Have you every read The Library by Sarah Stewart? I haven't read it lately, but it is a delightful read about the life of a book lover, Elizabeth Brown. She fills her life with reading and her home with books. In the end, she moves out and turns her home into a Free Library.
My husband has become friends with an Elizabeth Brown of sorts. Only all the books are antiques.
On Monday, he traveled up to Pennsylvania to spend the day with an antiquarian book collector/seller. My husband has enjoyed collecting a dozen or so antique books over the years. But this man... well, for my husband it is like spending a day with Santa. Thankfully, he didn't purchase anything Monday, but he did take a few photos for me. After looking at the photos, my first question was... "What does his wife think about all this?"
the cover page from my husband's 1644 copy of Luther's commentary on Galatians
a page from my husband's Bullinger's Decades (1587). I just read the excerpt... oops, maybe I should have picked a different passage. : )
These photos are from Monday....
These are all Bibles...
And this one is a 13th century manuscript!Just on a shelf among many in this man's house!
He has many of his books re-bound by an talented book binder... Beautiful!
This man keeps no catalog of books... he just looks around until he finds what he is looking for (or not) in his 3-story home. No "2nd flight, 3rd step, 2 rows back."
My husband did tell me that the dining room table is clear of books, where he enjoyed a lunch of grilled cheese, soup, and fascinating conversation. 
What an interesting living. Amazing.
That IS amazing! Books everywhere...and I thought we had a lot of books! :) I love the old Bibles, the are beautiful. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteDave would think he had reached paradise if he visited this man. What an amazing collection!
ReplyDeleteBrenda
I can't believe T. has that Luther commentary. Completely amazing!
ReplyDeleteOur husbands would surely be fast friends. I'm forwarding him your post.
ReplyDeleteWow! It is just like out of the children's book isn't it? Books stacked everywhere....what an interesting fella.
ReplyDeleteI just sent this to Mr. Fritz. He just finished cataloging our 786 book collection in bookipedia on our computer (note this does not include the books we have in the attic...). Anyway, those books are INCREDIBLE and my place was starting to look like this (books in piles lining the walls) until Mr. Fritz's move into my (now our) place was imminent. So I can completely identify with this book lover! Thanks for a fascinating post!
ReplyDeleteOh Lawsie me. Is this man really married? Beautiful books though.
ReplyDeleteWow! My dad is a writer & we had tons & tons of books but not like that. It would be fun there for a day or 2. But I'd have to start making order out of it before long & there is no way that could be done. I worked in a library in college as a library page, so I keep things in order (loved it). My husband & kids laugh at me I straighten books at Barnes & Nobles.
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