Quote of the week... books

 "There are worse crimes than burning books one of them is not reading them" - 

Jospeh Brodsky - Russian poet and essayist

I broke my kindle a few months ago and never got around to fixing it. I've since discovered three things:

1) My bank balance prefers the post amazon craze of e-book buying that swept through me

2) I was reading a lot of sub par books because they were cheap and easy to read 

3) I missed the feel of a real live paper book and I am a sucker for adding the finished book to my bookshelf. 

Post kindle I have been steadily going through the giant pile of books to read that I have accumulated. If I was to stack them one on top of the other they would reach my hip. Yes I realise that this is a problem, but on the plus side I will never be short of a good book or a spare paper weight. I may get my kindle fixed or more likely buy a new one given the throw away culture that we live in that makes fixing it just as expensive as buying a new one. But there is nothing that can beat the feel of a good book or the relaxation of picking up a story and being completely wrapped up in a different world for a few hours.

Studies show that bright lights before you go to sleep are detrimental to sleep quality and can cause insomnia. They even say the bright light of the bathroom as you brush your teeth is not ideal. So switch off the laptop or turn off the telivision an hour early and pick up a good book or your kindle if that's your thing.

Have a great week and Happy Reading.

xx V

Some of the books that I've collected (Part 2)

Last week I delved into some of the books in my collection. Now its time for part two. Looking past the pretty covers to what's inside, inside we also like the pretty but the best parts are when the book tells a story like this one...

At the cost of one penny per night J. & A. Cruikshank of Morningside Road in Edinburgh would lend you this volume. The dates start in January 1925, a lovely little piece of history.

The book is Midwinter by John Buchan, best known for his novel The Thirty-Nine Steps.

A 1931 edition of Robert Lynd's work. Part of The Kings Treasuries of Literature series by JM Dent Publishers. Dent rose to prominence by selling cheap editions of the classics to the working classes in the late 1800's. If you're a book geek like me and dig the history of things there's more info on them here

This edition of Pinnochio I hands down picked up for the illustrations on the inside leaf and the front cover embossing work. It also reminded me that although I know the story of Pinnochio like the back of my hand (as an aside why do people say that, I mean I'm not sure I do know the back of my hand all that well) I had no idea who the author was. Charles Collodi for the record. Born Carlo Lorenzini in Collodi Italy in 1826 he wrote under the pen name of Collodi.

Illustrations by AH Watson.

Finally another JM Dent publication of Goethes' Faust. Published 1902. Loved the owl embossed on the cover.

Well that's it for now, hope you enjoyed the post. Any comments, insights, or maybe I missed out on some fabulous piece of random knowledge. Let me know in the comments below (ooh look I rhymed). 

xx V

Some of the books that I've collected (Part 1)

I love old things and I love books so in this my two love's meet. I will choose a book for it's cover artwork, content, inscriptions inside, annotations, flyleaf designs or simply because there is something about it that appeals to me. 

Here are some of my recent acquisitions. 

 

 This 1906 edition of Elizabeth Gaskell's work's I bought for the beautiful detailing on the spine. (centre book above) 

 A lot of the old dictionaries I buy I use when making my hand covered pencils, therefore purchases completely justified!

I love all the old ring marks on this Chambers English Dictionary. I can just imagine it being thumbed through for the crossword or scrabble. Complete with an open fire and required animal companion. 

This People's Edition of Alfred Lord Tenyson's poetry works was once part of a larger collection. 12 books. Unfortunately I only got two, but I loved the embossed initials on the cover. Published by MacMillan and Co in 1895 

Published in 1950 this music score of Haydn's Symphony No. 101 was part of a series Penguin released to

" meet the needs of concertgoers and amateurs of music." They were a pricey two shillings and sixpence each

This book was published in Glasgow, Scotland by Blackie and Son Limited. Fell in love with the illustration on the front cover. Reminiscent of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. The publishing companies illustrator, Talwin Morris was friends with Mackintosh so perhaps a connection. More investigating needed.

Next week's post will concentrate more on the interiors because it's not all about pretty covers, sometimes 'the pretty' goes inside too.

xx V

Display that...

I found this picture I saved ages ago from a trade show for books ( I think, don't quote me on that one). The company used 15000 pencils to display their work. Clever and pretty, my favourite combination.

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day everyone.

A few of my favourite things today.

From my ever growing book collection...

'Twice in her life she had mistaken something else for it...'

- The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford 

'There were only a few rounds of ammunition left, and the last bullets must be saved for the women'

 - Fort Desperation by Frank Castle

Nothing says romance like a good old fashioned western.

from Etsy shop CoolVintage

French Film Poster for 'Gone with the Wind'. One of the best on screen couples of all time.

from one of my Pintirest board

xx V

A little animation for your Monday morning

These are the times I wish I owned a jumbo jet to whisk me off to all these fantastic little places that the inter web puts across my path. Today we have the Type Bookshop in Toronto, Canada. I love videos like this. I spend the whole time watching it thinking about how they did it. All the hours of work that must have gone into each frame and all the frames that make up those few minutes. Beautifully done.
Check it out (below)

found via some Facebook snooping. Thanks C.

xx V 

Define this

Well, well, Happy St. Valentines Day everyone. In the spirit of the day I'm going to tell you about a little book I've found.

The lovers Dictionary by David Levithan charts the course of a relationship through a series of definitions. I was trying to stop my book fetish by not going onto Amazon, but some causes are lost before they have even begun, and what did I do but click.  The rest, as they say, is history.

I can see it being the kind of book that you would pick up at odd moments during the day, read a few lines, and put down again. They are the kinds of moments that we have known or wish to have known. The good we desire, the bad we hope never to know or know again.

indelible, adj.

That first night, you took your finger and pointed to the top of my head, then traced a line between my eyes, down my nose, over my lips, down my neck, to the center of my chest. It was so surprising, I knew I would never mimic it. That one gesture would be yours forever.

basis, n

There has to be a moment at the beginning when you wonder whether you’re in love with the person or in love with the feeling of love itself. If the moment doesn’t pass, that’s it—you’re done. And if the moment does pass, it never goes that far. It stands in the distance, ready for whenever you want it back. Sometimes it’s even there when you thought you were searching for something else, like an escape route, or your lover’s face. 

ineffable, adj.

These words will ultimately end up being the barest of reflections, devoid of the sensations words cannot convey. Trying to write about love is ultimately like trying to have a dictionary represent life. No matter how many words there are, there will never be enough.

 Romance; with a touch of humour and a sprinkle of heartbreak.