again for your help.

  • calliope
    12 years ago

    Nope, doubt it unless some sort of serial number was on the reverse of the plate and even then it would be a stretch since the plates were routinely recycled. Do you, or did you have a publisher/printing house in the vicinity?

  • karinl
    12 years ago

    If you can read it, you could transcribe it and post the text on some kind of book forum. I once found the name of on old children's book where I only knew the name of the character by asking a forum on ABEbooks, I think it was. Check Alibris too... or whatever forums you might find relating to old novels, which this appears to be.

    Karin L

  • lindac
    12 years ago

    Our newspaper sold those plates for...."whatever"...I knew of some kids who roofed their tree house with them!

  • calliope
    12 years ago

    LOL. Good idea.

  • rcb1023
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks for all of your help. I will see what I can find out at a book forum. Thanks again.

  • Fori
    12 years ago

    I'd guess it's fiction for children or teens but that helps you not a bit! It's interesting, especially being nailed to a tree.

  • Ideefixe
    12 years ago

    You could try Google books, but it's not a definitive source. This is one of the cooler things I've seen in this forum.

  • rcb1023
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks for all your replies. I checked out AbeBooks and posted the text from the page and got a response saying that it may be from a book about Booker T Washington, since he has a brother named John and he had worked in the mines. I also looked on google books, but didn't find anything that related to the text. Here is the text. It may not be exact, but it should be very close. Some of the words were not easily made out and some I couldn't make out at all. Thanks again for all your replies.

    "Please" John begged, "Let me stay and help my brother. He works hard. Honest, he does. I'll stay late tonight to make up for the time we lost. Please."
    "Get your pick and come with us" the boss ordered.
    "But he'll get lost trying to find us. He doesn't know his way in the mines yet. I have to look out for him." John pleaded.
    The mine boss pushed John ahead of him. "Booker you join us when you are finished here."
    Booker was left alone.
    He began digging as fast as .....cant read this part..... lift the pick and bring it back down again.
    Banging his pick against a big lump of coal. Booker whispered, "I hate this mine. I hate ....cant read this...... Tears of frustration choked his voice.
    And then Bookers ....cant read this.... in the stubborn way it always did when he made up his mind to do something. "I'm going to leave this old mine one day and go to school.", he said aloud "And after I go to school. I'll be a teacher. I'll teach everybody, even the old folks. I'll build ma a fine home and she won't have to work so hard and -".
    Booker brought his mind back to his work. He finished digging a pile of coal and set out to find John and the other miners.
    He carefully adjusted his miners lamp so he could see better.
    Booker then put his pick on his shoulder and started off in the direction the miners had taken. He walked for a while then stopped. Now, he wondered which way he should turn?
    He listened for the sound of voices or the clank of picks.
    There was only silence.
    Booker turned and walked for a time in the opposite direction. Still he could hear no sounds. He cupped his hands to his mouth and yelled "Hello! Hello!".
    No sounds.
    Booker feared that he was lost. The more he walked, the more he seemed to be going around in circles. And being lost in the mines was like being lost in a huge dark forest. He became frightened.

  • karinl
    12 years ago

    The google search I did confirms that bit of info. So now you might use Abe again to search for books about Booker T. Washington. It seems to have been a book aimed at kids; maybe a schoolbook? It might even be a book with many short essays or biographies, but there is enough detail here for it to be a single-topic book. I'm left hanging by the text: have to read the rest!

    Neat to get a history lesson too. Another interesting link I found:
    http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/books/review/Steele-t.html

    Karin L

    Here is a link that might be useful: Google search

  • rcb1023
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks again for your help. Interesting link. A person posted on Abe Books that it may be from "Booker T. Washington: Ambitious Boy" by Augusta Stevenson. I don't have a way right off to confirm. I may have to acquire a copy of the book to see. Thanks again for everyones help.