My parents–my mom, really–bought several leather-bound book collections when my brothers and I were little. I think it was called the World’s 100 Classics or something, and every month we would get a new book. I loved the crackle noise the spines made and the way the gilt pages felt like glass. One summer I was actually old enough to read a few of the books. I read them in my mom’s leather wing chair because I thought it made me look all the more important.
My mom still has that wing chair. Same chair, same dark brown leather(ish) upholstery, in the same spot in her office twenty-eight years later.
Since that summer, I’ve wanted my own collection. I’m moving at a much slower pace. I have these four, a not nearly as sophisticated Chronicles of Narnia edition from Barnes and Noble, and Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, which was a birthday gift from my mom this year. I told her I would love a leather or cloth bound book for my birthday every year. She thought that was a great idea. For some reason, she’s really big on giving the same or similar gift every year. She finds traditions in the strangest places.
Your mom’s office is the whole reason why I started buying those books. I loooove them so much. When I read them I barely open them so they don’t get too loose if that makes sense. I’m very anal about my books.
Where do you find them? I can’t find a “book of the month” club…not that I could afford it right now.
I love old, hard bound books. I love the yellowed, fragile pages, the pencil written inscriptions, the feeling of sharing a story with all of the people who held this book in their hands, turned these pages. I love finding old, out of the way used bookstores – not the ones that feel like a pawnshop for books, but the ones with dozens of rooms with piles and piles of books, and a kindly old proprietor with eyes that make you feel like you’ve met a kindred spirit. I love old books, and even though they are usually no more than two or three dollars, I buy them one at a time… It makes each one feel like a treasure.
I’m going to head out to a used book store tomorrow. Hopefully I will get lucky!
Have some very old, worn, leather bound books from the turn of the last century. The pages probably harbour unknown forms of brown lung. Regardless, I hold them close to my face. Breathing in all the years of enjoyment that their pages have derived. My little paper treasury. Love them to bits, like a tattered old child’s toy, they are showing their age. I fear that one day very soon, the ink will fall off the shabby pages, decaying into dust bunnies and scattering across my floor.
I would be scared to touch them. Beautiful, Jenn.
I admit to making collage art out of REALLY old books, but I feel like I’m rescuing them, because they are usually way past the point of being useful for reading. And I buy lil girl a new Penguin hardcover classic each year on her birthday. As of now, she has a whole two books in her collection :) You cannot beat pretty hardcover books on a shelf.
I love the reissues they are doing. There is a source, I’ll have to google, where you can buy the entire Penguin collection for much less than you would individually.
The beautiful hardcover leather bound versions are not easy for me to find. Do you have a secret source?
Nope! I find cloth editions fairly easily (Penguin reissues their classics regularly) but not leather bound books. Those are hard to find. In fact, I have yet to find one! The ones I have are all cloth. I probably didn’t make that clear in the post. (I’m a bit under the weather, not working at 100%.) :)
Ah, fanciful books! Personally, I think books are among the best gifts a person can receive! My friend’s husband has given her a 1st edition C.S. Lewis every year for her birthday. Sigh.
You know, a book exchange would be fun sometime. They wouldn’t have to be leather bound, naturally . . . but something nice, for the person’s library. You can find treasures for relatively cheap at some estate sales, used book stores, etc.