Finding Visual Beauties
Bookshelves and organizing books are really important things to book lovers and so are book clubs and groups. I’ve been reading ebooks and new books for a long time and yet I find used books comforting as they have history and character and the images and language were quite different than what they are today. One group I have mentioned that I enjoy visiting is Tattered But Still Lovely . They discuss old and obscure literature in which the characters and their stories are interconnected. Finding visual beauties with beautiful cover art and pretty bindings and images enclosed is a pleasant way for me to pass time. I stumbled upon a copy of History of Our Country a nd t his gorgeous print to the left above is located on the inside. The book is also filled with images of maps, monuments, ships, buildings, etc. The print top right is from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare , with a Biographical Introduction by Henry Glassford Bell. This book is beautifully illustrated with over 60 photo-engravings and 20 colored pictures of histrionic artists. All of this is contained in a lovely antique leather cover. I was overjoyed to locate a very loved copy of John Dietrich and Other Tales of Germany . The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens was first published in 88 weekly installments in Dickens’ serial, Master Humphrey’s Clock, from April 1840 to February 1841 and tells the story of thirteen-year-old Nell Trent and her grandfather who live in a small antique gift store known as The Old Curiosity Shop. This is a must-read for Dickens fans. It is worth noting the significance and criticism surrounding this book in which the young protagonist dies. Published by Continental Publishing Co, Chicago, 1887 What would you change if you could travel back in time? Many people state they would want t o change an event that had a negative consequence. I thought of this when I picked up this copy of Knapsack and Rifle. Some of the Personal Reminiscences and Narratives of Army Life are expressed by writing which is raw and painful. published by David C. Cook...Dated 1898 It is somewhat amusing how authors wrote about the character's physical attributes from the 19th century. Devotee Darling or Difference Between Them by Becca Middleton Samson with black and white illustrations...Some of the illustrations are signed, M.Augustus Beck, I appreciate the writing and the illustrations. The picture above is me holding the book open to show the lady, Judith, at the bedside. T here is an inscription inside this book. No...not from the author. But, a lovely note dedicating this book to Alice M. in 1903 and it is signed by her teacher, and his signature is recorded. There is a definite joy that I derive from finding hidden gems at my favorite used bookstore. Beatrix Potte r created 23 Tales which has sold more than 250 million copies. Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein began as a ghost story. Dr. Victor Frankenstein d reams of discovering the secret of life…and he succeeds, bringing a new creature into existenc e. It is dark, disturbing, and brilliant . Published by Chicago: Thompson and Thomas, 1900 In Twenty Years of Hustling , by J.P. Johnston we meet a man who had done about every kind of work. Publisher – A.L. Burt Company, New York 1907 The Brass Bowl by Louis Joseph Vance His character "Michael Lanyard", also known as "The Lone Wolf", was featured in eight books and 24 films between 1914 and 1949, and also appeared in radio and television series. Published by John Lane : The Bodley Head, New York, 1899 Y oung Lives by Richard Le Gallienne is an a utobiographical novel about LeGallienne's early life. He was an English man of letters, associated with the literary world of 1890s London. Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss, Young Mexico , and more are among my collection of visual beauties. As you can see they are tattered but still lovely.
