VivaVibe

Edith Wharton's baby rattle, and other strange author artifacts for sale

The online bookseller Abebooks announced Tuesday that the strangest piece for sale in its collection is not, as you might expect, a rare edition of Aleister Crowley’s Moonchild, but a baby rattle. To be more precise: a sterling silver baby rattle with the name “Edith” engraved on it. The reason for that name, and the rattle’s $16,500 price tag, is because it once belonged to iconic turn-of-the-century novelist Edith Wharton, author of The Age of Innocence and Ethan Frome, among other works.

This rattle isn’t the first relic of a long-dead author to pop up for sale over the years. Take a look back at some of the strangest.

ncG1vNJzZmidp2OwsLmOmqmtoZOhsnB%2Bj2psaGlgZH9xe8SdoK2gXay1or7TqKVmmaWptbC%2BjJqpraGWlrC1v44%3D

Noelle Montes