Peter The Whaler by William H. G. Kingston - Prize awarded for excellence in 1904-05

Peter the Whaler by William H. G. Kingston is a classic 19th-century adventure novel for boys, centered on the early life and coming-of-age of its protagonist, Peter. The story begins with Peter, the son of a clergyman in Ireland, falling in with bad company and being caught poaching—a serious crime at the time. As a consequence and in hopes of reforming him, Peter is sent to sea, joining a ship bound for Canada. This marks the start of a series of thrilling and perilous adventures.

The presence of this “A” “M” intertwined is a monogram suggesting the book once belonged to someone who either had custom monogrammed or a personal or family crest to mark their books. This was a common practice to indicate ownership and sometimes status. So special!