If the design style that you have selected for your home library is reminiscent of old European chique I will be the first to congratulate you and commend your fine choice. However, this sort of home library requires that at least some books in your collection are capable of matching its style. If you are a knowledgeable collector it is unlikely that you will rush into buying dozens of old books just because they look old. After all, a library's ultimate function is to facilitate you in your studies or enhance the moments of leisure through reading. Besides, antique books are often pricey. You only should buy the ones you are interested in for any number of reasons. What to do? Are your nice baroque or Regency bookcases doomed to be empty for a while? You certainly won't fill them up with cheap paperbacks, right?Here is an elegant solution.
A company called Paperblanks designs and sells personal journals that look like antique books, but only at a fraction of the cost! The binding of these journals makes them almost indistinguishable from antique leather bindings. The company makes it clear however, that they only use modern environmentally friendly materials. Granted, the number of designs they offer is somewhat limited, but with some variation and occasional interspersing of real antique editions you can very easily achieve the looks that would otherwise cost you thousands of dollars. Eventually you can replace these journals. And don't forget you can actually write in them! This separates them from solutions such as "fake" books.
