About Books Inc

Here it is, a week until Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday, by the way) and it is dead at the book store. Yesterday no one came through the door until 12:15 p.m., I open at 10:30 a.m. Today I have had two people asking for directions to other businesses downtown, one man drumming up business for his father-in-law, the window washer, and my neighbor, Jim, from the antique store wanting me to order books for him (I guess that makes him sort of a customer). I sometimes think I could do business from home, but then I remember I don't have a house big enough for 100,000 books!! I will do what always works for me - keep busy and blame the cold, grey, dreary November weather! The top picture is the view entering the store - just to give you an idea of what About Books Inc looks like.

Anyway, here is a little bit about what I feel is the the most interesting book I have in the store, a page is pictured above:
"Abbildungen zu Oken's Naturgeschichte fur alle" by Oken. It is a nature book with hand colored plates. It was published in 1843 and survived the Chicago fire. There are notes written by the owner on several pages in this volume:

"I had loaned this to my Cousin Henry Reuter of Chicago who had it for a few years and when at the fire of '71 it was barely saved showing some of the water marks & tears of the fire. I had it rebound as per bill within these pages but children & others interested has torn some parts of it again. A.H. Mundt, Fairbury, Ill."

Written near the publication date:
"4 years before I was born in 1847, Aug. 5th I know that when at the age of 10 I began to collect butterflies that I was told that my father had paid $88.00 in gold for this book a year after their steel engravings, hand colored (water color) with the 10 vol. now in my den all in Latin & German. Only a few more printed & sold long since out of print. A.H. Mundt"

Written on the page facing frogs:
"The soils on this and other pages and the tears in the different parts of this valuable volume of Natural History is the commemoration of the great Chicago Fire of October 8th, 1871. The book has since been rebound by the owner. Several Plates destroyed. A.H. Mundt"

I think the book itself is very interesting and pretty darn fantastic. But, I think this little bit of personal history is even more fantastic!

Enjoy the rest of November, especially Thanksgiving, and stay warm if you are in the col northern climate!