My Vintage Book Collection

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March is National Reading Month so I’m celebrating by sharing my vintage book collection. I love reading and have a hard time leaving a thrift shop or estate sale without a new (to me) book in hand! I feel that you can learn so much about history and how people from the past thought and lived by reading classic novels, old magazines and even vintage cookbooks.

National Reading Month was founded to ignite a passion for reading so I encourage you to share your reading list for 2020 or your vintage book collection as well! I enjoy hearing what other people are reading because sometimes I find a new favorite that I would have otherwise never known about.

Part of what I love about vintage books is finding the little notes written on the pages. I once saw a copy of Vargas by Reid Austin and Alberto Vargas that gave the history of the famous pinup artist. It was filled with images of his muses and on the first page was a hand-written note that read, “Jim, May you have hours of pleasure reading this while the little one sleeps.” Someone sure knew how to keep things spicy after marriage and kids!

I plan on doing a separate post on my vintage cookbook collection, but for now I suggest trying this delicious Peanut Butter Bread Recipe from 1927 from Forgotten Recipes by Jaine Rodack (1981), a book I found at the local flea market.

Here are seven titles from my collection of vintage books that I’ve found at thrift shops, flea markets, antique malls and estate sales.

Claire Ambler by Booth Tarkington (1928)

I plan on reading every one of the vintage books in my possession, but this one is probably first. I even included it in the 12 Books On My Reading List in 2020. After stumbling across the copy on Etsy, I knew I had to have it since I’m mildly obsessed with all things from the 1920s.

Goodreads describes Claire Ambler as a novel that centers on a somewhat self-absorbed flapper named Claire and her sobering journey into adulthood. Even the book’s inside cover has a whimsical flapper motif.

Tarkington was one of only three writers to have won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction twice (for The Magnificent Ambersons in 1919 and for Alice Adams in 1922). He also appeared on the Times list of the twelve greatest American men in 1922. I haven’t read his work before but I’m looking forward to staring this one.

Victoria and Albert by Evelyn Anthony (1958)

To be completely honest, I only bought this book because the cover was red so I thought it would make a good addition to the Christmas decor on my fireplace mantle. Estate sales are great for that kind of thing. However, after learning more of what the book is about, I’m definitely going to read it! After I do I’ll have to start watching the PBS Masterpiece series Victoria (I know, I’m so behind).

I also like how people wrote their names and the year they got the book on the inside cover. So sweet. I’m going to start doing that! This one read, “Grace Thomas, September 1958.”

Anthony’s work of romantic fiction tells the story of eighteen-year-old Queen Victoria’s struggles she faced in her marriage to Albert and her eventual realization of love for him.

A Prairie Rose by Bertha E. Bush (1930)

First published in 1910, A Prairie Rose is a sweet, coming-of-age story set in the 1800s. I found a 1930 edition at one of my local antique stores.

In a January 12, 1911 article, The New York Observer wrote, “Rose, the captivating heroine of Bertha E. Bush’s book for girls, A Prairie Rose, is a girl of fifteen, who with her older brother Rob, goes in a prairie schooner from Wisconsin to Iowa, where they intend to make a new home for themselves.”

The Spires of Oxford and Other Poems by W. M. Letts (1917)

This is a collection of poems first published in 1916 by E.P. Dutton & Co. under the title Hallow-e’-en and Poems of War. Readers were so wild about one poem in particular, The Spires of Oxford, that the book was issued in a new edition with new poems under that title.

Letts was a novelist and poet who used her experience as an army camp masseuse during World War I to inspire poems about war. She was born in England but grew up in Ireland and also wrote fondly of rural life in her country. She sounds like a fascinating woman and I’m anxious to get lost in her poetry.

The Posthumous Papers of The Pickwick Club / Pickwick Papers Vol. I–II by Charles Dickens (1867)

Again, I initially purchased this book as a merely decorative addition for my vintage-inspired Halloween fireplace mantle. The book was originally published in 1837 and I found an 1867 edition at a local antique mall. The Pickwick Papers was the first novel written by Dickens and was first published as monthly installments.

It follows the adventures of the naive Mr. Pickwick and the friends that accompany him and keep him safe on his travels. It also has lovely illustrations with the text. I found that you can view the entire book online for free at gutenberg.org.

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1975)

The Hound of the Baskervilles is a Sherlock Holmes novel originally published in 1902. My copy is from 1975 and in practically perfect condition. I can’t say with certainty that anyone ever opened it to read! That’s unfortunate, because it sounds really good.

In this suspenseful tale, Holmes learns of a legend of a giant, beast-like hound that terrorizes the Baskervilles estate. The film adaption in 1939 starred Basil Rathbone as Holmes and Richard Greene as Sir Henry Baskerville. I think it will be the ideal Halloween read or movie!

The Movies: The Sixty-Year Story of the World of Hollywood and Its Effect on America, From Pre-Nickelodeon Days to the Present by Richard Griffith and Arthur Mayer (1957)

This is a recent find at an estate sale I visited with my dad. He almost talked me out of getting it because it’s quite a hefty tome, but after flipping through and landing on images of 1920s starlets, I knew I couldn’t leave it behind.

It starts with the birth of the movies, explores the Golden Twenties and ends with the postwar decade. There’s so much detail on how different film effects were created like close-ups and the fade-out. It also goes into the impact of influential films like 1915’s The Birth of a Nation.

The book gives a brief history of the first movie stars ever like Mary Pickford, Clara Kimball Young and John Bunny. It also explains stereotypes like the vamp, the hero, the mother and the villian.

It’s filled with stunning black and white portraits of celebrities and images from films like Glorifying the American Girl (1929). I know it’s going to be a great resource for vintage fashion and beauty looks!

How to Celebrate National Reading Month

Create and share a reading list of books you want to read this year.
Donate books you’ve already read to a local school or charity.
Donate to Reading Is Fundamental and help provide free books to kids across the nation.
Share an image of your favorite book on Instagram using the hashtag #bookstagram.
Help motivate young readers with Read Across America’s list of titles about a love of books and reading.

Do you have a favorite vintage book? Have you read any of the books on my list? Leave a comment below!

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