Home » 2011 » August

Books About Italy Found in Texas

We’re in Florence today and are trying to see as many libraries, bookstores and paper stores as possible while making time to sample the restaurant recommendations from Claudia at Artemisia Restauro. So, I’m yet again directing you back to some books I wrote about earlier this year. Plus they have a touch of Italy in them.

I won these pretty books at the same auction as the blue Anatole France books. They were placed on the table with a slew of other books and whoever won the bid got their choice of books. In an auction like this, you never know if your fellow bidders are hoping to win the same books you want or something different. Turns out the guy I was bidding against wanted an Elvis commemorative book. There was no real danger I wouldn’t own these pretties, I just could have gotten them a bit cheaper if I’d been better at playing this particular version of chicken.

I won various volumes of World History, Roman History, the La Saint Bible, and a law dictionary.

You know a book is pretty old when you have to use the Roman Numeral converter to figure out when it was written. Maybe I should remember my Roman Numerals, but I don’t. Fortunately, there was a handy converter in the law dictionary. All of these books were printed between 1739 and 1751.

It’s hard to believe that this fold-out map is still intact in the Roman History book. The map is dated 1738 and shows Italy long before Napoleon’s invasion or Italy’s unification.

Most of the books still have their thin green bookmark ribbon and all are covered in aged leather with dainty gold designs stamped on the spine. I love the way they look on the bookshelf.

Enjoy the pretty French books,

Posted on August 31, 2011 by aprettybook, 2 comments

Piccolomini Library Siena

Later today, we’ll visit the Piccolomini Library in Siena which has a collection of medieval choir books. I’m looking forward to seeing the illuminated manuscripts but I have a feeling that they will be overshadowed by the magnificent frescos on the walls and ceiling. The library was commissioned in 1492 and includes the statue, Three Graces, which is a Roman copy of the Greek original.

The walls are rimmed with the choir book displays. I selected a picture with tourists so you could see the size of the books. Image: tyle_r

Or perhaps you like this version of the library from around 1910. Image: Notre Dame Architecture Library

The illumination and detail are beautiful. Image: Ben Batschelet

I’ll share my pictures with you when we get back to the states.

Enjoy,

Posted on August 30, 2011 by aprettybook, Reply

Italian Ruskins

This was originally published in April and I thought it was appropriate reading since we’re in Italy.

When I visited Berkman Books in Fredericksburg, Texas in March, I hadn’t planned to buy anything. Isn’t that always the story in a bookstore? I browsed and admired the books in the glass front case but figured I couldn’t afford them. Then Lucy, the proprietor, mentioned a half off sale and suddenly the set of Ruskin’s were affordable.

The set of Ruskin’s; sounds like I know what I’m talking about. Sadly, I didn’t know who Ruskin was and I didn’t even look at the titles, I was simply drawn to the dainty gold flowers on the spine coupled with the fact that one book had a ribbon around it.

I mentioned to Lucy how I loved the way she put the ribbon around the book and she told me that it wasn’t really decoration, it was there to hold the book together. She was really nice about it, but the conversation highlighted how little I know about old books.

When I got home and unwrapped my books, I was surprised to see the titles, ” Stones of Venice”, “Morning in Florence”, “St. Mark’s Rest”. Essays about some of my favorite places in Italy.

Ruskin was an influential writer and art critic in the 1800′s and “Stones of Venice” was an important collection of essays from both an architectural and social perspective.

So, even though I was originally attracted to the shiny objects, I ended up with some books I’ll treasure for deeper reasons.

Enjoy,

Posted on August 29, 2011 by aprettybook, Reply

Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore

As a booklover, I’ve dreamed of visiting the Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore since I read about it two years ago. On my last trip to Italy, we tried to visit but the bridge was closed on the route we had taken and it was too late to find another road leading to the Abbey.

When we return to the states, I hope to share pictures of the library and more information about the book restoration work that the monks undertake. Image: Rene Hoornweg

Enjoy,

Posted on August 28, 2011 by aprettybook, Reply

A Quick Step Back in Time

To me, this picture evokes a sense of stepping back in time. Perhaps back to the 1800′s.

Image: Dale Smith

You can see more pictures of pocket watches and books here.

Enjoy,

Posted on August 27, 2011 by aprettybook, Reply

Friday Collection of Pretty Books 8.26.11

This week’s collection of pretty books comes from various spots in England and Scotland.

A market in Notting Hill. Image: alicerenezstay

I’ll let you try to figure out if the shelves are digitally distorted to create curvature or if they’re really curved. Image: chrisdonia

I want to pick these books up, dust them off, and see what’s inside. Image: chatirygirl

In an old church library. Image: Paul Lim

Enjoy,

Posted on August 26, 2011 by aprettybook, 5 comments

Florence and Other Parts

The countdown is complete, the bags are packed, and 14 different reservations for planes, trains, cars, apartments, and hotels have been confirmed. So we’re off to England and Italy today where I hope to see as many libraries and books as possible with a few works of art thrown in for fun.

This is the Ferragamo Room at the British Institute in Florence where they teach language and art and hold cultural events. Image: the_blue_lotus

Ciao for now,

Posted on August 25, 2011 by aprettybook, Reply

Selling Books in Tokyo

I’ve noticed a few differences between bookselling in Tokyo and bookselling in the US. Chief among them (I’ve always wanted to use that phrase) is the practice of stacking books with hanging tags. Perhaps you’ll spot some of the others.

Great example of stacking with tags. Image: stunned

A very impressive sidewalk display. Fully stocked shelves on the street due to space constraints inside. Image: Xurxo Martinez

Colorful manga spines. Image: colodio

The door opens directly onto a row of shelving. I like that, it allows you to go straight to book buying. Image: Stéfan

Bookstore near Meiji University with some serious hanging tags. Image: Emmett Anderson

Enjoy the trip to Tokyo,

Posted on August 24, 2011 by aprettybook, 2 comments

Painted Bookshelves, the Fine Art Kind

Bookshelves frequently find their way into art, usually as a backdrop, sometimes as the main event.

I love the handwritten titles on the books and the quill in the inkwell at the bottom. Image: G. M. Crespi Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

I wish my bookshelves were full of pastels like these shelves. Perhaps Degas invented the current decorating trend of organizing books by color. Title: Edmond Duranty by Edgar Degas. Image: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons user: Rlbberlin

There are books everywhere in this painting. Is that a sword serving as a bookmark in the lower left corner? Title: The Alchemist by William F. Douglas. Image: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Chess, pretty books, a globe. What a lovely room. Title: Eine interessante Partie by Max Barascudts. Image: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The bookshelves are covered by a curtain, probably because they are so messy:) No title by an anonymous North German painter. Image: Hampel Auctions Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Enjoy the bookshelves and art,

Posted on August 23, 2011 by aprettybook, Reply

William Faulkner’s Rowan Oak

William Faulkner, writer of As I Lay Dying and The Sound and the Fury amongst others, lived in an antebellum home in Oxford Mississippi named Rowan Oak. The house is now a museum maintained by the University of Mississippi and it looks much like it did when Mr. Faulkner inhabited it.

The book next to Faulkner’s typewriter is Writer’s Market. This photo was used on the cover of The Cambridge Introduction to William Faulkner. The photographer owns a studio in Oxford, Mississippi and has included more information about Faulkner, the house, and Oxford here. Image: Gary Bridgman, southsideartgallery.com

There seem to be books in every room. Image: richardgriscom

Image: G. J. Charlet III

I have that same lamp sitting on the bookshelf and I have a bedspread of my grandmother’s that looks like this with the fringe at the bottom. It reminds me of a simpler time, but without air conditioning. Image: G. J. Charlet III