another peculiar dedication

jerome k. jerome dedicated his 1892 book, idle thoughts for an idle fellow to his pipe. the dedication reads:

To the very dear and well-beloved friend of my prosperous and evil days

To the friend who, though, in the early stages of our acquaintanceship, did ofttimes disagree with me, has since become to be my very warmest comrade

To the friend, who however often I may put him out, never (now) upsets me in revenge

To the friend who, treated with marked coolness by all the female members of my household, and regarded with suspicion by my very dog, nevertheless, seems day by day to be more drawn by me, and in return, to more and more impregnate me with the odor of his friendship

To the friend who never tells me of my faults, never wants to borrow money, and never talks about himself

To the companion of my idle hours, the soother of my sorrows, the confidandt of my joys and hopes

My oldest and strongest

Pipe,

This little volume is gratefully and affectionately dedicated.

__

•a previous peculiar dedication [achtung: it contains a derivative of the word pussy. [deflator alert: the word refers a pet name for a pet and not a slang term for the shameful female sex organ]]
•other peculiarities: board game starting player rules, stage directions i & ii, epitaphs