Featured Books and Bookcases

I do have a couple of other bookcases but I don't think they merit photos.

One is a really nice Amish-made solid oak bookcase that is about 7 feet tall and has 5 shelves. My parents purchased for me a two decades ago and I have all of my childhood books on it plus some art pottery and other collectables. Really attractive wood grain.

Another is an inexpensive solid wood bookcase that is about 5 feet tall that I have my books on art, collectables, history, and academic subjects. Purchased it at auction for cheap and it does a good job in holding a large quantity of bulky books.

Also purchased two particle board bookcases at auction very cheaply to hold antiques and collectables. They are very sturdy and were incredibly heavy and difficult to move and I expect will support a ton of stuff. The may be eventually moved to the basement or sold if I find better alternatives.

 

Great story Kiko! All for the price of admission....awesome! Be sure to take some photos once you get those cases filled up.

 

Pat....I'm drooling. At least take a shot of some of those rare antique books. How many books do you have, anyway? Sounds like (literally) a ton!

 

Ghopper, I forgot to post before that your bookcases are lovely!

My bookcass don't look like much and most of the books aren't remarkable on the outside, but many have wonderful illustrations. I think around 11 of the bookcases (not all full height) contain antique or older collectible vintage books. Many of the other bookcases hold prints, vintage magazines, ephemera, and various antique and vintage decorative items, while some bookcases and cabinets hold craft and sewing supplies.

As I've posted in other threads in the past, my mother was a textile designer and the better books I have are from her collection. Most are illustrated and she used some as inspiration for her botanical and ornamental designs. She was a collector at heart and had wonderful taste.

The best books are mid to late-19th century botanical and decorative arts books. The earlier ones have hand-colored lithographs and the later ones have chromolithographs. But she also collected a smattering of books like illustrated children's books, novels, and architectural and typography books. Plus some wonderful old catalogs, and lots of prints, postcards, art books, etc.

Some of the authors, editors and/or illustrators of my mother's books are Jane Webb Loudon, Owen Jones, Edward Step, Sakai Hoitsu, Anne Pratt, M. Digby Wyatt, Jessie Wilcox Smith, Milo Winter, Frances Brundage, Arthur Rackham, and Howard Chandler Christy.

All in all, although not all the books are in great condition, it's a wonderful collection.

 

Thanks for the kind words, Pat!

I've heard of some of your authors: Owen Jones, M. Digby Wyatt, Arthur Rackham. Love Rackham's illustrations! You've got some heavy hitters there!

 

Hi, Ghopper!

When I first went through my mom's collection, my mouth was agape as I went through book after book. She bought the best ones when I was young (I have the receipts) but for some unknown reason she kept them tucked away in her studio in our attic and didn't show them to my sister and me. After I was out of the house and she moved to an apartment, I had a vague awareness that there were old books behind her desk, but they were just there, like the cabinets that held them.

 

What magnificent bookcases!! Mine are considerably more modest. I also have a love of books, and they dominate every room in the house, (excepting the bathrooms. Gotta draw the line somewhere)! Space for more is at this point non-existent, so I've had to resort to cramming my Kindles with them. And I'm afraid I'd have to agree with you about the decline of literacy today. Seems that the word "BOOK" has become one of the most reviled four-letter words.
And yet, we persist!!
My hubby will be retiring soon, and he's promised to build one of my most coveted items, a Thomas Jefferson revolving bookstand.

 

I must confess, I have never enjoyed cooking, which is most likely why I'm so bad at it. I only have a kitchen because it came with the house.

 

Re-reading this thread was most enjoyable. For reasons which I won't go into, certain of my books have left the premises without my wholehearted agreement. Quite randomly, I am replacing some of them as the need arises.

It occurs to me that the range is just as peculiar as it ever was! "Inside the Third Reich," "The Horse and Buggy Doctor," "The Secret Garden," "1066 and All That," Beautiful Joe," "Dear Me," (by Peter Ustinov, the-man-I'd-Most-like-in-the-next-hospital-bed), Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, Owen Wister & Christopher Morley, Onions in the Stew, um...etc.

My new bookcases are filled.

 

Nice to see this thread revived. Always glad to hear that books are hanging on with some of us.

Thomas Jefferson. Now THERE'S a guy that loved books!!

Sorry to hear you've lost a few volumes, Silverthwait, but glad to hear the new bookcases are filled.

So I'll throw down the gauntlet again: How's about some photos, you two?

 

Books!

Forgot the end table books!

 

I like the racing art work.

 

Thanks! I've been in love with horses since as a kid my dad took me to the racetrack. Never saw them otherwise, except in the occasional parade.
It took several decades, but I now have two of my very own, and am living the life I always dreamed of. Horses, land and books. It doesn't get much better than that for me!

 

If I had to pick one it would be the first one!

Other than that, I just wonder how you managed to get inside my head and listen to my thoughts...

"... I've been a reader and bibliophile all my life. They're not just a colorful decorating scheme for the home: books are living things, capable of imparting great knowledge and taking you to faraway places, all without flicking a switch. I love the look, feel, and.....yes....smell of books.There's nothing like a book in the hand on a lazy winter day to let you know that life's worth living!"

... Parting with a book it's like cutting a finger off. Hopefully when I'm gone those staying behind won't just get rid of the 1000s of books I'll leave them...

 

Hi JayBee,
From your mouth to God's ear. I am with you all of the way.
greg

 

Just saw a post on Facebook and found a story about a bookcase mural recently painted on the side of a building in Utrecht (the Netherlands).



Here is the post that I found. I hope this isn't a repeat in this thread.

https://laughingsquid.com/apartment-building-turned-into-giant-bookcase/

 

“Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.
Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.”
Groucho Marx

 

Other than that, I just wonder how you managed to get inside my head and listen to my thoughts...

"... I've been a reader and bibliophile all my life. They're not just a colorful decorating scheme for the home: books are living things, capable of imparting great knowledge and taking you to faraway places, all without flicking a switch. I love the look, feel, and.....yes....smell of books.There's nothing like a book in the hand on a lazy winter day to let you know that life's worth living!"

Thanks for the kind words, JayBee!!

Autodidact, I hate to say it, but I think I like your yard sale bookcase the best. But one thing's for sure, you've got a good eye when it comes to arranging. And good taste in books......

 

The Long Room ~ Trinity College Library

Thank you! You should have seen it when my hubby brought it home! It was in pieces, and absolutely filthy, but for $10.00 it was a real bargain. Took about two weeks to clean it up and get it put back together, but he's a great wood butcher and it turned out really nice. By the way, it's my favorite, too!