I have been building my personal library for years and I love really old books. Anyone else? Anybody have some cool ones?
I LOVE collecting books, and have just now started getting a few "firsts". I must admit that the "firsts" are what they call 'reading' copies, but since that is what I get them for, I don't mind. I have a first British edition and a first US edition of the Play JOURNEY'S END, a first of JOURNEY'S END the novel, a Victorian edition of FRANKENSTEIN,(ca 1840) and a couple of John Galsworthys. Books are very precious to me.
"E" :) :)
I'm the exact same way, I don't need it to be in mint condition as long as it is in reasonable/not falling apart condition. Age alone just gives a book so much character that sometimes a little wear and tear makes it even more likeable. As far as my really old ones go I only have a few, the oldest being a book of ghost stories from 1890 that has been in my family since it was printed. I'm still frustrated about a great one I found recently. It was a near mint copy of Washington Irving's The Sketchbook from the 1890's which was the book that The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow was originally published in. I got it for about $10 but I had bought it for my brother as a birthday present. When I got my hands on the book it was so cool that I really honestly almost kept it for myself lol, but besides being his birthday my brother and I had been in a little altercation so the book was both a peace offering as well as a b-day present and I couldn't find it in my heart to not give it to him. Still not sure if I made the right decision on that one lol. Learned my lesson though, I no longer get books that I might want as presents for other people.
I love vintage illustrated books and have quite a few on my shelves. Anything with illos by N.C. Wyeth, Lynd Ward, Frank Godwin, C.D. Gibson, Rockwell Kent, etc. calls my name. I also love the illustrated editions of Edgar Rice Burroughs -- from the early hardcovers with St. John illos to the '60s paperbacks with Frazetta covers. Would love to be able to afford original editions of the OZ books. Have a movie edition hc of Frankenstein -- no dust jacket, though, darn it.
I love crime/mystery fiction, and have a lot of vintage paperbacks of Hammett, Spillane, Chandler, etc. Have collected many for the cover art as well as the contents.
Also early comic strip reprint books and big little books (of which I have dozens).
I've collected everything, I guess--and old books were near the top of my list for decades. There used to be three great used book stores in Cincinnati which I haunted. Those stores LOOKED haunted, too! My favorite was Bert Smith's Acres of Books, and it was four floors of old old books, and on the main floor also, tables full of old magazines--and my gosh, pulps!--you'd go down the narrow aisles between shelves, dimmer and dimmer light as you went deeper into the building--and as you went, you reached up and grabbed the strings or pull chains and turned on one bare lightbulb above you as you went, lighting just that area where you were--and turning off each bulb as you went, as a courtesy. Often you'd think you were aloneup there, and then you'd hear footsteps 3 or 4 aisles off, and see the lighting change when another customer pulled the light cord over there. I always thought it seemed like a place from an old murder mystery. I'd spend whole afternoons there, back in the 1960s, and come out with paper grocery bags full of old books. Bert Smith's closed its doors about 30 years ago. I heard the contents--thousands of old books--were stored in a warehouse for a while, and then sold to a bookseller from another part of the country. Man, I miss that old store!
Sometimes I'd buy just because the covers were so cool--the big one here is 1890s, the other two are 1850-1860 era:
(http://i56.tinypic.com/2qurng9.jpg)
Here's an 1870s edition of a play by Victor Hugo (author of HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME)--and this play, "Ruy Blas", also has a hunchback!
(http://i56.tinypic.com/qqvp01.jpg)
And here are some old pulps--back then, 2 or 3 bucks each!
(http://i54.tinypic.com/20l1e3a.jpg)
I am a "bookaholic" as well. Mostly art books by favorite artists. When I can afford them, I *love* signed editions. I have books signed by Arch Oboler, Clifton Fadiman, Chris Van Allsberg, Mel Blanc, John Michael Talbot, James Bama, Frederick Buechner, Alex Nino, Barry Windsor Smith, Jeffrey Jones, Esteban Maroto, etc... just a real eclectic mix of people whose writings or art mean something to me personally.
I also have a lot of old paperbacks, mostly from my youth that have stayed with me on the journey so far. Some have mysteriously vanished but a few have stuck it out.
Quote from: typhooforme on February 25, 2011, 07:48:21 PM
I've collected everything, I guess--and old books were near the top of my list for decades. There used to be three great used book stores in Cincinnati which I haunted. Those stores LOOKED haunted, too! My favorite was Bert Smith's Acres of Books, and it was four floors of old old books, and on the main floor also, tables full of old magazines--and my gosh, pulps!--you'd go down the narrow aisles between shelves, dimmer and dimmer light as you went deeper into the building--and as you went, you reached up and grabbed the strings or pull chains and turned on one bare lightbulb above you as you went, lighting just that area where you were--and turning off each bulb as you went, as a courtesy. Often you'd think you were aloneup there, and then you'd hear footsteps 3 or 4 aisles off, and see the lighting change when another customer pulled the light cord over there. I always thought it seemed like a place from an old murder mystery. I'd spend whole afternoons there, back in the 1960s, and come out with paper grocery bags full of old books. Bert Smith's closed its doors about 30 years ago. I heard the contents--thousands of old books--were stored in a warehouse for a while, and then sold to a bookseller from another part of the country. Man, I miss that old store!
Sometimes I'd buy just because the covers were so cool--the big one here is 1890s, the other two are 1850-1860 era:
(http://i56.tinypic.com/2qurng9.jpg)
Here's an 1870s edition of a play by Victor Hugo (author of HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME)--and this play, "Ruy Blas", also has a hunchback!
(http://i56.tinypic.com/qqvp01.jpg)
And here are some old pulps--back then, 2 or 3 bucks each!
(http://i54.tinypic.com/20l1e3a.jpg)
AWESOME!
Quote from: Elisabeth on February 24, 2011, 11:43:51 PM
I LOVE collecting books, and have just now started getting a few "firsts". I must admit that the "firsts" are what they call 'reading' copies, but since that is what I get them for, I don't mind. I have a first British edition and a first US edition of the Play JOURNEY'S END, a first of JOURNEY'S END the novel, a Victorian edition of FRANKENSTEIN,(ca 1840) and a couple of John Galsworthys. Books are very precious to me.
"E" :) :)
Elisabeth you wouldn't happen to have any pictures of that Frankenstein book would you? I just got one that doesn't have a print date but it's estimated to be early 1900's. Would love to find out the actual date for it.
I'm afraid I don't...but judging by the design on the cover, and the smell and texture of the paper, I'd say between 1860 and 1880. Whenever we would get an Estate donation of that era, our Library Cat would go bonkers at the smell. They apparently used fish based glue in that era, and the donations smelled quite delectable. It was very mild by human standards, but our little black cat would really start vocalising.
How I miss her...
"E" :(
Quote from: Elisabeth on May 08, 2011, 04:03:06 PM
I'm afraid I don't...but judging by the design on the cover, and the smell and texture of the paper, I'd say between 1860 and 1880. Whenever we would get an Estate donation of that era, our Library Cat would go bonkers at the smell. They apparently used fish based glue in that era, and the donations smelled quite delectable. It was very mild by human standards, but our little black cat would really start vocalising.
How I miss her...
"E" :(
Thats funny about the glue. I found out the year, 1940. Nowhere near as cool as an 1880 edition, but I'll take it ;)
Quote from: Scary Terry on February 25, 2011, 12:51:29 PM
I love vintage illustrated books and have quite a few on my shelves. Anything with illos by N.C. Wyeth, Lynd Ward, Frank Godwin, C.D. Gibson, Rockwell Kent, etc. calls my name. I also love the illustrated editions of Edgar Rice Burroughs -- from the early hardcovers with St. John illos to the '60s paperbacks with Frazetta covers. Would love to be able to afford original editions of the OZ books. Have a movie edition hc of Frankenstein -- no dust jacket, though, darn it.
I love crime/mystery fiction, and have a lot of vintage paperbacks of Hammett, Spillane, Chandler, etc. Have collected many for the cover art as well as the contents.
Also early comic strip reprint books and big little books (of which I have dozens).
In elementary school they had two Nathaniel Hawthorne 'mythology' books with the most glorious color plates. They haunt me now since I want to know for sure who did them. I thought they were
N.C. Wyeth. After searching I don't think he even did those books. I posted this on some other forum before and MAYBE it was
Parrish instead.
All I know is everyone that was suggested I either could not find enough examples or a painting/illustration that rang a bell for sure. I used to check those books out repeatedly as a kid. Looking at some Parrish examples they look more like them than the others I could find examples of (because of his
orange cliffs/mountains/backgrounds/colors). That may very well be it. I seem to recall a painting of the minotaur, but don't see it online at all.
THE WONDER BOOK and
TANGLEWOOD TALES were the books. They were older editions for sure. Those books TRULY sparked my interest in mythology (besides comic books).
Sad to say: Atmospheric old used book stores are getting pretty darn well hard to find in Los Angeles! I remember one of the best was a store on Rosemead Blvd. in Rosemead... it had pictures of Marvel comics characters painted on the outside of the place, but inside it was much more than a comic book store. They had boxes of old magazines, musty paperbacks and hardcovers on shelves, even a glass case with 8mm films and odd buttons and knickknacks inside.
Every time I went into this place (I discovered it around 1980) I felt magnetically drawn to stay, to get absorbed into the books. There were many treasures inside and the people who ran the store had no idea, or did not care, what any of it might be worth. So everything was 25 cents, or 50 cents, or a dollar. It was all there to be plundered by anyone willing to go through the boxes and find a gem. Sheer magic! It vanished around 1992 or 93. Still sorry every time I drive by the address, where now air conditioners are sold.
I have a special love for ghost books. Supposedly "true" ghost stories are great and so are the basic creepy old yarns. I remember getting "Horror Times Ten" and some others at that used bookstore. I used to get a lot of stuff at garage sales and library sales. Favorites are "The Phantom Cyclist" by Ruth Ainsworth, and "Strangely Enough!" by C. B. Colby, and "The Most Famous Ghost of All" by D. J. Arneson. All of these books are great. Sometimes a very short story can be powerfully spooky, as the latter two books may attest.
Quote from: curseofthewerewolf on May 10, 2011, 10:02:37 PM
In elementary school they had two Nathaniel Hawthorne 'mythology' books with the most glorious color plates. They haunt me now since I want to know for sure who did them. I thought they were N.C. Wyeth. After searching I don't think he even did those books. I posted this on some other forum before and MAYBE it was Parrish instead.
All I know is everyone that was suggested I either could not find enough examples or a painting/illustration that rang a bell for sure. I used to check those books out repeatedly as a kid. Looking at some Parrish examples they look more like them than the others I could find examples of (because of his orange cliffs/mountains/backgrounds/colors). That may very well be it. I seem to recall a painting of the minotaur, but don't see it online at all.
THE WONDER BOOK and TANGLEWOOD TALES were the books. They were older editions for sure. Those books TRULY sparked my interest in mythology (besides comic books).
If you Google images for "TANGLEWOOD TALES" you'll see a lot of pages of the art used, including some by Parrish.
Rob
Oh: I need to mention Heigh-Ho For Halloween, Ghosts and Goblins (edited by Wilhelmina Harper...early editions have great illos), Spooks, Spirits and Shadowy Shapes (illustrated by Robert Doremus). And also the wonderful Ghosts That Still Walk by Marion Lowndes. These are all fine books and on a lucky day you can find one real cheep on Amazon or Alibris.
I believe there was a thread at one point about Alfred Hitchcock ghost books and also "The Three Investigators" mystery books. These are a lot of fun too and I have one or two of these sitting around somewhere.
I'll go on record as confessing my book fetish. If I bought every book I wanted, I'd be poor in a heartbeat. S I end up searching for used book stores as we travel. My books run the range from 1800s leather bound tomes (ended up being props in paintings many times) to 1920s and 30s children's books, to 1950s flying saucer and horror novels through contemporary books. Illustrated books and books about art or illustration make up the majority.
If you've never visited it before, be sure to check out
http://www.booksalefinder.com/ (http://www.booksalefinder.com/)
It is an AMAZING resource for finding old books. I've attended a few that were advertised here and have been astounded by the sheer volume (no pun intended...well, maybe a small one) of books available. Prices generally have been very very good, and you never know what you'll find.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd344/bigbud3/vampirebook.jpg)
Just back from a Tique Hunt this Saturday afternoon. Snatched up this nead Vampire book......the Edward Gorey cover is a great plus! Buddy
Bud, *awesome* score!!! That cover is GREAT!!!!!
Hi ya Illo! Yea, I have a friend that is very into Vampire books......so I got this with the intent of giving it to him. May just never mention it and keep it myself! Ha! Buddy
Quote from: bigbud on June 25, 2011, 06:15:31 PM
Hi ya Illo! Yea, I have a friend that is very into Vampire books......so I got this with the intent of giving it to him. May just never mention it and keep it myself! Ha! Buddy
yeah I've learned my lesson buying books as gifts, NEVER buy one that you might want to keep lol
Quote from: bigbud on June 25, 2011, 05:59:49 PM
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd344/bigbud3/vampirebook.jpg)
Just back from a Tique Hunt this Saturday afternoon. Snatched up this nead Vampire book......the Edward Gorey cover is a great plus! Buddy
I've got that same book, only in paperback. When I lived in NJ, I used to haunt The Strand Bookstore in lower NYC. I picked up quite a few old books back then. Several of them were non-fiction, like Montague Sommers' "The Vampire in Europe" & "The Vampire: His Kith & Kin." Most were from the '40s & '50s. I also picked up anthologies by Algernon Blackwood & M.R. James. Since moving to NC in '99, I haven't found a decent used bookstore. My most recent "collectible" book purchase was a hardcover edition of "Dracula," illustrated by Edward Gorey, published by Barnes & Noble Books in 1997 in honor of its centennial.
Bud, that artwork ROCKS!!
DEFINITELY still collecting! I just got a copy of the play THE TWO MRS. CARROLLS, on which the Bogart film was based, and a first edition reprint of THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR. Both are thoroughly nice reads...enjoyable, and unstressful.
"E"
QuoteI love crime/mystery fiction, and have a lot of vintage paperbacks of Hammett, Spillane, Chandler, etc
My basement is still in a mess, but I'm running across some cool stuff. These Mickey Spillane paperbacks have covers that I'm sure were rather racy at the time they came out........ Buddy
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd344/bigbud3/IMG_1451-1.jpg)
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd344/bigbud3/IMG_1457.jpg)
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd344/bigbud3/IMG_1456.jpg)
Quote from: bigbud on January 27, 2012, 11:56:03 AM
My basement is still in a mess, but I'm running across some cool stuff. Thes Mickey Spillane paperbacks have covers that I'm sure were rather racey at the time they came out........ Buddy
I dunno considering that you could find similar covers on horror/suspense comics??! I think images like this only became racy after the crack down on such stuff!
NOW you're talkin', Bud! Spillane is the man! Great covers on that first batch of paperbacks.
I know they are not super old, but I have been collecting the works of H.P. Lovecraft, Rod Serling, and Alfred Hitchcock lately. One really old book I would like to get my hands on is Dante's Inferno with the original artwork by Gustave Dore.
Oh yes!
I have many wonderful old books..one is signed by Colin Clive..of course :o
The one he signed is the Journey's End book, the play edition, signed by him and the writer.
I also collect film annuals from Clive's active years as well as bound volumes of 1920s theatre magazines, they always look mighty impressive on the shelf..nice and heavy !
Also fond of classic playwrights and books about anything classic film..as in pre late 30s.
There are books everywhere in my house, luck that those old ones are quite decorative with their gilded patterns and text on the covers.
Talking about decorative old books, old fairytale books always look good as well as Art Nouveau era books..very beautiful.
Here's some paperbacks of The Avenger. Reprinted pulp stories from Doc Savage's creator Kenneth Robeson.........great Bama covers. Buddy
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd344/bigbud3/IMG_1449-1.jpg)
Buddy, some of those are actually by one of Bama's students, I believe his name was Peter Caras, if this old memory is working.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3116/2844070179_2745e32e37.jpg)
I wonder if my first edition paperback release of "Star Wars" (DelRey Books, Dec. 1976) is an antique yet?
(http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lk7bz0DWgW1qf83cro1_500.jpg)
Or my first edition paperback novelization of "House of Dark Shadows"?
Here's a cool illo by Peter Caras using Steve Holland as a model who modeled for James Bama's Doc Savage:
(http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc311/illoman/caras-gunfighter.jpg)
here's a very cool Dracula by Mr Caras:
(http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc311/illoman/bela4.jpg)
Quote from: Illoman on January 29, 2012, 07:53:16 PM(http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc311/illoman/bela4.jpg)
I remember that "Dracula" cover. Unfortunately, I never owned that edition.
I've probably seen many Caras covers and thought they were Bama...........
Quote from: bigbud on January 30, 2012, 12:20:47 PM
I've probably seen many Caras covers and thought they were Bama...........
Me, too, Buddy....
You've also got Bob Larkin painting in Bama's style as well on later editions...
Quote from: seed_murda on January 27, 2012, 02:29:20 PM
One really old book I would like to get my hands on is Dante's Inferno with the original artwork by Gustave Dore.
Somewhere I've got an old Italian translation of Paradise lost with Dore illustrations.
I just picked up a 1943 cookbook based on Ration Points.
"E"
Quote from: MDG on January 31, 2012, 02:15:08 PM
Somewhere I've got an old Italian translation of Paradise lost with Dore illustrations.
I bought a book that collects a lot of Dore's Biblical illustrations. Sad thing is, you're seeing the work of the etcher after he etched Dore's work. There were good etchers and bad, just like there are good and bad inkers for comic books.
I've got a great, big coffee-table edition of Lewis Carroll's two "Alice" books in a single volume, illustrated by Ralph Steadman.
Quote from: Illoman on January 31, 2012, 07:47:34 PM
I bought a book that collects a lot of Dore's Biblical illustrations. Sad thing is, you're seeing the work of the etcher after he etched Dore's work. There were good etchers and bad, just like there are good and bad inkers for comic books.
Exactly why I more than likely cannot afford those books right now. Dore's work is definitely up there in my top artists of all time category. For sure.
Got my hands on a first edition biography by Bram Stoker about Henry Irving, the famous actor who was Stoker's boss and rumored to be one of the inspirations for Big D!
Quote from: Bonomo on February 24, 2011, 09:17:05 PM
I have been building my personal library for years and I love really old books. Anyone else? Anybody have some cool ones?
I don't really collect them but do have a couple LongFellow books that are around a 100 years old. Both for sale.
STILL collecting! I just snagged a copy of Michael Arlen's LILY CHRISTINE. I also have Frankau's CHRISTOPHER STRONG, John Calsworthy's OVER THE RIVER, Maugham's play THE SACRED FLAME, C.L. Anthony's play SERVICE, and Dorothy Massingham's play THE LAKE. Three other recent aquisitions are the plays OVERTURE and LIBEL and the novelisation of LIBEL. All fascinating, and beautiful!
"E"
The latest edition to my library: "Phantasms Of The Dead or True Ghost Stories" from a series called "The Occult And Psychical Sciences" from 1920.
Sweet!
Some of my most prized books have to do with great artists. I have one of the original signed and numbered (#134 of 250) slipcase hardbacks of "Bernie Wrightson: A Look Back". It came with a great print called "Don't Look Back". I've had that print framed and displayed for over 30 years. I also have "Icon", "Testament", and "Legacy", featuring the art of the immortal Frank Frazetta. Also have a number of hardback Charles Addams books reprinting his awesome work from "The New Yorker". And, I collect any books having to do with monster mags/monster comics. Some are "Warren Companion", "Gathering Horror", "Tales Of Terror/The EC Companion", "Skywald Horror Mood", "The Weird World Of Eerie Publications", "The Great Monster Magazines", etc. Plus, Lovecraft and Howard paperbacks, and shelves of books covering horror and sci-fi movies.
Quote from: horrorhunter on June 23, 2012, 02:22:18 PM
Some of my most prized books have to do with great artists. I have one of the original signed and numbered (#134 of 250) slipcase hardbacks of "Bernie Wrightson: A Look Back". It came with a great print called "Don't Look Back". I've had that print framed and displayed for over 30 years. I also have "Icon", "Testament", and "Legacy", featuring the art of the immortal Frank Frazetta. Also have a number of hardback Charles Addams books reprinting his awesome work from "The New Yorker". And, I collect any books having to do with monster mags/monster comics. Some are "Warren Companion", "Gathering Horror", "Tales Of Terror/The EC Companion", "Skywald Horror Mood", "The Weird World Of Eerie Publications", "The Great Monster Magazines", etc. Plus, Lovecraft and Howard paperbacks, and shelves of books covering horror and sci-fi movies.
Horrorhunter, if you don't already have the book "Foul Play" you need to get a copy. Best book I've found dedicated to the great EC artists:
http://www.amazon.com/Foul-Play-Artists-Notorious-Comics/dp/006074698X/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340480669&sr=1-3&keywords=foul+play (http://www.amazon.com/Foul-Play-Artists-Notorious-Comics/dp/006074698X/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340480669&sr=1-3&keywords=foul+play)
Quote from: Illoman on June 23, 2012, 02:46:10 PM
Horrorhunter, if you don't already have the book "Foul Play" you need to get a copy. Best book I've found dedicated to the great EC artists:
http://www.amazon.com/Foul-Play-Artists-Notorious-Comics/dp/006074698X/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340480669&sr=1-3&keywords=foul+play (http://www.amazon.com/Foul-Play-Artists-Notorious-Comics/dp/006074698X/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340480669&sr=1-3&keywords=foul+play)
Thanks for the tip, Illoman. It looks awesome.
Quote from: Illoman on June 23, 2012, 02:46:10 PM
Horrorhunter, if you don't already have the book "Foul Play" you need to get a copy. Best book I've found dedicated to the great EC artists:
http://www.amazon.com/Foul-Play-Artists-Notorious-Comics/dp/006074698X/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340480669&sr=1-3&keywords=foul+play (http://www.amazon.com/Foul-Play-Artists-Notorious-Comics/dp/006074698X/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340480669&sr=1-3&keywords=foul+play)
I'll throw a DITTO on that.
(http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/5961/umabooks7.jpg)
Nice Bradbury collection. Love that cover art!!
Bought a one hundred year old copy of "Ivanhoe" this weekend, for eight bucks. Hardback.
Good find Dr. Madd!
thanks for the recommendation Mike and Dan - I just ordered it on Amazon...
Quote from: Illoman on July 05, 2012, 06:34:26 PM
Nice Bradbury collection. Love that cover art!!
I may have mentioned this before, but I got a couple of chances to casually chat w/ Ray Bradbury at DragonCon a few years ago. I mentioned that I had worn out my copy of Something Wicked This Way Comes when I was in high school. His response: "You're an artist, It's a visual book. OF COURSE you wore it out." :)
(http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/1641/umabookseyes.jpg)
Quote from: Dr. Madd on July 05, 2012, 07:05:42 PM
Bought a one hundred year old copy of "Ivanhoe" this weekend, for eight bucks. Hardback.
Sweet. That's my kind of find
(http://img864.imageshack.us/img864/3034/umabooks91.jpg)
OK, these aren't REALLY old, but it's been fun scanning and grouping them.
(http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/9552/umabooks93.jpg)
Found these while cleaning my studio today....
(http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc311/illoman/CreepyFlashbooks.jpg)
(http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc311/illoman/Vampibooks.jpg)
I've been enjoying "FOUL PLAY". Sad reading about the alcohol abuse and high stress levels some artists suffered. And then you read about "happy boy" Jack Kamen... Pretty interesting factoid about his son inventing the Segway! Again, thanks for the recommendation.
I've got lots of movie books. Oldest I think is from the 50's.
Here's a real eye-roller!
(http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm131/ChrisWhiteStudio/FlyingSaucersLanded.jpg)
Hard to believe anyone took Adamsky seriously... I found this at a book sale and it was a must-have.
I guess we all have our own idea of what "old books' are
For me, my passion is vintage horror paperbacks. Especially from the '60s to about the mid '70s. I just LOVE 'em.
With a special sub-category of interest being movie tie-ins.
I've been collecting these for many years & adore the excitement of discovering one that I don't already have.
Yet another thing that makes a book EXTRA special to me is if it's one that was featured for sale by the Captain Company in the back pages of FAMOUS MONSTERS & the other warren mags of the day.
As for hard cover books, I have quite a few of those as well. But, my earliest is my first edition of King's THE STAND. With that being the beginning of my SK first editions collection that runs right up to present.
Jim
Quote from: dlhenderson on July 06, 2012, 10:58:45 AM
(http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/1641/umabookseyes.jpg)
Now, THAT'S what I'm talking about Mr. Henderson!
Damn, but those are lovely.
Quote from: dlhenderson on July 06, 2012, 06:57:48 PM
(http://img864.imageshack.us/img864/3034/umabooks91.jpg)
Wow, these I love as well.
I don't collect a whole lot of vintage sci fi paperbacks, but THESE I would drf pick up as I was a huge fan of the show as a kid. Also, pretty much anything with monsters or alien invaders I get as well.
Jim
Quote from: Illoman on July 17, 2012, 12:54:57 PM
Found these while cleaning my studio today....
(http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc311/illoman/CreepyFlashbooks.jpg)
(http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc311/illoman/Vampibooks.jpg)
ARRRGH!
Being a bibliophile for my entire life, I still own about 98% of all the books I've ever obtained. And, at 50, that's a LOT of books.
And, back in '75 - '76 I colled & read the entire VAMPIRELLA series of paperbacks. Unfortunately, it's among those that somehow slipped through the cracks. Being one of my first important lessons about NEVER lending out books that you really care about.
Jim
Anther threesome, grouped by subject matter. >:D C:) :o ;D
(http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/9481/umabooksmind.jpg)
Quote from: ChrisW on July 17, 2012, 09:19:38 PM
Here's a real eye-roller!
(http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm131/ChrisWhiteStudio/FlyingSaucersLanded.jpg)
Hard to believe anyone took Adamsky seriously... I found this at a book sale and it was a must-have.
Oh and that's "non-fiction", right?
Like Flying Saucers Serious Business. LOL
A few hard covers...
The book "Planet of the Apes" is VERY different from the movie...
(http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm131/ChrisWhiteStudio/PlanetofApes.jpg)
This is a treasure, found it at a library book sale...
(http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm131/ChrisWhiteStudio/SomethingWicked.jpg)
Along the line of old books, when I was around 9 my father gave me a collection of books that HE read as a boy. They were serials with the protagonists Jerry Todd, Poppy Ott and Trigger Berg. The author was Edward Lee using the pseudonym Leo Edwards. Most were light mysteries, chock full of homespun humor. The illustrations were by Bert Salg, done in a scratchy pen and ink. In spite of the age difference (the books being written in the 30s and my reading them in the 60s) I thoroughly enjoyed the gang's adventures.The books we read were lost in a flood, but he replaced and expanded the collection years afterwards. I still have those books here in my studio.
That's a cool story about your Dad sharing his books with you. And that SWTWC is a treasure for sure. I'd never seen that cover...
Somehow I missed #3. :/
(http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/1102/umaavengers33.jpg)
Going through my stacks I discovered that I had two copies of SWTWC with slightly altered cover designs.
(http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/2053/umaswtwcx2copy.jpg)
Quote from: ChrisW on July 18, 2012, 08:11:32 PM
A few hard covers...
The book "Planet of the Apes" is VERY different from the movie...
(http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm131/ChrisWhiteStudio/PlanetofApes.jpg)
This is a treasure, found it at a library book sale...
(http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm131/ChrisWhiteStudio/SomethingWicked.jpg)
I love the "SOmething Wicked this Way Comes" cover. I'm a huge fan of the movie but never have read the book.
The book is approximately a thousand times better than the movie.
Quote from: dlhenderson on July 19, 2012, 05:49:36 PM
The book is approximately a thousand times better than the movie.
Ya i need to read it. I do like the movie a lot though. I grew up with it.
I've always been fond of the Teason cover for this Shirley Jackson book. I think the Sturgeon cover is by Powers.
(http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/6958/umabookswehavealways.jpg)
Two more Bradbury covers. The one on the left has a bit by Heinrich Kley (the girl feeding the little gators).
(http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/7779/umabradburysun.jpg)
As far as paperbacks go, I've got a lot of the old Marilyn Ross "Dark Shadows" books, including the "House of Dark Shadows" novelization. A lot of various movie novelizations, including "H.P. Lovecraft's Re-Animator" and the Dec. '76 release of "Star Wars" with the Ralph McQuarrie cover and "Soon To Be a Major Motion Picture" on the back cover.
I.like.this.pair.from.England--the.first.was.published.in.'66,.and.this.is.a.'73.one--and.the.second.was.printed.
in.'67...They.are.collections.of.novelizations.of.the.Hammer.films--the.first.one.has.THE.GORGON,.CURSE.OF.
FRANKENSTEIN,.REVENGE.OF.FRANKENSTEIN,.and.CURSE.OF.THE.MUMMY'S.TOMB...and.I.think.you.can.read.the.
titles.of.the.movie-stories.in.the.2nd.one:
(http://i49.tinypic.com/2vtb0uq.jpg)
From.my.hardback.collection--this.1929.NON-fiction.book.is.credited.with.being.the.inspiration.for.the.film.
THE.WHITE.ZOMBIE!...It's.illustrated.by.very.strange.bw.drawings.by.Alexander.King.
(http://i48.tinypic.com/1zmhwsj.jpg)
Got.this.for.my.b'day.this.past.Feb,.from.my.cousin.Sara--she.overdid.it,.but...I.didn't.turn.it.down!..Ernest.
Thesiger's.autobiography...at.least,.up.to.the.year.of.its.publication,.1927!
(http://i47.tinypic.com/5n0nsw.jpg)
I.acquired.these.two.things.separately--a.1920s.copy.of.Mrs.Belloc-Lowndes.famous.1913.Jack.the.Ripper.
novel,.THE.LODGER.(Hitchcock.filmed.it!)...and.with.it,.a.card.autographed.by.Mrs.Belloc-Lowndes.
(http://i45.tinypic.com/2hpq3qc.jpg)
Wow, those are some great items, Typhooforme!
These are only about 40 years old. Cavlino's work is amazing. Imagination off the chain.
(http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/9979/calvinocoverscosmicomic.jpg)
Quote from: horror1o1 on July 19, 2012, 07:33:37 PM
Ya i need to read it. I do like the movie a lot though. I grew up with it.
That's a lie. You never grew up. None of us have. ;D
Compared.to.Proust!...Yikes!...Calvino.must.be.amazing--I.have.not.read.him,.but.will.put.him.on.my.list...
I've.posted.here.at.MEM.MEM.before.in.a.thread.about.Forry.memorabilia,.but.it.doesn't.hurt.to.do.another.
such.post...I.have.a.considerable.number.of.Forry's.books.from.his.endless.shelves.in.the.old.Ackermansion..
here.are.a.few...followed.by.a.shot.of.a.favorite.movie-related.one:
(http://i50.tinypic.com/359yfmf.jpg)
Forry's.copy.of.FUNHOUSE,.which.was.made.into.a.1981.Tobe.Hooper.film..
(http://i50.tinypic.com/349ar05.jpg)
And.I'm.sure.I've.posted.pics.of.these,.but...from.Forry's.collection.again,.a.set.of.THE.COSMOPOLITAN.
magazine.which.was.the.first.serialization.of.Wells'.THE.WAR.OF.THE.WORLD..
(http://i45.tinypic.com/24uvngz.jpg)
I just wanted to drop a note here...If anybody visits Florida in the very top of the state next to i-95 in Saint Augustine there are 4 old houses that are book stores. I went into two of them and it is like being in an old Haunted house you go to every hallway and find every book imaginable very old and newer. What is funny they are very cheap. They were selling pulp mag for $4.00 each...they had 1000's. I got a few 1970's detective $1.00 each. Here is the good news this was last November..THE BOOKS STORES ARE STILL THERE!!! Another important thing to mention, a friend of mine that sells books on line both new and old gets his books for FREE by going to the local Library every month when they have book sales. Here is how it works you buy a paper bag for say $4.00 or so then any amount of books you can fit in the bag becomes yours...BUT THE GREAT THING IS IF YOU WAIT TILL 4 OR 5:PM WHEN ITS OVER ANYTHING THAT LEFT IS FREE!!! I was recently at one of these book fairs and was shocked when the dump trucks were picking up 37 2x3 foot boxes filled with books and old vhs tapes and crushed them before my eyes. Remember this were the left over books people did not take. I GOT IN HUGE TROUBLE AS MY WIFE WAS YELLING AT ME FOR LOADING MY VAN WITH 247 BOOKS!!! All I kept hearing as I went home was" you are not bringing that S_ _T into the house, how much more stuff are you going to fit in here?" The thing that hurt the most was seeing all that being thrown out, and the fact that it happens twice a year. I wish more people would start their own book stores and pick up their free books and sell them to make a profit. It is a Sin to see all these things go to waste. One of the books I got was a 1950's mystery book that was selling online for $59.00...I got it for FREE! Go to your local Library and ask them when is their next book sale fair...DON"T TELL THEM ANYTHING OF WHAT YOU KNOW! Just wait towards the end and you will see when the say ok all books are FREE! They don't say anything in the beginning because they are trying to raise money. That is the reason for the Fair in the first place. Go out and get your Free books. Remember Library only sell their old stuff. I got 23 books on Robots the cost would be about $300 if I bought them online...You know how much I paid FREE!!! HE! HE!
Quote from: dlhenderson on July 21, 2012, 09:22:03 AM
I've always been fond of the Teason cover for this Shirley Jackson book. I think the Sturgeon cover is by Powers.
(http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/6958/umabookswehavealways.jpg)
The Shirley Jackson cover reminds me of some of the covers Mike Whelan did for Horror anthologies.
Interesting, the little Heinrich Kley drawing on the Bradbury cover. My dad bought me the Dover Kley reprints when I was in high school as representation of great pen and ink work.
Robert, your collection never ceases to amaze. Those Cosmopolitans are incredible.
Chris,.that.Teason.Shirley.Jackson.was/is.one.of.my.favorite.bookcovers.from.my.misspent.youth...I.think.it.
still.packs.a.wallop.
I always save images that "pilfer" from other designs. It's just kind of interesting. Here are two sub-par rips of the Teason piece.
(http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/1603/umawehavealways3.jpg) (http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/2795/umawehavealways2.jpg)
Never.encountered.those.before--VERY.interesting!...and.yes,.sub-par!
Had my eye on an 1890 edition of The Man Who Laughs at The Drama Bookstore in NYC for a long time. Finally picked it up. It is mine, all mine.
Quote from: Bonomo on July 25, 2012, 12:41:37 PM
Had my eye on an 1890 edition of The Man Who Laughs at The Drama Bookstore in NYC for a long time. Finally picked it up. It is mine, all mine.
Congrats! Now post a pic!!! I'd love to see that one!
Quote from: houseoftheunusual on July 22, 2012, 12:58:10 PM
I just wanted to drop a note here...If anybody visits Florida in the very top of the state next to i-95 in Saint Augustine there are 4 old houses that are book stores. I went into two of them and it is like being in an old Haunted house you go to every hallway and find every book imaginable very old and newer. What is funny they are very cheap. They were selling pulp mag for $4.00 each...they had 1000's. I got a few 1970's detective $1.00 each. Here is the good news this was last November..THE BOOKS STORES ARE STILL THERE!!! Another important thing to mention, a friend of mine that sells books on line both new and old gets his books for FREE by going to the local Library every month when they have book sales. Here is how it works you buy a paper bag for say $4.00 or so then any amount of books you can fit in the bag becomes yours...BUT THE GREAT THING IS IF YOU WAIT TILL 4 OR 5:PM WHEN ITS OVER ANYTHING THAT LEFT IS FREE!!! I was recently at one of these book fairs and was shocked when the dump trucks were picking up 37 2x3 foot boxes filled with books and old vhs tapes and crushed them before my eyes. Remember this were the left over books people did not take. I GOT IN HUGE TROUBLE AS MY WIFE WAS YELLING AT ME FOR LOADING MY VAN WITH 247 BOOKS!!! All I kept hearing as I went home was" you are not bringing that S_ _T into the house, how much more stuff are you going to fit in here?" The thing that hurt the most was seeing all that being thrown out, and the fact that it happens twice a year. I wish more people would start their own book stores and pick up their free books and sell them to make a profit. It is a Sin to see all these things go to waste. One of the books I got was a 1950's mystery book that was selling online for $59.00...I got it for FREE! Go to your local Library and ask them when is their next book sale fair...DON"T TELL THEM ANYTHING OF WHAT YOU KNOW! Just wait towards the end and you will see when the say ok all books are FREE! They don't say anything in the beginning because they are trying to raise money. That is the reason for the Fair in the first place. Go out and get your Free books. Remember Library only sell their old stuff. I got 23 books on Robots the cost would be about $300 if I bought them online...You know how much I paid FREE!!! HE! HE!
Yeah, they do that here too Eddie............sadly, most of what's left are romance novels ;D ;D
Quote from: Illoman on July 25, 2012, 04:01:24 PM
Congrats! Now post a pic!!! I'd love to see that one!
Me too!!
I'l try, could someone tell me again how I do that?
blob:http%3A//www.flickr.com/7ec3616b-3528-483a-9c00-9ccc6c2ea130
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7278/7647007582_a3c3163611_b.jpg (http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7278/7647007582_a3c3163611_b.jpg)
Well, in the mean time this should work
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8004/7647006530_2b64863449_b.jpg (http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8004/7647006530_2b64863449_b.jpg)
Excellent! It looks like it's in pretty decent shape considering it's age!
Yes it is in really good shape. Got it for $19.99 too, it was a no brainer
WOW!! Great find!
What a great volume for your collection - congrats!
That's.a.beauty,.Bonomo--marbled.boards!
I Collect Old (1800's-1930's) Masonic & Rosicrucian Books Encyclopedias, Monitors & Pamphlets. Theosophical Society, Odd- fellows Etc. Anything By Max Heindel, C.W. Leadbeater, Annie Besant, Alice Baily, H.P. Blavatsky Or Manly P. Hall. Also Old Flying Saucer Books From The 1950's. Mythology, History, & Religion. Also Anything That Looks Interesting. Picked Up A Old Copy Of Edgar Rice Burroughs "Gods Of Mars" Today.... Love Old Books!
Quote from: Ghoul on September 15, 2012, 08:22:58 PM
I Collect Old (1800's-1930's) Masonic & Rosicrucian Books Encyclopedias, Monitors & Pamphlets. Theosophical Society, Odd- fellows Etc. Anything By Max Heindel, C.W. Leadbeater, Annie Besant, Alice Baily, H.P. Blavatsky Or Manly P. Hall.
A wise collector...........no competition!! ;D ;)