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| google image, Battery Park Book Exchange |
Two weekends ago, when Justin and I were in Asheville, NC, as we were leaving the Grove Arcade (which I had told Justin he had to see), we discovered the Battery Park Book Exchange. We were in a hurry, but I told Justin I wanted to go in and that I would be fast. How long does it take to glance at a few books inside a coffee shop?
As it turns out, longer than you would expect. :) The coffee shop kept going… and going… and going. Up stairs and around corners dodging chairs as we went, I was enthralled with the large number of vintage books that lined the numerous shelves. This was no normal coffee and bookshop; this was a bookshop from my dreams. (Furthermore, the shop sold wine too!) I ended up leaving the bookstore with three vintage books in hand – $30 worth. They were books that, when I went to search for them online, were nowhere to be found. (That's how I convinced Justin I needed them.) The bookstore also sold new books, but those are far less interesting to me.
I think old books are more intriguing, because as a kid my parents inherited a whole bookcase of vintage hardback books from my grandparents. While I can't say I was too interested at the time other than pretending to be a "librarian", as a young adult when we sold the house we were living in, I got the chance to go through the books before they were gotten rid of. Most I found to be uninteresting, but one stuck out. I can't remember the name of it, but it was a daring story written in the 1940's about a detective that follows his case in an overseas adventure. I tried to write a report on it in high school, but there was no information about the book available online, and I couldn't find a single thing listed about the author. Ever since that time, older books have had a special place in my heart. I want to read and remember the books that were written even when it seems everyone else has forgotten them.
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| google image, Beauty & the Beast |
As for my bookshelf, I tend to put books on there that are old, hardback with interesting/pretty covers, or meaningful in some way. Does that mean I judge my books by their covers? Yes, to a degree. As it turns out, vintage books all tend to look alike. It's hard to judge those by anything other than their text. I do like the idea of decorating my house with beautiful books though; I find myself envious of the book shelves at the Biltmore Estate, in the movie Beauty and the Beast, and even those found at the Battery Park Exchange. Millions of hardback books lining so many shelves! As little as I read now, I simply cannot imagine my world without books. Whether soft cover or hardback, they are simply too hard to resist! :)
Have you been to an awesome bookstore filled to the brim with vintage books? Do you find them hard to resist as well? Or are you more of a Barnes & Noble kind of person?
** This post is thanks to NaBloPoMo, offering bloggers tips, monthly blogging prompts, and chances to win prizes! :)
