1929-1930 Book of Ellis County, Texas Students’ Beautiful Hand Drawn and Labeled Biology Diagrams Containing Course Content Ranging from Amoebas to Human Organs and More

On offer is a neat biology composition book kept by during the 1929-1930 academic year in Ellis County, Texas. 

The composition book is stamped with the name Norman [Nichol] Sartain (1913-1982) and indicates that all drawings are by Sartain. However, two classmates, Freddie Mae Adams (later Epps) (1915-2002) and Mary Beck (later Browning) (1912-2002) have also hand-written their names under Sartain’s. It is possible that Sartain, Beck and Adams collaborated on the work. It is also possible that all the work is Sartain’s and his friends just doodled their names in there. Either way, the inclusion of the girls’ names enabled us to trace these students to Ellis County, Texas. [SEE BIO NOTES FOR MORE ON SARTAIN AT THE END OF THE LISTING].

The book contains 17 pages of quite detailed and thoroughly labeled pencil drawings that clearly demonstrate the growth of the students’ knowledge over the academic year or semester. Page one contains labeled diagrams of an amoeba, a plant cell and a typical cell. Page two contains 12 diagrams of types of cells, pages 3-5 contain diagrams of insects and fish, pages 6-7 focus on the anatomy of a frog, pages 8-9 are diagrams of birds. On page 10 is a very impressive labeled drawing of a human skeleton, and the rest of the pages focus on drawings of various parts of the human body, from individual cells through organs. 

There is evidence that a number of pages have been excised from the book, but the students have numbered the pages and there are no pages missing between pages 1 and 17 (but there are two page 2s). This suggests this composition book served as an end-of-term project of sorts to demonstrate the students’ learning over the term.

This composition book would be of interest to a variety of collectors and researchers. The artistry of the student(s) who composed the diagrams would be fascinating to study, as would the sequence of learning in a 1920s high school biology class. Being drawn by students in Ellis County, Texas, it would be a nice addition to any Texas library’s collection focused on science, general academics, or student artists. As Sartain became a notable name in Texas and New Mexico radio (see bio notes), this piece may also be of interest to a collector of radio history. 

The book is hardcover, measuring 8.25x6.75 inches. It contains 17 pages of labeled diagrams.The covers are in fair condition with wear marks on the surface and along the edges. The binding is sewn and is loose. A number of pages are also loose in the book and many have detached from the binding. The pencil drawings are impressively clear and neatly labelled.

BIO NOTES ON NORMAN SARTAIN: After completing high school in Ellis County, Norman Nichol Sartain went on to become a radio broadcasting engineer in New Mexico and Texas. He was a member of the National Radio Club. He served in the US Navy in World War II. He was married to Annie Frances Cox (1922-2006) from 1940-1977. They had one son named William who did not survive infancy. He was then married to Billie Jo Haralson from 1978 until his death in 1982.