I’ve written in my last post about my new found interest in collecting old books . Around this time is when I got carried away and started shopping at a local antique mall, searching for leather-bound old books. I found so many of them—novels, medical books, nonfiction books, cookbooks, and children’s books. The oldest book was from the late 19th century, around 1889, and the newest book I got is from the post–World War II era.

There’s something about collecting old books. My eyes are naturally drawn to them. I stop and immediately pick up a book and skim through the pages. I search for the year it was published or the copyright date. I get really excited when I see the year 1800s or even older. I start wondering what life was like back then.

At first, it was overwhelming that I got so many books. The bill was more than I expected, but I believed that it was all worth it. I can imagine myself handing these old books to my children and grandchildren someday. They may appreciate this, or maybe not. For now, I enjoy having them sitting on my bookshelf, and one by one I may be able to read them, one page at a time.

These are the books I got. I wrote down the title, the author, and the year it was published.

Making His Way ~ Horatio Alger Jr. ~ 1908

Tom Swift in the Caves of Ice ~ Victor Appleton ~ 1911

Hans Brinker ~ Mary Mapes Dodge ~ 1936

Betty Zane ~ Zane Grey ~ 1903

Heidi ~ Johanna Spyri ~ 1944

Friends and Neighbors ~ Student and Teacher’s Edition ~ 1935

The Lonesome Trail ~ B.M. Bower ~ 1910

Our Nation’s Heritage ~ Halleck and Frantz ~ 1925

Home Is Fun ~ Miriam E. Mason ~ 1939

Queenie Peavy ~ Robert Burch ~ 1966

Grimm’s Fairy Tales ~ Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm ~ 1900

Do It Yourself Encyclopedia ~ 1955

Modern Home Medical Adviser ~ Morris Fishbein, MD ~ 1953

Illustrated Works of Mark Twain ~ 1979

Cheerful Hours ~ Cassell and Company, Limited ~ 1889