The demise of the Colorado Springs branch of the Tattered Cover was sad but predictable. Downtown Colorado Springs has long been graced by spirited, friendly and locally owned bookstores, while the Tattered Cover had morphed from a single Denver bookstore to a wannabe regional chain.
We Westsiders are happy to have Westside Stories on Colorado Avenue, as well as Poor Richard’s and Hooked on Books downtown. And despite the surfeit of books online, there are still some old-fashioned bibliophiles among us.
New books are expensive, as are pristine copies of collectable volumes. If, for example, you have a signed first edition of James Joyce’s “Ulysses,” one of a thousand copies Sylvia Beach printed in Paris, it might be worth several hundred thousand dollars. If you have a scuffed-up, bedraggled copy of a later edition, it might be worth 10 bucks.
It’s never been easier or less expensive to create your very own library. Seek beautiful and interesting books in less than pristine condition, books to read, treasure and keep. To dedicated bookworms, nothing compares to the beauty of full bookshelves. Whether 50 books, 500 books, 5,000 books — there are never too many!
I grew up surrounded by books. My mother opened a downtown bookstore in 1926, and stayed in business until 1958. Ours was a home bursting with books, as is mine today. I inherited, I collected, I sold, I traded, I bought, I gave away … and most of all, I read.
But times have changed. Although floor-to-ceiling bookshelves were once common, now they’re quaint repositories of clutter. Why bother with books when everything’s online? Your phone can summon up the content of millions of books — no muss, no fuss, no clutter.
Nothing compares to the beauty of full bookshelves.
Consequently, ordinary used books have never been cheaper. Estate sales, garage sales for 50 cents, a buck, two bucks at most.
“Paperbacks are usually about 25 cents,” said Natalie Schlabaugh, a garage sale maven. “Sometimes the books are free — no one wants them. Young people don’t. One of our sons (now in his 30s) only owns one book. Have you read the George Orwell stories I gave you a couple of years ago?” Not yet …
Searching for Orwell, I found “Morning” by IK Marvel. It’s one of a series of “reveries” created by Marvel (real name Donald Grant Mitchell) in the 1850s to great popular acclaim. My copy was published in 1907, every page illustrated with swirling Art Nouveau drawings.
The author’s persona is a man of 70, remembering his boyhood in rural Connecticut. It’s sweet, sentimental, emotional and you can’t put it down — I cried when the faithful old dog Tray died. Even after 173 years, a forgotten bestseller is still powerful.
Books have histories. Who owned it, who treasured it, who read it? Sometimes the book tells its story. A tattered two-volume 1829 second edition of “Memoirs of the Empress Josephine” shelved next to “Morning” is inscribed by its owner: “Capt. Harnage R.N. Marks Tey near Colchester Essex 1832.” Harnage was a Royal Navy commander in the Napoleonic wars who inherited his father’s title and lived comfortably in Marks Tey, a still-picturesque English village.
The anonymous author of the “Memoirs” was a lady in waiting in the empress’ court. It’s an intimate account of tumultuous times. I assumed that it’d be boring and stilted — in fact, it’s fun, passionate and revealing. Of Prince Ferdinand Louis of Prussia, she notes that, “In the company of women he was gallant and agreeable, but he was apt to drink freely and behave disorderly in the company of men.” Sound familiar?
Anna Fuller (1853-1916), the author of “Peak and Prairie,” lived in Colorado Springs in the early 1890s, residing in a genteel boarding house at 409 N. Cascade Ave. She was smart, single and a gifted writer.
“Peak and Prairie” includes 13 sketches, stories set in “Springtown.” Here’s the opening sentence of one sketch: “Jacob Stanwood was not the only college-bred man, stranded more or less like a disabled hull, upon the prairie sea of Colorado.” She wrote half a dozen books and story collections, most aimed at women and girls. Celebrated in her time, she deserves a revival.
What do you do with a personal library? Read, acquire, trade, give away and embrace the books like old friends. Reading now: Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” a 2010 paperback reprint that I bought at Poor Richard’s in 2017 for three bucks.
Next up, I dunno — with several thousand books randomly shelved throughout the house, I’ll find something fun. It’s a party, and all the guests are delightful.
Old pals, I love you all!!