I have a vague memory of autograph books having a fleeting popularity when I was about 10 years old (1954) -- the autographs were never of anyone remotely famous, but always of school pals; and the 'competition' was to write something unusual or unknown or special or humorous.
There were some pretty awful puns, some poor verse -- and the rhythm of this long-lasting verse sounds very familiar! Perhaps it was supplied to school friends by grannies?

(On a tangent, there were also the various forms for identifying a book as one's own, with the 'This book belongs to:- …..Glasgow, Scotland, Great Britain, Europe, The World, The Universe etc. etc.'. To a 10 year old it all seemed very fresh and new!)