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Oldest book you own?

Litany said:
I've got these really teeny tiny book on 'knowledge'. It's got an atlas in there, All sorts of useful facts, and a section devoted to etiquette. I think it's from the late 1800s. It's only a couple of inches tall, but about an inch deep. It's the reason I have such good manners. :D
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Litany, maybe I can borrow it....:D

I picked up some books last year at a flea market.

Hemingway
Hood
Poe
Dickens
Longfellow, and a few more I can't remember right now.
Late 1800's
 
We've got a lot of old books in our family. They reach back into the 16th & 17th century. They are all stored in a museum in Munich/Germany because they have everything to keep them in the best shape possible.
We kept the younger ones at home though. They are from the 18th and 19th century and beautiful to read.

But something else, Germany had different kinds of fonts through the centuries (f. e. Suetterlin). I am wondering if it is the same in the U. S. ? Does anyone know something about this ?
 
Found this book at a flea market - think I paid $2 or $3 for it.

Old English Libraries - The Making, Collection, and Use of Books During the Middle Ages. - Published 1912
 
I've inherited several old books including:
Busy Hands and Patient Hearts or, the Blind Boy of Dresden 1867

The Blue Lagoon by H. De vere Stacpoole. Unfortunately, I do not see the date of the publication, but I do know that the book is quite old. So much so that I'm afraid to read it because the pages and binding are so frail.
 
KateGT said:
I've inherited several old books including:
Busy Hands and Patient Hearts or, the Blind Boy of Dresden 1867

The Blue Lagoon by H. De vere Stacpoole. Unfortunately, I do not see the date of the publication, but I do know that the book is quite old. So much so that I'm afraid to read it because the pages and binding are so frail.
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I've noticed a number of my ggf's books don't have publication dates, but one of the ways I have been able to date those is fortunately he had the habit of writing his name and date acquired on one of the front blank pages.
One of the ones I found I had to pull the title is A Mystery of New Orleans by Wm H. Holcombe M.D., this one does have the copyright date of 1890, but my ggf didn't' acquire it till February 1891.
What is neat is that they lived in New Orleans, as did I for most of my life [so far]. :D
 
My oldest books are not that old, they were both printed in 1945. The other one is Adventures of Huckleberry Finn that I got from my grandfather and the other one is a tiny Finnish-Swedish dictionary that used to belong to my grandfathers sister.
 
I have a copy of 1984 that is literally falling apart, it was my mother's before I had it, and I think she had it when she was young, so I guess it's about 40 years old or so. It's really difficult when I go back to read it again as I have to be so careful with the pages
 
"Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"


I purchased it in 2005 or 2006 when I was not even aware of this forum and I was salesman at that time. Now I am computer programmer.

Regarding buying this book, the incident is quite unusual and I don't think it will happen again. I was living in rented room, quite poor room, badly damaged, no sunlight just because it was cheap, I was living there. In the same building some share-broker lived who was from my town and we both knew each other but he used to drink a lot so we did not talk much. I did not even, ever entered into his room. After 6 months, one day, somehow I entered and sat in his room while he was listing to some music. Just beneath his pillow, I saw the little part of this book, just 7% of it, that shew me some green tree leaves on the front. That looked like Aloe-Vera plant and a mechanical-instrument was born-out from the center of the tree. I was a little surprised and took it out from under the pillow. I opened its 1st page and read "I can see by my watch, without taking my hand from the left grip of the cycle, that it is eight-thirty in the morning. The wind, even...you can't forget this, if you read it", my friend suddenly said. I saw the burning,solid confidenc on his face and ,u eyes were much wider than they are, I read again, "What follows is based on actual occurrences.." . Actual occurrences ? I said "It is some motivational book, I have read 100s of them, they are plain bullshit". "Is 300 rupees a big deal for you ? or 300 rupees are the most important thing for you ?". I said no, "buy it them and tell me what you think". I asked him to give it ti me for a few days and then I will see if I can spend the money, as a salesman-beginner I was running short of money 24x7. "No, buy your own". After getting my salary next month, I bought it but never read it fully but it remained with me. After 2 years, 2 months ago, in March 2008, I read and finished this book but I don't think it will ever finish. My brain and general life was disturbed for more than 4 days after reading this book, after all, it was truth, no I am wrong, it is truth, Truth is always there, there is no "was truth".
 
I can't beat the 3000 year old saga, but I do have a pretty old book - 1836. It's a small volume of French poetry.

I have quite a few other pretty old works in french:
-the memoirs of marguerite de valois from 1860
-a sequel to the three musketeers from 1880
-a novel by anatole france from 1898
-a book about the true history in a Dumas book from 1912
-a short rewrite of said Dumas book from 1937

Then, of course, I have my complete works of Shakespeare from 1934.

Now that I think about it, maybe I should get insurance...some of those books cost quite a lot.
 
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