A PIG IN TIME

I stumbled across this unusual vintage guest book completely by chance in a second-hand bookshop while sheltering during a rainstorm. The rather disheveled owner stared at me disparagingly as I dripped on his highly prized 1970s patterned carpet and I was forced to feign an interest in his unpromising looking stock.

 

As the storm continued outside, his disapproval mounted within, making it absolutely clear that any wet stock needed paying for! Cautiously I perused, and finally chanced upon A Pig in Time Saves a Rhyme and as I flicked
through, I immediately started chortling. Some of the old verses are familiar and well known, while others have a distinctly piggish artistic license: "The last stroke broke the Pig’s back" and "A Pig in the Pen is worth two in the book". Sensing a sale, the shopkeeper softened his stance, a deal was struck and I left to an unfamiliar smile and enthusiastic handshake to brave further downpours, eagerly protecting my already cherished guest book. As a Scot with the maiden name Hogg, it is not surprising I have always loved everything porcine.

 

A Pig in Time Saves a Rhyme was written by Florence L Sahler and first published in 1902. It instantly spoke to me, and the pleasure it has given my family and guests is quite disproportionate to its rather damp arrival in our lives. Over the years, I have entertained guests ranging from well-known artists to those who struggle drawing stickpigs, but from children to centenarians, as they’ve chuckled forming their own swine, the universal cry has always been to insist that I should publish a facsimile of this charming book and allow others to enjoy the simple satisfaction of creating their own porky interpretations!

So here it is, with a couple of pages of pre-WW1 pigs and signatures preserved to inspire your guests.

 

Alison ‘Hoggy’ Nicholls