The older the better

I dearly love antiquarian books - one of my downfalls is the near-inability to leave an aged novel behind when I am sorting through thrift store bins. I brought home three today at fifty cents each, a beautifully tooled copy of Thackery's Vanity Fair, the kind with the tissue leaves over the illustrations and no publisher's date. Judging by the style and pricing listed inside I would guess the 1890s. I've never read it, but now I will!

Along with it comes a small red-bound copy of Stevenson's "The New Arabian Nights" and a wonderfully musty fat volume of English Literature with plenty of illustrations as well. Leafing through it randomly at the bins I opened it and there was this lovely penned illustration of the Queen standing up and boxing Essex on the ears. Definitely a keeper. I just can't stand to let these old treasures end up in paper-recycling... what a loss. I can't keep them all (I passed up an Aesop's Fables after much deliberation, and a fine old British History tome).

Lovely old things. Just lovely.