I think about the person who owned this book, years- maybe decades, before it came to me.
She dreamt of Edwardian cotton dresses with lace trims and grosgrain ribbons in her hair.
Maybe she would have loved Picnic at Hanging Rock if she were around to have seen the movie...
On the walls of her room, pictures of the Cottingley Fairies would be stuck up, not one of them lined up straight and her mother constantly asking her not to use sticky tape because it ruined the walls.
On afternoons when the sun lay long and lazy across her bed, she could lie on top of the covers and stare up at the ceiling for hours and hours. I bet she looked like someone Katya and Anya would take pictures of. Maybe like her?
Maybe it was one of these days (a Sunday) when she decided to painstakingly colour in the illustrations in this book; she wasn't much fussed about the words; but the pictures! For her, clearly, the pictures were the best thing about the book. I like to think she got everything she wished for in her life. And now, her book is with me for safe-keeping, for remembering, for treasuring.
♥ Click on each image for its source (except for the pictures take by me!) ♥ Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott is available free to download and read on Project Gutenberg ♥
Ah, the magic of old books. That book you own seems to have lots of character.
ReplyDeleteOh Ana, I love how you speak about the owner of the book as if you really do know her.
ReplyDeleteMakes you want to meet her or have a cup of tea with her in the meadows <3
A beautiful post!
ReplyDeletebin juice! stuff which materialises from nowhere.
ReplyDeletemagic pictures, ana.
your layout is tricksy and i have commented on the wrong post. oh dear!
ReplyDeleteI love secondhand books, they feel so much more alive than garish new paperbacks. I like the musty papery smell and the cloth binding. Best of all, I like seeing someone's name in cursive or finding annotations and scraps of old letters. SUPER POST, Ana.
ReplyDeleteI agree on how old books just have so much history and are too fabulous for words. I love your choice of photographs to go along with this.
ReplyDeleteOh Ana. This post is exquisite. It radiates with all the goodness and wonderment that can sometimes escape us in life.
ReplyDeleteI love how someone took the time to color in all the illustrations. Aww! And, my little eye also caught a glimpse of Anne of the Island. ♥
Oh Ana, you're so amazing, you know that?
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your world with us!
Peace and love!
Love those old photos, so beautiful! Picnic at Hanging Rock is such a great movie too, really liking this post :D
ReplyDeletexxxx
such a beautiful post! I haven't been to visit you in aaaages, so hello!
ReplyDeleteAh! Picnic at Hanging Rock! What a magical film that is! Love this post!
ReplyDeleteJust like Franca said, this is a beautiful post. This give me chills.
ReplyDeletewowww. all i wanna do now is curl up with an old book and read for hours. i don't want to go to work ): haha... alas..
ReplyDeletethis is a great post, ana