She Collects Shoes, He Collects Books

Oh, the perils of posting - and discovering that the posts are actually read.

On Tuesday, I wrote about a friend and book collector who was considering tapping into his retirement savings to buy highly desired rare books. I feared for his sanity - and that’s not all: I privately extended an invitation to him to sleep on my couch after his wife found out about the plan.

After posting the article, This Is Your Brain On Books, and alerting him to temporary room and boarding availability when his wife kicks him to the curb, I received the following response from him:

“My pension fund and life insurance are fully funded. I was referring to additional monies that [she] and I were considering to invest and/or spend. She collects shoes so why can't I collect books?”

Why not, indeed?






SHOES:

• Finely crafted
• Wrought in fine leather
• Object reflects cultural context
• Artisian-made
• Wearable art








RARE BOOKS:

• Finely crafted
• Bound in fine leather
•Object reflects cultural context
• Artisian made
• Readable art


It’s the perfect marriage of collectibles. At the end of a long day, you’ll want to get out of those shoes and into a good book. For my friend and others in similar circumstances, however, getting out of a good book and into their wife’s shoes may pose challenges.

With apologies to you-know-who-you-are for questioning your sano mentis.
________

The binding, for a copy of Manson's biography of Sir Edwin Landseer, is a full dark green levant morocco Cosway-style binding by Riviére & Sons for Sotheran & Co. The front and back covers are ruled and decoratively tooled in a gilt floral and leaf design, surrounding ten oval/round miniature paintings under glass. Nine miniatures on the front cover depict eight hunting dogs around a stag; the miniature on the back cover is a portrait of Sir Edwin Landseer. Extremities double ruled in gilt, with turn-ins ruled and decoratively tooled in gilt.

Images courtesy of Manolo Blanik and David Brass.