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Read or Unread, what is the oldest book in your collection?

Read or Unread, what is the oldest book in your collection?

Phillip #questionnaire

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135 Answers

Deborah

My Bible I got when I was a child.

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Lauren

I have some old zoo and circus books from the 50’s and 60’s

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Melissa

I have a few books from the late 1800s to early 1900s. Haven’t read them though.

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Eva

I have this one, Modern Ladies by John Paulsen from 1915. I only bought it because of the nice cover illustration

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Tammy

If you bought it for the cover (which is certainly nice) have you read it?

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Eva

Not yet. But it’s on my to read list. With all the other books i keep buying

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Manuel

A book I have on Mythology. Can’t remember the author but it’s like the standard. Everyone has seen this book and I have two copies of it. Lol

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Dorothy

Bullfinch’s Mythology?

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Manuel

I believe Edith Hamilton is the author and it’s predominantly about Greek Mythology.

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Dorothy

Oh yes. That is Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. I have a copy (used to have three, but then…why?)

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Caroline

First edition of the poems of Geoffrey Studdart Kennedy, a priest who served as a chaplain in WWI. His poetry is amazing.

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Amanda

Alice and Phoebe Cary’s poems – 1882, so exactly 100 years older than me 🙂

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Amanda

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Katarina

A first edition of the first Swedish translation of Wuthering Heights! Or my grandmother’s cathechism.

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Julie

Probably The Lion, The Witch & the Wardrobe. I got my copy in 1968 . All my childhood books are still at my Mum’s house but I’ve got my Chronicles of Narnia books here

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Michelle

The hobbit cant remeber when it was released

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Tammy

1942 Inner Sanctum translation of War and Peace.
I used to have a 1937 Zoro paperback, but I was worried it wouldn’t survive too many moves, so I passed it on to a good home.

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Zoubida

Eugenie de grandet of honore de balzac

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Joann

A children’s book that belonged to my Grandmother.

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Allan

D’Holbach’s System of Nature, published in 1770. It’s a philosophical argument for materialism.

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Santi

Must be Hide away Dean Koontz

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Karen

Here’s to you Rachel Robinson by Judy Blume. My step dad got it for me when I was 11 or 12 and I still have it.

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Mary

Gold Comes In Bricks-A.A. Fair (pen name of Earle Stanley Gardner)

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Judy

Muntiny on the Bounty or Little Women I’m not sure.

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Nicci

My well read childhood copy of The Secret Garden! 🙂

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Eman

Die unendliche Geschichte (The Never Ending Story) by the deceased German author Michael Ende. Read it myself several times and also to my children ?

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Alannah

My 1998 first US edition of Harry Potter and the sorcerers stone

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Diana

Papillon by Henri Charriere 1971

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Julie

1945-1961

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Dorothy

I don’t have it on me, but I have a biography of Ben Franklin that was published in 1891. I own a lot of old books and I think that’s the oldest, but I have a vague memory of owning one from the mid 1860s.

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Mainak

The Rig Veda.

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Ké

The Hobbit

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Courtney

A Perry mason book from 1963 it a first printing

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Marti

Medics field guide second edition 1938 was my grandfather’s from WWII, my mister prized possession. I’m a nurse so it holds a lot of meaning for me.

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Aanchal

Case no 26… headless horse by Alfred Hitchcock..

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Kelsie

Antique book of Longfellow poems. It does not have a publishing date and I’ve googled it and never found another copy like it. If anyone has info on it, I’d be appreciative!

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Samantha

That is so cool☺

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Kelsie

Thanks! It’s a wonderful book, I’ve read it so much and now I’m scared to even open it because it’s falling apart. I’ve searched and searched and there is no other copy that looks exactly like this. It’s frustrating not to know when it was published or why it’s the only one of its kind. But I love it. <3

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Amanda

ooooh neat. I’d venture a guess of turn of the century, maybe 1870-1910, very victorian design

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Tammy

Apparently you aren’t the only one that thought it was a wonderful book, it looks like it’s been very loved for a long time.

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Kelsie

It was my dad’s, and his father’s and grandfather’s. I found some info out today, it’s a reprint and not worth anything monetarily, but the cover is its own original design, plus it has writing inside that showed a great grandpa of mine gifted it to his wife. I may buy some book binding glue to keep it together for another generation or so.

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Aanchal

I have one more… a banned book. The one written by Nathu Ram Godse after he assassinated Mahatma Gandhi. It was banned immediately… 1949… my grandfather gifted his copy to me. It is in urdu

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Abdul

Wow this is cool

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Siri

You mean WHEN it was written, or the ACTUAL book/copy/edition?

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Aanchal

The actual one

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Linda

“My naughty little sister” from my childhood in the 1970s x

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Shawntay

These are the oldest stories I own

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Germaine

A 1945 copy of Little Women, unread.

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Tammy

Mint condition? =)

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Amanda

Oooh I collect Louisa May Alcott specifically lol. Jealous

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Shawntay

This is 1917 and was given to me in this condition. It’s the sandman tales

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Tammy

Any good?

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Shawntay

Can’t really read it unfortunately

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Tammy

@Shawntay Darn. Looks good though.

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Shawntay

This is 1959

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Christina

I don’t really have any older books ? I have Jane eyre but it’s a newer copy published in 2011

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Tammy

It’s not a competition. =) I worry about my older books because I move so much, so there’s an advantage to having younger, tighter bound books.

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Jennifer

The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, Cameo edition. Copyright 1904

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Silvina

The oldest regarding the printing year (like how old it is), or the first one that I’ve got (and still keep with me)?

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Ila

Crime and Punishment 1985, Raduga Publications, Moscow.

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Cheyenne

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Lacey

Chronicles of vladimir tod eighth grade bites

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Siri

This one is from 82. Not very old…

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Bernard

the complet

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Bernard

the compleat works of sherlock holms . 1943

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Danielle

A book of Tennyson poetry, just over a hundred years old.

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LaVonne

I have collected a few old books from libraries I worked in over 30 years ago. They are all in a box, and I know some of them are from about 1900-1930’s.

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Apollonia

An 1840+ collected works of Friedrich Schiller. Wrapped in silk paper for safekeeping.

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Suzanne

The illustrated copy of Alice In Wonderland that my dad got me when I was a kid.

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Jessica

1920’s math book

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Yannie

FableHaven series

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Kayla

Twilight Series ?

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Katlyn

1930’s Allen Quartermain and king Salomans mines

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Maryam

Kite runner

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Summer

Both unread- Women of the Valois Court by Imbert De Saint-Amand published in 1893 & Jonathan and his continent by Max O’Rell and Jack Allyn published in 1889.

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Mickey

the Godfather.

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Colette

Noddy Goes To School ! Can’t part with it.

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Kerry

I have the complete set of Charles Dickens, printed before copyright started…

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Kerry

22 individual books. 🙂

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Kerry

So before 1923.

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Joanne

Bible and To Kill a Mocking Bird

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Mike

The first book I read as a child, Blitz the story of a horse, it’s been on my shelve for over 50 years.

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David

Not sure, I have a pretty big collection. I do have a few Zane Grey books with cigarette advertisements still in them though.

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Via

Bible

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Sheila

very old edition of flower fairies book..
Very old book about the origin of the English nursery rhymes.

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Noveen

An Urdu dictionary…….
Bought by my grandfather in 1906

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Danielle

Agatha Christie collection

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Omar

1866

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Jesse

Dune or Little Men

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Kristyn

1935

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Shannan

Was just remided by my motber that this is actually my oldest book

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Shannan

Stephen king’s It

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Bonnie

To kill a mockingbird…my favorite book!

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Julie

Mine too

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Joanne

Mine too

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Deborah

In Cold Blood. I got it when it was first published and still have it

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Stephie

Three Sisters (a book about Raden Ajeng Kartini) I got from a second hand bookshop. The previous owner wrote ‘Saturday 13th of April 1983’ o8n the cover.

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Shannan

The year i was born 😀

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Stephie

? and four years before I was born

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Lennine

I have a bible from the 1840s.

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Ѓорѓиев

LotR my grandfather bought the first editions

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Germaine

This was a gift to my older sister from my father in 1945. She gave it to me to read some years ago but I still haven’t. She has since passed away, so it has stayed with me. This was also my mother’s favorite book.

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Germaine

This is the front cover of my sister’s 1945 copy of Little Women, next to an old copy of The Moonstone.

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Amanda

Love! Have a collection of vintage/ antique Louisa May Alcott books myself

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Germaine

Wow! How nice. I remember reading her Rose in Bloom in high school. I loved it.

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Amanda

Oh been forever since I’ve read that one. I have so I’ll need to reread

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Amanda

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Stephie

So beautiful! One of my favorite classics too ❤❤❤

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Tammy

Gosh, I loved the Moonstone!

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Faith

My Bible for date wise. A book I’ve owned the longest even though it’s not on my shelf I still own it, but Warrior Cats: Fire and Ice.

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Robert

Found this in a box of books at a yard sale

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Robert

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Faith

I also own a classic copy of the Odyssey.

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Nancy

Stephen King’s Delores Claiborne

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Storm

1912 I think. A few pages in it says: Entered under Australian Commonwealth Copyright Act, 1912
Is that when this book was printed? There is no other dates mentioned. It’s falling apart as if it’s that old. It was a very interesting read! They suggested an enema for even the slightest sniffle lol. I don’t know if this is my oldest book, I have a bit of a collection of them.

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Amanda

Omg these are FANTASTIC reads… I have one on Eugenics that’s just crazy.

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Storm

Wow! That would be a fascinating read! Old books are entertaining.

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Tammy

These things gave poor Mark Twain nightmares! XD Congrats on finding one!

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Storm

Is he a character from a book?

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Tammy

@Storm Mark Twain was the pen name of an American author. He frequently mentions -with horror- women using home remedy books.

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Paula

This is my oldest book, I have had it since I was 14 and I’m 43 now ~ so it’s 29 years old x

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Bennet

longest day , cornelius ryan

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Nimra

Webster’s dictionary

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Namrata

Probably To Kill a Mocking bird idk

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Ingrid

A Dutch children’s book

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Jordan

Aesop’s fables

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Shary

Dated 1868

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Megan

1933 Pride and Prejudice

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Julie

I have some of my Great Uncle’s books from the 1920/30s & my Gran’s 1917 bible plus all my Great Granny’s children books from the 1880s

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Jill

1918 Harmsworth Universal Encyclopedias. They make fascinating 21st Century reading

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Frances

Ben Hur

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Stephanie

Good question, no idea, I need to check it out

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Divya

Same here!

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Germaine

I have my grandfather’s 1910-1911 Encyclopedia Britannica. It’s complete but not in good condition.

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Rob

An old book on accounting from the 1910’s that my grandpa owned.

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