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UNIDENTIFIED : 1932 ORIGINAL CHARMING MANUSCRIPT DIARY OF A KEEN WOMAN DIARIST RECORDING HER AROUND THE WORLD OCEAN TOUR ABOARD THE NOTED AND ONE DAY STORIED CUNARD SHIP RMS FRANCONIA

8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. On offer is superb handwritten account of a 1932 world cruise. The writer, a woman sailed from New York Jan 9th, 1932 aboard RMS Franconia, an ocean liner operated by the Cunard Line. The Log Book measures approximately 8 1/2 inches by 6 inches. It is 2-hold punched and bound with string. The Log Book's first 6 pages are filled with autographs and contact information of people from the United States, England and Germany The next section is a pre-printed information section with pages showing itinerary, currency exchange rates in effect at the time, nautical terms and general information. The third section consists of 46 double-sided pages of handwritten comments. The entries consist of general society with comments about fellow passengers and extensive observations about the various ports of call but elevating the diary are a number of historic moments captured by the writer and while entries are undated the year becomes evident with the momentous times the they follow given the itinerary of the ship's cruise plan. The handwriting is clear and legible. We know the writer was a woman from this entry: "... at dinner I wore my black lace dress... "[p 2], "Most of the cruise people were still out on the Grand Corniche and we did not see them until the next day. Some of the younger set put on lovely evening dresses and went back to the Monte Carlo Cabaret and night clubs of Monaco." [p 1], "The National Museum was especially interesting owing to the comparatively recent excavations where some beautiful pieces of statuary had been found on some of the islands and even in the sea" [Athens, p 3-4], "We visited all the different temples, tombs, gates and gymnasiums scheduled, the outstanding high spots being the Acropolis and [ ] Hill. Mr. L took is to the Byzantine Church which he said was perfect in its architecture .... We sailed at 7 o'clock that night after another cold fifteen minutes ride on Phaleran Bay to our ship. We are to arrive at Haifa tomorrow... "[p 4], "We did little shopping in Bombay buying two star sapphires a small rug ... " [p 10]. Included in the Log Book is a printed passenger manifest for this cruise including the names of the key Cunard staff on board. Other excerpts will detail the significant historic moments when her their trip made port in Shanghai: 1932- Off the Coast of Italy I saw Vesuvius with it's plumy vail turned to gold by the mourning sun. I had never seen it''s full outline before it was most beautiful & to the West was the big yellow moon just going off duty from it's night vigil. There was a large Chinese boat on our right and as I turned an English fraighter on our left. 1932 Haifa - Jerusalem We are to arrive at Haifa tomorrow & travel by special train for Jerusalem where we are to spend two days in & around the Holy City, tonight there is a clear sky but the sea is a little rough. 1932- Egypt Long after leaving Cairo we came into a very dismal country & soon into the desert. On our right in the distance was the Egyptian mountains this was all very interesting to us. Suez is small with quite a few modern houses. Our train passed through the very center of the town. Last Saturday night we were scheduled to have a fancy dress ball but for some reason it was post postponed for some reason until Wed night. They paraded twice through the social hall and I think the prizes were fairly given. The first ladies prize went to Gloria Baker who they say is only 11 years old. She took the part of Cleopatra dressed in a beautiful Egyptian costume of white & silver. She is quite grad looking & is the daughter of the second Miss Alfred Cousins Vanderbilt. 1932- India The Hindus cremate their dead in this way this place looked like a vacant lot in some out of the way alley with huge wood yard cut with rather small pieces were kept for cemetery purposes. There was a small lot were the earth had been turned up in many places for children under ten years old were buried and the sod was turned over until they were mixed thoroughly. We drove to quite an imposing burial place up high with beautiful doors of stone & a glorious white" tombs of silence " a body with a white covering shoulders of six men was being carried up the steps we had to wait until they had disappeared when we reached the top just across from us was the tombs where vultures were sitting massed together like a squirming black pall noisily chattering just as human beings over a voluptuous satisfying meal. In less than 15 mins that body had passed us had been devoured. 1932 - Singapore We entered the causeway to Singapore arriving at 12:55 at the famous Raffles Hotel where we sat at table with Madam & where we had a million dollar cocktail- which was not so good. I bought a very pretty jade ring set in silver for $ 1.25 We had to pass the customs officers at the end of the Causeway on our way to where Balorne at the wharf. 1932 - Siam We saw the Kings palace & in part of it the King who comes to America for his ? We saw the Royal white elephant of his father & also a white monkey. Mr & Mrs Higgen's were standing together when our auto companion came up and asked us to come & see an opium place for incurables. We found all or many of the cursed people invading this den that was at the end of a long building barn like. We saw rows of pipes and near each man was a glass tube & other things. We didn't understand them. 1932 - Saigon At Saigon I was able on account of the little French I knew to get our car immediately we get our seats on a splendid boat in the center are reclining chairs where most of us went to sleep. They say drinking on the Ankor boat was heavy. Mrs H also took a mighty drought of whisky & soda. 1932 - Off the coast of Shanghai China Our boat was to sail promptly at 5 pm for Shanghai I think - on account of the war - we were as much excited at reaching Shanghai as when we were to land at Bombay. Before dark April 5th we came into the yellow sea. We encountered wind rain & lighting we had a rolling sea & a number in the waiting room thought they would have to retire with mal de mers while in here there was a big noise & some show of excitement. It seems the sea had burst in a the gangway D deck starboard some said dining room stewards looked odd in their dinner clothes - their trousers rolled up in their bone feet mopping up a great quantity of water. 1932- Shanghai The wide Yangtze rises so wide in places you cannot see land. But here it was full of all kinds of war ships of foreign countries many waving our handkerchiefs & hats at our own stars & stripes on a big grey monster. We passed. We passed destroyed sections where some said bombs were dropped from Japanese airplanes the term was shot into from vessels the native boats & shipping craft were very picturesque. Many of us felt we were in the midst of war. Especially when we got into our automobiles & drove by barricades of sandbags piled up 4 or 5 high & barbed wire fences & entrapments. For a social historian, this is an excellent window into a long-gone world - a world where people unaffected by the global depression had the money and the time to enjoy a leisurely cruise and indulge themselves. In seven short years, as the world descended into world war, RMS Franconia would be requisitioned by the Royal Navy and refitted as a troopship.. Illustr.: /. Manuscript. Book Condition: Excellent

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