This week Suey wanted to hear about antique books. She wrote:
So this week, write a post sharing with us what old antique books you may have on your shelves, and tell us the story behind them. Did you inherit from a relative? Are you a collector of old and rare books? Did you just discover a certain book in a used book store and couldn't pass it up? What's the very oldest book you have? Do you even like old books? Or do they creep you out? Do you read and enjoy your old books, or is it more a "look and don't touch" thing?
A few people took up the prompt to tell readers about old books on their shelves.
Elena from All Booked Up writes: "I could easily see myself becoming a collector (if I only had the income)." She has a couple of older books, but wishes they were in a language she could read!
Naida at The Bookworm writes: "I don't mind reading old books, but it depends. If the copy is a collectable type book, I won't let anyone touch it..." My favorite book on Naida's shelf would be her 1964 book club edition of Gone With the Wind...which she classifies as one of her "look but don't touch" books!
Bernadette at Reactions to Reading doesn't much care about the container a book comes in, but she has a great collection of leather bound classic books published sometime around 1950. Bernadette is especially attached to these books because they used to belong to her paternal grandmother...and the best part? If you promise not to drop one in the bathtub, she'll even let you read one!
Amat Libris from Between the Covers loves old books because: "They bring a history with them which you can’t get in a paperback fresh off the shelves. Especially when they contain inscriptions or second-hand bookstore labels or other marks of their past, they invite you to wonder about who read them before you, and how they ended up moving on to someone else’s collection." The oldest book she owns is Jonathan Swift’s Journal to Stella printed in 1948.
Margaret at Books Please writes about the old books that grace her shelves: "I don’t value them just as objects, but for their content and some of my old books are not in prime condition. They are well used and well loved." She shares several much loved books which belonged to her parents. I would love to look at her copy of The Girl Guides Book which her mother received as an award for 1st Prize for Sewing!
Alex at The Children's War claims that although her old books are neither antiquarian nor valuable, they hold a lot of sentimental value for her. I covet her collection of Nancy Drew mysteries from the 1930s and 40s. She also has several other childhood favorites...and includes photos of her collection on her post.
Kimberly at Rouquine Reads has one treasured tome: "an 1884 hardcover edition of The Poetical Works of Jean Ingelow: Including the Shepard Lady and Other Poems." She loved her work as an intern at the library where she worked in the rare books room and got to "occasionally dust down the whole room and each volume."
Finally, Suey at It's All About Books weighed in sharing some awesome photos of the old books on her shelves. She has some great books from her grandfather and grandmother, and also The Bobbsey Twins book she found at a thrift store and fell in love with it.
If you haven't already done so, stop by these wonderful posts and be catapulted back in literary time! It is also not too late to join in the fun. If you decide to write a post of your own, visit the Weekly Geeks post #38 to link up!