More excitement with new books or vintage?
  • Casavant Organist
    Posts: 805
    There is always a lot of excitement for getting a new book, opening it for the first time to see what is inside. But there is an element of historic shock with old books, and I am wondering which feeling seems to be stronger for most people.

    It is very hard for me myself to decide.
  • StimsonInRehabStimsonInRehab
    Posts: 1,933
    Define "historic shock"?

    Any book I've never opened before is "new", as far as I'm concerned. And some books (the Bible, the Liber) never fail to have something new every time I open them.
    Thanked by 5NihilNominis CCooze M. Jackson Osborn Casavant Organist CHGiffen
  • SalieriSalieri
    Posts: 3,177
    What I find is that sometimes "new books" are too...cheap, I think is the right word, the paper is poor, the typography is also poor, the binding and cover are poor. They just look like they are designed to be thrown away. Pick up a book published prior to the 1920's. The paper is thick, the printing is dark and in a decent typeface. The covers are heavy, and the binding is beautiful.

    Also, there is the unmistakable smell of old books that is itself enjoyable.
    Thanked by 5Casavant Organist Paul F. Ford StimsonInRehab CHGiffen M. Jackson Osborn
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,980
    I love books as is evidenced by the thousands running me out of my house. Don't all us librarians love them? LOL. Unless it is a somewhat rare or artfully crafted book, I tend to buy Kindle books these days if it is something I just want to read. It saves great amounts of space.
  • StimsonInRehabStimsonInRehab
    Posts: 1,933
    One of the sublime moments of bibliophilia I've experienced in my life is getting a book from the library in octavo form and finding you need to cut the sleeves open. How I envy book-readers prior to the 20th century . . .
    Thanked by 2Salieri M. Jackson Osborn
  • FidemInFidebusFidemInFidebus
    Posts: 611
    Definitely old books. One of my professors was a collector and he loved sharing them with students. Book that belonged to C.P.E Bach? Sure, here ya go. I actually asked if I needed to wear gloves to touch it, he said no just don't spill anything on it LOL!! He had a few Mozart manuscripts too, just a massive collection. The entire thing was donated to a university in Beijing before his death last year.
    Thanked by 2StimsonInRehab Casavant Organist
  • eft94530eft94530
    Posts: 1,577
    Old books I thought would be new but some turned out to be old.
    :-)

    I came across
    https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Nibelle
    and IMSLP has zero scores
    so hunting around produced
    http://www.di-arezzo.fr/resultat_recherche.php?val=nibelle&crit=mots&mode=rap&nv_rech=1

    A few weeks pass and all but v2 and v3 scores arrived today (Apr 7):

    Les Dimanches et Les Fetes de L'organiste Gregorien
    Pieces pour orgue sans pedale ou harmonium

    Vol I Advent -- 2 Fevrier
    (1954) (S.5377.P.)
    clearly a reprint with back cover "Automne 2014"
    cover (new paper heavy tan, printing black)
    inside (new paper white, printing black)

    Vol II Septuagesime -- Jeudi Saint
    (1955) (S.5420.P.)
    clearly a reprint with back cover "Hiver 2015"
    cover (new paper heavy tan, printing black)
    inside (new paper white, printing black)

    Vol III Paques -- Pentecote
    (1955) (S.5435.P.)
    clearly a reprint with back cover "Hiver 2015"
    cover (new paper heavy tan, printing black)
    inside (new paper white, printing black)

    Vol IV Pentecote, 6e Dimanche Apres La Pentecote
    (1957) (S.5481.P.)
    clearly a reprint, no cover stock, a conflation of cover with last score on back
    cover (new paper white, printing black)
    inside (new paper white, printing black)

    Vol V 7e Au 12e Dimanches Apres La Pentecote
    (no copyright date) (Bonsens, Grav., S.5567.P.)
    two staples, rusting
    cover (old paper heavy tan, printing red)
    inside (old paper yellowed, printing grey)

    Vol VI 13e Au 16e Dimanche Apres La Pentecote, Assomption, Notre Dame Du Rosaire
    (no copyright date) (Bonsens, Grav., S.5590.P.)
    same as Vol V

    Vol VII 17e Au 22e Dimanches Apres La Pentecote, Christ-Roi
    (no copyright date) (Bonsens, Grav. [no plate number])
    same as Vol V

    Vol VIII 23e Dimanche Apres La Pentecote, Toussaint, Dedicace
    (no copyright date) (Bonsens, Grav., S.6202.P.)
    same as Vol V

    EDIT (Apr 13) the remaining v2 and v3 scores arrived and I updated the above info.
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,415
    Who amongst us owns the oldest books? I have always loved books, old or new, whose subject matter spoke to me. Sometimes, even one that doesn't speak to me if the binding is admirable. (Real, genuine, human craftsmanship is always admirable.) My oldest book is a Lutheran missal and chorale book dating from the 1750s - not really old by some standards. I also have a late XVIIIth century Latin grammar (English), and an XVIIIth century English translation of Frederick the Great's memoirs, and a small XVIIIth century English New Testament. I have many XIXth century books.

    I have a 1907 altar missal, beautifully bound in gold-tooled red leather. Because it contains prayers for the kaiser I deem it to be either Austrian (preferably) or German. I shall eventually donate it to Walsingham.

    One of my latest treasures is a complete boxed colour facsimile edition of The Book of Kells, which I had known about and coveted for decades. I found it at Half-price Books, and, with the use of one of their periodic 50%-off coupons and a gift card, got this $100 book for free!!

    Back in the sixties paper-back books were sort of frowned on by serious reader-collectors. But, nowadays they are much more accepted - and, in the case of some scholarly works, better bound than once they were.

    Back to where I started - what are your oldest books?
    Thanked by 2StimsonInRehab Casavant Organist
  • SalieriSalieri
    Posts: 3,177
    I have the William Palmer Origines Liturgicae, sometime mid-XIX s., I'd have to double-check the title.

    I also have a XIX s. Pontifical Missal (For use at the throne/faldstool), which is not in good shape, but I got it from a stack of free books that someone left in the church vestibule. (Nothing else was of any vintage or usefulness...unless you collect old copies of the Magnificat Missalette.)
    Thanked by 1M. Jackson Osborn
  • MarkThompson
    Posts: 768
    I actually asked if I needed to wear gloves to touch it, he said no just don't spill anything on it LOL!! He had a few Mozart manuscripts too, just a massive collection.


    image
    "These ... are originals?"
    Thanked by 6M. Jackson Osborn StimsonInRehab Salieri FidemInFidebus eft94530 Casavant Organist
  • PhatFlute
    Posts: 219
    For good book,
    Ph
  • Casavant Organist
    Posts: 805
    Wow, I was just thinking of used textbooks from singing teachers...

    You guys are so lucky! I should see if I can get my hands on some of those sometime.
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