Does anybody collect old books?  If so... I'd love to hear about them.  One of my collects is of bibles over 100 years old, but the stories they tell are no different that bibles printed today.  However, I did buy another book from an antique store once.  It was written and published in 1952, so the book isn't all THAT old. However, the content is pretty fascinating, though it's a slow and boring read.  The book is entitled "Amy Wanderbilt's New Complete Book of Etiquette:  The Guide to Gracious Living."  It's in really good condition despite the weak spine, as you can see here:

  

I was glancing through this book to try and find the most interesting bit to share with you, but I'm sure much of it has been dramatized in movies enough that it might not be so shocking.  This book was definitely meant for the more elite, and often talks about how one should properly treat servants, or what kind of dowry a husband should prepare in order to be married properly.

There were many books written around this era that focused on the proper way to live life (including etiquette), and I'm sure most books from this time period had similar sentiments.  I think that's exactly WHAT makes this a fascinating read.... to see how much the world has changed.

I finally did find a chapter that I think is interesting.  It discusses the household finances and the proper way to handle them.

The very first piece of advice the author gives is to say that children should have and manage their own bank accounts with minimal interference from their parents.  She writes that managing funds from a young ages is the best way for a child to learn arithmetic and argues that a child should be able to draw from their savings account as soon as they are able to sign their own name.  The author continues to say that a child who knows he is free to withdraw and deposit at will is usually very reluctant to make withdrawals unless mature consideration has taken place.  (Do you think this would work today?  haha!)

The second piece of advice says that children should always be made aware of their family's financial situations. The author writes that many families feel stressed when their children don't understand that a hundred dollars or a thousand dollars is not something to so lightly consider.  She believes that as soon as a child is able to grasp the concept, they should be given realistic financial problems that relate to the family's personal financial situations.  Discussing possible solutions, and showing a child the mortgage payments or other bills should help the child become more responsible.

Humorously enough, the book actually then goes into great detail discussing the worry that children might then talk about family affairs to other people around them.  She says that the risk is worth the other possible outcomes... such as a child telling others his father is a millionaire (how embarrassing!), or feeling hopeless because he wants a live elephant and his parents tell him they can't afford such a thing (without enlightenment on the money situation).  If children are not taught using the family finances, then they will always be compelled and driven to acquiring things they can not afford.  (Is that why today's teens are such mindless spenders, you think?)

As I kept reading the book, the next section actually addressed WHO should handle the finances. I was rather surprised because I thought the strong answer would be 'the husband'.  However, the author actually advocates the near opposite, stating that whoever is better with large purchases should be the one to manage the finances..... and that typically this is the woman. 

Another interesting thing in this chapter:  I guess joint accounts were actually FROWNED upon at the time. (Who knew!) They were believe to be a great source of friction between couples due to the task of balancing the checkbook.    It's a long sentence, but you can get the gist of the idea though this quote:

"Once a husband gives his wife her house allowance, out of which she may or may not be expected to get her own clothing and other expenses, depending on what proportion of the family income can be spared, and after he has met obligations such as insurance and dues, he should not be held accountable concerning his own spending of what remains."

What household in modern America do you think would accept such an arrangement?! XD  I find it all terribly fascinating...

We don't really collect them, but this house holds a ton of ancient books. Most of them are in fairly crappy condition, but a few are holding well. I can't remember most of them, but I know we have an extremely old LoTR book and an extremely old Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde book.

I have a ton of old books, I can't give a picture or list them all (too spammy) but my parents have a lot of them that they got from my grandparents and great grandparents.

You guys aren't really talking about the books like I did. Saying "I have old books" does not contribute to the conversation. Please don't use my threads for TdV fodder. I hate that.