Around The World And Through Time

I belong to a community called “Postcrossing“. We are a worldwide bunch who call ourselves “postcrossers” and still believe in the antediluvian art of writing letters by hand and posting them in the real world through a good old-fashioned mail box. The beauty of exchanging postcards is the stamp of the country of origin on the card itself (unlike letters where the envelope is stamped). At one glance you know where the postcard has arrived from and how far and wide it has travelled to reach you. In addition, the picture side can be filled with all sorts of images. Most postcrossers prefer “touristy” images that provide a glimpse of the place the card has been sent from. But there are many others with peculiar quirks and hobbies who prefer their mailboxes filled with subjects of interest printed on the postcards. I have sent out cards with pictures of local cuisines for food lovers, and in turn have received cards depicting national sports or dance forms from fellow athletes and dancers.

I recently procured this box of “literary postcards”, aptly named “bibliophilia” – a hundred cards filled with references to books and authors from antediluvian times to the present century. The picture side of the card is an illustration of the contents of the book with a quote by the author, while the side to be filled mentions the name of the book and author along with the year of publication. The artwork is gorgeous – I’m tempted to keep the cards myself! Will fill them up gradually as I come in contact with bibliophiles to send them to. Have a look at some pictures – I love the quality of the cards, the creativity behind the images, and the entire literary presentation. Most of the cards are sepia-toned, giving them a very old-world charm – a perfect ode to the eras the books were written in, and the very art of sending and receiving handwritten mail.

Check out the doodle of the horse in the hair. How ingeniously done!

The cards, neatly stacked in the box, have a very vintage vibe.

The picture portion filled with myriad visualisations of quotes picked from specific books.

The side you write on and stamp perfectly credits the source of literature.

https://ragtagcommunity.wordpress.com/2018/06/17/antediluvian/