This may look like just an old, worn-out book that could easily finish in the arms of fire. Don't even doubt that it would be perfect to light up and warm some souls sitting in the bleakness and considering how dry the leaves are, it would be a spectacular fire. But it wouldn't last long. It would burn down quickly. So, it's better to read from here, just let me open that closed book for you and see what it hides.
The first page reveals the title of a magazine, Borsszem Jankó.
Place of publishing: Budapest.
Year of publishing: 1890.
That year, 1890, is already the 23rd year of publishing.
This book is a part of our family heritage. It comes from the part of my great-grandma's family who lived in Budapest. Though I don't know how they got the collection of these magazines into one book, from that year 1890. Btw, the book contains all the published issues from that entire year, bound in one hardcover book.
There are a few people on Hive who could read and understand it, so if they don't mind I am (now I am doing it shamelessly 😂) tagging @erikah, @stortebeker, @solymi and @ph1102.
{Let me know if you don't want to be tagged, I will remove the mention then 😇}
For those who wouldn't understand a word from these pages, I will translate some little parts of the texts.
So, Borsszem Jankó was a political tabloid and its target audience was the urban bourgeoisie of Budapest. Seems that it had around two thousand copies per issue in successful times. Flipping through the pages I didn't need a lot of time to realize that the writings have a satirical character. The caricatures in the magazine are pretty artistic and, of course, everything was printed in black but when my grandmother was small (we are now talking about the 30ies of the 20th century) she found it interesting to colour these pages. Oops. You can see it on the very first page, the colours are my grandmother's inspiration, as well as the blue and red colours on the following page:
Some of the drawings survived the temptations of colouring.
I feel sorry for those who can't understand the texts but there are too many interesting columns. At least I will do with this one, published on page 10, on 13 July 1890:
Adóemelési indokok.
- Ha az illető sokat költ (mert ha nem volna neki, nem költene.)
- Ha semmit se költ (mert akkor megmarad a pénze.)
- Ha nagy üzlete van (mert akkor sokat keres.)
- Ha kicsiny az üzlete (mert csekély a költsége.)
- Ha van földje, üzlete vagy keresete (mert az ilyen fizethet.)
- Ha nincsen (mert akkor sok pénzének kell lenni, hogy mégis megéljen.)
- Ha jó esztendeje volt (hadd fizessen!)
- Ha rosz esztendeje volt (mert borura derü következik.)
- Ha birtokot vett ( mert nyilván sok a pénze.)
- Ha birtokot eladott (mert pénzhez jutott.)
- Ha tavaly nem emelték az adóját (most elbirja.)
- Ha tavaly fölemelték (mert akkor se halt bele.)
- Ha vannak gyermekei (gyermek az vagyon.)
- Ha nincenek (mert sokat megtakarit.)
- Ha jó a felesége (mert az valóságos kincs.)
- Ha rosz a felesége (mert ennek ugyis mindegy.)
So, the translation would be something like this:
Tax increase reasons.
- If the person spends a lot (because if it wasn't for him, he wouldn't spend.)
- If he doesn't spend anything (because then his money will remain.)
- If he has a big business (because then he earns a lot.)
- If his business is small (because the costs are low.)
- If he has land, a business or income (because that can pay.)
- If he doesn't have one (because then he has to have a lot of money to survive anyway.)
- If he had a good year (let it pay!)
- If he had a bad year (because there will be good after bad.)
- If he bought property (because he obviously has a lot of money.)
- If he sold property (because he got money.)
- If his taxes were not raised last year (he can handle it now.)
- If it was raised last year (because he didn't die then either.)
- If he has children (children are assets.)
- If he doesn't have children (because it saves a lot.)
- If his wife is good (because she is a real treasure.)
- If his wife is bad (because now it doesn't matter anyway.)
I am not sure if it is the same funny in English, but I am still laughing for the tax increase reasons 😂
Moving to a funny image:
There was a railway accident and the man was helping the lady, asking her did she hurt herself a lot. She answered: Jesus!... Where is my new hat!?
The poem from the following page... it says they are modern romances...
It is hard to translate poetry, so in short: a girl had three "knights", she didn't know to which one to give her heart. Not to hurt any of them, one spring morning she escaped with the fourth one! 😆
Apart from the political, satiric and comic texts and poems, there were a lot of advertisements. Mainly medicaments and solutions to improve health.
I really like the velocipede advertisement. Herbster Károly was selling 100 pieces of velocipedes, made of the finest English steel and equipped with bells and lamps. They had a 1-year warranty.
It was this summer that I was reading this collection of magazines in my parent's home. The book is now 133 years old, and I do hope it will last for a few generations more.
I hope you guys also had some fun with Borsszem Jankó...
Believe me, the Hungarian language is everything but not easy 😁
Awww, how I love those old books and I'm really envious now, seeing you own this fun collection.
It was a lot of fun to read those tax reasons, but as an economist, I would argue all day, what a lot of bullshit it is 😂🤣. I know that was just for fun though.
I don't mind being tagged as I don't want to miss these goodies. Szerintem a többiek sem fognak megsértődni 😏. Micsoda remek olvasmány lenne. Ha valaki be tudná scannelni ... mennyei lenne, elolvasnám az egészet.
Köszi @mipiano 😍
Haha, the tax reasons, of course, it was satiric and written for fun. When I think about those years, that happened more than a century ago, I somehow have the feeling people were all serious... but this magazine proves the opposite 😁
That is what is the most surprising for me in this Borsszem Jankó :))
Next year when I go again, I continue reading, taking photos and tagging you. Or you come and we read it together :))
What an incredible post, about such a historical object offering us a glimpse into the past! Thanks for sharing. The magazine itself may not have been intended to be bound into a book, let alone kept for such a long time, but I think it's awesome that your family has preserved it. Even the coloring is very neat at subtle enough to make it look pretty. You could say it belongs in a museum, but since your family has gone through such lengths to take care of it, I think it's in the right place. Thanks for sharing it with us!
A few weeks ago I made a similar post... but that was based on a piece of newspaper that had been preserved completely unintentionally in the floor of an apartment, from only 55 years ago, so no real comparison there.
By the way, I don't mind at all being mentioned! It also gave me the chance to see who else would understand our weird language (most of whom I already know).
I am glad you don't mind the tag either. I had it clear that I wanted you guys who understand our language to see this magazine. And thank you for the link to your post, I didn't see it, unfortunately. In July we travelled to our families etc so the internet was also a bit tricky :D
Not for a museum at the moment as the family is keeping it, and hopefully will pass it on through some more generations :))
Köszi @stortebeker for being here and for your nice comment 😇
Of course, it's always a pleasure! And given the fact that the Team Hungary is virtually nonexistent, this is an easy and efficient way to let each other know about amazing things that we can understand. I may even tag @klausklaus who I'm sure will also appreciate it. 😉
As for the family heirloom, as these things go, it's going to increase in value. Not just in the monetary sense, but in what it it's worth historically and culturally. So yes, hold on to it and make it more valuable!
ow, thank you for the link to the Team Hungary community, I was not aware of its existence. Though, as you know I write everything just in English, but hey, this Jankó would perfectly fit there. Well, next year maybe when I visit again my parents and see/read this book :))
Do you speak hungarian too? So please be invited to the hungarian Community, David linked below.
Its really a nice book and an art treasure! I am artist and love such books.
Különben irhatunk magyarul is!
Thank you :) Just saw the community from his comment and subscribed!!
Igen, persze beszélek magyarul, csak az írás néha trükkös az ékezetek miatt. 😅 Különben Spanyolországban élünk and I write the fastest in English ;)
Nice to meet you 😇
This is truly amazing! I love how polite the Hirsch Brothers ask us to come spend our money, on the last image. And I wonder if the Luser L tourist patch is still made in Meidling. Might be worth an investigation.
Köszönöm a megjelölést, ez a kötet valódi kincs! ès most néztem bele a Sshwenk Gyogyszertár témába é a mai napig létezik az a gyógyszertár.
Szia @solymi
I am so glad you liked this collection, I hoped you would not mind the tag and indeed - happy to have this little Hungarian Hivers meetup in this post :D
Tényleg? Ez érdekes és nagyszerű :)))
Köszönöm szépen a hozzászólásodat 😎
This is definetely a heirloom that needs to be passed down the generations.
As to the reasons to increase tax, I don't think authorities every need a reason to do that, but if they do, they have certainly covered everything under the sun in that article!!!!
I hope that it will not be lost and my descendants will keep it in the same way as my great-grandmother did, then grandma, and now my mother :))
We even have my grandmother's inspired moments with using colours haha
true 😁
That's very cool , I love read all magazine and news papers, they had a lot of information as it was the social media in old days, aquí estaba el diario de la marina , it was súper!
Yes, it was the social media in those times, true :)
There were serious ones but also these satiric magazines. We humans need a humourous approach to serious life stuff, it is then easier to "digest" 😉
😁
It is a great treasure that you share with us. I don't understand anything, of course, of what it says, but I know that you have had a very special moment with that book of great family significance.
I like sensitive people like you, who know how to recognise beyond the dust and the cracks, the true value of things.
You have done very well to keep this treasure here at Hive, for posterity.
I know, I feel for my readers seeing those weird words that don't make much sense... So at least I brought the tax increase text in English but got exhausted hahaha, it took some time lol.
Juggling between too many idiomas already, could just mix everything en uno 😂
I truly admire you because you are multilingual. It's awesome (es una pasada) hahaha... by the way, I loved that your grandmother colored the book cuando (🤔) pequeña (me pregunto, ¿se usa aquí era o fue?).
Pues sé la respuesta, cuando she was pequeña 😉
😂 yo te doy clases de español y tú a mí de inglés, ¿it could be? Es "era" y se puede dejar even without the verb. 🙃
Lo sé, pero te lo dejé que me lo digas jajaja
😂
Te dejo que me lo digas o Te dejé que me lo dijeras.
Tenemos que tener clases extras. (😇)
@mipiano, do you know what determines effective communication? That both interlocutors understand each other, no matter how.
Tengo que irme ahora que tenemos Huracán.
Such a great piece to have in your family. I love the advertisements. The illustration where's my new hat, haha. The tax reasons were hilarious the translations didn't do it harm. Hopefully it will pass along many generations to come.
Yay, I am glad now that I brought that tax thing in English. It took a while hahaha, but I knew it would be a pity just to show the book and nobody would understand it. 😅
Thank you for reading 😇
Los libros son almas cautivas en páginas y tintas. Los libros antiguos están colmados de recuerdos, son tiempos atrapados. Es fabuloso lo que nos cuentas a los amigos que leemos. Lindas fotos, tomadas al detalle.
Books are captive souls in pages and inks. Old books are full of memories, they are trapped times. It is fabulous what you tell us to the friends that we read. Nice photos, taken in detail
Sí, son como cápsulas del tiempo que conservan el tiempo, los pensamientos de las personas que lo escribieron. Una vez he visto un post de Yanerkidiaz , mostrando unas revistas del pasado. Me acordé de ella al hacer esta publicación :)
I am always really amazed by these old book; wow more than a 100 years old, that's crazy...Tax increase reason: My wife is good.
THat cracked me hahaha
Oh, so your tax will increase.
lol
HAhaha... poor husbands 😂
Keeping things like this are done but those that are very careful to keep things save. It might not really make the full meaning in English though but trust me, it's making a whole lot of sense after reading it all.. I sometimes love to read old books because they make sense when reading.
As time passes, this book gets more and more interesting. Reading some of the texts gave me a little idea of how people used to have fun through those writings :D
Wao! I love the fact that you were even able to keep things like this for record-keeping purposes, and I am sure more people are still going to gain knowledge from this book.
What a wonderful book, and even though I don't understand the language I like to see its pages loaded with history and time.
The illustrations are great, what a time!
How lovely to keep these family treasures and thank you for bringing it to me. I love the smell of the paper from that era!❤️
That's why I translated at least that one column into English, as I guess learning Hungarian to read a few pages of a magazine would not be an option for my readers :D
The illustrations are also funny, oh, and my grandma with the colours... I just imagine the reaction of my great-grandmother seeing that hahaha 😂
And that part in English was very good.
Another time, what would your great-grandmother have thought....is a good question.🤣
Whoa, that is really an old book, it's a good thing that your family were able to preserve it and now it still look good despite it's old look.
What caught my attention here was the caricatures, it super awesome too despite its black and while color. It's cool, especially hat lady, lol, I mean, she just get into accident and all she say is "Jesus!... Where is my new hat!?" Lik what the, HAHAHA. Thats so cute, lol.
Yeah, it still looks quite good. It is well-kept nowadays too :))
There are many funny caricatures in the collection, one can entertain oneself for days and weeks by reading this 🤓
Good for you, to have such a family thing.
And I hope to know how to preserve it too for our descendants 🤓
Keep locked in a chest , with no oxygene... dont open and dont read?! !LOLZ 😁😁
Wow, what a book... Lol.
I hope this book will remain for more generations and won't end up in the fire... Lol.
But those tax reasons were really funny. It's reality though. It goes to prove how the government taxes us for silly reasons. As long as there is money, it doesn't matter the circumstances around us, we must pay taxes... Hahaha.
That woman who had an accident and wasn't worried about anything else except her hat is a real clown 😂😂
I enjoyed reading this... I hope this book gets preserved for a long time and I also hope there will be someone down the line who will color the rest of the images your grandma failed to color.... Yes, I don't want any of them to escape coloring 😆😆
Thank you for sharing @mipiano
No, it will not end up in a fire, it was just my joke. :)
The taxes were a funny thing, I am glad you enjoyed reading this post
😱
hahahaha 😂
The older a book is, the deeper the lesson it conveys, and we see that this book is a hundred years old, and it is a very brave thing to hold on to because the pages are torn.
Not necessarily. There is mountains of old dated shit out there ))
Actually, old things are very much valuable
Old books especially just like in the days of Williams Shakespeare