Friday, July 10, 2009

She shells shea shells on the shea shore..?

I was sorting through the boys' books the other day, passing the really childish ones onto charity shops and sales , and trying to put the good ones within easy reach (it's working, too!). I found this lovely book, which triggered a lot of memories, although I have no idea how I came to own it. The inside cover is something I think I studied a lot as a child.
The frontespiece is glorious.Inside the technical stuff is mainly in black and white. It seems very detailed and accurate.The book moves from the development and types of shells, to the specific varities one might find.This lovely coloured page near the back names the shells on a ribbon scroll.Isn't it beautiful?It was published before the war ended, which might explain why it is printed on thin paper with rather flimsy cardboard covers. It must have been such a beautiful thing to own when life was dark in so many ways!Here is the set of my photoshoot - of course I haven't been to the beach! The observant among you will have noted the blue plastic in some of my photos. I refilled the boys' old sand pit with fresh sand for our younger visitors at my garden party.So now, back to the title. Can any of you do better than me?
2
She sells sea shells on the sea shore.
The shells she sells are sea shells I'm sure.
If she sells sea shells on the sea shore,
I'm sure they must be sea shore shells.

10 comments:

cottonreel said...

Hi, I,m cottonreel ,I just found you on the site of Elizabethd . My son gave me a jethro Tull dvd, I love his music , and I like his style. Mine is -Live at Montreux 2003
Your shell book is pretty

Mrs. Cozy Home said...

That book is beautiful ... I know what you mean, about seeing an illustration that you've studied as a child. It's like your eyes know every line already... :)

Mandy said...

I love your book
As soon as I saw your the title of this blog i started to say the rhyme and I am rubbish at it!
LOL

Jackie said...

Floss ~ it's a beautiful book and one that is very worthy of keeping and re-reading over and over and passing on to your boys. I'm sure they will get as much pleasure from it as you have done (and still obviously do). I love your photoshoot set too ~ very clever. Enjoy your weekend :O)

JuanitaTortilla said...

Oh Flossh, itsh too early for a Shaturday morning to be doing this tongue twishter. Now you've got me thinking in "sh"s! :D

That's a very clever photoshoot; I DID think you went off to the beach! The inside cover is really lovely. Good thing you've kept the book in good shape!

Anonymous said...

What a lovely, pretty post! xxx

Michela said...

Hi Floss!
Have a lovely time in Edinburgh!
If you like crafting with seashells..there's a tutorial on my blog, hope you'll enjoy it :)

Ashley said...

I love the inside cover, they don't do that so much snymore.

Lululiz said...

Gorgeous book, such fabulous illustrations! And you had me totally fooled with the sandpit, lol, I really thought you had taken a day trip to the coast, lol!

Olga said...

Floss, this is a very beautiful post. The pictures are wonderful - it is great how you combined the book and the real shells - perfect composition. I really thought they were from the beach before I saw the last one ;)

Those things are called 'tongue-breakers' around here ;) The one I love is back from my phonetics classes:

Betty Botter bought some butter,
but, she said, the butter's bitter;
if I put it in my batter
it will make my batter bitter,
but a bit of better butter
will make my batter better.

So she bought a bit of butter
better than her bitter butter,
and she put it in her batter
and the batter was not bitter.
So 'twas better Betty Botter
bought a bit of better butter.