Monday Coffee

Whoop!  Our first coffee together in the new year!  Welcome, everyone to our Monday Coffee meet up.  I hope you have all had a wonderful new year and managed to welcome in 2016 with a bang.

Shall we brew our favourite beverage and curl up on the sofa together?  Tonight, we are staying in, choosing the comfy sofa in front of the fire instead of braving the wild winds and rapid rainfall.  It has been a hectic couple of days, cleaning and packing away all the Christmas trimmings.  I always feel a little sad when I see them go and the house looks empty without the glitter.  School started for my older two today and the younger two have already tucked into bed ready for tomorrow’s start.  It does not feel as if we have had a proper holiday, but I guess everyone feels that way.

I haven’t had a chance to catch up with all my blogging friends, but a few have caught my eye. Now if you know me well enough, you will know that I love old books; the smell, print, texture of the paper and sometimes that little extra that makes them unique.  Two blogging friends have uncovered some unique books and I would like to share them with you.

Nicholas Rossis has discovered a Book of Feathers with pictures of birds in the collection of prints created from the feathers, beaks and feet of bird species.  He gives a recount on the history of the book which I would highly recommend reading as he is on a mission to find more unusual books.

Howard Loring posted a link to a beautiful book with a golden secret in its pages, a hidden picture in the gold trim on the edge of the pages.  At just the right angle, the picture exposes itself.  How wonderful!  I am hoping more pictures will surface from other book owners with unique books.

Let me refresh your cup and you can tell me if you have ever stumbled across rare books.  Have you ever gone to a book shop holding first editions of classic tales?  I have been lucky enough to visit two bookshops dealing in first editions and it’s very hard for me to contain my excitement as I stand there surrounded by overflowing bookshelves, low ceilings and the musky smell of old ink.  The dream is to one day treat myself to a book, though I first have to prepare a safe place for it out of the destructive hands of those who don’t understand its value!

Which book would you consider as the most valuable in your library?