I collect books.
I can hear my family snorting as they read this.
Tonight as we celebrated Sam's 16th birthday (and he got a book on the
Musee D'Orsay in Paris) they joked that since I have too many books, now
I am buying them and giving them to family members.
I also love old movies.
When I was a kid, I loved the scenes in the classic movies, that showed a
huge library on an estate, with wood panelling and bookshelves a couple
stories high, filled with antique clothbound books decorated with gilt
graphics.
I imagined myself having a library such as this, full of illuminated
manuscripts, photography portfolios, and costume illustrations.
As the decades rolled by and I collected books in my travels, I enjoyed
looking for out-of-print books with beautiful graphics and
illustrations.
I pored over books with early 20th century photos of life in other
countries 100 years ago.
I hyperventilated when I found a vintage book with costumes of the Ballet Russe.
I never got into high-priced first editions of novels, but rather, I
enjoyed books that gave some insight about art, travel and creativity
when international travel was a great adventure and a badge of courage.
In time, I developed a true appreciation for the Decorative Arts that
were expressed in gold-stamped book covers, and also for the beautiful
illustrations between the covers.
I began to troll eBay, looking for online photos of vintage books, and
saving the images on my laptop for future admiration and design
reference.
While in France, I noticed several antique book shops.
It seems to be a national passion, and I can appreciate all the books
that have been saved, loved, and then passed on to new owners.
I took photos of vintage covers when I could, but got chased out of a
couple shops because of my camera.
This is a book I saw on a card table in front of a shop in the Medieval part of Lyon.
This book was published in 1883, and the gilt graphics still glisten against the red cloth cover.
I have always been fascinated by the Japanese woodblock illustration "The Wave" by Hokusai, but this was an image that I haven't seen before …also a huge stylized wave but this time with a ship…
about which I could imagine a tale of a global journey.
Because I found this book in Lyon, close to the the area of the silk
weaving industry, perhaps it was originally purchased by someone who
also came there to purchase silk for a gown?
130 years have passed, and still the cover can capture the imagination of a passer-by.
What can we create in 2013, that might inspire someone 130 years from now?
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Hi Luana – if you have a close look at the original Great Wave by Hokusai you will see two fishing boats there too! I suspect you knew that and were commenting on the difference between the types of boats. I always find it amazing that many don’t notice that it is not just a beautifully framed image of Mt Fuji and superbly drawn water – it is closer to a tsunami that could wipe out the fleet. I also cannot work out if the men on the boats are clinging on for their lives or praying?
I LOVE that book – it was worth buying just for the cover. I bet there was an influence from Hokusai too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Great_Wave_off_Kanagawa2.jpg
Thank you for sharing your trip to Paris with us, your customers. Your write so descriptively that I feel like I am there. How very interesting your life must be. I truy enjoy reading from your “journal.” Thank you for taking me along on your adventure.
I have the same problem with books, and the same problem with family and friends who roll their eyes at my overstuffed bookcases.
You remind me of a dear friend we lost 8 years ago. She was a great collector of antique and current books on design, typography and all types of hand work. When her husband went to Europe on research sabbaticals, he had orders to aim his camera at every tile pattern, and to come home with fabric (and books, of course). We miss her dearly, but it’s nice to know her love of design inspiration lives on.
Love this book cover! The colour, the subject, the style, stunning. I too collect books, and especially love old books properly bound with embossed covers and inside maybe gold edges, or marbles end papers and insciptions from a hundred years ago. One day I’ll have a book case where the best can be displayed sideways like yours.
I too collect books. I have a box full of antique children’s books with gorgeous color drawings. I have not known what to do with them since they become mildewed at a house I once lived in. I just can’t see to part with them and have looked on line for ways to remedy this but no luck yet.
I also love old movies and those library rooms, along with those big windows in a living room seen in the 1930’s movies.
I have yet to get a kindle as I like holding a book. I have listened to books on tape in the car but there is nothing like a hand held book.
I think this cover captures the imagination on so many levels. Thank you for sharing!
I agree, that cover is gorgeous. My own passion is to make beautiful cloth covers for my plain books, especially the trade paperbacks. Thanks for sharing.
I too love books. I look for books about women and their craft, especially textiles. If you have any selections that develop the craft please share.
I wish I had your library! I once had the space to collect books, but have been forced to down-size. But a fellow (sister?)-book lover has taken her book cover dreaming to a new level with our quilt guild’s 2013 Challenge, “Can’t Tell a Book By Its Cover.” The Challenge entries are to be “inspired” by a book cover — and a full-size color copy of the cover must be submitted with the quilt!
I also love books… the look of them, the way they feel in the hands, and the limitless possibilities that lie between the covers! Last year I made myself a “Reading Material” quilt and a child’s quilt featuring some of the Dr. Seuss prints. I donated that one to our local library; they used it as a fund raiser for the children’s department. There will be more quilts featuring text and books prints in my future, perhaps very soon. ;- )
Hi Luana,
The book you saw in Lyon is stunning; it does inspire one’s imagination. I enjoyed reading about your visit to Lyon. I was there for a few days several years ago, and I especially enjoyed learning about the silk-making trade and seeing the narrow streets where the silk was made.
Last year I saw a quilt at a show that was intended to hang in a home library. It was pieced from cloth “books,” each of which had a different binding and color. It was unique and very well-done. Thanks for your travel journal! I always enjoy it.