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Maximilian75
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Where did you find that? That’s amazing! if only that book could talk- it could probably say so much.
Vintage Catholic prayer books - let's see 'em if you've got 'em
- Thread starter Tis_Bearself
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DeniseNY
Guest
This one isn’t too terribly old, but it was my grandfather’s.
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adgloriam
Guest
I LIKE IT 
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HCTC
Guest
This is the prayer book (copyright 1908, 1936, 1943) given to my mother by my father on the occasion of their marriage. She converted before they married. I have another that was an anniversary gift to my mother from my father, but I would have to dig it out from the box where I keep it stored.
I keep the one pictured in the drawer of my bedside table. My mother had placed three Holy cards in it that were given to me by my first grade teacher Sr. Ann Bernard who I dearly loved. I was so grateful to find them after my mother passed away.(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
I keep the one pictured in the drawer of my bedside table. My mother had placed three Holy cards in it that were given to me by my first grade teacher Sr. Ann Bernard who I dearly loved. I was so grateful to find them after my mother passed away.(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
My prayer book; happiness in Goodness: Reflections, counsels, prayers and devotions : Lasance, F. X. (Francis Xavier), 1860-1946 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
Contents Joy in the Lord. — Self-Conquest: Self-Control. — The Beatitudes 3. Introduction 6 Table of Movable Feasts 36 Holy-Days of Obligation 37...
archive.org
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Casilda
Guest
I have a 1959 alphabet and phonics primer with the Our Father, Hail Mary and short Baltimore Catechism in the back, in Castilian. Also have a 1950 Challoner/Douay Rheims i bought at an estate sale. Complete with someone’s family tree info 
they didn’t want to keep the family Bible.
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CountrySteve
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The oldest Catholic book I have is a bible, printed in the 50s.
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midori
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This one’s my favorite, and I have no clue what it is. Which is why my pictures are bigger than normal, so y’all can tell me more about it…
A priest friend of mine died in the mid-90’s, and I bought it from his estate. He had been ordained in Rome in 1933, so in my imagination, I think it’s a book he found in a bookshop in Europe somewhere, and liked enough to bring home to the States. I have no clue what the language is— is it Hungarian? Or something-Slovakian?
The binding is in terrible shape. There’s no publication date on it. My random guess is sometime after 1880, but definitely before WWI.
Anyhow, I like seeing it on my shelf because it reminds me of him, and then I say a prayer for him.
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A priest friend of mine died in the mid-90’s, and I bought it from his estate. He had been ordained in Rome in 1933, so in my imagination, I think it’s a book he found in a bookshop in Europe somewhere, and liked enough to bring home to the States. I have no clue what the language is— is it Hungarian? Or something-Slovakian?
The binding is in terrible shape. There’s no publication date on it. My random guess is sometime after 1880, but definitely before WWI.
Anyhow, I like seeing it on my shelf because it reminds me of him, and then I say a prayer for him.
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Tis_Bearself
Patron
I’m guessing that language is Czech or Slovak. “Modlitba” means prayer in Czech. The Modlitba page appears to be a prayer for a sick child. “Pane Boze” is “O my God” in Czech. Whole thing looks like a prayer book.
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Spyridon
Guest
Are you sure it’s not Polish?
It seems either Czech, Slovak, or Polish.
It seems either Czech, Slovak, or Polish.
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Spyridon
Guest
Upon further research, I’m pretty sure that’s Slovakian.
Tis_Bearself
Patron
The word for “prayer” in Polish is “modlitwa”. In Czech it is “modlitba”. Therefore, I think it’s Czech.
Czech and Slovak languages are very close so I cannot tell the difference between the two.
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Torolf
Guest
One of my friends found a GI edition 1943 Catholic Missal at a used book store. He heard I started RCIA so he’s sending it to me as a late Christmas present.
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midori
Guest
Thank you! When I first got it, back in the 90’s, I thought it was Polish as well. 
Then the Internet happened! 
Many thanks to both of you for your linguistic help, @Tis_Bearself and @Spyridon !
Then the Internet happened! Many thanks to both of you for your linguistic help, @Tis_Bearself and @Spyridon !
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adgloriam
Guest
I would say Czech/Slovak only because of the diacritic Ř “R-breve”.
The “key” in identifying a book is usually the “frontispiece”. The first picture indicates the prayer/hymn book went over successive revisions/additions starting 1702 with the first author included being Elias Mlynarowych, editions(or hymns) through 1707, 1731, 1758, 1775, 1794, 1831 (last date printed is strong indicator/identifier, editor/city is also important if visible). Consistent with type of paper and typeface used -mid/second half 18th century - identifiable at first glance.
I think this is: Tranowskys under the T. Cithara sanctorum Hymn book. [If this is the case it would have over 20 editions, in 6 cities, and gather around 30 authores. It is referenced in “Geschichte der slawischen Sprache und Literatur nach allen Mundarten. 2e Abdr. ed. by A. Šafařík.” on page 386.]
[I may be wrong, this would require further research, method would be identifying the author names and searching for them at the national library of the Check Republic or Slovakia. From the author a list of books would be found. From there: by the number of pages, dimensions, year of edition, Collation, you would positively identify the book in hand - given the high number of editions you may hold and exemplar that is not present in the respective national library.]
[Problem with research is also the probable change in orthography convention with time that breaks google. Besides, they use “latin s”(almost a vertical line) not “english s”, and the other character variations also require some afterthought to identify clearly. Diacritics may also have changed slightly meanwhile.]
en.wikipedia.org
@Tis_Bearself @Spyridon
Bibliophile
The “key” in identifying a book is usually the “frontispiece”. The first picture indicates the prayer/hymn book went over successive revisions/additions starting 1702 with the first author included being Elias Mlynarowych, editions(or hymns) through 1707, 1731, 1758, 1775, 1794, 1831 (last date printed is strong indicator/identifier, editor/city is also important if visible). Consistent with type of paper and typeface used -mid/second half 18th century - identifiable at first glance.
I think this is: Tranowskys under the T. Cithara sanctorum Hymn book. [If this is the case it would have over 20 editions, in 6 cities, and gather around 30 authores. It is referenced in “Geschichte der slawischen Sprache und Literatur nach allen Mundarten. 2e Abdr. ed. by A. Šafařík.” on page 386.]
[I may be wrong, this would require further research, method would be identifying the author names and searching for them at the national library of the Check Republic or Slovakia. From the author a list of books would be found. From there: by the number of pages, dimensions, year of edition, Collation, you would positively identify the book in hand - given the high number of editions you may hold and exemplar that is not present in the respective national library.]
[Problem with research is also the probable change in orthography convention with time that breaks google. Besides, they use “latin s”(almost a vertical line) not “english s”, and the other character variations also require some afterthought to identify clearly. Diacritics may also have changed slightly meanwhile.]
Ř - Wikipedia
@Tis_Bearself @Spyridon
Bibliophile
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Tis_Bearself
Patron
So, my mom’s house is the kind of place where I pick up a pile of junk that has been laying on the floor forever because (long story) and under it I find this.
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Must have belonged to Mom’s mom or else she got it from some deceased elderly person’s junk because Mom was barely born when it came out. It’s full of inspirational stories of saints, Catholic martyrs being tortured by Anglicans, Moors and Native Americans, and people being saved at the last minute through faith, along with a long essay on the errors of Martin Luther and admonishments to those who leave Mass early or miss Mass while on vacation or just don’t bother to go at all.
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Must have belonged to Mom’s mom or else she got it from some deceased elderly person’s junk because Mom was barely born when it came out. It’s full of inspirational stories of saints, Catholic martyrs being tortured by Anglicans, Moors and Native Americans, and people being saved at the last minute through faith, along with a long essay on the errors of Martin Luther and admonishments to those who leave Mass early or miss Mass while on vacation or just don’t bother to go at all.
Tis_Bearself
Patron
I just bought this one off Abebooks. I went on there to pick up one of those cheap India reprints of the Dublin Little Office I posted; it’s okay for them to reprint it as it’s so old it’s in public domain, plus I should get the original formatting, and an 11 dollar copy can be carried around and used without great fear of damage or loss, but while ordering that I happened to see this Little Office as well and got curious about the owner. (Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
After a little digging on Ancestry and Newspapers dot com, I am 90 percent sure it was owned by this pastor, as there was nobody else by that name in the 20th century in the area, and his obit says he was an associate at a church in Fayette City (which is only an hour or so away from Ford City) before he became pastor. I wonder how his book ended up with a bookseller in Baltimore? Some friend or relative perhaps inherited it or bought it and has now passed away.
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After a little digging on Ancestry and Newspapers dot com, I am 90 percent sure it was owned by this pastor, as there was nobody else by that name in the 20th century in the area, and his obit says he was an associate at a church in Fayette City (which is only an hour or so away from Ford City) before he became pastor. I wonder how his book ended up with a bookseller in Baltimore? Some friend or relative perhaps inherited it or bought it and has now passed away.
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adgloriam
Guest
Nice method of researching provenance, findagrave and newspaper dot com doesn’t yield very good results in Europe. The book probably ended up in Baltimore because of population density - that’s were a lot of people live. Also, second hand book shops tend to be concentrated in major cities. Libraries tend to be sold as a whole, boxed up, and shipped to a professional dealer. Before entering the market they are negotiated in lots between professionals before getting to buyers. I’d say you determined the original owner.
Anyway, I have been able to determine provenance and original owners up to the 18th century. The circuit the books travel in between in mostly a mystery and the sellers themselves tend no to reveal the last owner as part of professional discretion. More times than not, at the moment of acquisition the trail goes cold. There are also the professional “ex-libris” inventories, when the books belonged to an extinct monastery/convent or larger private collections.
Anyway, I have been able to determine provenance and original owners up to the 18th century. The circuit the books travel in between in mostly a mystery and the sellers themselves tend no to reveal the last owner as part of professional discretion. More times than not, at the moment of acquisition the trail goes cold. There are also the professional “ex-libris” inventories, when the books belonged to an extinct monastery/convent or larger private collections.
Tis_Bearself
Patron
Yes, Baltimore is also quite close to Pennsylvania, and a lot of the Baltimore dealers would go up to Pennsylvania for estate sales and such. There are a lot of antique markets in Pennsylvania.
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christofirst
Guest
This is my mom’s missal from the early 1940s. She thinks she might have received it for her Confirmation, and used it through the 1950s. The author, Msgr. John F. Stedman, was the chaplain of the Confraternity of the Precious Blood in Brooklyn, NY, and well-known in the 1940s (until his untimely death in 1946 at age 48).
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Tis_Bearself
Patron
Isn’t Stedman the same priest who wrote “My Military Missal” for the troops?
I love the graphics in his missals. He had one in the Military Missal showing how if you couldn’t get to Mass because you were out fighting somewhere or in a remote area, you could use this pie chart thing to find where in the world Masses were probably going on and unite your prayers to that somehow.
I love the graphics in his missals. He had one in the Military Missal showing how if you couldn’t get to Mass because you were out fighting somewhere or in a remote area, you could use this pie chart thing to find where in the world Masses were probably going on and unite your prayers to that somehow.
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