Monday, September 6, 2010

Add to Your "Back in Time" Library -- Great Resource

What would we do without the great new-fangled telegraph system called the Internet?  Now there is wonderful easy access to books from the 19th century on Google Books.  I've been recently looking for crochet documentation and patterns from that time period and found a treasure trove at Google Books. Books from the 19th century are mostly public domain now and have been scanned.  You can peruse the book or download it.  There are links to related books.  I was looking for information and patterns for crochet lace collars and found this book which I downloaded in PDF form.  The Crochet Book was published in 1847 and contains directions and pictures.  There are other related books referered to on that page.

To simply the process of finding 19th century books on Google Books, go to the webpage by clicking the blue link above.  Type in the subject you wish to find in the search bar.  When the page displays, there is a sidebar on the left which allows you to choose the time period of the books available.  I have found home craft books, fashion books and others. Once you pull up the book, you can view it or you can download it in a pdf file which you can save on your computer.  Happy hunting!

--Ann Dixon