Last week, I read a couple of blogs that mentioned dictionaries; I think the second blog referred to the first one. That made me think of my mother's dictionary. She had an old dictionary which she amateurishly recovered sometime in the distant past. I wondered if I still had it. I turned around and looked at the stack on the top of the beamshelf that is on the wall behind me, and there it was.
I thought that I should photograph it in the stack, but Sue reminded me that I did this last year — around this time of year as a matter of fact. I remembered the photo, but I didn't remember all that was in it. I am not a detail guy after all.
The dictionary in that photo ↑ is the book with the white cover lying flat on the shelf with the rose on the top: Webster's New Illustrated Dictionary, 1912.
This ↓ is what my mother wrote inside.
I don't know the story of how my mother, Mary, had possession her Great Uncle's [sic] dictionary. I imagine that it was passed onto her mother who, I believe, was Bill Drew's niece. Now, more than one hundred years later, I have it. And now I know its basic provenance.
Here it is, homemade cover and dog-eared pages.
With Sue's help, I took several photos with the dictionary opened. It was Sue who found the candle and the pen to add to the photo. She's good at this sort of staging. I probably would have just photographed the book itself. Do you have a preference amongst the three photos?
I think I prefer the first photo in which the shadow of the pen is less harsh.
What to call aunts and uncles still confuses me a bit, but I think it is because people refer to them incorrectly. Mom wrote Great Uncle in the dictionary, but I think he was more properly her Grand Uncle. I think he would be my Great Grand Uncle. I also see that a quick search indicates that I should write great-granduncle — hyphenated and not capitalized.
22 comments:
I'm not sure I own a dictionary anymore with the internet and smartphone. But I've had many in the past that have gone in the box of books to be given away or recycled.
I prefer the book, just the book, nothing but the book. Never heard the term grand for anyone other than grandparents. I've heard everyone else is great. I wonder now why the difference.
I like the last photo and the great story that goes with that dictionary.
What a fascinating old book that is. I like the last one the best too. And I don't have a dictionary in the house any more.
I love the first picture as well, although I could not have told you why. The reasons you gave for your preference explained mine as well. The top picture with all the books and the tulip was quite striking as well. It looked like a painting. How did you light that?
I haven't actually seen a dictionary in a while, so thanks for the memories. Love the lighting in those photos!
I like the 1st one. I just prefer the arrangement in it.
I always enjoy your posts, but now think we might be cousins. Because my sister was Mary Elizabeth Rogers! That sure gave me pause. I don't think I had any grand uncles or aunts...because they hadn't thought that one up by then. It's fairly modern and as always, I'm dragging my feet in accepting it.PS my sis lived in Houston with her family...son and daughter not named John.
I like the first photo, too. It's gorgeous.
I have a dictionary I bought when I was a freshman in college and I highlighted every word I looked up in it. It's such a lovely memento of that time in my life, although I bet it would be super annoying to someone else if they wanted to actually use it!
I like the second photo best. Guess I am in the minority but the balance looks right to me.
I don't have a dictionary any more. Odd, since I have a thesaurus, rhyming, synonyms and a fee others.
Who shall set us straight with all the correct coinage for our relatives? Here, my grandmother's brothers are called our great-uncles. I assume grand-uncles describes the same relations, but is just a different word used elsewhere. Never heard greatgrand used together.
And then there are the cousins once-removed, the second cousins, and the second cousins once-removed, and so on. Quite confusing for many who are unaware of the -removed business.
-Kate
I like the second one with the candle where the dictionary is at an angle. I used to be (maybe still am?) fascinated with those gigantic dictionaries that could be found at libraries. All those words! We call them great-great whatevers here. Grandfather then great-grandfather, etc. On the genealogy shows they add numbers so they don't have to say as many greats. :)
To me the second one at an angle is most eye catching. All are good of course. And, dictionaries are very cool.
Such an exquisite still life photography. That journal looks truly old.
The first of the three for me.
You're really into details today. In my German family they referred to aunts and uncles by their surname. So it was always uncle Becker and never uncle Jacob. I don't know if this was a German custom. Was the pattern official or just a family tradition.
That's quite the well-thumbed dictionary! Photo 3 because it's more recognizable as a dictionary.
I like the last picture to most. I like the defined shadow of the pen. I had a well thumbed dictionary of my husband's, who received it from his mother when he started college in 1961. His grandchildren were still using it at the end of the last century, mostly because grandma insisted they be able to find a word there as well as on the computer. I wonder if one of them has it now, or if it has been abandoned in their many moves.
I love the last one. It talks to me a story of a century
I like the first one, with you on the shadow and lighting. And I loved the story photo from last year.
Yes, greats, grands, and removes. Did you have to do those? Your cousin's child is your child's second cousin, but your first cousin, once removed.
And some of my cousins just cried to be removed. Yeah. Post there.
Lovely photos. I am having trouble with decisions these days.
I do like Sue's staging!
I love this story, AC. The book is a treasure. Things like that so connected to family are gifts of heritage. The photos are just beautiful.
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