Vitalogy

This beautiful vintage medical book was my victim a few weeks ago. My book snooping was a huge success. Actually, I wasn't really snooping, I was just moving around a wonderful home looking for interesting things to photograph. This book; rich crackling patina - filled with the most delicate, onion-skin type illustrations - the ultimate antique pop-up book - is a publishing marvel. In 1899, Vitalogy, a home health encyclopedia, was first published. In 1930, after a half-million copies were sold, a new expanded edition was published. The original 1,010-page comprehensive guide to health and home was cherished by millions. Filled with chapters on anatomy, diseases, herbal remedies, and moral advice for the home, it served as a complete reference book for the household. By WWII its use diminished, more "modern" medical guides were issued and VITALOGY faded into obscurity. Seventy years later, its advice is both strangely prescient and very dated, and the health manual is once more at the cutting edge! Vintage anatomie circa 1900. What do you think this book is worth? It is so rare, that it isn't even on eBay! My Egypt Girl owns Gray's Anotomy, which I haven't actually seen, but she loves it! (By the way, if you are a fan of Pearl Jam, now you know where the inspiration came from for their album with the same name.) Heather and Mark: Thank you for allowing me to snoop. Sorry I didn't tell you sooner. LP xo

Some of my photos of Vitalogy are featured on "If it happened yesterday, it's History" blog.