Book Collection Contest Entry

Hey, ya'll! (wow...totally had a Paula Deen flashback just then....lol) So yesterday while I was doing my homework I was also putting together an entry into a book collecting contest here on campus! You can read the full rules here if you like: http://www.library.illinois.edu/rbx/CollectingContest.htm. Basically all you had to do was write an essay describing how you developed your collection, give a bibliography with notes on your collection, and include a list of 5 books you hope to someday add to the collection. Below is my bibliography, and at the end I will include some pictures of my books! I called the collection "Books on Nature," because, well, it is a collection of books about nature! lol some are on flowers, some on trees, many on birds, but the overall theme is outside. They range in date of publication from 1899-1950, and 1950 is my "cutoff" date for the latest a book can be published and still be included in the collection. Keep in mind I am a total amateur and that most of these books likely have no significant monetary value, this is just for fun! :)

COLLECTION

1. Harvey, Jane. "Wild Flowers of America." Racine, WI: Whitman Publishing Company, 1932.
I chose this book because I liked the art-deco feel of the title font on the cover. In addition, its tiny size and interesting color illustrations prompted me to add it to my collection as a unique item.

2. Lemmon, Robert S. "How to Attract the Birds." Garden City, NY: The Country Life Press, 1948.
The title of this book is initially what drew me in. I also really enjoy the line drawings and diagrams of various birdhouses one may build to, as the title says, attract the birds!

3. Moseley, Edwin Lincoln. "Trees, Stars, and Birds: A Book of Outdoor Science." Yonkers-on-Hudson, NY: World Book Company, 1925.
I will admit that I totally judged this book by its cover, but in a good way! The cloth cover is printed with a nighttime scene of trees, animals, and stars (or maybe it's snow?), and I thought it was really beautiful! It also came with a supplement "with key to trees" tucked inside. The book also contains pictures and illustrations of tress and wildlife, and several star charts.

4. Peterson, Roger Tory. "A Field Guide To The Birds." Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1934.
I liked this book because of the silhouettes of birds printed on the endsheets of both the front and back covers. Inside the book there is also a "life list" of birds which one of the previous owners has begun checking off, which I really enjoy as it shows the history of the book's use. There are also several more illustrations and silhouettes of birds throughout the book.

5. Thompson, Ernest Seton. "Wild Animals I Have Known." New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1899.
Once again I was drawn to this book because of its cover! The cloth cover is printed with several little animal faces and some pawprints. There is an interesting bookplate inside that looks like it is covering up an inscription, which adds to the historical feel of this, the oldest book I have acquired so far. This is also the only fictional title in my collection, but I feel it relates to the others due to its subject and inclusion of photographs and line drawings.

6. Walker, Margaret Coulson. "Our Birds and Their Nestlings." American Book Company, 1904.
The cloth cover of this book has a cute printed illustration of a cardinal in a tree with a child looking on. Again, I liked this book because of its many photographs and illustrations inside. In addition, the book includes some cute poems about birds.

7. Zim, Herbert S. and Alexander C. Martin. "Flowers." New York, NY: Simon and Schuester, 1950.
I liked the fun line drawings of flowers on the endsheets of this book. In addition, as with the other flower book in my collection, the full-color paintings prompted me to buy this book. Though it was printed in 1950, it looks and feels a lot older, perhaps because of its exclusive inclusion of paintings over photographs. I would have thought that by this time in history photographs instead of paintings or drawings would have been the norm in guidebook publishing, but as I actually prefer the paintings and illustrations I was happy to collect it!

Finally, here are some pictures for your entertainment :)


^ this is the inside cover of "A Field Guide To The Birds"