Oldest book in your collection?

[Lumo]

I walked past a charity shop recently and saw a set of encyclopaedias from 1884 for

[Steeeeve]

Hmmm, I think mine is probably Humanity's Gain From Unbelief by Charles Bradlaugh. My copy's from 1930. In the bookshop I sometimes work in we quite often get books from the 1800s.

[Coffin Nail]

Good question Duncan.

I think my oldest book is a film annual from the 1940's given to me for my services to film nerdism by my mother in law. It was a christmas present when she was a child.

It very rarely gets looked at, I don't want it to fall to pieces.

[Rawr]

I haven't been able to look around for any oldish books yet.

Though I have a rather battered copy of Shakespeare's 'As You Like It' from 1914 I believe.

[pickle]

I don't know what the oldest book I have but I do have quite a few of my grandads books with his annotations in them he could quote who passages of Lewis Carol and others and I still have his bookmarks in them and they will remain in them for as long as I have them. I also have a few of my dad's school books (The March of Time) oh how the world has changed from the 1940's they are great to look at though.

[rune]

My copy of Lord of the Rings - published 1950's

[sirinrob]

The oldest book I have is a 1910 edition of Bleak House by Charles Dickens. I do like the look and feel of old editions of books.

[I'mRose]

I have a medical book about the human physiology from the 1930s that I love.

[Nollaig]

I think mine is probably my Little Leather Library copy of The Importance Of Being Earnest, from the 1920's.

[Ooshie]

I will need to check mine when I have time, although I'm not sure I have anything really old.

 

My brother has a first edition Robert Burns, though, which was my Dad's until recently. I'm not sure why he gave it to my brother rather than me, maybe he thought I had quite enough books already! But I will be very sad if my brother sells it rather than treasuring it like I would - just thinking about it -

[Echo]

Eventually I will inherit my grandfather's complete collection of Shakespeare, all of which were published in 1901. But I know that BF and I have some books here that are older, including a Dickens from the 1800s.

[Ooshie]

Having had a look, I think my oldest books are the secondhand leatherbound pocket size set of The Waverly Novels by Walter Scott (a gift to me from my Dad this time!). But they don't have any publishing date in them or indication of what edition they are, so I don't know exactly what age they are. Does anybody know how I could tell?

[poppyshake]

My hubby's got a couple of really old Charles Dicken's editions, they have beautiful engravings inside. Alas they have been packed up in the loft for a couple of years because we thought we were moving. My Mum bought them from an antique bookstore and they are just gorgeous. I'm going to try and find them soon and photograph them.

 

One of the oldest books that I have got on the shelves is a biography of Dickens by his friend .. and fellow author John Forster .. called 'The Life of Charles Dickens'. It's in two volumes, has beautiful uneven pages and was printed in 1874 ... it smells of old bookshops.

[Kell]

I have the play of Arsenic and Old Lace printed in 1948, and, like Rawr, I have an old, old copy of As You Like It, but I have no idea of the publication date as I can't find it anywhere on the copy. It's linen-bound though and has THe Junior School Shakespeare on the front cover.

 

I got them both 2nd hand in Kirkcaldy when I was at college. I also bought a gorgeous little linen-bound copy of Macbeth at the same time, but I lost it while moving house. It was a pre-1920s copy, but I can't remember ny more about the date than that.

[BookJumper]

My copy of Montague's A Writer's Notes on His Trade dates back to 1946 I'm on the lookout for one in better shape or might get it rebound when I'm a bit richer though, as the cover's coming off at the spine .

[Rawr]

The copy of As You Like It is printed 1919, so not too far out with my guess

[AbielleRose]

I love old books and have a little collection of antiques that I've been collecting for a couple years now. The oldest in my collection are Dramatic Life as I Found It by N. M. Ludlow printed in 1880 (and signed by the author) and The Complete Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning printed in 1886.

[Rawr]

Awesomeness!!

[Nienna]

I have four Daily News memorial edition Dickens'. They aren't dated but using the powers of the internet I've estimated them at about 1910. The paper stopped printing before 1950 I think, so they must be earlier than that at least. The pages are badly yellowed and a lot of them have stuck quite solidly together, just from non-use, so I like to imagine they've been sitting in some family's attic for the last 50 years and I'm the first to open them since. I also have a little school copy of Wuthering Heights from the 30's, a book of Robert Browning poetry from the 20's (I think) and an undated book of Love Poems that looks pretty old! My oldest book (which I've never actually read!) is a copy of a book on Buddhism from 1880, including a 19th century world map which I got pretty excited about!

[chrysalis_stage]

I have a few oldish books, some I just found, all three hardback are:

 

The Dog Crusoe and His Master: A Story of Adventure in the Western Prairies by R. M. Ballantyne (Illustrated by R. B. M. Paxton) Published by Blackie And Son Limited (London Glasgow, Bombay) not sure of published date but there is a note written in ink on the inside of the front page saying:

'Percy Hughes, for the gathering of 13lbs of blackberries during 1918 for the army & navy. Collection at Ryton on (Lunsinor?) School - J. G. Rowland (Head Teacher)' so thinking its published around 1918, definitely that year or before.

 

The Life and Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe of York Mariner by Daniel Defoe (published by same as The Dog Crusoe above) This also has no publication date but has a sticker inside the front cover says:

'Awarded to Alfred Timms, 1922, Bubbenhall sunday school'- I think it says) so this has to be 1922 published or before.

 

The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare - published 1934

 

My Mum also has some Beatrix Potter books which were over 100 years old, a few years ago.

[High Jingo]

I've got some really old paperbacks from Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer series. I don't know their exact publishing dates but the things are old as dirt. The titles I own are I, the Jury and My Gun is Quick.

[Nienna]

Oh I forgot, also copies of Tolkien's The Hobbit, LOTR and Poems and Short Stories Deluxe editions (that look like this: http://www.tolkienshop.com/contents/media/hobbitdeluxe1976.jpg) , not really old (1976) but collectable!

[Emmaline]

I have a 1908 copy of Shepherd of the Hills signed by the author to a "dear friend." It is nicely aged and smells amazing.

[BookJumper]

I have a copy of Poems and Songs of Fairyland: an Anthology of English Fairy Poetry which dates back to 1888 and has never been read, so much so that I've spent a good while this morning gently prying half of the pages open with a letter knife. Shame someone seems to have taken a munch out of two pages though .

[Kidsmum]

Well it's not really very old but i've got a 1972 copy of Bottersnikes & Gumbles by S.A. Wakefield, now out of print, which i bought on Ebay. It's a book i loved as a child & wanted to read it to my own kids & i have to say it's as good as i remember