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A thread to share vintage book purchases and how you plan to use them


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I'm crazy for old books! I live very close to a used book store and often find wonderful treasures. Some I buy thinking I'll start selling on Etsy or something... Okay, I have a lot of vintage books to sell but my kids (and me) don't want to let anything go.  :tongue_smilie: So, for the time being I am unapologetically holding on to everything.  :lol: Yes, even the vintage religious books that don't apply to our family. Someday that poetry from the Bible is going to make someone very happy! I'll protect it in the meantime. 

 

I've been realizing that some of the younger books (too young for us) can still be used as part of something older and more sophisticated. Some books we plain don't care that they're for the younger set. We want to read them anyways because they're so charming, informative, or maybe just a shame to let pass by. 

 

Can we have an ongoing thread to talk about vintage books, new finds, killer deals, how to use them, creating a curriculum from them... and anything else that's fun and related? 

 

I'll start!

I found this set of seasonal planner books from the 1920s

http://www.amazon.com/Instructor-Plan-Books-All-Grades/dp/B000LHWFM8/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391643120&sr=1-1&keywords=instructor+plan+books+volume

There's three of them, autumn, winter, and spring. As the description on Amazon says, it covers art studies, projects, biographies, poetry, hygiene, nature studies, and more. They're AWESOME!! Too bad I didn't find them a few years ago...

Now I'm trying to figure out how to make them work for us next year. If I use them I'll probably spend the summer mapping out the whole thing. I like to do that, spend summers getting all cooky over planning the fun stuff. 

 

I bought the first book on a .25 cart then found the other two on Amazon. Worth every penny! 

I wonder if this can be found free somewhere online??

It's a great set for Charlotte Mason types.

 

 

Soooo... anyone else find a good vintage book lately for homeschooling?  :lurk5:

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I have a suspicion that my children will find me in my 90's dead, surrounded by my vintage books.  I love the illustrations in them and have often thought of using the illustrations in some wall art, but I couldn't ever take a book apart to do that.  I might try making coloured photocopies of the illustrations to see what they look like once printed.  Then I could hang the picture up on the wall.

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Me! I stopped at the "free" pile after a lady-down-the-street's yard sale, and found a WHOLE ENTIRE BOX of vintage / antique Nancy Drew books. :)

 

Needless to say, those beautiful girls went right on my bookshelf . . . I love them so much.

 

I love vintage books. Love them.

That's a good score! I love free books and a set of vintage is especially nice.

I have small collection started and my girls aren't showing any interest. I'm thinking of keeping the oldest ones (30's I think) and passing the rest onto a friend. It's sad when you find books you love and the kids don't care for it. 

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I have a suspicion that my children will find me in my 90's dead, surrounded by my vintage books.  I love the illustrations in them and have often thought of using the illustrations in some wall art, but I couldn't ever take a book apart to do that.  I might try making coloured photocopies of the illustrations to see what they look like once printed.  Then I could hang the picture up on the wall.

 

Our used bookstore puts books for free on Sundays. Sometimes I find them vintage with broken bindings or a missing cover and I grab them for projects. I once started a thread here about whether or not it's ok to cut up books. It's quite controversial you know.  :001_smile:

 

We were planning to make these last month: 

and I found the perfect book for a quarter. When we went to tear the paper out we couldn't do it! It's an old piano song book... so pretty. Ugh.

 

Okay, now the book's on my lap and I'm watching the tutorial. I should make that thing!! 

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My aunt's neighbor gave us an entire set of the Landmark

http://www.amazon.com/DOLLY-MADISON-Landmark-Jane-Mayer/dp/B002CC88LM books like this and then I've found more at Goodwill, old book stores, etc. I haven't actually read any of them yet because my dd is only 7. Also, I have a Goodwill Clearance center in my town that has all sorts of treasures for 25 cents a pound. I'm mainly interested in books that I can read and use, not antiques to sit on a shelf. I am a book hoarder! But they are nicely organized. I think I should have been a librarian in my former life before homeschooling, but I wonder, would it be as much fun if the books weren't MINE? ;)

Lucky woman! I would be so out of control living near .25 a pound!

 

I wonder if that's a common thing with book lovers and homeschoolers, secretly dreaming of being a librarian? Yesterday I was looking at the librarian's outfits thinking how similarly they dress to preschool teachers and how since I was once one myself, I'm practically ready for the job.  :lol:

It's that whole coordinated outfit with jewelry type thing. KWIM?

Sometimes I check out old books from the library and I tell myself (or the book I guess) someday when the library discards you, I'm going to buy you! 

 

We recently read a few of the Landmark books for Beautiful Feet's A History of Science curriculum. I regret not making more time for them over the years. They're good reads!

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Okay, Helena, you are just FUELING my addiction with this thread...  :drool: All those books everyone has linked look fabulous!

 

 

Soooo... anyone else find a good vintage book lately for homeschooling? 

 

I desperately WANT to still be homeschooling... does that count?!

 

I just bought 8 little golden books at the used bookstore for about 70 cents each (most in good to very good condition). For heaven's sake, my children are over 20, and no grandchildren ANY time soon...

 

Plus, I found something I didn't even know existed:  The Wonder Clock, Or Four & Twenty Marvelous Tales, Being One for Each Hour of the Day. (Read it online -- with the illustrations, too!) It looks like 24 original stories very much in the style of a Medieval Canterbury Tales type of story collection, but written by Pyle in the 1880s. (This version I picked up is nothing special -- just a modern (1960s) paperback edition, BUT with all of the original illustrations... so, the book is not so much vintage, but the content is...) Seriously, I about went weak in the knees when I foolishly picked it up off the shelf and started flipping through it and saw those great illustrations.

 

And, I am just SO embarrassed to confess this... I've had this lone and lonely vol. 11 of 1950s The Children's Hour (Barrows) -- and just ordered a used set of vol. 1-10 (also 1950s) for $25, that the seller says look to have never been read. Now I just need to slowly work on finding vol. 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16...

 

Seriously, people, I need some children to school, and I need them NOW! I've got shelves of these fabulous old books just going to WASTE over here! ;)

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I collect antique earth science and geography books. If my kids go along with it, I plan to use them for compare/contrast and history study a la Loewen. But really they are just for me. :D

Love it! If you use them like that pleeese come back and update us. 

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My mom found a copy of Dante's Inferno with the Dore illustrations. I think it's from 1880 or there abouts. It sits beside an equally old copy of Tennyson's work that has a textured red cover. It's beautiful. Neither is in pristine condition. I adore old books. 

I hope she got a good deal?! Those books can sell for quite a bit! Will you read it? 

Here's a link if anyone wants to see inside the book: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/8789/8789-h/8789-h.htm#link4

 

There's something wonderful about reading old stories in old books.

Unless they're stinky or gross.  :tongue_smilie:

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Okay, Helena, you are just FUELING my addiction with this thread...  :drool: All those books everyone has linked look fabulous!

 

 

 

I desperately WANT to still be homeschooling... does that count?!

 

I just bought 8 little golden books at the used bookstore for about 70 cents each (most in good to very good condition). For heaven's sake, my children are over 20, and no grandchildren ANY time soon...

 

Plus, I found something I didn't even know existed:  The Wonder Clock, Or Four & Twenty Marvelous Tales, Being One for Each Hour of the Day. (Read it online -- with the illustrations, too!) It looks like 24 original stories very much in the style of a Medieval Canterbury Tales type of story collection, but written by Pyle in the 1880s. (This version I picked up is nothing special -- just a modern (1960s) paperback edition, BUT with all of the original illustrations... so, the book is not so much vintage, but the content is...) Seriously, I about went weak in the knees when I foolishly picked it up off the shelf and started flipping through it and saw those great illustrations.

 

And, I am just SO embarrassed to confess this... I've had this lone and lonely vol. 11 of 1950s The Children's Hour (Barrows) -- and just ordered a used set of vol. 1-10 (also 1950s) for $25, that the seller says look to have never been read. Now I just need to slowly work on finding vol. 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16...

 

Seriously, people, I need some children to school, and I need them NOW! I've got shelves of these fabulous old books just going to WASTE over here! ;)

Hmm... there has to be a way we can word this to make it sound legitimate. You are dedicated to the preservation of literary...  :lol:

 

I know a lot of people probably scoff at our love of "old kids books", but it's a real passion. I have family members who treat me like I'm a hoarder because I continue to buy books out of my kid's age groups.  :glare: I think I'm honoring and preserving art and language. 

 

I have thought it would be fun to group books prettily for kids gifts. A beautiful ribbon to tie it up and a Target gift card tucked in to keep it modern.  ;)

 

If it makes you feel any better, my 14yo asked me to hold onto all my old California reader books. She wants to use them when she home schools her kids. I think that makes it okay for me to buy and keep books for my grandkids, right? 

 

Wonder Clock looks neat!

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Our used bookstore puts books for free on Sundays. Sometimes I find them vintage with broken bindings or a missing cover and I grab them for projects. I once started a thread here about whether or not it's ok to cut up books. It's quite controversial you know.  :001_smile:

 

We were planning to make these last month: 

and I found the perfect book for a quarter. When we went to tear the paper out we couldn't do it! It's an old piano song book... so pretty. Ugh.

 

Okay, now the book's on my lap and I'm watching the tutorial. I should make that thing!! 

I made some of these for Christmas gifts and they turned out beautiful!

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I found A Child's History of Art yesterday. I squealed when I saw it. Haha! http://www.amazon.com/Childs-History-Art-V-Hillyer/dp/B0007DXVRE

So, that's most likely going to be my spine for fine arts study next year. I have to think about how to build around it. 

 

We do picture study on a big bulletin board. On Monday I found a set of these MET books/prints: http://www.etsy.com/listing/175467432/1958-metropolitan-seminars-in-art-by?utm_source=google&utm_medium=product_listing_promoted&utm_campaign=vintage_low&gclid=CL-S5dy1uLwCFVGBfgodRyIAeQ 

I already had a set but they're a little stinky. At a quarter each it was worth buying a second time. Not sure what I should do with the other set.

 

Somehow I'll tie it all together...

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I found this little gem yesterday: The Three Cornered Hat, A Ballet (1940) http://www.etsy.com/listing/169057475/the-three-cornered-hat-a-ballet-1940

 

This morning I was printing up February's art studies list and quickly added it into the month. :) Then I found a video on youtube and added it in the following week.

Yay!  An unexpected ballet!

It was written during WWI, so it also lines up with our history studies.

 

Last year I added a bunch of these MET opera/ballet books into our schedule: http://www.etsy.com/listing/117655957/book-lohengrin-1938-the-metropolitan?ref=sr_gallery_7&ga_search_query=metropolitan+opera&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_ref=auto8&ga_search_type=all. They're a bit young, but a fun way to introduce the story line. A step one IYKWIM. I like to layer stuff. 

 

 

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I have sets of

Picturesque Tales of Progress

My Bookhouse

complete first edition set of Jacob Abbott Maker's of History

Beacon's Light of History

all Messner bios of scientist and hsitorical figures of interest

 

I have the 1907 version complete set of The Children's Hour ed by Eva March Tappan for sale in the classifieds. Don't have space but they are lovely!

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I found a worn-out but still usable copy of Volume 10 for Journeys Through Bookland. This is the guide for the rest of the books in this series. I also have Volume 9 and hope to pick up a few more of the later ones soon.There is something about a physical copy of this that I prefer over the online version. I think that I can really start to make use of the many ideas in it now.

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I found this little gem yesterday: The Three Cornered Hat, A Ballet (1940) http://www.etsy.com/listing/169057475/the-three-cornered-hat-a-ballet-1940

 

 

My parents have that book! I read it as a child. How funny.

That is a funny coincidence! 

I wish I could go back in time and go through all my parents old books. I used to love sitting in the hall reading and looking through them.

I can totally see them in my mind. :)

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My dh and I both love vinatage books. He feeds my addiction by finding great old books with educational value.

 

So far he's scored me:

 

Scribners' Album of American History Volumes 1-5 and the index (great condition for $10) We've used this heavily to go along with our American history studies. Great pictures!

 

The Book of Knowledge  complete set (great condition for $10) I use these during our morning meeting time. We're slowly reading through them.

 

Favorite Stories Old and New and More Favorite Stories Old and New He got both of these for 0.50 each at the Friends of the Library sale. I'm looking forward to reading through them with the kids.

 

The Nature Library complete set (great condition for $15) These books have gorgeous illustrations! I would never ripe them up, but I would love to figure out a way to copy them and decorate like a pp said.

 

His latest find was four volumes of The Young Folks' Shelf of Books at the library sale. He got those for 0.50 each as well. I'm working on finishing out the set.

 

 

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