Reasons to be cheerful!

[Dave]

Where I'm from owls fricken' attack you. Probably because you're unlucky enough to have unwittingly approached  a nest.

I don't remember seeing little owls in Hitchcock's Birds...

No, they were all holding out until Harry Potter cane along!

In a voluntary job I had to handle European Eagle owls, 7 foot wingspan and talons the size of adult hands that could crush adult hands and sharp enough to pierce leather. Bloody happy that I got along fine with them, the thought of what they could do when carrying one . . .

[Dave]

Sorted through a couple hundred old maps today (only a couple hundred more to go).

But did find one of our village ftom 1885. Will have to get that one flattened out and photographed. Know several people who will want a copy.

Good find, makes my aching back worth it!

[Dragonia]

^^^That's really cool, Gloucester! It's like finding a buried treasure!

[Dave]

^^^That's really cool, Gloucester! It's like finding a buried treasure!

Good, but it's not a rare map or anything, could get a digital copy from the County Archives - but that would cost me about $20. If I can flatten it my Nikon should handle that size sheet easily.

Found a WW2 Air Raid Warden's helmet, gas mask, "black-out" torch and bell, no brassard so far. In another box we found a 19thC gimballed boat compass - only a cheap one, but it was only the posh bronze and mahogany ones that were kept as collector's items, this would have been on a working boat called a "trow" that might have braved a bit of close coastal work.

Found a few interesting books, sone fiction involving people who worked the barges, one was called "Water Gypsies", probably second edition about 1885-90. Had a nice cover:

[Guardian85]

I just signed my tax papers for last year.

Not usually a reason to be happy, but it seems the gov'ment owes me a bit of money back. 16000NOK to be presiseish. 

[Biggus Dickus]

^^^That's really cool, Gloucester! It's like finding a buried treasure!

Good, but it's not a rare map or anything, could get a digital copy from the County Archives - but that would cost me about $20. If I can flatten it my Nikon should handle that size sheet easily.

Found a WW2 Air Raid Warden's helmet, gas mask, "black-out" torch and bell, no brassard so far. In another box we found a 19thC gimballed boat compass - only a cheap one, but it was only the posh bronze and mahogany ones that were kept as collector's items, this would have been on a working boat called a "trow" that might have braved a bit of close coastal work.

Found a few interesting books, sone fiction involving people who worked the barges, one was called "Water Gypsies", probably second edition about 1885-90. Had a nice cover:

I love old maps, can almost smell the old paper coming through the computer screen. Would love to see the picture of this one when you have it...

There's this old book/antique store in the city of Ann Arbor not far from where I live. It's filled with old books, illustrations, post-cards, small nick-nacks and even maps. I like to stop in there once in a while when I'm in the city and rummage through his collection. They old guy that runs the place doesn't really take care of the prints or maps, they just sit in stacks and piles all over the place. It's unfortunate because some of the material is getting damaged they way it is being stored.

Some years ago my daughter was renting a small flat in the city there, so her and and I purchased several old book illustrations he had from the early 1900's, and framed them for her place.
She still has them, there now hanging in her new home:)

Anyway I love rifling through the stacks of maps he has, especially the old county ones. He also has this lovely limited edition book from the late 1800's for the state of Michigan, it's a State House Assessor book with detail of each of the state's counties in it. The cool part is the book has maps that are attached inside the book which you can unfold for different state regions. (Book was not printed for commercial resale, but only for the State Reps)
It's a beautiful book, and even has hand written notes in the margins and inside covers. He fortunately keeps this one under glass, and has been trying to get me to buy it, but he want's around $400-500 for it.

I like picture off the book cover you posted, such a beautiful old style of printing, certainly don't see that anymore.

Though I find it funny they spelled the word "Gypsies" wrong

[Dave]

^ Me too on old nooks and maps!

That is one of the problems, too easy to stop "classifying" the maps and start reslly looking at the things! Love some of the old names, often corrupted - North Piddle and Shit Brook  being amongst them.

They were going to recycle the "unwanted" ones but after my enquiries and a few heavy hints they may sell them to a local book dealer. Probably won't get much but better than dumping them.

The map of Hardwicke will need much cleaning before it will be ready for photography. Already have lots of interested people.

[xSilverPhinx]

Weekend!

I'll probably sleep right through it.

[Icarus]

I'm hooked on maps too. I have whole drawer full of them, many of them from  National Geographic.  I also have a big coffee table style book titled; Hammond Atlas Of World History. It has maps of the world that go way back in history. Who knew that Lithuania was a huge country reaching from the Baltic almost to the Black sea in the 1400s?  I also have a gob of US hydrographic office charts as used by mariners. I could navigate in the south China sea or around Cape Horn with those charts. Maps are fun.   

[Dave]

This is my post #

2000

[Biggus Dickus]

This is my post #

2000

Hey 2000 posts is great, congrats my good man!

I'm sure the management here at HAF will put together a formal thread announcing your achievement, but if not here's to another 2000 posts, and it's certainly nice having you here.

[Tank]

This is my post #

2000

Hey 2000 posts is great, congrats my good man!

I'm sure the management here at HAF will put together a formal thread announcing your achievement, but if not here's to another 2000 posts, and it's certainly nice having you here.

We have an excellent informal post party organiser in the shape of Mags. Who does a great job keeping her eye on the post counts.

[Velma]

I had some extra cash - notice the past tense. I traded it for some books, eight books in fact:

Shanghai Redemption by Qiu Xiaolong
The Black Cat by Martha Grimes
Vertigo by Martha Grimes
Martian Time-Slip by Philip K. Dick
The Penultimate Truth by Philip K. Dick
A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick
The Minority Report & Other Classic Stories by Philip K. Dick

Hurray for used bookstores!

[Sandra Craft]

Hurray for used bookstores!

Used bookstores -- the most wonderful places on Earth.

[Dave]

Hurray for used bookstores!

Used bookstores -- the most wonderful places on Earth.

Yeah! I was so sorry when a shop called "Bookends" closed in town, every thing from last year's remainders to antique tomes, from baby's books through fiction, biography, hobbies, science, reference etc to (literary) porn - but we still have Geoff's bookshop (and I still have groaning shelves . . .)

Must do another trip to Hay-on-Wye this summer (with an empty trunk and full wallet!)