The Book I Have Had The Longest

I read online recently an article about books and how some people think that the old traditional hard covers and paperbacks are going to be a thing of the past... something only antiquated bookstores and hard-core collectors will have lining their walls and living rooms to show off when guests drop - kind of like works of art where nobody goes near them anymore.

However, I don't do that. My books are more than just artwork.  Yes they line the walls of my home office and yes, I do make artwork about them. But I make sure I read the books in my collection. I haven't seen books go in the direction of what people think they're going; in fact, it's the opposite.

People want the tactile feel of a real book.

They want to have that book in their hot little hands, to feel and smell the newness of the lovely new book which hasn't had its spine cracked, pages turned, or words read yet.  And many more people love the odour of the old books; the history of these wonderful tomes of where they've been of how long they've been around, what secrets they hold and whose homes, old bookstores, glory boxes and old back wardrobes they've been in for so many years before being found yet again to be read again - to reveal their beautiful secrets within their worn covers.

However, what I have said in the title is 'the book I have had the longest' ... not my oldest book - no, that's easy to point that out. Not my most out-of-print book/s... that's easier still.  I'm trying to pinpoint the book I've had in my possession the longest.

And you know something? I don't know... It could be 'The Sly Old Cat' by Enid Blyton in a little white hardcover that Mum gave me when I was little about a horrible little cat who tricked a mouse into being its meal (I mean, who writes this stuff?).
It could be 'Dips'n'Doodles' which is about a young girl who gets snow skis for her birthday, but is too scared to go on her first skiing lesson - especially when she finds out that the biggest thing stopping her is herself.
It could any of my 'Debbie' books... oh they're real collector's items.  They've been with me since I was around ten years old; and the illustrator passed away only a few years ago. The books were about the writer's daughter - I found out recently - and she looks just like the little girl in the book! They are lovely stories with a moral in the end.
So, any of those books were my first, and longest-kept books in my collection.  Which book has been with you the longest? Please do tell us by leaving a comment below, we'd love to know.  Until my next post, happy reading.