author
Frances Delavan Page Jermain
1829–1905
Best known as a pioneering Toledo librarian, this late-19th-century writer also turned her curiosity toward language history and practical home life. Her surviving books range from an early American cookbook to a lively study of how the alphabet evolved.
1 Audiobook
In the path of the alphabet an historical account of the ancient beginnings and evolution of the modern alphabet
by Frances Delavan Page Jermain
About the author
Born in 1829 and remembered today as Frances Delavan Page Jermain, she was an American writer and librarian whose work connected everyday readers with both useful knowledge and big historical ideas. Records of her books show a range that is strikingly broad, from Tried and True Recipes: The Home Cook Book to In the Path of the Alphabet, a study of the origins and development of written letters.
Jermain had a long association with the Toledo Public Library, where later accounts describe her as a major force in its growth and organization. That reputation lasted well beyond her lifetime: a Toledo branch library was named in her honor, reflecting the importance of her public service as well as her writing.
She died in 1905, and In the Path of the Alphabet appeared shortly afterward in 1906. Taken together, her work suggests a writer who cared deeply about education, clear communication, and making knowledge useful to ordinary people.