Conclusion

            The first mayor of Columbus, Ga, John Fontaine, had a library full of books with his family, and a few of these books have made their way to the Columbus State University Archives. This exhibit looked at one of these books, Peter Parley’s Tales about Ancient Rome, With Some Account of Modern Italy by Samuel G, Goodrich, who used it book and why, as well as the condition the book is in. This exhibit also questions the existence of a hidden chapter at the end of the book. The original owner of this book seems to be Francis “Frank” Fontaine, one of the younger sons of John Fontaine, but then it was given to his sister-in-law, Mary E. Shorter Fontaine, and her child Mary Fontaine Poe. This book was used quite a bit, as the back cover had fallen off and the spine was rebound with a ledger. The formatting, information, and organization of this book suggest that this was a school textbook, and it is possible that the Fontaine children were taught using this book. The book also has a misprint in the last few chapters that can be found in multiple different copies of the book. This mistake is likely a mass replicated mistake, but due to the cost of paper being very influential to the cost to publish a book, it is possible this was intentional and was made to save a bit on paper. Overall, this book, along with the others in the John Fontaine Rare Book Collection, gives a great insight into the lives of the Fontaine family, and the world they lived in.