Books are Beautiful – Inside and Out

Published on November 27, 2011 :: No Comments

One might think that, as a purveyor of fine antiques and other old things, I would be a hard-line purist when it comes to books. Someone who waxes poetic about the smell of old books and the feel of the paper between the fingers. The joy of hours wiled away among tall shelves in dusty bookshops. And so on.

While that aptly describes more than one of my favorite people (and you know who you are), it is actually not me. Not that I don’t love to read, because I do! But because…well, let me explain.

Two things come into play here: 1. As a purveyor of fine antiques and other blah blah blah, and being slightly organizationally challenged (haha) …my house is always full. And I mean full. As in TOO MUCH STUFF. And 2. As much as I love old things, I also truly love gadgets. So when they invented the Nook, Barnes & Noble had me in mind!

I’ve had my 1st gen Nook for a couple of years (and I’m getting the latest for Christmas I hope! hint, hint.) At that time I gave real thought to my relationship with books. There are 2 kinds for me. One is the next novel I want to read, or the business book or self-help volume I need in my library. Text only. Words, no pictures. Not necessary, I decided, to have in physical paper-and-glue form on my shelves (or bedside table, or stacked on the floor.) Absolutely downloadable.

The other kind is a whole different story, however.

Beautiful books are just that. Beautiful. Gorgeous as a decorating element – artfully lining a bookshelf or stacked on a table.

Filled with pictures, invaluable in our business as reference tools but also as treasured objects themselves. I don’t want those in digital form. I want to sit, turn the pages, fill my eye with beauty as a I educate it to spot our next great thing.

And I want to share them with you. One of our favorite things to sell are beautiful books – art books, travel and cookbooks, design and architecture references. We always have a nice selection in the shop in Hudson, with the bibliophile in mind. Or the mate that got dragged out antiquing against his will. It’s also a terrific place to look for a special Christmas present!

And now I am selling some of my books on Amazon – something I have not done before. Check out Tandem’s offerings here.