I am not really a collector of things. I kind of used to be and went through various phases of collecting things but nothing really stuck. I think it's because I think that if you collect something, it should be on display. And we just don't have a lot of room to display collections.
Recently though I have started two collections unintentionally. And I think these will stick, because they are books. Of course!
I don't buy a lot of books, but when I do I tend to gravitate towards used bookstores. They have the best deals and it's so much more fun to browse in an old store that smells like old books with creaky floors and maybe a store kitty snoozing in the window.
At the beginning of the month when we were in Manitou Springs, my mom and I went to two used bookstores. And last Sunday my husband and I went to a used bookstore here that was having their annual sale. I found deals at both! First I go through my Good Reads app and check my 'to be read' list to see if I can find anything. Then the fun begins. I search for two things.
First: Old copies of Gone With the Wind. It's my favorite book (well, it's tied with 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' and 'The Poisonwood Bible') and there's just something about the old hardbound copies that I'm drawn to. I have two so far:
I love how the print is in two columns.
Here's my other copy:
It's newer than the blue one, it was published in the 60s.
Do me a favor….if you haven’t read this book PLEASE read it! And if you HAVE read it, read it again!
I also found the screenplay:
Here's a portion of my favorite scene (the library at Twelve Oaks!) from the movie:
And a trivia book:
I took all of the quizzes in the trivia book and got all the answers right. It was still fun though!
My second collection? Old (I should use the word ‘vintage’ huh…it sounds so much better than ‘old’), I mean VINTAGE French language learning books. I found one in Manitou Springs to add to my collection:
La Clef: The Key
I added it to my collection. I love how frank and to the point these books are: "It's purpose is that of being a practical tool to teach the basic elements of the French language to American students as thoroughly as possible in a minimum of time and with a minimum of boredom." Ha ha. Pretty much the only thing that it's English in this book is the few pages of introduction at the beginning.
Here's a couple that I've had for a while now:
Quite the collection. Vintage Gone With the Wind and Vintage French school books. Ha ha.
While we were at the used book store, my husband browsed the Tom Clancy section (he’s a fan) and picked out this one for me to read:
My husband is a Gulf War veteran and was in the Special Forces. I’m always asking him questions about it. While he can only tell me so much (and doesn’t particularly like to talk about his army days understandably) he said this book would be an educational read for me. I’ll add it to my stack!
One of the best parts about hunting in used bookstores are the prices. I think I paid $3 for the blue GWTW book, and the red one was only $1.50 at the annual sale. Same with the French books. I've never paid more than $4 for one of them and they are so much fun to look through!
You just can't find gems like these at Barnes & Noble! Well, except maybe Tom Clancy.
