Books: Used & Rare

When I was little, I hated going outside.  I would so much rather have been curled up with a book.  Forcing me to put it down felt a bit personal and hurtful, even if it was for the benefit of fresh air and sunshine.  You were tearing me away from friends and worlds I had become a part of.  I can track my development by the books I loved: first, Little House on the Prairie; then, Little Women; then, the Anne of Green Gables series; then anything Jane Austen.  With many others sprinkled in between. 

When I passed this sign, driving down a gorgeous tree-lined road in Kingston, RI, I had to stop.

The store was magical and I quickly lost two hours wandering up and down the aisles and between the stacks of ancient books.  There are few things I love more than very old books.  Who was the first person to buy it in 1896?  How many hands have held it, read it?  What was their story?  I love the nostalgia and mystery of it.  I bought only four and that took major restraint. 

One I am keeping to myself for now because I plan to gift it to a friend this Christmas. 

Another is a book from 1900 on Twentieth Century Etiquette: A Ready Manual For All Occasions.  I like to look back on how far we've come and there's a very old-fashioned fuddy-duddy part of me that longs for the days of rules of polite society, carriages, and gentleman callers.  The section on Writing to Royalty should prove to be especially helpful. 

Another is from 1933 and is called The Truth About Beauty: How to Acquire a Beautiful Face and Figure.  That one should be interesting. 

The last one is a Mother Goose children's book from 1968 with illustrations by Gyo Fujikawa.  I love the illustrations and my plan is to frame some of the pages for hanging in a future nursery.  The idea of tearing pages from a book hurts my heart a little though so we'll see if I can actually pull the trigger.