On Having a Love for Vintage Books

A world without books is unfathomable to me (an avid lifelong bookworm), just as I know it is for my very dear friend and fellow vintage blogger, Inky, who shone the spotlight on her deeply rooted passion for vintage books in her wonderful guest post today.

For many who are both bibliophiles and vintage fans, combining these two passions is as natural as drawing breath, and such is definitely the case for the endlessly lovely, Inky, who frequent posts about the books (old school and contemporary alike) that she reads on her site. As someone who is never without at least a couple of books on the go and an ever expanding collection of vintage titles on my shelves, this post is that's entirely after my own heart and I sincerely want to thank Inky for penning it for Chronically Vintage while Tony and I are enjoying the tail end of our splendid trip to Vancouver Island.

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Hi everyone, I'm Inky from On Shoes and Ships and Sealing-Wax! First of all, I want to thank lovely Jessica for having me do a guest post today, I feel so honored to have been invited! When Jessica asked me to do this one of the first things that came to mind, knowing that we both enjoy reading, was the topic of vintage and antique books.




While I love vintage in general, for me there’s something special about vintage books and, unlike dresses or jewelry, I feel like we get to know just a little bit more about the former owner. In many cases, names grace the inside covers written in perfect cursive or a childish scribble. Some come with things tucked inside them. Letters, receipts, newspaper clippings, each telling us something about the person and the time they were from.




Often you find a new friend in these books. They may have been long abandoned by publishers in exchange for newer more popular titles, but someone treasured them enough to keep them over time. Several such books I’ve picked up have become favorites, such as a Soap Behind the Ears by Cornelia Otis Skinner and Rich Girl, Poor Girl by Ruth Dewey Groves both which delighted me to no end.




Some of my books are for more practical purposes, while others I’ve bought on a whim having taken a fancy to the lovely illustrations or an amusing first line. Others still, have made their way into my collection just because I loved the book to begin with and was thrilled to find an older copy, such as with many a fairy tale book.




I adore how you can learn so much about the time period in which they were written whether it be through the style of the writing, the details in the book itself, or, if it’s non-fiction, the way the information is presented. Each offering a great way for us to take a peek into the past and a look at the way they perceived what was going on in the world around them.







From an early age I’ve had a love for these books starting with a handful from my parents’ childhood and with the Nancy Drew and Judy Bolton books that belonged to my grandmother and great-aunts. In no way has this love lessened over the years and I’m sure it will only continue to grow.




Thanks again for having me, Jessica, and thank you Chronically Vintage readers for reading what I have to say about vintage books!

♥ Inky