Historical information

This book contains verses written by Tilly Aston. Matilda Ann (Tilly) Aston was a blind writer and teacher who was born in Carisbrook, Victoria in 1873. She became totally blind at the age of seven. She learned Braille and gained her Matriculation Certificate, spending a short time at Melbourne University. She helped to establish the Victorian Association of Braille Writers and to found the Association for the Advancement of the Blind. She was the first Secretary and later President of the latter association. She was appointed the Head of the School for the Blind in Melbourne and retired from this position in 1925. She published several books of verse and prose. There is a Parliamentary electorate in Victoria called Aston.

Significance

This book is of considerable interest because the author, Tilly Aston, has an important place in Australian literature. The book, ‘Maiden Verses’ has a local Warrnambool connection as it contains a poem written about Warrnambool, a town which Tilly Aston visited on occasions.

Physical description

This is a hard cover book of 146 pages. It is a book of poems written by Tilly Aston. The cover is dark red with the printing on the spine and on the cover in gold lettering. There is at least one page at the front of the book torn out. There is a receipt for the purchase of the book pasted on to the inside of the front cover. The date of the receipt made out to ‘John F. Watts’ is for three shillings and sixpence (1900). The book is bound with glue and string.

Inscriptions & markings

Signature on the first page: ‘John F. Watts, Nov. 18th 1900’ (or maybe ‘1901’)