super {flea} sunday.

It's the first {flea} of the new year! I have some really good finds over the next few weeks; it's taking everything in me to not post them all at once.

I have a small collection of old books, one of my favorites is a science book from the 60's. I usually don't buy for content, but rather cover illustrations, colors and illustration on the inside.

Well my husband must have been paying attention every time I dragged him to the {flea} because this vintage copy, complete with gorgeous photos and a handwritten note, of Alice in Wonderland showed up under my tree. Such a heartfelt, thoughtful gift.

He picked up that cute little kitten yarn figurine too. I'm unfamiliar with the collection but it's numbered on the bottom.


I bet you spied the other books in the stack. You know I've been obsessing over the Penquin classic book collection and I finally snagged one! I spent over two hours, and way too much money, at Anthropologie when I was home. They were having a sale, do you blame me?

I really wish I was able to purchase them all, but went with Wuthering Heights, the cover is beautiful blue grey. I also snagged these candles that were on my wishlist. Aren't they the cutest? I'm seriously in love with them; they smell like cedar and pine and look like knitted caps? I'm one happy gal.



My friend Jess didn't have to ask me twice to go to an antique shop owned by her family in Kentucky. I really needed just a whole day to browse the book booths.


Aren't the covers amazing? The Imperial Series book is called Two Blizzards and the copyright inside says 1891. The book with the poppies is Beside the Bonnie Brier Bush; I can't find a copyright inside but the pages are uber brittle and beautiful. Both have vibrantly colored and raised covers just like the new Penquin books; for the two of them I paid eight bucks.

The other two books, The Pony Express and Chief of the Cossacks are from the 50's and both published by Landmarks books. The covers aren't raised, but the colors are super vibrant and they share a circle motif on the cover.

I want to look into if this was something Landmark did on all their books. They both seem to be childrens books; there's a bookplate inside of one that says it belonged to John Wiseman in the 7th grade. Finding inscriptions and other treasures inside old books is a big reason why I buy. I like to imagine who John Wiseman was; did he like The Pony Express? Or was he forced to read it for school, much to his chagrin?

I plan on reading all of these and keeping them for my kids someday. My wonderful husband also bought me a book called Sister of the Angels, a Christmas tale published in 1939.

Did you get any vintage goodies for the holidays this year? I love getting old things; a gift doesn't have to cost much to mean something. The vintage things I got this year were my favorites.

Tomorrow I'll be posting some resolutions for the new year and hopefully getting a long overdue project finished! I'll leave you with the inscription inside Alice:

Accompanied by Canon Dodgson, Ducksword, Lorina, Edith & Alice Lidell - Immortalized in story by becoming the duck & a dodo ( dodgson) & a Lorry & an eaglet.
1862- now famous expedition up the Isis R occured.
If you're unfamilair with the names, look them up; I'm a big Alice fan and won't give it away, but their history is an interesting read :)

4 comments:

Kitty said...

Ugh... those Penguin Classics are so sexy... I'm going to break down and buy one someday soon... I love the cover of that one!

Roxanne said...

They seriouly are. It took everything in me to not but them all, especially how they had them displayed all over the store!

inkberryblue said...

I love old books too ~ I think the old early 20th Century covers are glorious. Your poppy covered book is beautiful!

Laura M said...

Found you on the Rav Blog group! My MIL collects old books like that and it seems to me that you have found some great ones! I wish they had a flea market in my town, or even close, but I live in Germany and haven't seen anything like that...