The Hobbit Reads My Dog Skip

As is my habit, I perused the WSJ's Mansion and Book Review section last weekend and saw an interesting article about a sale at Sotheby's featuring over 1,400 rare books about exploration. And what a treasure trove it is!!!  Such items as a catalog of tree bark, known as tapa, that was collected by Captain James Cook, the gentleman who discovered the Hawaiian Islands, and the earliest printed map of Australia, the only copy in the world not in a museum.  There is a book/story from 1882 by John Brown about six starving men afloat at sea, but one guy draws the short straw, literally, and becomes dinner for five.  There is also a book from 1718 by a British engraver who depicts a drawing of an orangutang, which closely resembles a character from Hangover 2.  Also for sale are first editions from Sir Francis Drake and Walter Raleigh.

As I reflect upon my short lifetime and how books have expanded my horizons, I suspect many of you feel the same, whether you read them on your Kindle or are like me and prefer to have the actual thing in your hand.  No mind which, it's the adventure these tomes take us on that make the difference. If you are reading this blog (of course you are.  Who wouldn't??), you can see the shelves of books that are on the page.  Below is a picture of my home book shelves.  Pretty impressive, especially when I tell you there is another whole room that looks the same but different paint, etc.
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Oops, picture will not copy and paste, even though I have done it a thousand times before, as illustrated below.  Oh well, take it from me, it's an illness at my house.  Some people like to gamble, some like drugs, some like weird sex addictions.  We like books. Okay, truth be told, I'm a little curious about that last one... but I digress.

Books take us places, take us on adventures we could not or would not go in our lifetimes.  Remember when you were young and read Treasure Island or today kids read Harry Potter.  Maybe you read about  Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, read Willie Morris and My Dog Skip. Or Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys.  Are your kids reading The Hobbit series?  I tried the Hobbit thing and had nightmares so I dispensed with that.  The characters reminded me too much of some family reunion where there are little or no branches on the family tree.  Just sayin'........

There are also "personality studies" that tell us what type of person we are by the type of books we read. For example: The Involved Reader: You don't just love to read books, you just love to read about books. You see half the fun of reading being the thrill of the chase - discovering new books and authors, discussing your finds with others.(I can't even imagine what your home library looks like.) The Exacting Reader: You love books but you rarely have as much time to read as you'd like - so you're very particular about the books you choose. The Serial Reader: Once you discover a favorite writer you tend to stick with him/her through thick and thin.(Translation:  Probably read a lot of Sidney Sheldon or Anne Rice...) The Eclectic Reader: You read for entertainment but also to expand your mind. You're open to all kinds of new stuff and are not wedded to a particular genre or limited range of authors. These people, how do they keep their minds organized?? I am definitely in this last catagory.  I've been asking myself that last question for a while now....

 If you have the $$$ and have a love of books, this Sotheby's sale is the sale for you.  If you love books but have no dough, there are some great options on Etsy to satiate your love of the written word.

From RosiesArmoire in the United Kingdom, here are some really beautiful antique books.  I would love them displayed in a little girl's room, or nestled in a reading nook at the top of the stairs.  The colors are so soft and comforting, just like an old book.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/158082416/vintage-french-classics-book-bundle?ref=shop_home_active_5


This incredible book comes from a fabulous store called SG Books and Maps, Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass.  They also offer sort of an "instant library" color coordinated, great for those just starting out and like books. https://www.etsy.com/listing/122839892/walt-whitman-leaves-of-grass-rare-1867?ref=shop_home_active_1
                                                                                                                        
                                                                        And who doesn't want this selection from WhajitsuMagikShop in Los Angeles.  Someone needs to buy this book just so we can all see what's inside.  It has all kinds stuff in it such as "The Prayers of the Lifting of the Hand, and represents the cuneiform texts of a group of Babylonian and Assyrian incantations and magical formulae edited with transliterations, translations, and full vocabulary from tablets of the Kuyunjik collections preserved in the British Museum."  I have no idea what most of that is but I sure would like to take a peek!!!


                   https://www.etsy.com/listing/124535276/occult-babylonian-magic-and-sorcery?ref=sr_gallery_13&ga_search_query=books&ga_ship_to=US&ga_ref=auto3&ga_explicit_scope=1&ga_search_type=vintage&ga_view_type=gallery

If you are interested in what my Etsy store is like, https://www.etsy.com/shop/designbayou

Well, fun as it has been, time to go.  It's 5:00 somewhere.......