Anyone collect old books?

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I've previously started popular topics on things a lot of us collect on the side, or happen to also have accumulated a bunch of, such as stamps and (military) medals, so here's another one, for (antique) books!

Every time I was recently in Paris, I had a lot of fun wandering through the passages couverts, or covered passageways/arcades; there are many antique shops nestled in there, with their contents waiting to be discovered, covered in dust and owned by an amiable old fellow willing to give me big discounts (great treasure hunting spot!). There's of course the occasional coin and stamp dealer in there as well, but there are quite a few bookshops selling beautiful old books from the past.

Here are some I purchased out of interest:

"The Master Mummer", a 1904 novel by E. Phillips Oppenheim; this was printed in London in 1918, when the war that was supposed to be over by Christmas 1914 was seeing the autumn leaves fall for the fifth time, and when Spanish flu epidemic ravaged those not on the battlefields or in the trenches.


"La Henriade [de Voltaire]", an epic poem by Voltaire, written in 1723; this was printed in Paris in the Year 10 (1801), about a year after a rising general called Napoléon Bonaparte had become First Consul of the French Republic, and seized almost absolute power in the coup of 18 Brumaire (1799) upon his return to France from the Levant. Beautiful binding, with a price sheet giving various prices for different paper quality in the Franc Germinal, a currency only about 5 years old at the time.


Elvis Fan Magazine monthly issue, printed somewhere in the UK in 1964, a time Elvis was supposedly having to compete with the British Invasion for fans in the US, but apparently was still going strong with a fanbase across the pond. It has prices in pre-decimal British currency, with 1/- being the price of purchase.
I often go to flea markets and since I like books, I sometimes find some interesting ones. I cannot say that I "collect" books but when I got the opportunity to grab a good one for a cheap price, I take it. Usually I pay between 50c and 3€ each.
I don't always read the old books i find because it's in a language I don't understand or it's too long or other reasons but I always feel like I have to rescue the book from being thrown away by the people who are trying to sell it. Sometimes, people have many many books to sell, but since they are cheap and take a lot of space.... Once, a man was selling like twenty boxes full of sci-fi and fantasy books... He was asking 1 cent each bccause he wanted to get rid of them... I came back with a full box. :8D

Here are the oldest or most interesting I got.

Mainly history books, about ancient history, or wars. The french red one was written in 1917, same as the brown one. Kind of "funny" to see the point of view of both french and german while the war was still going. The small atlas belonged to an officer of the BEF (his name is inside) who apparently lost it when he was in Belgium.

Big ones on the left are 1902 french edition of a book by Woodrow Wilson, depicting the governments througout history and comparing politics between countries. It's very interesting.


It's a french constitution from the 5 fructidor an III, so 22 augustus 1795. It features the Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man and of the Citizen. I did not found this one myself, my father managed to pick it in a box last year on a famous flea market in Bruxelles and gave it to me. It's still in a decent condition and stays readable.


I found this book, "A History of the Civil war", with photographs by Matthew Brady, and beautiful color lithographs, frozen in the floor of a barn, which was about to be demolished.
I brought a portable heater and thawed it out of the ice. Its in rough condition but has all the pages . I think it was published in 1912.
I love old sports magazines,and old childrens books.
Good topic.
I do collect them as well. I have a lot of around 10 or 15 books and a few 1940s vintage books. Here they are quite cheap as most people don't usually buy them or know anything about it. I collect those books which were printeded in old "monotype" typeset. Will post pictures later.
I used to collect old books, I must have had hundreds at one time or another. Bought them at auctions, estate sales, had them shipped from Europe......only hardcovers. Finally got tired of how they smell and boxed them up and sold the whole lot at an auction. Old books smell worse than dirty coins.
Kind of a weird reason to stop collecting something, I guess.....but than again I'm weird anyway.
Have fun collecting them, they are great to have.
Indeed they are, I kind of enjoy the musty old smell they give off. Reminds oneself of just how humble we are in the grand scheme of history, holding an item that's seen so much more of it than we have personally. Some more from me, mostly also purchased in flea markets for a few euros apiece:


A leaflet (?) about a motion set forward in Nantes on the 26th June 1789; writing on front reads:
"Motion (?) á la garde nationale de Nantes (?) le 26 Julliet 1789 par M. (?)" 4 pages long, printed around the time the Bastille was stormed over in Paris later that year.


"Rapport (record/report) de Fouché de Nantes, sur la situation de commune-affranchie, imprimé par ordre de la Convention Nationale" Document dating from around the time of the French Revolution, with the date "26 ventôse de l'an second de la République democratique, une & indivisible" which indicates it as dating from the 16th of March 1794, at a time when the Reign of Terror was in full swing.


A Spanish language magazine about flowers "El Lenguaje de las flores" published by E. Heras of Barcelona (presumably 1920s or 1930s). Bought for 1€ in Madrid.
I own 2 books from pre-1917 (I collect pre-1917 stuff)

Terweellinen oppi 189? cant remember
A guide for people on how to write good letters, geometry, change money etc. 1907.
I did have a few, I had a complete works of Shakespeare printed in individual books that were printed in the mid 1800s and a couple of books of poetry printed in the 1850s, but these days I just read the books and then trade them in for something else to read.
What? Me Worry
Almost forgotten about this little thread.

Not a book, but I have a British Army postcard from WWI. Not written to a relative or anything, but picked it up for 50p in an antiques shop out of interest. It's dated 18th April (19)18.




The ominously-underlined sentence, "If anything else is added the post card will be destroyed" shows the extent of government censorship during the war.
I don't collect old books, but I found one around 3 months ago that I had to buy: História de Santos 1532-1936, volume II (History of Santos 1532-1936, volume II).
It's about the history of the city of Santos (with mentions to the nearest cities, including the one I live), it ended being a very interesting reading (and the book can be useful if you have children at school). Unfortunately they had only the vol.2 at the store.

There's a link to another exemplar, since my exemplar is currently borrowed (so no photos of it): http://www.flaviasantosleiloes.com.br/peca.asp?ID=374283
I just got a giant addition to my three book collection. 12 new books. I saved these from being thrown away. I saved all. Information of every one and pictures:


They are in order from the youngest book to the oldest (from left to right)

1. History of Finland, 1917. During the times of the Russian provisional government.

2. New testament, 1916.

3. History of Finland, 1909.


4. Uusi kirjuri, 1909.

5. The tales of Ensign Stål, 1906.

6. Literature moments, 1905.

7. To christ, 1895.

8. and 9., same book: Catechism, 1893

10. Terweellinen oppi (Healthy doctrine), 1892.

11. A book with sentences from the bible (Raamatunlause) 1879.

12. Catechism, 1866.

The next 3 are really old, so I have also included pictures:



13. Biblical book, 1860s/1850s, included all kinds of stuff. Also a 1919 stamp, but I lost it somewhere, because its a 500 page book:


14. Siionin virret, hymns of Zion. Awakening, Finnish religious movement. Körttiläisyys in Finnish, 1841.


Old, but not the oldest:

15. A biblical, possibly a "Awakening" book from the early times of the movement. The book is from 1744
So old, that I found one tiny bug eating a page.


I like old books. I don't say that I collect them, but if I see something nice for a good price I buy it. Here in my country these kind of books from the late 19th - early 20th centuries are quite cheap (10-15€) and they look beutiful. Also I like the authors too, and it's a good feeling to read from a 100 year old book:



This is my oldest book, it's written in Latin:

When I first began my working life I was a Registered Nurse. That was back in the days of Matrons and veils, but I also used to collect old nursing books.

"A Complete Handbook of Midwifery for Midwives and Nurses" by J.K. Watson M.D dated 1904.
I love this book as it has an inscription hand written in a lovely flowing hand on the inside flyer:
"Presented to Nurse Delaney for proficiency and physical role-taking 1904" with a very florid signature.

I also have:
"Newness' Engineering Practice Vol 1" No date given but it was printed between the First and Second World War as it talks about "The War" but gives no number.

"The Modern Reference Encyclopedia Illustrated" printed by The Herald Melbourne Australia. No date given but very old. Yellowing pages and a wonderful photo of the then H.R.H Duke of Kent on the inside flyer. This book also has a list of Aboriginal words as they were understood at the time.

"The American Pocket Medical Dictionary - 17th Edition" Printed 1945 and stamped "Air Force Headquarters (D.S.D) Publication Section" on inside front flyer.

These are just some of my old books that I have found here and there over the years.
Collector of Third Reich coins (1933 - 1946), and Australian coins.
Not swapping at this time.
Quote: "Monninen1"

​So old, that I found one tiny bug eating a page.



​That doesn't sound very nice at all! :x

If I'm not mistaken, literal bookworms (and other pests that eat paper and parchment) are an antique library conservationist's greatest fear. I've seen books in flea markets with literal mold and fungi growing out of/on them. B.
Quote: "CassTaylor"
Quote: "Monninen1"​​

​​So old, that I found one tiny bug eating a page.
​​
​​
​​
​​
​​That doesn't sound very nice at all! :x

​If I'm not mistaken, literal bookworms (and other pests that eat paper and parchment) are an antique library conservationist's greatest fear. I've seen books in flea markets with literal mold and fungi growing out of/on them. B.
​I cleaned the book. I got them free, as a so called "extreme horder" had died. The book is actually very rare, so it may be worth something.

The only bug I found there was easily "disposed": I took it outside.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awakening_(Finnish_religious_movement) Here is an wikipedia article about this religious movement
I collect original editions of Mao’s Little Red books. Originally I just wanted a piece of history. However, I soon realised there are numerous editions. I focus mostly on the Chinese editions, legal and illegal copies.

The first edition, published in 1964, was printed in a white wrapper cover and issued to high ranking officers in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. But the white wrapper copy was not sturdy enough to issue to PLA soldiers. So red vinyl copies soon followed.


White wrapper 1st ed.(1964)


The second edition was published by the Heilongjiang Provincial Committee in March, 1965. This edition is elusive. As a result collectors often mistake the third edition for the second edition. I have never seen a second edition Chinese copy on sale in the Western world. Even the online Chinese market I have seen maybe half-a-dozen copies.

The third Chinese edition is the easiest to find and the most affordable. But there are variant third edition copies that I have never seen in the Western world. These variant copies often features errors, additional chapters or, extra print material in the back of the book. I have a number of variant copies in my collection.


Variant 3rd ed. Wuhan (Pub. December, 1965)


There is not too much information about the illegal copies. An illegal or unauthorised copy is any edition that was not approved by central government. According to research done by the Beijing Municipal Revolutionary Committee there was at least 440 illegal copies of Mao’s Little Red Book.

I collect foreign language copies too. The most ‘exotic’ so far being Bengali and Urdu. Other languages include English, French, German and Tibetan.


Standard Tibetan ed. (1966)
I collect manuscript of various countries in various subjects in various time periods. Here are a few that are in my collection:

Assyria: Išme-Dagān (1776-1736 BCE) Cuneiform Foundation Cone, Isin




which translates to:

Išme-Dagān, mighty man, king of Isin, king of the Four Quarters (of the world): when he cancelled the taxes of Nippur, the city beloved by Enlil, and excused its men from military/corvee service, he built the city wall of Isin, naming it “Išme-Dagān, with Enlil, the might of(?) the great God

Ethiopian Coptic Ge’ez Bible (ca. 18th Century)

Ethiopian Handwritten Coptic Ge’ez Bibles were produced as early as the fourteenth century until the late 19th century throughout Ethiopia, the first country to become an independent African nation. Christianity was introduced to Ethiopia in the 4th century when Syrian missionaries first translated the Bible into Ge’ez, the language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The surviving body of Ge’ez literature in composed almost entirely of Christian liturgy, as education was exclusively the responsibility of priests and monks. The bibles produced typically contain the gospels of the New Testament, recounting the life of Jesus of Nazareth and the foundation of the Christian faith with illuminated miniature paintings depicting the lives of the Saints.




12th Century Handwritten Vellum Leaf of the Talmud

This page of the Talmud predates publication of the first complete edition of the Talmud in 1540 by Daniel Bomberg. Bomberg employed rabbis, scholars, and apostates at his Venetian publishing house, and was responsible for the first Rabbinic Bible, as well as the first complete Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds. It was once customary for Jews to use old manuscripts as binding material for their newly printed and bound books. This piece is an example of that practice.




1790 Large Gold Banda Koran Leaf Blue Border Medallion (Surah Al-Azhab, verse 60 onwards)

A magnificent leaf from a Koran fragment, probably Banda, before AH 1208/1790-1 AD. The opening flyleaf is inscribed with a note reading: this copy of the Koran, formally the property of the Bahadoor, Nawab of Banda was delivered after the great victory obtained over Rebels and Mutineers by Major General Whitlocks Troops on the 19th of April 1858 to the Reverend A Kinloch, the Chaplain of the Horse and present to him as a slight token of affectionate remembrance to the Reverend George Gleed the Vicar of Chalfont St. Peters, Bucks Branda Palace. April 29th 1858. A further note on the final flyleaf reads: This Copy of the Koran was taken from the apartments of Ali Bahadoor, Nawab of Banda after the occupation of his City and Palace by the Madras Column under Major General Whitlock.



1612 Edition of the King James Bible, 1st Quarto - The Crucifixion of Christ

This is from the so-called 'HE' edition of the 1612 Roman-Type Quatro KJB (H313). The 'HE' refers to Ruth 3:15 as the verse was written as:

Also he said, “Bring the veil that thou hast upon thee and hold it.” And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her; and he went into the city.

The 'SHE' edition of 1612 has the verse written as:

Also he said, “Bring the veil that thou hast upon thee and hold it.” And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her; and she went into the city.

A gallery of my coins and artifacts can been seen on FORVM Ancient Coins
Quant-Geek very impressive
very interesting. I wonder that private collectors are allowed to own such ancient treasures.

Interesting too, that a Cass Taylor thread is resurrected while the polity here are persecuting more recent prolific posters.

I just got this set of Pope's Homer. It is actually from two editions, London and Edinburgh, but on the same brown paper and in neatly matched covers. I imagine these were school books.
Jamais l'or n'a perdu la plus petite occasion de se montrer stupide. -Balzac
The fact that this thread was created by a prolific poster is entirely coincidental. I bumped this thread instead of starting anew.

Homer's The Iliad brings back fond memories of studying Classics in school. It seems like a lifetime ago now.
Recently I got ahold of an Italian political commentary/satire book from 1915 called Gli Unni e Gli Altri (The Huns and The Others). Sadly it’s currently on the other side of the pond but I do have a 1997 original copy of Star Wars Chronicles over here in Texas. Really interesting encyclopaedia for any Star Wars fans like me and it’s worth a pretty penny too.
From my grandfather's library:
Southey's Life of Nelson, in a rather ornate edition with gilt edging
Jamais l'or n'a perdu la plus petite occasion de se montrer stupide. -Balzac
Yes -- and I'd love to trade my coins for books. Im switching my interests lately, if anyone is interested let me know.
Not a collector because I could never dream of affording them, but I absolutely love medieval manuscripts. I have quite a few modern reprints of books from the middle ages.
The eBay listing is not a copy [of] Quotations. It's an edition of Mao's Anthology. The book is overpriced too - the guts of $300 (USD).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/174751084011?hash=item28aff9edeb:g:bgsAAOSwichgitJ4

I paid less than €40 for my 1968 edition (below):



I am in for numismatic books of any age.
Having said that, I rather post here to be informed, and I have a wild guess that I cannot afford most of them... or if yes, than I would rather spend that money on coins proper.
anyways... keep posting, thanks
I was organising my collection over the long bank holiday weekend. I found an elusive white wrapper second edition published by Heilongjiang People's Publishing House in March, 1965. No idea I had a white wrapper edition. Complements the red vinyl edition.


Mao's Quotations (Heilongjiang, 1965)


Also stumbled upon a Chinese edition of Chairman Mao's Five Philosophical Works from 1971, with the Lin Biao calligraphic script entact. Twenty USD on eBay from a dealer in China.


Lin Biao calligraphic script (1971)
When I was 14 years old, I started to collect old Hungarian books (mostly encyclopedias or history theme books), but for obvius reason I had limited financial options :D At this time I had a religious education in the parish of my small village which was full of old books (collected by the previous pastors) and I could loaned a few pieces for a week. Two book grabbed in my memories:
The history of the Inquisition from 1927, and History of the English civil war, from the first half of the 19.century
Check my collection: https://www.instagram.com/coinsmaniac/?hl=hu
A first edition Uyghur language copy of Mao's Quotations published in May, 1966.

I have seen just two white wrapper Uyghur language copies. Mind you, I have not seen too many red vinyl copies either.


Mao's Quotations (1st Ed., Uyghur)
Yes for my old Motorbikes this is the Latest a 1972 Triumph T120V and the tank that will go on it instead of the Coffin one along with Alloy Guards should be ready for next Summer.

Perhaps you meant to post in the "Other Passions" thread. I know motorbike folks are indeed passionate about them, and that a nice project.

I will take this mess back to books -

Check this large edition of Samuel Rogers Poetical Works, New York, 1869.



This thing weighs 6 pounds. look at all that gold. C.B. Farwell, named on the ex libris plate, was a cousin of my paternal grandmother. I found this book quite unexpectedly in a local used book store, I was interested in Rogers because he was a friend of Byron. Finding a volume that I was interested in had been owned by a distant grand-cousin was quite marvelous.
Jamais l'or n'a perdu la plus petite occasion de se montrer stupide. -Balzac
I've become much more interested lately in books than coins.
If anyone wants to trade books for any of my coins let me know what you have available.
Many dealers who come into possession of Chinese language books from the Cultural Revolution simply don't know what they are selling. They don't do their homework and prefer to guess instead. It's one of the reasons I always ask for photographs of the book before I agree to buy.

Below is a typical example. The book pictured is not a copy of Mao's Quotations. It's a copy of Highest Instructions. I wonder was the buyer of the book any more knowledgeable than the dealer. I have my doubts.

A bit of fun after work. Its tedious work, but satisfying as you are preserving history and culture. The bundle contains over 150 pages so it takes a while to scan them. The left bundle is waiting to be processed, while the top bundle was completed. The bottom bundle is waiting to be scanned...My minions are useless.

A gallery of my coins and artifacts can been seen on FORVM Ancient Coins
Quote: "Quant-Geek"​A bit of fun after work. Its tedious work, but satisfying as you are preserving history and culture. The bundle contains over 150 pages so it takes a while to scan them. The left bundle is waiting to be processed, while the top bundle was completed. The bottom bundle is waiting to be scanned...My minions are useless.

​Is it Thai?
Coin referee for: AZE, FRO, GRL, US-HI, KOR, KGZ, MLI, MHL, MMR, PRK, UZB, SML, TAT, TWN, TJK
Banknote referee for: AGO, AZE, BLR, ECS, GEO, HTI, KAZ, KGZ, KOR, MNG, MRT, PMR, PRK, ROK, SWE, TJK, TKM, TUR, UZB, WSM, ZWE
No, its most likely Javanese or Balinese. Once I finish scanning them, it goes to internet archive and other digital libraries for preservation. I do have several Thai manuscripts. One of them is too large to fit in my scanner. I need to take it to the University and see if I can use their equipment to scan them. This is the story of several bundles that are over 14inches. Here is one of the smaller Thai manuscripts I did a while back:

A gallery of my coins and artifacts can been seen on FORVM Ancient Coins
Quant-Geek: are you able to read the books that you collect?
ūūūūū
In a select few cases, I can read the script and decipher the contents, but in most cases, I can not. This is no different than the coins I purchase. I spend a good chunk of time researching and reading to decipher the legends on the coins I purchase and then transcribe them in Unicode. The same goes for these manuscripts, albeit, its a larger task. To aid in this, I reach out to the research universities for help. The current one I am working on is un-deciphered, but I know it is a substantial work as writing on palm leaves is a laborious task and most large ones contain important information.

Here are a few more manuscripts that are waiting for analysis that are in my collection, but scanned:




A gallery of my coins and artifacts can been seen on FORVM Ancient Coins
A somewhat shabby copy of the 4th edition of Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage , 1812




The book that made Byron suddenly famous, and his publisher John Murry rich.
Jamais l'or n'a perdu la plus petite occasion de se montrer stupide. -Balzac
Quote: "Mr. Midnight"​Perhaps you meant to post in the "Other Passions" thread. I know motorbike folks are indeed passionate about them, and that a nice project.

​I will take this mess back to books -

​Check this large edition of Samuel Rogers Poetical Works, New York, 1869.



​This thing weighs 6 pounds. look at all that gold. C.B. Farwell, named on the ex libris plate, was a cousin of my paternal grandmother. I found this book quite unexpectedly in a local used book store, I was interested in Rogers because he was a friend of Byron. Finding a volume that I was interested in had been owned by a distant grand-cousin was quite marvelous.
​These are some of the Books Manuals and other Related Media some Very Rare Publications now that I have put together for Reafference over the last 45 + Years. The Manuals are very Useful but the Parts Books are invaluable when Restoring early Z/KZ Twins. The Paper Publication was printed by The New English Library in 1974 that now no longer Exists They Merged with Hodder & Stoughton and became Defunct in 2004 they published many Paperback by some very well known Writer's over 43 Years.
This Newspaper is Very Rare and recently was on Exabition at the Brent Museam in London.
Original Kawasaki Owners and Workshop Manuals and Parts Catalogues
Very Rare Published by The New English Library in 1974
Ian.
Quote: "Quant-Geek"​I collect manuscript of various countries in various subjects in various time periods. Here are a few that are in my collection:

Assyria: Išme-Dagān (1776-1736 BCE) Cuneiform Foundation Cone, Isin




​which translates to:

Išme-Dagān, mighty man, king of Isin, king of the Four Quarters (of the world): when he cancelled the taxes of Nippur, the city beloved by Enlil, and excused its men from military/corvee service, he built the city wall of Isin, naming it “Išme-Dagān, with Enlil, the might of(?) the great God

Ethiopian Coptic Ge’ez Bible (ca. 18th Century)

​Ethiopian Handwritten Coptic Ge’ez Bibles were produced as early as the fourteenth century until the late 19th century throughout Ethiopia, the first country to become an independent African nation. Christianity was introduced to Ethiopia in the 4th century when Syrian missionaries first translated the Bible into Ge’ez, the language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The surviving body of Ge’ez literature in composed almost entirely of Christian liturgy, as education was exclusively the responsibility of priests and monks. The bibles produced typically contain the gospels of the New Testament, recounting the life of Jesus of Nazareth and the foundation of the Christian faith with illuminated miniature paintings depicting the lives of the Saints.




12th Century Handwritten Vellum Leaf of the Talmud

​This page of the Talmud predates publication of the first complete edition of the Talmud in 1540 by Daniel Bomberg. Bomberg employed rabbis, scholars, and apostates at his Venetian publishing house, and was responsible for the first Rabbinic Bible, as well as the first complete Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds. It was once customary for Jews to use old manuscripts as binding material for their newly printed and bound books. This piece is an example of that practice.




1790 Large Gold Banda Koran Leaf Blue Border Medallion (Surah Al-Azhab, verse 60 onwards)

​A magnificent leaf from a Koran fragment, probably Banda, before AH 1208/1790-1 AD. The opening flyleaf is inscribed with a note reading: this copy of the Koran, formally the property of the Bahadoor, Nawab of Banda was delivered after the great victory obtained over Rebels and Mutineers by Major General Whitlocks Troops on the 19th of April 1858 to the Reverend A Kinloch, the Chaplain of the Horse and present to him as a slight token of affectionate remembrance to the Reverend George Gleed the Vicar of Chalfont St. Peters, Bucks Branda Palace. April 29th 1858. A further note on the final flyleaf reads: This Copy of the Koran was taken from the apartments of Ali Bahadoor, Nawab of Banda after the occupation of his City and Palace by the Madras Column under Major General Whitlock.



1612 Edition of the King James Bible, 1st Quarto - The Crucifixion of Christ

​This is from the so-called 'HE' edition of the 1612 Roman-Type Quatro KJB (H313). The 'HE' refers to Ruth 3:15 as the verse was written as:

​Also he said, “Bring the veil that thou hast upon thee and hold it.” And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her; and he went into the city.

​The 'SHE' edition of 1612 has the verse written as:

​Also he said, “Bring the veil that thou hast upon thee and hold it.” And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her; and she went into the city.


​I do like the Cone as its very Historic and tactile brilliant.
I suppose I would say that I collect old numismatic books. Nothing very old, just 1800s-1900s.
I always like to have access to authentic reference material. When writing something about banknote printing operations of a particular bank in 1818, for example, it is useful to be able to refer to a book printed in 1828, written by someone who actually visited the printing works that I am writing about!

Even more useful is to have the book on my bookshelf!

So I ended up collecting old numismatic books slightly by accident, as well as banknotes and obscure coins.

I also collect Asterix books in a few languages.
Irish banknotes: https://www.irishpapermoney.com - Finnish BanknotesPolish Banknotes
A tattered and somewhat faded piece of document, so who would want THAT! :°



This is a well-documented manuscript that can be found in Sims-Williams book with his transcription. There aren't that many bactrian manuscripts in the world and I have two of them :8D

Bactrian Manuscript (380-485 CE): An Order to Meyam's Servant (Sims-Williams document xs)

1) ...............αμο αβο μηιαμο
2) βανδαγο Þιιο απαρσο λαδο βο-
3) ... νοργο ί β΄ μανρο νοργο
4) γ(?)

(1-2) ...should give back to Meyam's servant
(3-4) twelve measures of ...(and) three(?) measures of ...
A gallery of my coins and artifacts can been seen on FORVM Ancient Coins
I absolutely adore old books! Alot of times I collect them just because they are old or interesting topics/themes, but there are a few that are also good reads.
(I have far too many to picture right now.)

My latest finds aren't even in English so I can't even read them but I couldn't resist rescuing them!.

1944 2nd edition "Storia Di Un Anno" (Story of a Year) by Benito Mussolini
1770 edition of "Il Rimario" by Girolamo Ruscelli

-Ash
Quote: "FlyingRedPanda"​I absolutely adore old books! Alot of times I collect them just because they are old or interesting topics/themes, but there are a few that are also good reads.
​(I have far too many to picture right now.)

​My latest finds aren't even in English so I can't even read them but I couldn't resist rescuing them!.

​1944 2nd edition "Storia Di Un Anno" (Story of a Year) by Benito Mussolini
​1770 edition of "Il Rimario" by Girolamo Ruscelli


​ ​Gold B). I read Italian as well as French.

(I will take a chance of censure by the mods to say that back in '16, at that time tRump being compared to Mussolini, which there is so much wrong , made me cringe, because I had to admit to admire Mussolini, wounded combat veteran, his academic interests, his fervent political thinking, his hard working journalism, and as head of state his daily decrees and writings on every subject, and didactic attitude to leadership, and earnest well meaning... I am ashamed to admire this man, because of the means he employed and the ends he came to, though for all that well in keeping with the doings of prior notable Italian great men, - and his vanity and hubris, which alone had in common with Mr. T.)
Jamais l'or n'a perdu la plus petite occasion de se montrer stupide. -Balzac
If we already talk about Mussolini - here's my father's 1942 Italian Dictionary compiled by Nicola Zingarelli (and signed by him), dedicated to Mussolini.

A fairly large manuscript happened to walk through my front door this morning. Of course, I gave it a good home, but it does need a good bath. I will be spending the following weeks cleaning it all up...






A gallery of my coins and artifacts can been seen on FORVM Ancient Coins
Quote: "Quant-Geek"​A fairly large manuscript happened to walk through my front door this morning. Of course, I gave it a good home, but it does need a good bath. I will be spending the following weeks cleaning it all up...






​I love any script that's well spaced and written as any other but those illustrations are utterly wonderful!
-Ash
A very complicated jigsaw puzzle with pieces that don't fit precisely and in a very complicated script. I need to take once fragment at a time and see if I can decipher it. Dated to about 3rd century BC - 4th century AD and written in demotic cursive script...

A gallery of my coins and artifacts can been seen on FORVM Ancient Coins

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