A happy morning at the Antiques Arcade in Hungerford yesterday, where, amongst other items, a couple of very nice old books crossed my path. Here are just a few illustrations from one of them - a bound volume of the "Young Ladies' Journal' from July to December, 1886. (Right clicking on any of the images will bring up a larger one, which you are welcome to download for your own use - have fun with them :-)).
..for fear they might think about it later, once they are married, especially while they are pregnant; in that case, for sure, their children would have split lips”
This book will be winging its way to me via Amazon even before you read this. Womens history, is, as the writer of this article comments often 'difficult to penetrate' but this book - from 1510, originally written in French, is now available in English for the first time. Much of it is concerned with popular cultural observations and advice on pregnancy and childbirth and is considered by this author to give a good insight into beliefs and customs surrounding such events - ever present, ever life-threatening - at that time.
I would highly recommend the Medievalists.net website in general, for anyone interested in the period. Their blog will keep you up to date on new books, articles and scholarly papers published on a vast range of topics and - as with the article on the book above, there is usually a link to a downloadable, more extensive exposition of the topic. There is also an excellent archive of articles on the site. If you love anything about medieval times, sign up for updates today!
Arising from a shared image of an 'anatomical man' upon which my friend R is preparing an academic paper, I remembered that I had an old anatomical atlas ferreted away here amongst the shelves of books which might interest her...but I thought that it might also interest readers here - so here are a few images for you all to enjoy.
Difficult to scan because the pages are large and a bit fragile, and also rather stained (I have only given them a brief clean-up) I nevertheless am always amazed at the quality of 19th century colour lithography. I think these images are dated at around 1880 - but can't be sure until I have done more research on them, because there is no date included in the volume.
A fascinating example of a time when a medical illustration was also very much a work of art. No doubt more modern illustrators are still creating their own artworks...but to discover more, I will have to visit a medical museum such as the Wellcome Collection - or ask my clever friend. Thank you so much for sharing this image and prompting this post, R!
Additional information...after a little research, it appears that someone is selling an e-book of the atlas here (worth reading for a detailed description of the plates)...from which it appears that it is much older than I thought at first, being originally published in Paris in 1845.
I gave myself a little gift today. As I spend so much time in graveyards, I couldn't say no to spending 60 pence (a dollar?) on this little 1903 volume of Gray’s “Elegy in a Country Churchyard” and “Ode on a Distant prospect of Eton College”.
I would hardly have taken any notice of the book if I had not known the poem inside...its frankly battered and dreary cover would not attract much attention. But look inside with me....you can see why I am glad that I did pick it up – filled as it is with some very charming wood or lino cut (?) vignette illustrations by J.T.Friedenson.
"The distant spires..."
I’m including them all here, though I don't know why Typepad is cutting off the right hand side of all the images today - click on them to get "the full picture", and right-click on the bigger image if you want to download it. If anyone wants even higher resolution images, mail me). I think they would make lovely bookmarks and/or bookplates, don’t you? Have fun with them.
The other images follow....and here is a link to the whole “Graveyard” poem – and some interesting information about Stoke Poges, where the author lies buried.
The Churchyard
"Their furrow oft the stubborn glebe has broke"
"Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife..."
"Approach and read (for thou canst read) the lay..."
Epitaph
Gray's Monument
Eton College
Windsor
"The lowing herd winds slowly o'er the lea..."
Inspired by visiting Kelly Rae's blog today (in turn passed on by my dear friend Fran), I thought I would share with you the stack of books that is engaging me at the moment. I am working on my second module essay for my MA at Winchester University - the topic this time is the relationship between Photography, death and pre/post bereavement therapy.
Once again, it is a fascinating subject, which is intriguing me as I poke around in the theoretical background to both photography and bereavement studies. So much I am learning!
Do any of you recognise any of the books above? (click on the image to enlarge it and get a better view of the titles). I'd be interested to know if any of you have read any of them - and what your opinions are?
Right - back to the steaming keyboard and more writing, methinks!
(p.s. why not go over to Fran's blog after your visit here - it is always an inspiration)
Found accidentally in an old bookshop recently, do you think this is one
of the earlier "altered books" around? These are sketches - very amateur
but nevertheless enthusiastic and observant, made in 1935 at an
exhibition in Paris. They are vignettes, with notes, of Tarot Cards,
designed by Pisanello for the Viscount of Milan in 1428, and stuck into
a standard art book on Pisanello (with a very nice marbled cover, though
- which is why I picked up the book in the first place).
Once again, a serendipitous surprise inside the covers of a book.
Time flies by for me - three weeks into the course on Fairytale and Gothic Horror at Winchester. A LOT of reading to do - for the course in general and my seminar paper, which I also have to present, in particular. All fascinating stuff, though. At the moment, "The British Pantomime" seems to be the favourite for the seminar - with "Fairytale
Book Illustration" running a close second. It will be "make your mind up time" soon, so I had better start thinking hard about it!
Another purchase from the book sale on Saturday - "Cassells Book of Sports and Pastimes" from 1893, a two inch thick tome on how Chaps could entertain themselves. This is the way to become "Manly" should any of you wish to do so!
How about starting with a little light football practise?
Moving on to more "Manly" wrestling?
Or perhaps Lacrosse is a fellow's best choice?
With a bit of gentle putting to finish?
And when beddybyes comes - however old the participants (the book is written for lads of under 14, by the tone of the text) - there is this universal pleasure to carry out when tucked up in bed, by candlelight...(no, not that!!).......the universal delight of making Animal Shadows.
How many of you have done this in your childhood - and how many of you can still remember all the "shapes"? For those that have faded from memory, here is a refresher - click on the image to enlarge it, then right click to print - and have fun when you are yourself tucked up tonight.
I'm supposed to be saving the pennies to enable a return to Venice some time next year. But I have to do the recycling, and the Antiques Arcade is only two minutes walk from the recycling depot.
So. Ahem. Books, I'm afraid. Seven of them, bought for a pittance, (from the same dealer who sold me the 1906 Ladies Diary and started that ball rolling). Bibliophilia - It's an addiction that I am completely hooked by - and as far as I know, there is no known treatment. Here are the proceeds of my addiction that came home with me today......
A 1911 edition of "The Connoisseur" Arts Magazine - bound volume
"A Viceroy's India" - Leaves from Lord Curzon's Notebooks" - to feed my
fascination with India
"Collecting Kitchenware" - Christina Bishop
"An Album of Curious Houses" - Photographed and Described by an even
more curious - and deeply entertaining woman, Lucinda Lambton
"Angels of Albion - the women of the Indian Mutiny - Jane Robinson
(Who "after graduating in English from Somerville college, Oxford,
joined a firm of antiquarian book dealers specialising in travel" - oh,
bliss!)
Sotheby's catalogue for a "Sale of Venetian Glass, 1910-1960" - from an
"Important collection"
Oakfield Plays" by Margaret Steen, with wonderful stage costume
illustrations by the author
And an illustrated copy of "Venice Observed" by Mary McCarthy
I also purchased a number of delightful costume dolls, picked out from a huge trunk full - the sale of a big collection - most of which were mediocre. But my selection includes a hand carved wooden German doll, and, methinks, possibly a Shallowpool fisherman. A characterful little group, that will add to the array of interesting figures that I already have.
That's enough fun for one day - better get around to housework. Not. :-)
Living in the 21st century, with our seemingly endless and insane desire
to have everything instantly available to satisfy our whims and
impatience, consider how long it must have taken to create this
exquisite page. It is an illustration from a book I bought from "my" book
dealer today - the one from whom I acquired the Venice Journal. (Surely
this is what we ALL do when we - ahem - go to dump the recycling, isn't it?!)
Entitled "The Painted Page", it is a catalogue produced to accompany a
travelling exhibition of Italian Renaissance Book Illumination in 1995.
Each manuscript shown makes the mouth drop open in wonderment - a
magnifying glass is an essential piece of equipment, and I could happily
spend days at a time browsing through the extraordinary menageries,
hagiographies and calligraphy contained within.
I am including a fairly high resolution image of this page, (click on the image above), so that you may also browse the detail of the border, and give thanks for the patience and dedication of Ser Benedetto, the calligrapher, and Illuminators Francesco d'Antonio Del Chierico and another unknown limner, who created this item for our appreciation and maybe even our reverence, over 550 years ago, in 1458.
How many animals and birds can you see - and what are all those putti and half man/half beasts up to? Why not download it (right mouse click and "save picture as...") and enlarge it - and then spend the rest of the day poring over it?
And for those of us who long to create something even one hundredth as
beautiful as this page, here is another fragment - something more
attainable....any of the calligraphers here tempted to give it a go - or
maybe a fragment of the border above??
Sometimes I find things that I want to share just for the sheer delight
in discovering something lovely and wanting others to see it and enjoy it.
This is the case with these four utterly charming 19th century Swiss
lithographs - found in yet one more book that I have uncovered in the
"major sort out" that I am having at the moment.
Don't worry - these will not be discarded - either into a dustbin or to
the "boxes for the dealer" that are increasing in number by the day.
Delightful items like this will always stay in my possession - and if
anyone wants a higher resolution image of any of these shown here, just
say the word - but for now, just enjoy them.
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