The Gift of Beautiful Books

As an avid reader and bibliophile I obviously think books are important. Building a library is a lifelong project, and a long life brings about a problem…where to build more shelves! 

In this article I wanted to encourage the giving of well-illustrated books to the children in our lives. Children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, children of friends, etc. 

I like books written long ago by our own folk. Preferably before about 1950, though obviously not exclusively. My favourite illustrator is N. C. Wyeth, and there is a host of others to choose from. The three books I use for examples for this article were illustrated by Wyeth, Arthur Rackham, and Maurice and Edward Detmold. These are some that I read to my grandchildren when they’re here at my house. There are hundreds and hundreds of others to be found “out there.”  

There’s nothing much like having children cuddled around you, listening to a new-to-them book or an old favourite read by someone who loves them.  Illustrated with beautiful, exciting, and sometimes scary ! (in the case of Rackham) artwork. Making lifelong memories. One of my own best memories is reading to my little boys long after they could read on their own, and reaching the end of a chapter, closing the book and saying, “We’ll read some more later on,” and their piping up, “No Ma! Wead! Wead! Pleeeease!” (It took them both a good while to be able to pronounce their “Rs.”) And most times I’d read on. 

Just a few easy places from which to order are Amazon, Abebooks, and a new online store highly recommended recently by a friend, Bookteria.  Please feel free to share other sources that you know about. 

Enjoy the hunt and the giving!