I collect books. My oldest book is a text book. It's signed and dated by the previous owner, Feb. 11, 1890.
That is pretty cool. I bought a Bible circa 1900 at a flea market. It has a page stating "Our Public School Bible". What a rare find. Still have it. It is on display at my kids school.
I have a Webster’s dictionary, bindings have come loose, set of 2 (A-L and M-Z) dated 1935, big books with colored plates of flags, flowers, etc. and they were only 50 cents each years ago at a thrift shop. Read somewhere they are much sought after by designers for the colored plates (state flowers, etc.) Have no doubt I could get a whopping 40 cents each from the right buyer.
I have a couple of Bibles older than that. Since they’re my family’s, I wouldn’t even think to get them appraised.
I collect a few as well, some going back to the early 19th century.
I think my most interesting book to me is a 1918 lab book of qualitative chemical analysis with hand written notes in the margin by the young chemist taking lab. I picked it up in a local used book shop a few years ago for $3.
Most interesting to me I suppose since I am a chemist and realizing that in 1918 there were essentially no analytical laboratory instruments you see today. The most they had were polarized light microscopes.
Now this looks like a good thread for me to brag about my little gem.
I have a 1st edition of Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, by Gen. Lew Wallace. Printed in 1880.
Now, there is a personalized inscription, unsigned, but dated Nov. 2 ‘86. What makes it more interesting is I have seen an autographed copy on line, dated Nov. ‘86. Wallace’s Nov. ‘86 and mine are “identical.” So I believe I have a copy which Wallace gave to a friend. Pretty cool.
I have a “Translation of the Syriac Testament” by Js. Murdock, 1851
It is a translation of one of the earliest remaining Aramaic copies of the New Testament.
I also have a How to learn Greek for Dummies textbook from 1846.
The barns back on the east coast are loaded with all kinds of stuff...