Antique books for your home library

If your home library is purely decorative or you have a peculiar taste for classical literature, here is a simple way to build the collection. This 1909 book contains many lists of books that were considered to be essential for every library at the time. This means that there are numerous copies of these books still in existence and that they are relatively cheap (unless you want to find first editions). Also, because all of these books are now in public domain, they are available in recent editions, usually very nicely bound and a the fraction of a cost of most modern books. By the way, many of these books are indeed worth reading!

Most likely, you would have a difficult time coming up with so many titles on your own. Now you can just make a list and hit the bookstores, Amazon or what have you.

Personalized printable Ex Libris (bookplate). Make your own!

The custom of adorning books with their owner's signatures is perhaps as old as books themselves. The reasons for having a distinctive stamp or a bookplate on every book in your home library are pretty obvious: theft protection (this includes the practice of "borrowing"), owner's pride, artistic value of the designs, the desire to leave some trace in this universe... My personal opinion differs from that of the most book collectors. I simply do not find it appropriate to permanently mark as yours an object that will most likely outlive you perhaps even without loosing any of its value. Of course, if we are talking about a stamp used by a library, that's a whole different story. On the whole, however, I think that bookplates are more appropriate than stamps, because they do not look permanent. Well, enough of the disclaimer! You still want to make your own ex libris or bookplate?

In the past pretty much the only way to obtain a personal ex libris was to have it designed by an artist and turned into a personalized rubber stamp. With the advance of computers it became extremely easy to design bookplates on your own PC and print them out. But what if you lack any artistic ability whatsoever? I suggest you use the tools available at www.says-it.com. Put the words Ex Libris at the top your your design and add your name on the next line. If you have a personal motto you can use it with or even instead of you name. It's that easy! Just make sure you use water resistant ink in your printer!

P.S. Do I need to explain that "ex libris" is Latin for "from the books"? :) By the way, some people incorrectly refer to bookplates as labels.

Planning a home library: Reference books and more

Unless you are planning to house an existing collection of books in your new home library you will inevitably end up with more empty shelves that you want. It is possible to fill that space with classic decorative pieces: bookends, statues, globes etc. You should always consider whether your home library lacks some essentials, and if so you can purchase more books to achieve the look you might desire.

Reference books

Encyclopedias

The times when the only way to have quick access to information was to own an entire encyclopedia are gone. Computers are happily performing most of our reference needs. This means, however, that if a paper encyclopedia is something you would like to have in your house the price can be much more affordable than in the past. Used reference volumes can be found online, as well as at yard sales. Among the most authoritative remains Encyclopedia Britannica. Keep in mind that if you have a nack for antiquarian books, the 29 volume 1911 Edition is a classic that one should be very pleased to own. There is also the first edition. Although the original one may be in short supply and not within your price range, this four-volume compendium of late 18th century knowledge has been reprinted in all its glory.

Dictionaries

The Oxford English Dictionary is arguably the best lexicographic work of all time. The full edition is cumbersome and expensive, but there is a one-volume portable edition. If you want to have an American classic, it is important to remember that Noah Webster failed to secure any sort of trademark for his dictionary. As a result, anybody can publish a Webster's dictionary. That said, if you want the best American lexicography has to offer, you should go with Merriam-Webster, preferably the 3d edition.

If you know any foreign languages (no matter how well), it is a good idea to purchase authoritative dictionaries. And even if your linguistic skills are modest, it is a general idea to have a good dictionary for every one of the most important languages: French, Spanish, German, Latin. Quotation dictionaries are also useful. Oxford publishes a good one.

Classical works

Works by classical authors are generally inexpensive. You can very quickly build a collection of hard cover volumes. If, however, you have any interest at all in what can be properly called the classics (Greek and Roman), there is an excellent series that currently features nearly all of Greek and Latin texts prior to 4th century. I am talking about the Loeb Classical Library. These small well designed and well published volumes have Greek and Latin text accompanied by facing modern English translation. If you have a few bookcases that you feel like quickly filling up with first-grade books, Loeb is the answer!

Antique books for your home library. What if you can't afford them?

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.