I’ve developed a bit of a thing for old children’s books. I love nothing more than stumbling across vintage story books in my local charity shop. I went to visit my Granny last week, and her house is filled with beautiful books from when my dad was growing up. I just love the illustrations in these vintage books.
One of the books, a collection of Aesop's’ fables, has an advertisement for milk on the back cover. I didn’t know they used to advertise on the back of books. Inside, the pages are browning at the edges with age. Some of the books are in good condition, but others have obviously been well loved over the years. My Granny’s copy of The Water Babies, inscribed to her for Christmas when she was seven years old (making it 87 years old), is falling to bits. I think it’s amazing that a book my Granny was given on her seventh birthday can still be read (very carefully) today.
I love the book of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, with its cover fading with age. It’s one of those old fashioned books with the occasional silky page carrying an illustration. I have a copy of Alice in Wonderland that was my mum’s growing up, and I always loved the feel of the pages. The old-fashioned hard backed books look beautiful on bookshelves, especially at my Granny’s house.
