Well, technology may advance, but you know by now that old books only seem more endearing to me. My husband and I have a custom of eating downtown early on Saturday mornings at a 1950's-themed diner located in an old pharmacy. The walls are lined with glass medicine bottles once used there, and the soda jerks still wear bowties, with waitresses in poodle skirts. Sometimes Frankie Avalon's "Venus" plays more than once on the jukebox while we're there!
After breakfast, we often stroll a few doors down to the Hospice thrift store. The proprietors, a charming married couple, also have breakfast at Mike's, and we're all full and happy. Who wouldn't delight in a greasy omelet followed by the musty smell of old books, furniture, and bric-a-brac? It's a fact that I will almost always leave that store with something in my hand (yes, usually an old book). I'm crazy about two of my latest finds there:
This copy of 'Round the Year With the Poets by Martha Capps Oliver was printed in 1900. The inscription inside reads,
To my dear
Cousin Laura
on her wedding-day.
Alfred H. Stroh
Nov. 30th
1900
Dear Cousin Laura must not have gone 'round too many years with the poets, because of the book's pristine condition! I have examined (almost to the point of insanity) the first name of the giver of this book. I'm pretty sure it says "Alfred," but there's a chance it's "Alford." I decided to look the name up. There's nothing for Alford, but evidently Alfred H. Stroh (1879-1922) was a Swedish Canadian who translated the works of one Emanuel Swedenborg. There is even a photo of Stroh, and his age would match nicely with the book, making him twenty-one at the time of his cousin's marriage. I have done more detective work on this book, the details having startled me, which will be revealed in a post in a few days. 
At any rate, this book is a compilation of nature poems, one for each day of the year. It includes the poetry of Longfellow, Shakespeare, Whittier, Kingsley, many female poets, and even some anonymous ones. I'm thrilled to start this new year (and decade!) by using this book in our homeschool. After our Bible reading, the girls and I will read each day's selection. We're actually doing school this week (with today off), so we spent Dec. 30 examining the Preface, and Dec. 31 reading a poem for January penned by the author.
Look at those charming crinkle-edged pages! I believe Alfred would be delighted to know that his gift is being used almost 120 years later.
The second find contains three volumes in one book: Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther by Dr. H.A. Ironside. I spied the spine among junky books, and when I pulled it out, the cover told me instantly I had found a gem. Yes, I confess that I do often judge a book by its cover. These titles were published in 1913, 1914, and 1905, respectively; this actual printing is from 1976.
I did a bit of research on Ironside, and his life is fascinating! He was born in 1876, a boy-preacher, starting his own Sunday school of one hundred children when he was ten years old. At age 12, he heard Dwight L. Moody preach, and in 8th grade he went to work as a cobbler and dedicated his life to Christ. By age 18, he had to slow down only some, as his 500-a-year preaching engagements became too taxing. He spent his life preaching, teaching, and writing.
In reading about him, I've decided that H.A. Ironside was once a household name, probably well-known to anybody who called himself a Christian, yet virtually unheard of today. It's sad how time's march can trample the memory of such a prolific writer and preacher. I'm grateful that God led me to his writings. Not by coincidence (because the Lord orchestrates everything perfectly), when I found this book, I had already been going a little through the book of Ezra with the help of my Table Talk magazine. I added Ironside to it, and was instantly convinced that I will be on the lookout for more of his works. He tells the Word like it is, takes God's promises for what they are, and doesn't suffer fools. His intolerance for irreverence isn't at all legalistic, but the way all Christians--modern or a hundred years ago, as God's Word stays the same--should view it. I have enjoyed being under the rich tutelage of Ironside, and see him as a trusted mentor.
Coming Soon: The treasure I found because of Martha Capps Oliver and Alfred H. Stroh...
