Treasures from the 1956 World Book encyclopedia.

Ahhhh, the old books. Check out the two copies
of To Kill a Mockingbird.
The wee boy and I had a slumber party at my parents' house last night. I love staying over here because it reminds me what a difference the whole takes-a-village mentality makes on my own mind. To be able to go to the bathroom by myself is equivalent to a spa day.

Last night while another grownup was playing with the wee boy, I relaxed in a recliner by a bookshelf. What did I see? The entire set of 1956 World Book encyclopedias that were the staple of every childhood report until CD-roms were invented. Granted, it made my report on JFK and the Cuban missile crisis a little tricky, but it occupied hours and hours of alone time in my youth.

Today I thought I'd share some of my favorite pages. Ahhhh, just the smell of the dusty old volumes takes me back (imagine ancient used book store -- try not to sneeze).


C:  Cell

Even by the 3rd grade, I knew three was more to a cell than this...



D:

dress
You might think I loved "Dress" because I'm a fashionista. If you know me at all, however, you could guess that, no, I loved "Dress" because it gave me ideas for which country I wanted to represent at Model UN. Check out the awesome hand-drawn native costumes.

"dress" from 1956 World Book encyclopedia
"dress" from 1956 World Book encyclopedia


Ha! I like the explanation of Scottish kilts, etc, too.

E:
Love maps. Even out of date ones.

K: 
Kentucky, of course ... but also: no Kennedys!
Current events in 1956. And some not very politically-correct language.
I thought it so strange that there was a time before Kennedy. Unrelated, I've been to Kenilworth Castle. 


S: Space
I love this definition of "space ship."

0 comments