I am on the up and up, still trying to be sensible and taking things moderately, and was able to help set up the display of fine First Editions of Early Australian Literature at the Maleny Library yesterday.
This is a feature event of the Maleny Celebration of Books, and runs for a whole month, giving lots of people the opportunity to see rare books and learn a bit about them.
The two cabinets look good.
We have some early CJ Dennis books, Bernard O'Reilly's stories and first editions of My Brilliant Career, along with the odd prop or two from our place. We also have a number of letters and other ephemera associated with the books which adds so much to the stories they tell.
I love the typography and fonts on early books - they are so original and evocative. Steel Rudd's On Our Selection detail.
Over in the other cabinet, we have Ethel Turner, May Gibbs and Norman Lindsay.
Again I love the tile lettering here. And what a fabulous book this is - I still remember weeping when the gum tree fell...
A really special piece. The sequel to Seven Little Australians is The Family at Misrule. Inside this first edition we have the inscription from the author to Henry Lawson! So this was Henry Lawson's own book - oh my.
Norman Lindsay's illustrated covers are dynamic and just fabulous.
There is some wood type on the bottom shelf with the May Gibbs books.
How precious - a first edition of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie.
Me, Sue and Claire - the set up sisters, photo taken by Barry.
With huge thanks to Neil Glover for sharing his collection with the Celebration.
This is a feature event of the Maleny Celebration of Books, and runs for a whole month, giving lots of people the opportunity to see rare books and learn a bit about them.
The two cabinets look good.
We have some early CJ Dennis books, Bernard O'Reilly's stories and first editions of My Brilliant Career, along with the odd prop or two from our place. We also have a number of letters and other ephemera associated with the books which adds so much to the stories they tell.
I love the typography and fonts on early books - they are so original and evocative. Steel Rudd's On Our Selection detail.
Over in the other cabinet, we have Ethel Turner, May Gibbs and Norman Lindsay.
Again I love the tile lettering here. And what a fabulous book this is - I still remember weeping when the gum tree fell...
A really special piece. The sequel to Seven Little Australians is The Family at Misrule. Inside this first edition we have the inscription from the author to Henry Lawson! So this was Henry Lawson's own book - oh my.
Norman Lindsay's illustrated covers are dynamic and just fabulous.
There is some wood type on the bottom shelf with the May Gibbs books.
How precious - a first edition of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie.
Me, Sue and Claire - the set up sisters, photo taken by Barry.
With huge thanks to Neil Glover for sharing his collection with the Celebration.
OMG , Fiona, amazing display, fancy having a book that belonged to Henry Lawson, that is a real gem, he is my mums favourite poet , when she was a young girl and just starting work at 14, she would have to ride her bike 10km into town to catch the train, and she would recite his work all the way, now at the age of 72, she still knows it off by heart, great photo of the display sisters, this event is going to be magic - well done to all
ReplyDeleteI know Kate - I held it in my hands! What a great story of your mum; and how wonderful to have poetry accompany you thru your life like that.
Deletei just love reading of your enthusiasm for the celebration of books. i mean, what better thing(s) to celebrate, really?
ReplyDeleteOh it feels so good to know so many people love and celebrate books Velma! It is such joy to be involved, and a great bunch of people (mostly women) who all get in and just get it done!
Deletelovely - like you i am a in the hand book lover. and these are truly wonderful. i have some old books in my possession as well and i agree with your comments about typography. another thing i really like is how the cloth cover feels while you read it. your fingers kind of wander into the valleys of the lettering. reading old books is multi sensory i think - they have their own smell, the paper its own feel and sound and obviously the way it all looks (but not just in the reading of the text). as i am not a paper eater, i cannot comment upon the sense of taste. :0) but who would want to damage a book for that purpose any way?
ReplyDeleteSo very very true all of that MJ! I hadn't stopped to think bout the book cloth for ages; but yes wandering into valley of the letters; the 3-D nature of the embossed and de-bossed lettering. Sigh. They pretty much do the 5 sense, bar taste! The swoosh as you turn a page...the sigh as a page comes to rest. Its all so gorgeous. Go well.
Deletewhat an amazing collection!
ReplyDeleteOh Mo and this is just a fraction of it. Lots of oohs and ahhhs and lots of folk enjoying going to look at it and remembering their childhood as well as just admiring the passion of a collector. Great fun!
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