Show Us Your Oldest Books

[Marc Chevalier]

Two old ones of mine:




A Flemish tract from 1584 on ecclesiastical and municipal laws. Unusual to find the two discussed together in one book. In its original binding. It helps if you can read Dutch:

A 1798 British guide on how to perceive life meaningfully. One of my favorite books. I *try* to follow its precepts.

 

[Quigley Brown]

I found this book in the attic of a house I was raised in. It was published just barely after the Civil War ended.

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and I learned everything I know about photography from this book....

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[Micawber]

My Grandfather was an antiquarian book dealer from the 1920's to the mid '60's so in my formative years I was surrounded by ancient tomes. I may take a photo of one or two if I get time.

 

[LocktownDog]

A Flemish tract from 1584 on ecclesiastical and municipal laws. Unusual to find the two discussed together in one book. In its original binding. It helps if you can read Dutch:

Jeez, I can read some Dutch. But that, my friend, is Middle Dutch. A different beast altogether. I gotta say its got me drooling, though. The best Dutch books I have right now are a copy of De Grote Gatsby and the four volume set of the Maritieme Geschiedenis Der Nederlanden. I also have the normal amount of pulp crime novels and such in the language. But nothing like what you've got there. Love it! :eusa_clap

Richard

 

[Diamondback]

For me, a 1943 copy of Hal Goodwin's Aerial Warfare, an early hardcover of Guadalcanal Diary, and George Kenney's 1951 The MacArthur I Know. No pics, though. (The latter was a forged-titanium female canine to get and is a "mission-critical" source for my thesis, so I'm a little paranoid about even taking it out of the locked fire-safe I keep it in... Like I said, just a little paranoid.lol)

 

[PrettySquareGal]

The Complaint: Or Night Thoughts on Life, Death, and Immortality by Edward Young, 1813

It's a brooding book full of exclamations, lamentations, questions for the heavens. I think he may have been an insomniac.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

Two old ones of mine:

A 1798 British guide on how to perceive life meaningfully. One of my favorite books. I *try* to follow its precepts.

I have a collection of Victorian books on how to live happily and love them for the incredible wisdom.

 

[AlanC]

Put some of this on that leather binding, and you will be shocked at how wonderful it will look. Of course, it will also preserve it.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

The Complaint: Or Night Thoughts on Life, Death, and Immortality by Edward Young, 1813

It's a brooding book full of exclamations, lamentations, questions for the heavens. I think he may have been an insomniac.

Did you actually manage to read it from cover to cover??
(Those old books can be as dry as dust, and a real chore to read. )

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Put some of this on that leather binding, and you will be shocked at how wonderful it will look. Of course, it will also preserve it.

I wonder if that would work on the leather parts of old cameras?

 

[imoldfashioned]

1929 Russian book printed in Paris that I picked up at my alma mater's library book sale.

Great book Zaika, is this one illustrated by Boris Zvorykin by any chance?

 

[Vintage Betty]

My oldest book is as old as 1728 or as late as 1800-ish. It is a book by James Thomson (1700-1748), a poet. There is no copyright information, so I would have to depend on an expert in bindings and typefaces. However, in looking at the typeface used in this book, it wouldn't surprise me to find this as an early 18th century edition.

My earliest newspaper is Civil War, I believe, but I might have some that are earlier. I was approached by a museum to donate it (immediately) due to its rare content and I told them that I would donate it when I die, and would be sure to leave it to them. They were pretty grouchy about not getting it right away - maybe I should have died already so they could get the newspaper earlier? lol

Pictures coming.

 

[Vintage Betty]

<snipped>
Speeches and Letters of George Washington. No publish date.

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MrNewportCustom,

I have another book in this series, they were pretty common. I believe the publication date is 1920, and some were as early as 1910. I will secede to another opinion, if anyone knows more about this book than I do.

Vintage Betty

 

[imoldfashioned]

I love this thread--old books are so beautiful.

The oldest book I have is a small pocket bible carried by one of my ancestors in the Civil War and kept with him during his imprisonment at Andersonville. After the war he gave the book to his sister, who gave it to her sister all of which is documented in pencil on the fly leaf of the book. The pencil is so faint that it's really hard to get a decent photo but it's in remarkably good condition. There are pressed flowers and underlined verses inside--I don't know what era those are from; Civil War or later?

I picked this book at a library book sale when I was 12 for the graphic and I've displayed it ever since. The damage from an old price tag (probably) was there when I bought the book.

I've got a small collection of books illustrated by Tasha Tudor ranging from the 1940's-1960's.

I've also got some royalty biographies from the late 1800's/early 1900's but they aren't visually interesting.

 

[Vintage Betty]

And the latest purchase...

1942 Purchased on Amazon for $12.50. 14 volume Child Craft.

WOW That's amazing!
Good for you!

 

[AlanC]

I wonder if that would work on the leather parts of old cameras?

I don't know about that, but it's really good stuff for books. I've used it for about 15 years. I worked as an assistant to a writer who had a personal library of about 15,000 volumes (housed in its own building) including a number of 18th and 19th C leather bindings that had never been treated with anything. I got some of the leather preservative and it made those old leather bindings just come alive. I was amazed at how gorgeous they were.

 

[MrNewportCustom]

I've also got some royalty biographies from the late 1800's/early 1900's but they aren't visually interesting.

There is no such thing as a book that is not visually interesting.


Lee
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"There is no mistaking a real book when one meets it. It is like falling in love." - Christopher Morley

 

[MrNewportCustom]

MrNewportCustom,

I have another book in this series, they were pretty common. I believe the publication date is 1920, and some were as early as 1910. I will secede to another opinion, if anyone knows more about this book than I do.

Vintage Betty

I wish I knew more about this book, too. I read it soon after I got it, about fifteen years ago. I had a feeling it was part of a series. I would like to find a few more of them.


Lee

 

[zaika]

Great book Zaika, is this one illustrated by Boris Zvorykin by any chance?

Thank you! No, the illustrator is listed as S. F. Efremov.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Here's another I found last week. A children's book from 1918.
I thought it was much newer when I first laid eyes on it, it's in such good shape.

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And inside,...

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