What's your oldest or most unusual book?
Mine is an 1853 edition of Cardinal Newman's Discourses to Mixed Congregations published in Boston by Patrick Donohoe, and discarded by the diocesan library of Fort Wayne, Indiana. A stamp inside says "Bibliotheca Dioecesana J. H. Alerding Ep. Wayne Castris, Ind." Bishop Alerding served the diocese from 1900 until his death in 1924.
I also collect old Doubleday Image paperbacks from the 1950s and 1960s and old missals and breviaries.
By the way, I thought my 3,000 books was a lot until a fellow blogger revealed that he has 20,000 volumes (and he's not even a Dominican!) How large is your home library?
Have any good book-buying memories? I'm fond of my "500 Mile 500 Dollar" day back in my Rich Young Bachelor days - it was a book-buying trip all over central Illinois in which I found the 1940s Ottawa edition of the Summa of St. Thomas in Latin and Stephan von Bechtolsheim's 4-volume TeX in Practice.
Until it closed recently, the best source for old Catholic books around here was a used book store in the basement of the University of Illinois YMCA
Posted by billw at July 25, 2003 10:39 PMI also collect old missals and breviaries, as well as old Bibles.
I'm not sure if it's my oldest book, but I recently acquired a first edition hardcover of Belloc's "Napoleon" from the library used bookstore where I volunteer a few hours a month.
My craziest book-"buying" experience didn't involve a commercial transaction at all. I was taking used cat litter out to our apartment dumpster, and as I went to throw it in I noticed an impressive looking hardcover in the dumpster. Looking closer, it read "The Jerome Biblical Commentary". It now resides on my shelf, in pretty good shape.
My book collection recently hit the 1,100 mark, not counting my wife's growing collection. Not bad for an apartment dweller, I guess.
Posted by: Ed at July 26, 2003 05:41 AMI think our home library now contains over 5,000 volumes. I used to have a first edition set of Tracts For The Times (4-vol Newman, Pusey, Keble) but it has been donated to Thomas Aquinas College.
Posted by: Jeff Culbreath at July 27, 2003 09:19 PMHaven't counted in awhile but I'm probably in the neighborhood of 2500.
I have a set of Dickens from the late 1800s. A volume of Pope Leo XIII's letters from around the turn of the century. President James Garfield biography from around the same time.
But my joy is a single leaf of a prayer book from the 1600s...a Psalm in Latin. I wonder at all the folks who touched that piece of paper!
Posted by: TS O'Rama at July 28, 2003 08:10 AMDear Mr. White,
My prize is a first edition (French printing with many uncut pages) Ulysses autographed by the author with a note that may or may not be in his hand--picked up in a box of books at an Estate Sale for 15.00 for the lot. Very nice.
shalom,
Steven
Posted by: Steven Riddle at July 28, 2003 08:41 AMHi All,
I neglected to mention that I actually picked up the box because of Arnold Bennett's Old Wives Tale and a nice second of A.E. Houseman's A Shropshire Lad. There was a miscellany of other stuff--some 19th century Hawthornes, etc. I couldn't believe they were just getting rid of the stuff. The box had something like thirty-five books in it and I stumbled across Ulysses ignominously lying in the bottom of the box.
shalom,
Steven
Posted by: Steven Riddle at July 28, 2003 08:50 AMSuch treasures! God grant they survive the coming millenia.
I forgot to mention the complete works of Edmund Burke in 12 volumes, the 1880 Boston edition from Little, Brown and Company. Twen-tee-fiiiive dollars at the Old Book Barn in Forsyth, Illinois. I've toyed with the idea of putting the whole shebang online like http://www.newmanreader.org, but I'm leery of devoting so much time to it. There's some mighty good stuff in there, for an 18th cent. English protestant politician, but still.
Posted by: Bill White at July 28, 2003 04:09 PMBleep! Poker Games !Bleep - Poker - Bleep Ding Dong - Texas Holdem - Bu Ya Video Poker ! Poker Strategy!!!
My Momma been at the Online Poker Room! Play Poker Now!
http://www.party-poker-player.com/
Posted by: Party Poker at October 6, 2004 05:50 AMSup Homies! - Just need to Refill My Inkjet Cartridges - for my Epson Inkjet Cartridge But I cannot Find Discount Inkjet Cartridges and the HP inkjet cartridges cost to much for my budget.
But I might take a look at Cheap Inkjet Cartridges or Canon Inkjet Cartridge maybe even just a inkjet cartridge refill!
Just need to Refill My Inkjet Cartridges - for my Epson Inkjet Cartridge But I cannot Find Discount Inkjet Cartridges and the HP inkjet cartridges cost to much for my budget.
But I might take a look at Cheap Inkjet Cartridges or Canon Inkjet Cartridge maybe even just a inkjet cartridge refill!
Metaphysics is the finding of bad reasons for what we believe upon instinct, but to find these reasons is no less an instinct.
Posted by: penis enlargement at October 18, 2004 11:00 PM