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Old Book Monday - June 4
| Old Book Monday - June 4 |
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| Blog - Random Thoughts on Reading | |||
| Written by Terri Bruce | |||
| Monday, 04 June 2012 00:00 | |||
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Quite a few book bloggers participate in a weekly meme in which they share delicious and mouth-watering pictures of the new books they have recently received. I love strolling through the blogosphere and checking out these pictures. I don’t buy a lot of new books but realized I could still participate by sharing pictures of what I do buy a lot of—OLD books. Hence, “Old Book Mondays” This week’s “Old Book Monday” features another one of my most treasured acquisitions: "Just Folks" by Edgar Guest (1917). I found this slim volume of poetry at Antiques USA in Arundel, Maine--which, by the way, if an absolute MUST VISIT if you like antiques, flea markets, and the like. ![]() I had never heard of Edgar Guest and am only an indifferent admirer of poetry--I find occasional poems that spark my interest/admiration, but these are usually discovered by accident, rather than by purposeful design. However, as I was browsing the store, I happened to see this slim, pristine condition volume sitting on a shelf under some plates and glassware. Curious, I picked it up. As I thumbed through it, I was instantly taken with the gloriously folksy tone of the poems--these were just the sort of poetry that my grandmother would have loved, would have clipped from the newspaper or a magazine and stored in her desk, to pull out and share when their wisdom was needed (and co-incidentally this book was published the year my grandmother was born). A little research revealed that Edgar Guest was actually a well known and popular figure in his time and had a successful career spanning forty years, 11,000 poems (that's not a typo!), more than 20 books, and a radio program. Guest's poems have been described as "sappy" and "sentimental" but I love them! Here are my two favorites: The Man to Be This next one I read at my mother's funeral; I thought it a lovely reminder that as much as we might sorrow at her passing, it wouldn't do to become so lost in our grief that we forget those who really need us: The Pathway of the Living The hopeless romantic in me loves the idea that one's name and fame can pass away to suddenly be rediscovered by future generations through happy accident. I would be very happy, indeed, if some day, nearly a hundred years from now, someone counted one of my books as among their most treasured possessions. What about you? Have any recent book acquisitions you want to share? For even more book love, visit some of the sites participating in any of the following "weekly book haul" memes: -Stacking the Shelves - hosted by Tynga's Reviews
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![]() written by Barbara Ann Wright , June 04, 2012 Right now I'm only reading Star Trek books for some reason, maybe because it's pretty far away from the fantasy I'm trying to write. Some of them are just so deliciously cheesy. report abuse
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