My complete delight in finding some old books, classic books, and quirky books knows no bounds. Unless I find them for 50 cents or a dollar, then the delight increases. These are all from The Special Store, the lone vintage store that I haunt. Because with finds like these, why shop anywhere else?
Books there cost $1 for hardcover or 50 cents for paperback, unless there is a half price sale going on.
The Austen is hardcover with dust jacket. The Stevenson is paperback in mint condition.
I could not resist these next ones because of the titles. I mean, COME ON! "Outdoor Chums on a Houseboat"? you'd have to have a heart of stone to resist that. And "Master Meadow Mouse", how cute! The inside flap is covered with smaller hand colored illustrations. I was pleased to learn of Master Meadow Mouse's author of American children's stories I had not known about.
Arthur Scott Bailey was born in St. Albans, Vermont and was writer of more than forty children's books. The Newark News stated, "Mr. Bailey centered all his plots in the animal, bird and insect worlds, weaving natural history into the stories in a way that won educator's approval without arousing the suspicions of his young readers. He made it a habit to never 'write down' to children and frequently used words beyond the average juvenile vocabulary, believing that youngsters respond to the stimulus of the unfamiliar."
I wasn't familiar with this particular Kipling, so I picked it up. They are supernatural and ghost stories, which I'm not totally excited about. The writing is good, of course, but after having read two of the stories I might not proceed. The stories are unsettling. That is the other good thing about these books, if I dislike them I can happily disregard or even discard without having to mourn a lot of lost investment.
I am a sucker for an adventure sotry too. The great era of exploration yielded some super ones. Jack London comes to mind, of course And with a title like "Up Among the Ice-Floes" i quickly put it in my basket.
The Nathanael West book, you might know one of the stories inside: Day of the Locust.
The children's book below of Pictures of Stories and Animals has a hand sewn binding. In 1902 travel was difficult and many people had not seen or known about many of the animals in the book such as elephants and camels and giraffes and polar bears.
The field guide to mushrooms is in German. A real mycologist was in the store when I purchased the field guide and he asked me if I could read German. I said no and he looked at me like I was crazy. It's an attractive book and the mushrooms are beautifully rendered. I also like to buy books in other languages to use in crafting. But the mushrooms are so pretty that I haven't had the heart to tear the book up yet.
Guy de Maupassant was a 19th century French author, remembered as a master of the short story form. He is a little depressing though so I may or may not read the book or I might just tear it up for crafting projects. Hey, ditch the pitchforks! It was only $1. And it's not rare.
A complete Sherlock Holmes for $1? Yes please. And the stories, jokes, & anecdotes in the railroad book are great, and there are lots of drawings and pictures.
See? I don't only buy teacups.
What have been some good finds of yours?
2 comments:
My favorite old-book finds lately have been Gladys Hasty Carroll's books. I think I've mentioned her to you before...she was a writer in Maine who started getting published in the 1920s or 30s, and she wrote about Maine. I've read all her books except 2, and have enjoyed every one of them.
My most recent reading enjoyment has come from an unexpected source...I'm embarrassed to admit I had never read the Little House on the Prairie books, and I came across an inexpensive set and have been reading them and loving them! They're children's books but I'm not ashamed to admit I love children's books (I was so glad to see the picture book in your recent purchases!), and these are wonderful. I just started the last one and will be sad to see it end. The characters in a series start to feel like friends.
Hey better late than never! Glad you're reading Little House books! I love a good kids or YA book myself. I have several on my own shelves. I liked On the Banks of Plum Creek and The Long Winter best. What a great find, the whole set!
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