Thanks to Niminy Fingers,Jee and Me, Third Age Musings, Ticking Stripes,Kitsch and Curious and Things to Make and Do for taking up the question and responding in resounding fashion. Looking at all of your 'collections' really made me think whether I am really a collector at all or just someone with obsessive 'must have' tendencies when I spy certain things?
I never collected anything as a child or teenager so this thing came late to me. It started with an article in a newspaper about ten years ago. It told the story of Jools Holland's brother who, whilst touring with the band, spent the spare daytime hours visiting the charity shops in the towns they toured in. His objective was to find and buy Ladybird books and I was really transported back to my childhood by this notion and started to keep my eye out for them in the same sort of place . Before long you realise that you are going out of your way to travel to unknown places just to visit charity shops and have a scan on the shelves.... well, over a period of a few years I bought hundreds and almost have a full collection of the titles I want. They sit in crates under the stairs jostling for position with my husband 's Eagle and Dan Dare collection of books and toys. I don't even look any more as the older ones have long disappeared from the charity shop shelves . I have specialist Ladybird publications, work cards, posters and even a large number printed in Welsh but I no longer look for them. The Holy Grail for me would be a copy of 'Learnabout Farming' which was listed but supposedly never published. I've never tracked down a copy but if anyone sees one.......
By the time I stopped searching for Ladybirds I realised I'd started something else. By then I'd started picking up books by certain illustrators, not going out of my way, but buying them if I saw them. I love illustrations by Edward Bawden, Barbara Jones, Brian Wildsmith or David Gentleman. This little collection below is a mix of King Penguins and other books I choose just for the covers or end papers and internal illustrations.
The moth book cover was designed by Enid Marx and the woodland flowers cover is the work of Clifford and Rosemary Ellis, the designers for many years of the covers for the Collins Naturalists series. I am a pushover for any book with interesting covers. I can't tell you what type I look for. Sometimes, the book just shouts out to me and I have to bring it home with me.I have been so interested in what other people have blogged about. I do wonder why we suddenly start to pick up similar things, before long realising we have quite a hoard of them, so I started to try and gather some of my bits and pieces. To be honest I buy a lot of things thinking I am going to incorporate them into something else, chickening out at the final moment, unable to use something I've grown quite fond of. That's the problem with these tins. They were bought to be carriers for small books relating to the product or the image but.......
The same goes for my collection of shorthand books and this lovely shorthand medal. I have lots of these things. Why? I don't understand shorthand but I love those graphic marks and the fact that someone was awarded a medal for their prowess with it.
There is a common theme through some of my things. I am a bookaholic. I've already owned up to keeping my eye out for certain illustrators. I currently have an interest in finding Fontana Agatha Christie covers from the 70's but an ongoing passion is anatomy and first aid or nursing books. I have quite a few St John Ambulance manuals and it is fascinating to see the changing illustrations as the 20th century progressed. My 'Ship's Captains book of First Aid' has some very strange illustrations in it. Innocuous at the time of printing but not very PC these days. I dare not show you for fear of offence....
I'm not averse to picking up the odd jigsaw either but it usually has to have those gaudy handpainted covers from the 50's or 60's. I'm very fond of my Coronation jigsaw and picked up the other Royal one in a charity shop for £1 only a few weeks ago. I think I was swept away on Royal Wedding fever at the time.... These get made up and dismantled and live under the cupboard too with our Dan Dare jigsaws from Woolworth's circa 1950's.
When I took these photographs earlier I thought the 'Buttons' jigsaw would lead on to some photos of my button hoard, inspired by the photos at Kitsch and Curious. When I started to look in my shed for the tins I have them stored in I realised that they could make a post all on their own. It's also made me focus on what I have! Will I ever use it? Doubtful. So why keep picking it up and hoarding it? Now that is a question I would like an answer to!
12 comments:
Interesting isn't it? Good job you don't live with my husband or between you you'd never have room to move! Luckily I am a non-hoarder which is why I couldn't join in your challenge as the only things I have several of are some blue glass bottles and now the shelf in my downstairs loo is full I don't want any more of those and the other thing is a few thimbles but I couldn't say I collect them and wouldn't buy any now. I often wondered if my ability to throw away anything which hasn't been used in the past 12 months goes back to my childhood when we seemed to be always on the move and anything which wouldn't go in the trunk got chucked out! Vive le difference I say!
I have to adnit I'm more of a hoarder than a collector of anything in particular. I sold about 80% of everything I owned in 2006 and now, only 5 years later, I have more stuff than I had in the first place!
Now here's a different "take": I think I hoard BECAUSE we were always moving (dad in the RAF) and so mum never let us keep anything. Lovely collections, just lovely. As the recipient of part of one of your collections this week, I can vouch for your good taste in these things. I loved the fact that you found the medical stuff interesting. For a while I considered medical illustration as a career. However, it was the shorthand collection that REALLY grabbed my attention: you see, I had 100 wpm shorthand at the age of 17 (hence my parents insistance that I go the secretarial route, pfft!). It FASCINATED me and still does... like a code, a wonderful, wonderful code. So elegant and so dependent on the position of the scribing in relation to where it was on the printed line, or how heavily you impressed the pencil to make a thickened line. Were there different versions of Pitman because I can read some of the story book but NOT the stuff in the other book....... (it is almost alien to me)
You must have a very large cupboard under the stairs! I too can't resist books, the illustrations, the end papers, the covers, the typeface, any inscriptions. I am sitting here lusting over the books in your first photo.
I am a terrible hoarder, not necessarily collections (although I do have a Ladybird book collection but not the one you're looking for!), just random 'stuff' that sings to me. Problem is, these things that sing to me are usually rather odd. My husband has stopped asking, "Why?".
I did shorthand at school too when 'made to' by my parents who thought I should be a secretary (yes, pfft to that!), and although I soon forgot this 'language' it still holds a certain beauty for me.
I have really enjoyed seeing the collections both here and on the other blogs. It's been ever so slightly mad.
x
I have decided that I am an accumulator, rather than a collector, which I feel implies some kind of academic interest, or at least curiosity, in the items. I have assortments of same-kind things which have become mine because they appealed to me for aesthetic reasons or I had an emotional reaction to. Oh blah blah blah, but you know what I mean!
Like Cathy I had a RAF upbringing, and I'm sure that's had an effect on my accumulating habits, that and rationing ....!!!
Anyway, this has been fascinating for all sorts of reasons, thank you Lesley.
PS: (being written AFTER the result of "Britain's got talent"). What DO you do if you have got an itchy "number 28"? (I am writing this after looking at the medical illustrations!)
Wow, what a fantastic post and really interesting comments. Those are beautiful books (they remind me of the display at the Fry Museum in Saffron Walden, which 'majors' on Edward Bawden and Eric Ravilious -- bit of a way for you to come, though). All tales of collecting warm my heart. I think with me it must be in the genes -- my mother's mother was a hoarder (of terrible things like old newspapers), so was my mum until recently, and now I carry the mantle...
What fascinating collections you have. I particularly loved the covers on your illustrated books. I think I'm more of a hoarder than a collector
Oh, the old itchy number 28 problem!
Wriggle.
Wouldn't it be better if you could just go to your GP and say, "Oh hello doctor, I've got an itchy number 28." No embarrassing words or descriptions, cream/pessaries prescribed and off you'd pootle.
I might suggest it to the GMC, what do you think?!
x
I loved this post particularly as I'm a lover of books/paper ephemera etc. I have similar collections including Brian Wildsmith and love Ravillious and Bawden. (Have you seen Bawden's Circle of Friends - or similar title - great book). I too pick up books for their covers or end papers (I even bought an old school exercise book a couple of weeks ago just becasue it had a gorgeous red marbled cover!)
I also have a fascination for tins - I have the Venus one and should tell you that the fifties toffee tin on the right is a real gem and extremely desirable (these are highly sought after right now). I'm picking these up where i can find them but haven't found any with a picure as nice as yours - it was probably a holiday souvenir tin? That should be enough comment but I also have the middle jigsaw found a few months ago. I haven't done it yet but managed to do a small section initially wanting to use it for something else but then realising what sacrilege that would be. (I think we had that discussion before!). Thanks for the post and I must thank Jane for the heads up about the Fry Museum which sounds like a trip worth making.
I love your collections especially the books. What an interesting post!
Not sure how I missed this post earlier - but like Jane I am married to an accumulator of all sorts of STUFF! On the whole my own small collections are based on sentiment - family memorabilia. The shorthand books brought a chill to my spine. I hated doing it at school - something us 11+ failures were encouraged to do to help us in the employment market. However it spurred me on to do better with my O levels so I could get to Teachers Training College.
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