Bibliophile, or for the love of books...

Hello my friends, 

I have been very much absent this summer on Blogspot. But I'm back! Although summer is usually rather quiet in my line of work, this summer was the exception. I have been very busy (which is not very nice during the heatwaves we have had last few weeks) and did not have time for Swinnendael. So my project has not progressed at all in the way I had envisioned it. 

Last year I have posted several posts in Dutch, some in English and some were written both in Dutch and English. This is quite inconsistent and confusing. I have decided that it is easier for most people to read or translate an English text than a text in Dutch. Whenever I talk about rooms or objects with typical Dutch names I will use those Dutch names and will add an English translation between brackets. I hope that this will work for all of you.

But I did at least do something. I have finally purchased a book I was looking for over more than a year now. "Het Hollandse Pronkpoppenhuis" van Jet Pijzel- Dommisse. It was published in collaboration with the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Its subject are the dolls houses in the collection of the Rijksmuseum and what they can teach us about the Dutch Interior and household in the 17th and 18th centuries. The book is a must have for me but it is no longer in print. Even for second hand the price for this book rarely falls below the € 200,- mark. So when I found one in near pristine condition for half that price I knew that I would not leave the seller without that book.

I have read it from front to back. It has been very inspiring. As you can see in the pictures above it contains a ton of information which is very useful to improve my project.

I really love books. Our study is crammed full with them. In the course of two years I have collected 35 books concerning dollshouses. Some new and some second hand. There are a few books still on my wishlist but I have the majority of the books I want on this subject. I have taken the opportunity for this post to make a small inventory of these books. I have not included my books on regular period furniture and historic houses. That could be the subject of another post. :-)

This pictures shows the reference books on existing dolls houses or room boxes.

This picture shows my books on building dolls houses. Some also have projects for the interior and furniture.

 These books concentrate on projects for period furniture. This is as yet to professional for my skills, but I am working on it. An tot the left you see two books by Angie Scarr on miniature food in fimo.

These books cover interiors and miniatures in general and of different era’s.

And these books finally are about soft furnishings, upholstery and embroidery. I 

have never  done any of that in my life, but that won’t stop me from trying. :-)

Now you know how I spent some of my free time this summer. I hope to find the time to finish some of the miniatures I am working on so that I can show them to you before I go on vacation in September. I will come back right in time for the DHN show in Arnhem on 29 and 30 september.