On Being a Vintage Book Bibliophile

As defined in Wikipedia a bibliophile is “an individual who loves and frequently reads or collects books”. This image of a painting by Pierpaolo Rovero, ‘Past Present Future,’ is indicative of the way we readers understand the power of books to take us to unknown places, allow us to try on the lives of others, provide information and inspiration, give us comfort…there are infinite connections between books and readers.

It seems to me books have always been a part of my life; visits to the local branch of the public library with my mother when I was a young girl were a regular event wherein we left with as many books as could be checked out at one time. I would later work part time at this same library, surrounded by books and tutored by a group of librarians as unique and wonderful as characters from treasured tales.

My first memory of collecting my own books is the set of Nancy Drew Mystery books. There was something particularly delightful about their butter yellow spines numbered so you could put them on the shelf and perhaps even read them in order.

(us.macmillan.com)

Our local reading council sponsored a visit with author Sarah Stewart and illustrator David Small. As a member of the council my role was to pick them up at the hotel and take them to the event. Afterwards, they asked to be dropped off at a restaurant in the area with tables outside. Immediately, both sat down, took out their journals and began writing and drawing. The Library is but one of the books I purchased that day.

This is one of many images of reading life you may find similar to your own experiences. We had a set bedtime growing up; a time that did not always allow for finishing a chapter. It would probably have been more prudent for me to read sitting up in bed with a flashlight, but my parents would have seen the light shining down the hallway.  My alternate plan involved reading by the light of a small, high intensity desk lamp placed under the bed with the bulb pressed to the carpet so it emitted just enough light to read.  Unfortunately, the hot bulb close to the nylon carpeting melted a dark spot under the bed.  As such, my bedroom furniture could never be moved around, or my night reading disaster would be discovered.

As in this image of the painting by Pieter Meijer Warners, ‘The Shop of the Bookdealer’ a visit to the bookstore is always enchanting. Some of my most memorable book buying experiences have occurred in used bookstores. There is something about the hunt for an inexpensive book you may not have known you “needed” that is enticing.

Shortly after a tour of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello where we saw artifacts from the Lewis and Clark expedition displayed in his foyer/gallery, I discovered a boxed set of The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in a used bookstore in Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country. During the same visit I also purchased the autobiographical writings and biography of Benjamin Franklin. Vintage books add character and a sense of history to a library. Many of these books are out of print and so finding them and adding them to your collection is thrilling.

When in Galveston, Texas we always stop in at the Galveston Bookshop. The newly painted exterior makes it look like a section from the bookshelves. With each purchase you receive a bookmark with an ink image of the resident cat.

Purchases from this shop include two of my favorites, an Italian Sketchbook and a book of Canaletto prints of Venice, Italy. We framed a quartet of them for a wall in the bathroom and I love studying them while soaking in the tub.

When we visit New Orleans we often stay at the Monteleone Hotel on Royal Street in the French Quarter. In the afternoons we like to sit in the leather wing chairs placed across from each other and beside a window looking out onto the street. With our books and journals and a bowl of bar snacks we are fully content. This is also an opportunity for me to take a short walk to some of the used bookstores in the Quarter. Crescent City Books is usually my first to visit.

Just inside the door of Crescent City Books is a glass case of first editions, some of them signed. One of these would make a lovely gift for a fellow bibliophile.

Old prints are a passion of mine, so a stop at their print rack is a must.

Fashion in History is a favorite from this shop and a resource for gathering information about the background of current fashion as well as the resurgence of trends in fashion.

Dauphine Street Books is a few blocks from the hotel.

Stacked in a box on the floor was a six-volume set of The Endemic Flora of Tasmania. It was difficult to choose only one. Back at the hotel, when I showed the book to my husband, he encouraged me to return to get the rest of the set. In my hurry to return to Dauphine Street Books, I tripped and fell down on Bourbon Street. A kind person helped me up and laughed to hear I was on my way to purchase the rest of a set of books of botanical illustrations.

These books are a wonderful addition to resources for my Florilegium series of botanical watercolors.

Now that we live in the Texas Hill Country near San Antonio, Texas, we are exploring new and used bookstores in the area. Recently, we visited Cheever Books on Broadway. The bookstore is in an old house. My favorite room is this one where the light streams in from the front windows and a fireplace anchors one wall. Here is where there are books about art, furniture, antiques and the like.

Having just completed painting a chinoiserie screen it was thrilling to find an entire book on chinoiserie for home and garden published by Phaidon. Researching images for the screen was fascinating and there is more to learn from this work. The book, Printed Textiles: English and American Cottons and Linens 1700-1850 will be inspirational as I continue to work on my project of creating blocks to print fabric for table linens.

(The Library by Sarah Stewart. Illustrator David Small)

The words above this illustration from The Library by Sarah Stewart are “Dreams of a wonderful old age comfortably surrounded by books”. Such are the dreams of a bibliophile. Have fun searching for books to add to your collection and inspire further creativity!