Picturesque World

y "Treasure of the Year" from 2009 was purchased at an Antique show.  It was a 2 volume set of books from 1878 titled "Picturesque World".  These books were basically travel picture books, from a time before photography was available.  The pictures in the books are engravings of many famous locations, and each volume has over 400 wood engravings, and about 25 steel engravings.  (Steel engravings are extra special - they have a tissue sheet separating the engraving from the other pages in the book.)



I have fallen in love with the crispness and beauty of these engravings.  Each engraving is a work of art, with beautiful composition, from a time when the modes of transportation were walking, animals, and animal powered vehicles.  There was no electricity, and therefore no electric lines, and the "picturesque" and quaintly dressed people in the pictures (in theory) reflect the actual way it was.  Since there are over 800 pictures in the two volumes, some of these landmark locations are no longer in existence, or their current appearance is different then the volumes pictured.

Oh, there is so much to love about these books!  The ornamental letters that start some chapters.  The intricately tooled leather covers.  The feel a book that is over 120 years old. Since I got the 2 volume set, I purchased a 3 volume set "Picturesque Europe" on-line, an I have added a couple more old books with engravings to my "collection".

Check out the leather tooling on the cover.

I could go on about these books, but not today.


So, how is this post thrifty?  Well, with 4 children ages 10-16, I won't be traveling internationally soon, so I go on-line and look up the places in the books with google images, and it's my thrifty way to travel.  : )

Click on the images to see them larger.

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