Show and Tell (#5)

I'm excited to once again participate in Show and Tell Friday! But before I do, I wanted to thank Kathleen from The Open Window for passing this award my way...


It made my day to be honored by someone who is so totally fabulous herself! Thank you so much, Kathleen! I promise to pass this along on my next post!

And thanks to all of you who replied to my Wordless Wednesday...I think most of us could at least relate to how we felt on a Christmas morning when we received that longed for "big gift".
I still remember my dad asking me if it was the right color, knowing full well that blue my was favorite! I was so thrilled!

But hmmmm....how come so many of you kept saying, "Oh, I love old pictures!" OK...I guess I have to admit that the picture was taken before some of you were even born...sigh.
Well, at least it was in color! ;)


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So now, without further ado, it's Show and Tell Friday, hosted by Kelli at There is no Place like Home. Hop over and check out some of the other participants- or better yet, read the rules to join in the fun, yourself!



Today, I thought I would show you my display of antique books. As you can see, I have collected just a few...



Believe it or not, almost all of them were purchased before I was married. When I was young, still living at home- and actually had a paycheck, much less could spend it on something other than boring things like...you know, food.

However, most of these books were actually found at great prices...one was marked only .25 at a used book store- yet it was published back at the turn of the century!

There are several very well-known titles among the collection...


but I must admit, I have only read a handful of my collection.

Here are three I remember reading...and actually loving...

Most of the publication dates are around 1910 and under- with a few even dating back to the 1800's.

It's amazing how much I use to go antiquing back then. I use to love to peruse those shops, breathing in the musty air like it was so much perfume.
For some reason, though, it was always the wonderful old books that always drew me in.
Don't you love some of these covers?



And if I found a book with a personal inscription inside, it was all the more to be valued. I always wondered about the person who gave the book and wrote inside with care... and of course, who actually turned the very pages...perhaps a hundred years before I did.

I didn't actually count them...but I'm guessing there are about 40 or so stately books taking up residence on the book case in our upstairs hallway. A few are not in "collectible condition"...maybe a torn binder...maybe no binder at all.
Still, I appreciate even those for so many reasons.

Yes, I do plan on trying to sell just a few of my collection in the near future.
But only a few...the rest I'm hanging onto.
I love simply looking at them as I pass by to tuck my children into bed.

And someday, who knows...I may even end up reading each and every one!

In the meantime, they are my little peeks into the past...the treasures of once upon a time.