Book Lover's Paradise

My cousins began cleaning Uncle Buddy's house on Saturday. I got more than one inquiry from them: "Do you want any of Uncle Bud's books?"

Uncle Buddy bought books by the dozen. Three, five, ten copies of any title he especially liked. He didn't really read them; maybe a few. He went more for the titles and cover art. He had a few book cases, each shelf lined with two rows of books, and twenty or so boxes on the floor. This afternoon, my sister Mary and I ran some errands for Dad and then, snowballs in hand (it was 92 today), went to see the books. I brought a small canvas bag, thinking I might find three or four books of interest.

I came home with five large boxes.

We set aside the Bibles we found (30) and the Catechism of the Catholic Church (7), so they could be given to people involved in prison ministry. There was a beautiful bound edition of Lives of Saints from around 1947 with red watered satin flyleafs. A 1964 Sacramentary, mint condition. Two complete sets of the books of St. Peter Eymard. Oodles of prayerbooks, including one from 1886, and another with an inscription made out to our grandfather when he was in the seminary in 1911.

There are treasures in that little house, but I am returning to Chicago on Thursday and so I can't help arrange the books for sale or give-away. I suppose they will be going to a used book dealer, unless someone out there is interested in thirty or so boxes of books in varying condition (from abominable and moth-eaten to pristine)...