Between the Wars discussion

Do any of you tend to order old editions of books online? I have only ordered about three actually and I was wondering if anyone else does and if you are generally happy with the quality of old editions -- those relatively cheap and printed 50 years ago or more. I guess since some aren't looked at by collectors and they go pretty cheap. I just don't want any in bad condition.

It is different when you get a book printed a couple of years ago, those can look practically new and you expect that it will. I just wonder when they sell the really old books, if somewhat poor condition is acceptable to those doing the selling?

Any ideas?

I ordered a textbook of sorts, Renaissance and Reformation Times, and I got it through Borders. They ordered it for me from some seller and let me see it before I paid for it. If it hadn't been in good condition, I could have said "no thanks."

Jeannette wrote: "I ordered a textbook of sorts, Renaissance and Reformation Times, and I got it through Borders. They ordered it for me from some seller and let me see it before I paid for it. If i..."

Dear Sarah,I love old Editions but I am still very wary of buying things online and so I continue to haunt secondhand and Antiquarian Booksellers so that I can see exactly what I am buying and also it leads me to many happy surprises!!!

Jeanette,good to know that facility is available through Borders....

Jeannette wrote: "I ordered a textbook of sorts, Renaissance and Reformation Times, and I got it through Borders. They ordered it for me from some seller and let me see it before I paid for it. If i..."

Now that is an idea. I wonder if any or my nearby stores will do that? There is a Borders not too distant from me though, so might check with them too. There was a small book store, owned by one man, who offered great service on ordering. He closed about two years ago, SO SAD! It was the perfect little shop, a few miles from me, right down a neighborhood street -- actually set up in a converted old house. The perfect place in every way. It is fine to go to the large chains, they are a blessing in many ways, but we are letting the REAL little bookstores become a thing of the past.

Sorry, folks, what I a downer I didn't mean to start on!

It is always difficult to balance support for the small stores with price and selection. Our local bookseller never had the books I wanted. She had a lot of what her "best" customers were interested in. Then we hit 50,000 population and Borders moved in. Saved me driving 45 minutes to get to the other Borders. Now Borders is reducing stock and I'm ordering online! Vicious cycle......

I ordered a second-hand book through Amazon, since the title was no longer in print and I wanted it for research. It wasn't in as good condition as advertised, but it's OK and it's the info I want. I just have this "thing" (obsession?) about holding a pristine new book in my hands.

I know what you mean, Gabriele.

I would never pay more for an older edition, as there isn't much point to it as far as I'm concerned. I don't care for collecting, and I would rather just read a book for the text.
Saying that, my late nana did give me a 1920s edition of 'Lorna Doone' some years ago, which I cherished for it's archaic beauty. But I took it on holiday and somehow over that time it completely fell apart. Moral to that ramble: be sure it's in good condition!

I think Sarah is looking for out-of-print books. We had a lot of older children's books in our library, and the librarian said: "Check them out or they will disappear". They get moved out for the new stuff and then you think, "wow, I would love it if my child could read xxx book" and it is gone! :(

I know, the condition of a book can vary so much when it is so old. I am not a collector, but I do wish I had some of my grandfather's books. He was the reader in the family and I fully give him credit for passing the love on down to me. They lived in an old farmhouse with no study or library, so I guess his books were boxed away somewhere and I don't know what happened to them. I always have my imagination to fall back on though, hearing stories of how they read as a family in the sitting room. And I think that was his "stage" because he was a big storyteller as I understand. I was born when my mother was in her 30s and her father (same grandfather) has been older when she was born, so I never had much chance of growing up with him still around.

Yes, I was looking at a few books online that only are available in earlier editions. I may just go the safe route of looking for eTexts, although I don't really like to read online.

Just curious -- what are some of the books that you are looking for, Sarah?

Somone on the Clean Romances group suggested this site:
my link text

Don't know anything about it, but it looks interesting.

Jeannette wrote: "Just curious -- what are some of the books that you are looking for, Sarah?"

I only had my eye on two of Frances Burnett's grownup novels. I still can't make up my mind, but since I have developed a love of her, I may decide to do it. They literally are only a few dollars, but I am watching my money very closely these days.

I may have mentioned her before -- I recently discovered her novel The Shuttle and found out more about her adult writing. She wrote during the late Victorian/Edwardian era. I have developed some kind of unexplained sympathy for her. It sounds like she had major struggles in her life, but as a woman during that time, was able to publish some beautiful writing. I guess it is the Austenian coming out in me too!

Sorry tp digress off stream a little,but I collect my older books because when I find them in good condition I much pferfer them to some of the new Editions which can feel very cheap to me.I also prefer the book to have history,an inscription or an old letter included.I was very fortunate this summer to find a 1934 edition of a book dedicated to someone with my exact name,which as I have a Double name I just went into happy shock!.

Must have been meant for you, DJ!

Sounds interesting, Sarah. I shall have to investigate as I love that era!

DJ wrote: "Sorry tp digress off stream a little,but I collect my older books because when I find them in good condition I much pferfer them to some of the new Editions which can feel very cheap to me.I also p..."

Yes, I can see what you mean about older editions. I love inscriptions too. That was amazing to have your double name in the book -- it probably felt like a relative had owned it with that.

That is my dilemma with ordering the old editions. Often they were of such good quality when made, that they are still a pleasure to have if they have been maintained well. The few I have actually dared to get are very nice.

Dear Sarah,I loved your comment about it feeling like a relative must have owned it...
But Rest Assured Dear Friends I was the first and Last DJ in the family....So it is safe if you meet another DJ,the world couldn't handle 2 of me....Poor World to be so Derived!! LOL!

There are definitely times when I want the brand-new, nobody else read my book, book, but more often than not I travel further to hit two large used-books stores. These are about a 50 minute drive from me, and I just love perusing the shelves, looking for just the right copy of a book. I also tend to find books that local bookstores don't keep in stock anymore (Lady Audley's Secret was one of these).

I also collect older books (I have an 1832 Life of the Virgin Mary not for religious reasons, just because it has color plates and hard leather covers, plus a little lock that keeps the book closed!). Sometimes I just like (as DJ says) to find a book that has a history of its own. I love finding inscriptions that state, "To Mary, with Love, Christmas, 1918," for example. Then I can wonder who Mary was, who gave it to her, how wonderful it must have been to receive, whether or not 'Mary' read it, etc.

Then again, I tend to attribute human qualities to my books, so I often think of my shelf of old books as the grandparents of the group; calm, reserved, stoic, solid, reliable, ... whereas my new books are the hyper little kids :)

Oh - I should also mention that I've had quite a bit of luck ordering used books on Amazon; I just recommend reading the reviews of the sellers before purchasing. Cheap books guaranteed through Amazon - more often than not a great deal!

I bought a used copy of a picture book The Carousel because I like the illustrator. The inscription inside reads "To Mom, Merry Christmas 1995, Mark,'May you always dream far beyond reality'"

Reading it makes me feel kind of sad. I would never have sold a book like this, whether I had received or given it.

I've mostly had good luck, I actually prefer older books, seems like they add extra character to the story! The last one my mom got me though had pages falling out, that's not ok by me.

Jeannette wrote: "I bought a used copy of a picture book The Carousel because I like the illustrator. The inscription inside reads "To Mom, Merry Christmas 1995, Mark,'May you always dream far beyond ..."

Maybe she passed away?

Then I most definitely would have asked to have it to keep it. I have a few of my mother's books and movies now.

Possibly she no longer had Children....
I just hope that the friend that says she wants my books when I die will be alive to take them,I can't bear the thought of them all being split up!

Family heirlooms like inscribed books often don't get passed to family members. Some member of the family gets access to the possessions and sells them off unfortunately. It is sad about the books, but I absolutely cringe when I see beautiful family photos in antique stores. SOMEONE in that family would have liked those for their family archive, even if not the immediate children of the deceased. Selling off the family mementos happens when there is bitterness in the family also. It is a sad form of revenge.

Very much so Sarah,I myself had to go into my Mothers home after she died to purloin a silk Tapestry that had hung in her bedroom all of her life and also sniffle an ornament that I had bought her.I also took her Wedding China as my Father was selling up to move in with a woman he had known 6 weeks!And I regret to this day that I did not take the photographs but I concentrated on what I thought my Mother would want me to save!
I am very lucky in that my Mother had given me some things before she died,including HER childhood photographs with My Grandparents on the Farm and for that I am very Thankful indeed!

I think, too, that as parents age and people move away, there is sometimes one person left to deal with grandma's stuff. Young people don't always neccesarily treasure things as they should and then regret it later. Or, sometimes, things get left behind. I inherited a few photos with and old house that I bought years ago. I also inherited a cellar full of canned goods, but none of it looked edible. :(

I hope I didn't sound too cynical. I know there are other circumstances too. Yes, sometimes one person is overwhelmed to deal with the estate and makes the best decision they can about heirlooms. Also, as more people downsize, they no longer have room to store the family memorabilia, even if they are trying to find a home for it at some point. It is all a tough choice.

DJ, I also have a few valued photos of my family's early days and life on the farm. It is sad that I never had the opportunity to see that life they had. I love my life in the "city," but sometimes I wish I had had a taste of the other life too.

DJ, it sounds like you have gone through many family struggles too. Know that you are not alone and the family situation is one of the very uncontrollable factors of life. I hope that things have resolved in some way for you.

I'm sorry DJ that I missed your post (probably while I was typing mine). When my father died, my out-of-state brother took quite a few things with him, since he was staying at the house and roaming at will. Years later at his house, I remarked that I couldn't find a copy of Shakespeare's works that I had received in college for making Dean's list. He handed it to me from his bookshelf!!

My mother had so few things when she died that we were able to divide things and she had had the time and forethought to give some things to individual family members. Still, my sister gave a piece of jewelry to my sister-in-law that meant more to me than to her. But, she passed it along to me when requested.

I hope you have come to some peace with your father, too, at least in your own mind. You've got a great husband so I'll toast the two of you on New Year's Eve, too!

Sarah,

My dad grew up on a farm and always talked about wanting a place in the country. For years and years I have also wished I could have grown up that way, too. Funny how we can be nostalgic for someone else's past. It's good that you have photos of your grandparents and know a bit of their history.

I know, sometimes I do miss THEIR life !?! I know they have a lot of struggles and it was not better than my life, but they had elements that my life cannot have. They had land and could grow lots of fresh food with no chemicals and in those days -- no air/water pollution. Many of the ladies of the family knew these beautiful handicrafts. AND they were kinda feminist and believed in education for women. Things like that. So I idealize that they had the best of both worlds.

That line of my family was indicative of struggles that the farmers in the Southern U.S. had. Two generations earlier they had lost so much of what they had due to the Civil War, then my grandpa's generation dealt with the Great Depression. They were the typical family that was doing pretty well in land and commerce and then never recovered after the 1930's. But apparently they kept their philosophy and their innovative ways (those feminists I was speaking of!) and that was their legacy to me.

Sarah wrote: "Do any of you tend to order old editions of books online? I have only ordered about three actually and I was wondering if anyone else does and if you are generally happy with the quality of old ed..."


I know a source for old books. They give good, detailed descriptions of each book and are very friendly. Plus the website is just fun to browse.

http://www.anglophilebooks.net/

Have fun :)

Thanks Cherlize. I appreciate the link and am curious to see how they describe the books. Are you also sometimes attracted to old editions?

And I have ordered the two I mentioned earlier. I decided to go for it since they were cheap and I am so interested in Frances Burnett's writings. I will let you know how they are when they arrive. Since Burnett doesn't seem to have a cult following, I was hoping they were just cheap because demand is low.

We have a Burnett cult following around here, if you count the number of times we've read her more popular ones over and over again. I'd be curious to read The Shuttle, which is on my to-do list, but as yet I haven't come across it used. I DID find a first edition set of lovely, to-die-for lovely, Louisa May Alcott books. Each must have been released singularly but then printed as a complete matching set later. That was my best 'score' for $15. Just keep watching the second hand stores. Right now I'm kicking myself for turning down a twenty four volume set of Mark Twain, with those neat original drawings in them, but at the time I couldn't part with the $150. Stupid, when I probably spend that much per month in new books. Ugh! I'll never forgive myself. It just seemed like someone went trigger happy with the price labeler.

In short, I'm very attached to old books. New ones seem soulless in comparison, unless we read them ten times and they become imbibed with our own souls. :)

Sorry, must dash. Just wanted to pop in with the anglophile site. Bye!

I am glad their is a Burnett following! Which country are you in?

I love The Shuttle, it is a hidden gem. Careful to buy the full version. For example, Persephone has published it recently, but they leave out much of the book for some reason. Important pieces of information are left out entirely --sorry Persephone, but why? Only look for an edition that is close to 800 pages and then you will get the full novel.

See, that is why the old editions are hard to pass up. You may never find them again. I understand completely!

Thanks for that warning, Sarah, as I have The Shuttle on my to-read list, and was going to order from Persephone!

Cherlize wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Do any of you tend to order old editions of books online? I have only ordered about three actually and I was wondering if anyone else does and if you are generally happy with the qua..."
Charlise: I found the website for old English books and was delighted with it. I ordered 2 books right off. Thanks - I will pass along the link and info to friends who, like me, are ardent Brit book lovers.

I have bought a number of out-of-print books through Amazon but from smaller sellers (all over the world). They list books that are like new, gently used, etc., and it's always accurate. Delivery is quick and quality is good. Amazon keeps track of people's comments, so I doubt if bad vendors stay on their list.

This is such a fascinating thread and I am enjoying reading all of your experiences in collecting (and losing) old books. When I was a child, my grandmother found some old books in an antique shop and she gave them to me. They were a series called "The Marjorie Books" and were written by Caroline Wells. I just adored them, but foolishly gave them away with lots of other books to a little friend of mine. Well, as luck would have it, her house burned down along with my books. I was very sad, both for her but (mostly) for my treasured books. So imagine my delight when Googling the name "Carolyn Wells", I found several of the "Marjorie" books online at a free books site. Needless to say, I have them safely stored on my harddrive.

I forgot to say that my old editions arrived last week. They were both in almost perfect condition. These were from separate sellers but ordered through Alibris.com I am glad I decided to get them and can enjoy reading them in the original edition.