This Week's New (To Me) Books and a Rare Find

Yesterday afternoon, Jamie and I spent some time together while the teens babysat. I'd been wanting to check out a local bookstore that I'd heard was awesome {it was} and he wanted to pick up some supplies for making me a hat {also awesome}. I found several neat old books to add to my collection, as well as a couple newly published ones that looked interesting.

My best find of the day was this rare first edition of Grace Livingston Hill's Marcia Schuyler. Livingston Hill's books are already special to me as I remember my Grammy Annabelle giving me tons of them in the years before she passed away. She's been gone about 12 years now and ignorant me didn't realize the preciousness of the stories she was trying to share with me. Now I'm on a mission to collect as many as I can.

Though this copy was published in 1908, it was gifted to "Sadye" from Jessie Milne on Nov. 24, 1912.  There are no other inscriptions inside. The binding is pretty good but it's obviously been well read and loved as there are lots of spots and a few tears throughout.

According to the Grace Livingston Hill site, this is a true first edition and a rare copy---and is likely worth over $100. I bought it for $7. Exciting! I love having a valuable collection---but you'll never see me selling them!

I was immediately intrigued when I saw this title, Tour of the World by Jules Verne. Hmmm....sounds familiar! Yes, turns out this is an early translation of what most of us know as Around the World in Eighty Days.

This copy was likely published around 1900. There's a whole ton of neat versions of this book here.

Next up is a Home Economics text book from 1935: The Mode in Dress and Home by Dulcie G. Donovan. I've only skimmed through a few pages but I think there's going to be a lot of great stuff in here.

One thing I'm excited about is there are lots of detailed instructions about sizing a pattern up or down, as well as drafting one's own sewing pattern. Fun!

This book, Little Ships by Kathleen Norris, caught my eye because I recognized the author as the same who wrote one of my cherished books, Mother. My friend Jennie found Mother in a bookshop and had it republished by Vision Forum. I'd love to see so many of these beautiful antique books republished! 

From Wikipedia: "Kathleen Norris was a popular American novelist and newspaper columnist. She was one of the most widely read and highest paid female writers in the United States for nearly fifty years, from 1911 to 1959. Her stories appeared in the Atlantic, The American Magazine, McClure's, Everybody's, Ladies' Home Journal and Woman's Home Companion, and she wrote 93 novels, many of which were best sellers. She used her fiction to promote values including the sanctity of marriage, the nobility of motherhood, and the importance of service to others." You can find more of her story here.

This copy is from 1925 and is also a first edition. It's inscribed with the name, Mrs. Loula W. Robinson, Meridian, Miss. and features the name of the book shop where it was likely purchased at some point: Paragon Book Store. The only info I could find on that store was a conversation between some alumni from the local high school's class of 1950-ish.

J.R. Miller published Home-Making in 1882 and it was revived by Vision Forum in 2001. It's been on my wishlist for a long time so I was happy to find a copy for just $1.00 at the bookshop.

Finally, this book called Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World by David J. Kent. Jamie has always been infatuated with Edison's discoveries and inventions so I think of him whenever I see something on Edison. We stopped at Barnes and Noble before dinner and I came out with just this one book! Yay me!

The photos and illustrations inside are amazing. It's going to be a great read!

There was a companion book on Tesla, as well. I should have grabbed it!

It's got a fun sort of Steampunkish feel to it. Hope Lynzie doesn't rob it from me!

Hope you're getting in some great reading on this holiday weekend! I'm just about ready to begin!