Book and mitts

A while back (it seems longer than it actually was...) Lynn linked to a page about a series of books about "Tish" (actually, Leticia) a "spinster" who has adventures.


(This was in response to my bemoaning that what is passed off as "spinster lit" is so often stuff like the Bridget Jones chronicles. She was what, 28? I admit I have little patience for women that young (a) acting like they're terribly, terribly old and (b) sitting around waiting for Mr. Right in order to go and have their life. Newsflash: Mr. Right-for-You doesn't always exist)

Anyway. I hunted around briefly on AbeBooks and found a nice old copy (printing date, 1916, and yes, the first story is about Tish and two of her similarly-aged and -statused friends traveling to a relative's house in Tish's car....complete in dusters and goggles, like you would have worn in 1916)

Here it is.



(And golly, the author's name is familiar to me. I wonder if I read something else of hers, once upon a time? Or maybe I'm conflating her with an author whose name has a similar rhythm to it)

I like older books. Yes, probably Project Gutenberg or somewhere has it online for free (I think I paid $7, plus $2 shipping, for my copy). But I like the book-as-physical-object. I like the variety of books - the different typefaces (though there are some that really frustrate me, when they're small and it looks as if the book was typeset using cracked old type), the different bindings.

Some of the old ones have pictures in them, even. Mostly any more, if you want pictures in a book for "grown ups," you have to either go the pricey Folio Society route, or read scholarly books (with pictures of pottery and sketches of how skeletons were laid to rest in their ancient tombs. Or photos of bees. Or pictures of horrible diseases.)

I suppose run-of-the-mill "books for grownups" don't have pictures in them any more because it's not cost-effective to do it that way. (Then again: I'm not sure I'd want to see a copy of, say, "Fifty Shades of Grey" with illustrations...)

The copy of Tish I got has pictures.



The frontispiece one (this one) even has one of those thin onion-skin paper sheets to protect it.

I like older and used books. I can't really say I "collect" books; I rather more "accumulate" them. I don't care too much about condition, unless the book is really trashed or someone has written in it. I don't care about future value; I want to read my books. (I have heard of some collectors who are into rare or first-edition books, who don't even read them, for fear of damaging them and reducing their value. Of course, there are also wine collectors who never crack open one of their precious bottles. I'd rather say those folks are "money collectors," it's just that they are gambling that what they now hold will be worth more money in the future than money they currently have in the bank or have invested will be....)

But it is nice to be able to get my hands on an older book now and then. I used to live in a town that had a wonderful used-book store (and before that, in Ann Arbor, there were multiple used-book stores). It was a nice break from my daily work to be able to walk down to Babbitt's and see if they had anything new and different.

I also finished the second Fishtail armwarmer last night:



Now if we ever get weather cool enough to make wearing these make sense.