NationStates Jolt Archive

This is one for all my fellow book-collectors! What's the oldest book in your collection?

Mine is a first-print run copy of "Great Tales of Fantasy and Imagination", printed in 1945 by Garden City Publishing.

My second one is another first-print run copy of "Strange and Fantastic Stories", printed in 1946 by the McGraw-Hill Book Company

My Grandpa has an entire library full of books from the early 20th century

So...if all the stuff gets passed to my dad...it'll soon be mine!

Ha! I pwn j00!

A guide to sign-language from 1898

I've got a Holy Bible, King James version, published by the American Bible Association from 1904.

I have a 1931 edition of The Decameron by Boccaccio I bought from a bookstore in Memphis a few years ago.

One of a collection of Mark Twain books, containing a Conneticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, published 1911.

I dont have anthing quite that old, but two of my favorite ones I do have are:

"The Velveteen Rabbit" by Margery Williams.
This is my favorite book from my childhood, and the first book anyone ever bought for me.
Its older than I am.

the other really cool one I have is :

"Linda's Pictures" by Linda McCartney.

This book is the absolute coolest Rock and Roll pictorial collection ever.
Its also very uncommon, although not quite rare.

Its nearly as old as I am as well.

Nothing that old in my possession, though I could go to a nearby shop and buy something from the turn of the 20th century quite cheaply.

We've got a few of the origional thomas the tank engine books (or at least the books that the characters were taken from) I think one was before they were even named.

a four hundred year old bible. you are all owned 8)

My oldest book is a Bible printed in 1711 and approuved by Louis XIV (yeah i'm french). I know it's easier in Europe to have old book than in America...

a four hundred year old bible. you are all owned 8)Damn. Well, I've got a 1940 edition of How Green Was My Valley here in my apartment, and I have a couple books printed in the 1890s back at my parents' house.

The Scarlet Pimpernel printed in 1909, but I've lost it... :oops:

Well, my dad has in *his* collection several dozen books from the 18th century.

When I finally find a way to ship my grandfather's entire collection here, then I'll pwns you all!

I think the oldest book I have his an original edition of Deitrich Bonhoeffer's book The Cost of Discipleship from 1939.

Not sure the oldest book I've got... I think it's a nearly 100-year-old copy of Jack London's "The Call of the Wild"

Fitchett, W.H., 'The Tale of the Great Mutiny', (London: 1911)

I have a Hilaire Belloc biography on Richard the Lion Heart another on Danton.

A Chesterton biography of Blake

plus a few more I forget that date back to the late C19th

a four hundred year old bible. you are all owned 8)

My old school has a Bible from the C14th plus some books that we salvaged at the sack of Constatinople ;)

Somewhere I have a copy of the Graphic illustrated from 1870 something. It was a weekly paper printed in London with as the name implies has illustrations. The book is the bound collection of the previous years papers. One of the more morbid sections is the list that show death by various diseases for the previous week.

I have a book on elementary set theory from the early part of the twentieth century. (Original text was in Polish, but it was a translated printing.)

Chinese books on history and psychology. Not old, about the 1950s - 60s, but seriously precious because my grandfather wrote them. I haven't had the time to read them yet, and that, I must do.

Chinese books on history and psychology. Not old, about the 1950s - 60s, but seriously precious because my grandfather wrote them. I haven't had the time to read them yet, and that, I must do.
Now that is cool. 8)

Chinese books on history and psychology. Not old, about the 1950s - 60s, but seriously precious because my grandfather wrote them. I haven't had the time to read them yet, and that, I must do.
Now that is cool. 8)
Sadly he was dead before I was born. :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

I've got one old book about Louis and Clark's dog, Scannon (its a children's book), written in about 1890. I have quite a pile from the early 50's and such; when East Asian studies first came into vogue in America.

A very early edition of Lord Of The Rings. But that's not even 50 years old, and pretty new compared to some mentioned above.

I have a biography of Abraham Lincoln from 1917.

I have rakes of old, falling-to-pieces books. I have 4 books by A.A Milne including 'Now we are six', 'When we were very young', 'House at Pooh Corner', and 'Winnie the Pooh', which all belonged to my dad when he was wee, so about 1930-40. I also have several ancient Jane Austen books from my mother's side and 'From Log Cabin to White House' which was given to my dad by a teacher in like 1937. Quite raj, eh?

My high school yearbook.

Complete Works of Shakespeare, 1868

My grandmothers copy of The Messiah - given to her by her mother for Christmas 1910

While there are a few older books kicking around the house - I enjoy most my 11th edition Encyclopedia Britannica set from 1910 that I inhereted.

Reading some of the subjects is fascinating from the perspective of about a century ago - especially in technical areas such as aeronautics.

I have a bible that was made in 1886. It is written completely in swedish.

Mine is George Orwell's 1985. Sad, innit?

I have some encyclopedias and bibles dating back to the early 70s

Dutch history textbook, 1597. 8)

Back in the 60's, when my parents were in graduate school, they bought the complete works of Shakespeare from a yard sale. Turns out the people selling the set didn't know the value. The collection is from 1701.

Dutch history textbook, 1597. 8) dude, my bible is one year older than that 8)

I have two books written by Harriet Beecher Stow. Both first editions. One is her most famous, "Uncle Tom's Cabin". The other is a lesser known book by the name of, "The Pearl of Orr's Island". I also have a grammar book from 1903. All of these are in excellent condition and carry fairly large monetary value. I would never sell them, though, as they were given to me by my grandmother.

Dutch history textbook, 1597. 8) dude, my bible is one year older than that 8)

Holy crap! That is an old bible. Still in good condition? (My textbook is, I don't think it was used very hard. :wink:)

Dutch history textbook, 1597. 8) dude, my bible is one year older than that 8)

Holy crap! That is an old bible. Still in good condition? (My textbook is, I don't think it was used very hard. :wink:) its handwritten in spanish with beatiful illustrations, its also unbeliveably huge (8 inches thick 13 by 12) its in very good condition cause its been in my family forever. and i keep it in a fire proof safe, just in case 8)

Dutch history textbook, 1597. 8) dude, my bible is one year older than that 8)

Holy crap! That is an old bible. Still in good condition? (My textbook is, I don't think it was used very hard. :wink:) its handwritten in spanish with beatiful illustrations, its also unbeliveably huge (8 inches thick 13 by 12) its in very good condition cause its been in my family forever. and i keep it in a fire proof safe, just in case 8)

Handwritten! Now that is cool. Does it give any indication of where it was written?

Dutch history textbook, 1597. 8) dude, my bible is one year older than that 8)

Holy crap! That is an old bible. Still in good condition? (My textbook is, I don't think it was used very hard. :wink:) its handwritten in spanish with beatiful illustrations, its also unbeliveably huge (8 inches thick 13 by 12) its in very good condition cause its been in my family forever. and i keep it in a fire proof safe, just in case 8)

Handwritten! Now that is cool. Does it give any indication where it was written? well, im assuming spain. but i do know thats where my dads side of the family originally came from. but, whoever obtained it in the first place is long dead. i've been thinking of having it looked at just to see

The oldest book i own i dont know....but the first book i read was SPOT is that what you mean? cuase i think i still have it :D