Show Us Your Oldest Books

[zaika]

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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wow. that books is beautiful! the illustrations are so sweet!

 

[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

Actually they are quite common. Once you start looking, you will probably find quite a few. The average price is usually $2.00-$4.00 each, but I've seen them for as little as .10 each.

The few I still have left (I've given some away) have green leather covers I believe.

Happy Hunting-

VB

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

wow. that books is beautiful! the illustrations are so sweet!

Yeah, it just grabbed me because of the illustrations and the condition it's in. (The price was right too. )
I used to have that same orange cover Childcraft set when I was a kid. 1948 edition as I recall. I saved the Science and Industry book, wish I had saved the whole lot.

 

[carter]

I believe this is the oldest volume in my library. I purchased it at a garage sale in Houston, TX for $3.00.

The title is rather long, Antipseudobaptism Examined, A Strict and Impartial Inquiry into the Nature, and Design, Subjects, and Mode of Baptism. Including, also an Investigation of the Nature of Positive Institutions in General, and Occasional Strictures on Human Ceremonies in Matters of Religion, Containing, in Particular, a Full Reply to Mr. Booth's Pseudobaptism Examined

Authored by Edward Williams, apparently a man not at a loss for words.
Published in 1789 in Shrewsbury by J. and W. Eddowes.

The volume is all there but the front board is detached and the leather on the spine is missing. A number of the initial pages are detached from the binding. This is the 1st.

This is volume II of a two-volume set. If I had the 1st volume as well, I'd be thrilled.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

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.

Thanks for the suggestion, however I personally don't advise people to use that on their antiquarian books, especially the one I showed. In the product description it says not to use the preservative on powdery leather which describes my book. Also, "Advice for the preservation of leather bound books used to be to use a leather preservative twice a year. The Library of Congress and AIC (The American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works) now recommend against such preservatives. A clear, plastic cover on a goodleather -bound book will help to preserve it and protect it from rubbing. Don't leave it wrapped in plastic for a long period of time though. It needs to breathe." (From http://www.tomfolio.com/CollectingInfo/caringforbooks.asp where there's lots of great advice!)

 

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

The oldest book I have is more than 300 years old. For the time being, I won't post a picture for privacy reasons (internet paranoia, working on it ) - it was written by my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, and my family name is on the title page to those who read Hebrew letters. I didn't inherit the copy, by the way, but looked for it for years and was able to buy it in an auction for $200 some years ago, which also makes it the most expensive book we ever bought.

The only other copies I know of are in the university libraries of Oxford, Frankfort and Jerusalem, which I have seen, and the NYPL, which couldn't be brought from the basement the day I thought of it, and I somehow never tried again. (The book is always the same edition, but I was curious about possible notes or owner inscriptions.)

It's a thin, small book, I had it as a microfilm before, and a full scan has been made available online by one of the libraries meanwhile, but it's still a thrill to have that.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

The oldest book I have is more than 300 years old. For the time being, I won't post a picture for privacy reasons (internet paranoia, working on it )

fftopic: No need to apologize for valuing your privacy.

 

[BJBAmerica]

Here are some of mine....

1st Edition copy of MacCarthur's biography:





Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House:



Eisenhower's White House memoirs:





His WWII memoir (Book Of The Month Club Editon & fliers that came with it):









My Grandfather served in the Sea Bees during WWII, so I happened upon this book some time ago and had to add it to the library:

 

[CharlieH.]

Beautiful stuff, everyone!
I recently started collecting vintage publications, though my items are certainly not as ancient or magnificent as the ones shown here. Well, except for....

Say Quigley, what year is this one from? I think I have the same book, only sans dust jacket (and in spanish).

 

[imoldfashioned]

I love the cover art on "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House"--the illustration style looks really familiar--is there an artist listed?

Zaika, thanks for letting me know the name of your illustrator--I've got some postcards done by him which is why his style looked familiar. I'm really partial to Slavic Revivalish art.

 

[BJBAmerica]

I love the cover art on "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House"--the illustration style looks really familiar--is there an artist listed?

Zaika, thanks for letting me know the name of your illustrator--I've got some postcards done by him which is why his style looked familiar. I'm really partial to Slavic Revivalish art.

Thanks, Imoldfashioned....The illustration on the cover of the Blandings book and all throughout it were done by William Steig.

I looked him up on Wikipedia, and he was pretty well known....Here's a link to the Wiki article on him:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Steig

Steig also created the character Shrek, for a book he did back in 1990....Yep, same character we all know from the movies!

http://www.williamsteig.com/index2.htm

 

[MrNewportCustom]

Off (but related) Topic.

After a lot of thinking (aproximately thirteen seconds), I decided I could highjack my own thread for a moment and show a bookmark.

A friend made this about fifteen years ago, and gave it to me. It's not real, but he worked for hours to get the color exact. He matched it to an original ticket. These pictures don't do it justice.

The front . . .

. . . and the back.

The book is modern.


Lee

 

[Diamondback]

I also have a copy of Ike's At Ease: Stories I Tell To Friends, and a copy of Sid Huff's My Fifteen Years With General MacArthur that came out shortly after the General died in '64. (It's terribly worn, and cost me more than many new hardcovers, but another mission-critical source.)

 

[GwenLake]

Meta Given's Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking, 1947, two volumes

covers:

contents:

And here's a sample recipe for ya:

I do have some much older books, but I don't have pictures of them yet.

 

[Starius]

Oh man, do I have a hankering for muskrat right now!

lol

 

[imoldfashioned]

Thanks, Imoldfashioned....The illustration on the cover of the Blandings book and all throughout it were done by William Steig.

(Smacks self in the forehead) Yes, of course! Thank you for letting me know--stuff like that drives me nuts until I get the answer. I know his work mostly from the New Yorker.

http://www.cartoonbank.com/product_...ll&title=undefined&whichpage=3&sortBy=popular


It's silly but when I read "dressed muskrat" I think of a muskrat in a frilly hat and coat...

 

[GwenLake]

It's silly but when I read "dressed muskrat" I think of a muskrat in a frilly hat and coat...

lol

Some other doozies are:

• Woodchuck Pie
• "Ding's" Raccoon Pie
• Possum and Sweet Potatoes
• Roast Beaver A La Michigan

 

[zaika]

I love the cover art on "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House"--the illustration style looks really familiar--is there an artist listed?

Zaika, thanks for letting me know the name of your illustrator--I've got some postcards done by him which is why his style looked familiar. I'm really partial to Slavic Revivalish art.

sure! i haven't really heard of the artist you were referring to, maybe you could post some scans?
orrr...i guess i could just GOOGLE him. duh.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

lol

Some other doozies are:

• Woodchuck Pie
• "Ding's" Raccoon Pie
• Possum and Sweet Potatoes
• Roast Beaver A La Michigan

Wow! I haven't had roast beaver A La Michigan since I don't know when. :essen:
The tails are the best part, I think.

 

[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.

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Spring, by by James Thomson