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Wednesday, November 28, 2007

"Wear the old coat and buy the new book."

Austin Phelps, American Educator and Clergyman (1820-1890)
"A room without books, is like a body without a soul."
.....attributed to Cicero

Our Thanksgiving was quiet (well, as quiet as 2 boys and a dog can be), and filled with projects. Extended weekends seem to be the only time to complete unfinished projects in the house. We were finally able to paint the bookcase my husband made a few weeks ago, and after the staining and the waxing.....stacks of boxes of books were "freed" from the garage (that's another L-o-n-g weekend project!). My husband is a collector of hymn books some dating back to 1637....those revered books were given a place of comfort long before...but, the poor "family/livingroom" books,(as written in my hand on the box) have lived in the garage since we moved in about 2 years ago. It was like Christmas opening each box! And I'm sure the books are happy to breathe again too.

"The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, And all the sweet serenity of books."
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1875

All but one box of books found a place on the shelves, and in other nooks of the house. I guess "the man with the tools" will have another bookcase to build, because I didn't have enough room to decorate!
Here are a few photos ....it's been cloudy and cold with snow flurries here, so I used the flash. In our previous home, I painted the first 2 quotes about books on our family room walls.

"I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book! When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library."
Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, 1811




8 comments:

Anonymous said...

a book needs a special place. what a neat collection to have. we sing hymns and psalms in our church. That is really neat he has some dating back to so long ago. wow !!! My hubby is a collector of books himself. he love Bibles and theological books. Thanks for sharing that. I added you to my faves if that is okay.
Blessings,

Mica

ShabbyInTheCity said...

What a neat thing to collect! I will keep my eyes open for those.

I'm tickled to death with my purchase Suzanne! It came yesterday and I will show it soon on my blog :) The cards are very sweet too and I have just the person chosen for one of them!

PAT said...

The bookcase looks wonderful. Sounds like you have a great collection. I love books!

Pat

Anonymous said...

I thought I heard deep sighs from the Back of Beyond!
The bookcase looks lovely.

Books. A great statement that fits any decor!

Excellent quotations too.

Well done, you.

Lana Manis said...

Something else we have in common ~ our love of books, and old books at that! Books hold so many surprises ~ I told you of one yesterday...

Anonymous said...

I love that Jane Austen quote! My dream is to have one whole room dedicated to just books, a library. I'll stencil that quote on the walls.

The bookcase look marvelous! Old hymn books is a cool thing to collect. I don't think I've ever seen one, but will look out for them now just to see.

Take care,

Manuela

Lorraine said...

The Spouse still dreams of having a "Dr. Doolittle" library. But shelves full of good books will serve.

Anonymous said...

Hi - I found your page because of your quote "A home without books is a body without soul".
I have seen this phrase painted on a wall plaque before and am trying to find a source to buy it. It appears that you are an artist. Do you know of a source for this?
Thnaks so much.
pjamie75@aol.com