Old-Fashioned Online Shopping

If you have ventured to the mall at any point in the last month or so, you are well aware that Christmas is fast approaching. While most people at this point have at least thought about the presents they are going to purchase for their loved ones and many have probably finished the monumental task, I have yet to give more than a passing thought to the gifts I will generously bestow.  Being a graduate student doesn't afford you a lot of time (or money) to devote to Project Christmas Shopping.  For these reasons, I am resorting to online shopping this year - but not just any kind of online shopping.  I was recently introduced to the online version of Eaton's Fall and Winter Catalogue from 1913-1914 and it is full of fabulous things that I know my family would enjoy.  That mink shawl with muskrat lining has my mom's name written all over it.

I know what you must be thinking -  that here is no way on earth I can afford fur. You're right, even at 1913 prices, it is a bit out of my range.  That is why I am making it simple and choosing from the books listed in the catalogue for everyone on this year's list. While the books are already a steal of a deal with most running around $0.25, I cheated the system and found them online for free.

Here are a few of the books I carefully and thoughtfully selected for my wonderful family.

1. Boy Scouts in a Submarine, or, Searching an Ocean Floor                    


When I saw this title, I knew it was perfect for my husband, an aspiring marine biologist. Since we are currently land locked, he can live vicariously through the Boy Scouts as they explore the ocean. I was sure this book would be difficult to find due to its relative obscurity. My first search on the Hathi Trust website didn't yield any results, but my subsequent search in the Internet Archive provided links to multiple versions, including a downloadable Kindle version for my e-book loving husband, as well as the original version digitized by Google.

Author: George Harvey Ralphson
Date: 1912

2. First Aid to the Injured

The Eaton's catalogue tells us that this manual should be in every home in case of an emergency or an accident.  Although my brother is a paramedic, there may come a point when his memory fails him and he is in need of a handy guidebook. To find this book, I stuck with the Internet Archive. Multiple results emerged when I typed in "First Aid to the Injured" as it was apparently a popular title for first aid manuals from the early twentieth century. Although this was the first result to be listed, I added "St. John Ambulance" to the search term and performed another search to ensure I had located the right book.

Author: St. John Ambulance Association
Date: c. 1908


3. Maternity Without Suffering

My sister-in-law is very pregnant and most likely experiencing mixed emotions about the pending process of child birth. Fortunately, this book promises to gently relieve suffering before, during, and after child birth. If I knew it only took a book to accomplish this, I wouldn't have waited until Christmas to pass along this treasure.  I decided to perform a simple Google search to try and locate this book, but the first result just sent me directly back to the Internet Archive website where the book is available in multiple formats.

Author: Dr. Emma Frances Drake
Date: 1902



4. With Wolfe in Canada
 
In his quest to become a bonafide French teacher, my brother is currently studying French in Trois-Rivieres.  As such, it is my duty as an historian and sister to ensure that he has adequate knowledge of Quebec history. Although it is debatable whether or not a book written in the late nineteenth century will provide an accurate description of Wolfe's endeavours in Quebec, I am going to say it's better than nothing.  This book was located quite easily through Project Gutenberg and is also available through OpenLibrary.org.  While I originally intended to find my brother a copy of LaRousse's New French English dictionary, searches on multiple sites did not yield any results. I was not particularly surprised by this, as the necessity and desire for outdated language dictionaries is probably minimal. Joyeux Noel, mon frere!

Author: George Alfred Henty 
Date: 1894

5. Radford's Practical Barn Plans

My grandfather was a farmer for many years, and like most farmers, had a necessity for well-constructed barns.  His farm had quite a few barns of various shapes and sizes that my brothers and I always enjoyed exploring. Being a good Dutchman, I am certain my grandfather would appreciate this book's promise to save you money by teaching you how to build a barn in an economic fashion.  The Internet Archive has multiple links to the full-text version of this book, but neither Project Gutenberg or Google books offer full-text barn plans.

Author: William A. Radford
Date: 1907



6.  The New Galt Cookbook

According to the Eaton's catalogue, this is one of the most popular cookbooks of all time. Since my sister-in-law is an avid cook and is always experimenting with new recipes and ingredients, I thought she might enjoy trying some great old-fashioned meals. In giving her this gift, I fully expect to be invited over for dinner.  To find this gem of a book, I performed a simple google search and was surprised to find a digitized version on the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) website.  In a section entitled Bon Appetit: A Celebration of Canadian Cookbooks, LAC allows you to search for recipes in two different cookbooks from the nineteenth century, one of which is the New Galt Cookbook.

Author: Margaret Taylor and Frances McNaught
Date: 1898


So with a few simple clicks, my Christmas shopping is complete!  As I walked through the proverbial aisles searching for these books, I was pleasantly surprised at the wide variety of full-text books available  online.  At times, I purposefully sought out books that I thought would be far too obscure to warrant digitization, but time and time again, they were readily available.  Not only were most books easily accessible, but they were also offered in multiple formats.  It was interesting to find so many books available for download on the Kindle, perhaps reflecting the growing popularization of the e-book.
Of the different online repositories, the Internet Archive seems to offer the best selection and it will likely be my first choice for future searches.  I am certain I will be consulting both the Eaton's catalogue and the Internet Archive again soon - after all, the new year will bring many family birthdays.