offers clothing, jewelry, books, home accessories, handbags, gourmet jams and jellies, all displayed in a warren of cheerful rooms.
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| The Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene |
Although I read many Nancy Drew mysteries in my younger days, I didn't own a single copy of one...until now. This one has a copyright date of 1959 which is when the character and stories underwent a major revision and modernization from the ones first published in the 1930s and '40s.
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| Woman's Day Book of Calligraphy by Janice Glander-Bandyk and Dennis Droge |
Calligraphy is my newest interest and I was happy to find this book with a publication date of 1980. It not only gives instructions on forming the letters of five different styles but also projects using those 'hands': bookplates and stationery being especially appealing to me.
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| The Sketch Book by Washington Irving |
I was delighted to find this hand-sized book - copyright 1900 - by the MacMillian Company which it published as part of its Pocket American and English Classics series. It contains the well-known stories of Rip Van Winkle and the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow. It also holds Irving's comments on his first voyage to England in 1804 and the many literary excursions and meetings he had there. There is a highly amusing story, "The Art of Book-making", in which he discovers a room in the British Library where "studious personages" are borrowing from or copying the works of ancient authors and in his words "manufacturing books".
To wit:
What was formerly a ponderous history revives in the shape of a romance, an old legend changes into a modern play, and a somber philosophical treatise furnishes the body for a whole series of bouncing and sparkling essays.
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| Daily Wisdom edited by Josh Bartok |
The first of the new books: Daily Buddhist inspirations taken from the works of The Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and others whose names I cannot pronounce but whose words are beautiful.
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| Comfort Prayers compiled by June Cotner |
Normally, I might not have been attracted by a book such as this, but thought it might help assuage the heartbreak on the recent death of my nephew. It contains short poems and comforting thoughts by a variety of writers. I am glad I found it.
I'm a little jealous of the Nancy Drew book...and feeling a sudden urge to go buy some books myself. :) And I was sorry to hear about your nephew. Such a heartache. Hope you're hanging in there.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words, Lark. I am going to start the Nancy Drew book today. Which one of us will solve the mystery of the hidden staircase first?
DeleteBelle
ReplyDeleteWonderful to see you back. An author I have found to be of great wisdom in difficult times is Pema Chödrön. She has written a number of books some of which I think would be available through your locally library.
Keep well!
Thank you for the recommendation, Tullik. I just downloaded her book on meditation! My library carries five of her books as ebooks. So simple.
DeleteI collect Nancy Drew books, the pre-rewritten versions, and I often find myself back with Nancy, Bess, and George as they solve their mysteries. The books comfort me, taking me back to the side porch of the house I grew up in, shaded from the street and the heat by the Virginia creeper vines. Or tucked into a soft chair while the rain or snow kissed the windows.
ReplyDeleteI also have a set of the collected works of Washington Irving printed in the late 1800s. I love old sets of collected works. I've been to Irving's house, Sunnyside, in NY. If you ever get up this way and you haven't been there, you should try to see it. I love visiting the houses of authors.
Joan, I am jealous of your collection of the early Nancy Drew books! I don't know that I have seen any at the many used book stores/sales I have been to. If there were any, maybe I wasn't in the market at the time. I remember reading Nancy and her sleuthing stretched out in the comfort of my bed. What delightful reading!
DeleteI am really enjoying the Washington Irving book. I don't think I had ever read the Rip Van Winkle story although of course I knew that he was a little fellow who went to sleep for twenty years. It is so much more entertaining than just that!
Such lovely finds--I hope you will find some comfort and inspiration in them during this hard time.
ReplyDeleteBooks always have something to offer, don't they, Kathy. Excitement, mystery, knowledge, and, when needed, comfort. Thank you for your kind thoughts.
DeleteNancy Drew sounds like the perfect tonic -- a world where one knows that troubles will be overcome and peace restored.
ReplyDeleteOops, Vicki. Sorry. Your comment got lost for a while in the ether-world. I am reading Nancy Drew while I enjoy the spring weather from my front porch. I love the details - what she has for dinner, what she is wearing. I find all that to be very calming for some reason. Like you say, a perfect tonic.
DeleteIt is nice to see you back here, Belle, and hope you are finding some solace and peace.
ReplyDeleteLove you collection of latest "finds". Just the name, The Mews, would be calling me inside to have a look around.
Oh, Penny, The Mews is a delightful shop made up of many rooms each filled with the most wonderful treasures. Not the least bit overwhelming as some places can be. A nice spot for indulging the senses.
DeleteBelle, I loved The Hidden Staircase. It was one of my favorites, and it is one of two Nancy Drews I managed to "steal" back from my nieces. (My mother gave them my Nancy Drew books; what was she thinking?) Yours is the edition I had; I'd love to see those '30s books. I know they've been updated at least once since the '50s.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lot of treasures you found!
Kat, these are the editions, from the '50s, that I remember reading. I always wanted to live in a big old house I could get lost in and, of course, that had secret passages and staircases. I am only half-way through reading of Nancy's adventures here and once again am swept away.
DeleteI have a surprising weakness for any book with 'staircase' in the title, so I was definitely sold with that one! Like you, I love the idea of big old houses with secret staircases and the like...
ReplyDeleteSimon (Stuck-in-a-Book)
Hi, Simon. Yes, the book had me at 'hidden staircase.' It is such fun to re-read, or in many cases read for the first time, a classic book that was written for a young adult audience. On one level, I can read it with my 'child's' mind and also appreciate how the author uses language and sometimes sneaks in some history or biographical information. This one did not disappoint!
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