Hardcover schoolbook bound in olive-green cloth, front cover stamped in black with a stylized maple tree design encircling the title « ELEMENTARY ENGLISH COMPOSITION / FRED. H. SYKES, M.A., PH.D. » A banner at the base of the tree reads « THE COPP CLARK CO. LIMITED · TORONTO · PRICE 40 CENTS, » with « AUTHORIZED BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF ONTARIO » beneath.
The front flyleaf carries pencilled student notes, including a partially legible line at top (underlined) and a list of grammar/composition topics: « Punctuation, » « Letter [?], » « Rules of Narration, » « Rules of Description, » « [Direct?] Sentence, » « Periodic, loose [sentences] » — apparent study notes on composition terminology, likely written by the student who owned the book.
Authorized for use in Ontario schools, this text was part of the standard English composition curriculum in Ontario in the early 20th century.