Antique Matchbook Collection

My friend Dave, who collects vintage ephemera and photos (his vintage New Orleans flickr page is here) has a knack for finding the most unusual items when we are out yard saling!   On our last yard sale jaunt, he found an AMAZING 1920's - 1940's matchbox collection -- over 600 matchbooks for just $2.00!   The collection includes matchbooks related to:  cars, soft drinks, food, beverages, restaurants, bars, hotels, motels, and stores.  What a great find!  He is keeping the collection, but sent me some photos to post here.  The matchbooks are so fabulous that I wanted to share them with you.

Peanuts Cross Stitch Books

I love Peanuts!  I have two great, hard to find Peanuts cross stitch books in my store:   Peanuts in Cross Stitch and Peanuts All Year Long.  They are both in great condition and full of characters like Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Schroeder, and more.   Fun!!   Click here for Peanuts cross stitch books at Birdhouse Books.

Vintage Valentine Lollipop Cards

I love, love, love these vintage Valentine lollipop cards.  The earliest ones I have are from the 1940's to 1950's, and the others are 1960's vintage.  They are all printed by Rosen and they have little slots for a child to tuck a lollipop into the card.  So cute!   This 1940's vintage pirate card is especially nice.  Vintage Lollipop Cards at Birdhouse Books.

Vintage Hotels 1900's - 1960's -- Postcards and Travel Brochures

Hi all!

I've been having so much fun scanning, researching, and listing vintage hotel postcards.  The earliest date back to the very early 1900's, and the "newest" are from the 1960's.  In my store, Birdhouse Books, I have vintage items from:

• Fort Sumter Hotel, Charleston, South Carolina
• Gideon Putnam Hotel, Saratoga Springs, New York
• Belmont Hotel, New York City
• Broadmoor Hotel, Pikes Peak, Colorado
• Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles, California
• Chalfonte Hotel, Cape May, New Jersey
• Chittendon Hotel, Columbus, Ohio
• Everett House, New York City (hotel demolished in 1908)
• Villa Roma Hotel, San Francisco, California
• Hotel Hayne, Walterboro, South Carolina
• Gibson Hotel, Miami, Florida - Art Deco
• Hotel Annapolis, Washington, D.C.
• Hotel Ben McGehee, Little Rock, Arkansas
• Pick Congress Hotel, Chicago, Illinois
• Hotel Cleveland and Terminal Tower, Ohio
• Hotel Deermont, St. Petersburg, Florida
• Hotel Del Monte, California
• Hotel Flanders, Ocean City, New Jersey
• Hotel New Yorker, Manhattan
• The Charleston Hotel, South Carolina
• Hotel Governor Clinton, New York
• Hotel Green, Pasadena, California
• Hotel Henry, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Hotel Virginia, Stafford, Virginia
• Hotel Washington, D.C.
• The Sherman Hotel, Chicago, Illinois
• Hotel Westlake and Rocky River Bridge, Rocky River, Ohio
• Plaza Hotel, Corpus Christi, Texas
• Cloister Hotel, Sea Island, Georgia
• Richford Hotel, Erie, Pennsylvania
• Surf Hotel, Miami, Florida -- Art Deco
• The Pantiland Hotel, Grand Rapids, Michigan
• The Sheraton Cadillac Hotel, Detroit, Michigan

All these hotel cards and brochures are in my store:  Vintage Hotel Ephemera at Birdhouse Books - click here

Betsy, Tacy, and Tib

My all-time favorite book?   I can't name just one, but instead offer a series of books -- Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace.  This charming series of books spans time from 1897 - 1917, and tells the story of the friendship of three girls in Mankato, Minnesota.  When we first meet Betsy and Tacy, they are five years old.  Betsy is extroverted and wants to be a writer.  Tacy is shy and sweet-natured.  They are soon joined on their childhood adventures by Tib, who is pragmatic and bright.  Over the series of books (series order here), the girls go to high school, graduate, travel, find romance and marriage ... and generally enchant readers as they have since the books were first published in the 1940's and 1950's.

As a lifelong Maud Hart Lovelace fan, I believe that Betsy-Tacy fans are a different sort of reader.   We are reminded of the books in many places.  I have several items in my store that remind me of Betsy-Tacy.

This card has always reminded me of Carney's House Party:

The little girl in this postcard reminds me of Tib!

I have a copy of This Fabulous Century 1900 - 1910, and it is a wonderful reference about life in America during the years of my favorite books.

And of course there are the books themselves!   Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown is perhaps my favorite book in the series, about the adventures the girls have as they go downtown together.  I love the Lois Lenski illustration on this cover!

If you love vintage children's books, or if you know a young reader who would enjoy this series, I cannot recommend it highly enough.  The books build over time, and it is important to read them chronologically.  Betsy Tacy is the first book in the series.  Here's a link to the first book, and you'll find more titles on the right side of this web page.