Words of Nostalgia

Keith Burns has no problem understanding why shoppers of the “boomer” generation (born 1947-64) come to his shop seeking Christmas and Hanukkah books for their children--books that are at least as old as the parents.

“They want stories for their kids which are benign, nonviolent and pleasant,” he said. “Books their mothers used to read to them in 1951.”

Burns is the owner of Books on Main, one of the businesses that has made that street and the city of Ventura a sort of regional vintage-book-buyers mecca.

“The folks over 40 are afraid of tomorrow (and are) trying to recapture the past,” he said, betraying no romance about this form of nostalgia. “This has added a whole new layer to the collectibles market and prices have gone up.”

Even Internet users, Burns said, have gotten in on the act, providing leads to vintage children’s books.

The top of the hit parade for many folks interested in vintage books is a half-century-old Little Golden Book titled, “The Poky Little Puppy,” which originally sold for less than $1. When you can find one--at an antiquarian bookstore or even on the Internet--a copy printed in 1942 in good condition sells for $18. For $9.95, you get something from the 38th printing. Other Little Golden Book originals fetch similar prices.

For others, nothing will satisfy them but a “breeder set” of Nancy Drew mysteries--the first three titles that spawned the famous series 60 years ago, and which now sell for about $100 each in first edition, mint condition.

By the way, the latest twist in Nancy Drew’s life is that her earlier adventures, written in the 1930s by Mildred Wort Benson, have been revised for today’s readers. “The stories have been shortened and the language made simpler,” said Eileen Broadhurst, a local collector and recognized authority on the Nancy Drew books. In the original versions, now available only in used-book stores, she said, “The suspense and the vocabulary were wonderful.”

But if your fond memories are of some really obscure title, the problem is availability. Some of the most beloved classics are still available--they never went out of print, according to Jody Fickes-Shapiro, owner of Adventures for Kids in Ventura.

Everybody has a favorite children’s book, the very mention of which evokes warm feelings. For 50 years, “Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown has been such a book. Exactly 50 years, as a matter of fact. It was published in 1947. Fortunately, it has been in print all that time, as has “Curious George,” by H.A. Rey. That book is even older, having been smuggled out of occupied France in manuscript form in 1941.

Here are some individual titles, rather than series books like Nancy Drew, that were selling well when baby boomers were babies:

“Goodnight Moon,” “Runaway Bunny,” “Pat the Bunny,” “The Little Engine That Could,” “Make Way for Ducklings,” “Millions of Cats,” “Madeline,” “Cat in the Hat,” “The Tale of Peter Rabbit,” “Where the Wild Things Are” and “Harold and the Purple Crayon.”

BE THERE

Weekend Gift-Shopping Tips--Following are sources for originals or reprints of children’s books: Book Mall of Ventura, (805) 641-2665; Books on Main, (805) 652-2008; Calico Cat Bookshop, (805) 643-7649; Phantom Bookshop, (805) 641-3844; Adventures for Kids, (805) 650-9688; Ventura Bookstore, (805)643-4069; also Barnes & Noble, Borders, B. Dalton and Waldenbooks.

Internet sites that provide information on out-of-print books are www.bibliofind.com and www.interloc.com