My father was a teacher, thus of course he had friends who were teachers. One of his older colleagues died and left her library to him. My father never read any of the books, but he valued the collection. They were housed in our basement on old, solid wood library shelves that had been discarded at his school. The basement was also my lair, with a mattress on the floor, a collection of unusual artifacts, a stuffed and mounted owl (my Archimedes), and art projects in various states of completion. Whilst escaping to my private lair, I of course checked out this newly inherited library. The books were from before my time, mostly published in the 1930’s, but I didn’t notice that. Their titles intrigued me: Beverly Gray In the Orient, Ruth Fielding and the Gypsies, Penny Nichols and the Mystery of the Lost Key, and The Merriweather Girls on Camper’s Trail.
I had read Nancy Drew and Trixie Beldon mysteries, but these found books were for older girls. I started reading, and I didn’t stop reading until I had read them all. These volumes took me out of my world, and I was fantastically rich from the experience. A section of my current library, devoted to some of the books from this time in my life, reminds me of the color-organized books of Stainless Carl’s bookshelf steps.
There was one set of books in this collection for which I felt particular affection. It was called My Book House. There were twelve books in the set, starting out light green and ending with dark blue. They are eighty-six years old now, and have faded a bit.
Each of the twelve volumes had an enticing title: Through Fairy Halls, From the Tower Window, and The Treasure Chest are a few. Volume One was the easiest to read, with simple nursery rhymes, songs, and folktales. Hans Christian Anderson, William Blake, The Gingerbread Man, and John Keats:
Over the hill and over the dale,
And over the Bourne to Dawlish,
Where gingerbread wives have a scanty sale,
And gingerbread nuts are smallish.
Isn’t that delightful?
Through Fairy Halls included Shakespeare, Sir Walter Scott, and Hansel and Gretel.
From The Tower Window had Chaucer, the Odyssey (retold), and The Legend of William Tell. They were a complete education!
My Book House was edited by Olive Beaupré Miller, published in 1921 by The Book House for Children in Chicago.
In memory of my father,
Richard Wiedemann
1932 - 1987
Wow, great post!!! I love those old, loved books and the way they are color-coordinated on the shelves. There is just something about that look that thrills me and it is what I try to recreate with my modern, dust jacket covered books on my bookshelves. The effect is pretty cool though not as cool as is achieved with these older books. I’m so glad you posted this, it is fantastic.
What lovely memories this triggers! Nancy Drew was a favorite of mine. I just recently brought home several Book House books that belonged to my Mom… I love the illustrations on the covers, though very worn and well-loved! I did not realize there were so many - am hoping somedy there will be grandchildren to read them to
Deb
Dearest Qugrainne,
What a beautiful post …. I too had posted books ‘color coded’ but none personal nor as rare as yours …. a true book lover you are - this post shows how much care you have for these rare pieces of art. You truly understand the link to books and childhood: how stories made our imaginations run wild, dream new worlds, be some ‘other’ for a few pages or so. I, as almost all girls of a certain generation, loved Nancy Drew and collected over 50 volumes - starting with my first ones that were passed down to me by my aunt. I also managed to snag a couple of my mother’s Penny Hall books (in poor condition) - and I regret not getting a lovely book of fairy tales my grandmother kept in her basement, published by the PET co. which, at the time, made ice cream, butter and still today sells evaporated milk …. the illustrations were fantastic and the one of Bluebeard always scared me death! I remember closing eyes tightly and turning that page rather quickly.
thank you for the explanation of your name. she sounds wonderful, actually. have you heard of the legend of an irish princess banned by her father, the king, from ireland? by legend, she set sail and landed in Iceland, where she promptly set up her own ‘nation.’ A friend of mine who lived in Iceland for many years told me the story ….
thank you for sharing your treasures,
lady blue
Thanks for checking in, Carl. I agree with you, the old books just can’t be matched for their weathered beauty. I was pleased you set me off on this trail. I haven’t handled these books since the last time I moved, so it was a memory-filled evening for me. The down side was the dust! I am not much of a duster, so my allergies sure kicked in to teach me a lesson.
Nice to hear from you, Deb. I know what you mean about reading to grandchildren. I can’t wait. I have so many fond memories of reading to my children, and have all of their books just waiting! That is so cool you have some Book House books too - I never met anyone who had these books. It is unfortunately true about the cover illustrations, however. Mine are almost obliterated, too. Nancy Drew rocks!
Hi Lady Blue. Wow; fifty Nancy Drew - those Carolyn Keenes were pretty prolific, weren’t they? Your comment was lovely - you are a poet, and understand exactly how I feel about books. I also inherited Nancy Drew, Trixie Beldon, and a few other great books from my Mom and her sister. I have never heard of books published by Pet, though I see their evaporated milk on the store shelves. I don’t know Penny Hall, either, but will look it up at the libary.
Thanks for sharing the story about the banned princess. I have not heard it, but will certainly be looking it up.
My goodness what a lovely post, and so lovingly written. Your books are beautiful with age and your love and care of them is touching. And how moving to dedicate the post to your father. Such a nice place to end my before bed blog reading—like a bedtime story, really. Thank you! TJ
Beautiful, Kerry. Really beautiful. . . I have books like this from my mother, too, and I treasure them dearly.
Andi and TJ, I can’t tell you how nice it is to talk with people who love books as much as I do. Thanks so much for sharing your appreciation with me.
What a beautiful post! Thank you for so lovingly sharing your treasured books. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Becky
Thanks Becky. I really have fun checking out our Wonders Never Cease! Your dog cracks me up. Kerry