Books I love.

I love books. I love the smell and feel of books and love to open them and smell the inside between the pages. OK...you can call me weird if you like, but I still love books. I have a special love for old books. I'm not sure if it's the way they smell or feel or just the fact that they are great time markers. I have a small collection of old books, most of which are not valuable in a monetary sense, but all of which have caught my fancy for one reason or another and are valuable to me in what they represent. I collect children's books like the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew from the 50's. I have a small collection of early reading books or primers and other text books. I also like to collect grammar books, dictionaries and etiquette books. It's actually a lot of fun to read about the habits and requirements of society in different times. Really! Old books are like a window in time.

That being said, I've decided that I am going to share some of my favorite pieces in the collection during this month of NaBloPoMo.

I have a hard time picking just one favorite, but if I had to pick just one, this one could be it. The book I am highlighting today is the one in this picture without a spine cover. This book is in rough shape because it belonged to, and was well used by, a child. The child who used this book was my Great-Aunt Carrie. She was my mom's aunt and my grandmother's sister. I love this book because of what she added to it. The covers are (actually, were) taped together with masking tape and scotch tape that has long since disintegrated.


I love the fact that it is "Webster's Shorter School Dictionary".


Here is where she wrote her name and address.


If you look closely you can see that it was 1914 and she was in the 8th grade at 12 years old. Her teacher's name is also written on this page, along with a math problem it seems.


And here is the main reason I love this book. She has drawn a picture of their farm on the back cover. I love, love, love this little drawing. Priceless.