They make their story your story; you join them in their enthusiasms; your apprehensions are raised when you see them on the point of losing some treasure; you grieve with them when that treasure is lost; you thrill with them in their pleasure when their search is crowned with victory..." The Brooklyn Eagle book review of The Quest of the Colonial Nov 3, 1907 

{HISTORY}

In the autumn of 1907, if you opened your local newspaper to the newly released books section you'd find a photograph of Mark Twain launching his short story A Horse's Tale. You'd also see a photograph of Edith Wharton and her newly published, highly controversial book The Fruit of the Tree, and then right alongside those two you'd see the faces of Robert and Elizabeth Shackleton, the authors behind The Quest of the Colonial. 

Both Mark and Edith's book were fiction pieces, but the Shackleton's was non-fiction, a memoir of sorts about home decorating and the thrilling search for antiques to decorate their newly acquired old house in New York State. 

Considered an absolute charmer of a story when it debuted, Americans fell in love with Robert and Elizabeth and their hunt to outfit their home piece by piece, story by story, experience by experience. Had they been able to afford it, they could have gone to an antique shop and furnished their whole house at once, but they were on limited means and wanted to embrace the art of curating and collecting pieces on their own.

The equivalent to modern-day thrifting, the Shackletons traveled all over the East Coast looking for candlesticks and chairs, mirrors and wardrobes, sofas and dishware.  Their escapades took them to forage through old barns and boathouse, through cabins in the woods of Virginia to workshops in New England to country houses along river banks in the South. 

During their journeys the Shackletons share interesting history about the places they are visiting, the antiques they find, and the people they meet. They share tips and tricks about how to recognize genuine antiques as opposed to fakes or reproductions, how to tell different styles of furniture apart and how to refurbish, restore or just spruce up an old item to give it new life. There are photos and detailed descriptions, pretty illustrations and interesting stories throughout.

You might think that a 117-year-old book on collecting antiques might seem far away and unapproachable, but it's with delight that we say not so, in this case. A collector's heart hasn't changed much in 100 years. The thrill of finding just the right piece is still very present. The willingness to look high and low for such objects, to travel for them, to hope to find them, to negotiate for them, and to puzzle over the decorative need for them is all still very relatable. 

A really interesting look at the art of collecting over 100 years ago the Shackletons' enthusiasm and earnestness for their task at hand still make for very compelling storytelling, along with all the old house history they provide along the way. 

Photos of Elizabeth and Richard Shackleton courtesy of The Brooklyn Eagle Sun, Nov 03, 1907

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

• 1907 Edition published by The Century Company
• 425 pages including detailed index
• Decorated coverboard
• Illustrated throughout with photographs and illustrations

{CONDITION}

In beautiful antique condition, this book is in gorgeous shape. The coverboards are bright and clean the spine is tight and all the pages are intact. There is a previous owner's name written in pencil and dated 1925 on the inside front cover, other than that there are no other markings or notations.

{SIZE} 

Measures 8.5" inches (length) x 5.75" inches (width) x 1.5" inches (thickness) and weighs 1.12 lbs.