Name: Spreading the Feast Gathering
Start: 2025-07-11T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-07-12T23:59:59-05:00
Location: LaGrange, KY

Tagged: Picturesque Tale of Progress

This topic has 10 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 9 months ago by erin.kate.

Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)

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September 7, 2011 at 2:59 pm
baileymom
Member
I’ve been looking into these volumes to purchase for our family. I was wondering if anyone here had any thoughts or reviews for me.

(they were mentioned in Lessons at Blackberry Inn)

Thanks, Kathi
September 7, 2011 at 3:19 pm
Carolyn
Participant
I have all 12 volumes since my mother had them as a child. She gave me the books many years ago (before I was married and had children) and I had no idea of the treasure I had until I had children and decided to home school. The illustrations are beautiful and my 4 year old has enjoyed nursery rhymes, poems and stories from the first couple of volumes. I feel blessed to have a set in our home schooling library. HTH!
Carolyn
September 7, 2011 at 3:41 pm
missingtheshire
Member
I also have all 12 volumes I got a very good deal on ebay and they are in beautiful almost unused condition. They are wonderful books, with super illustrations – I recommend them.
September 7, 2011 at 3:58 pm
Rachel White
Participant
I recommend them, too. I have some passed down to me from my grandmother from 1925. I also found 11 or the 12 at my library for sale ($7.00) from 1971. You won’t need to buy a bunch of other books if you just have these; the 6 vol. or 12 vol., it doesn’t matter. You can get them for a great price as a set or bought individually at Amazon.
If you can find some copyrighted before the ’60’s, that’d be really good; to me there’s a difference in illustrative quality after that (the ’71 version still has the original illustrators, it just has that 70’s look that I”m not too crazy about-but at $7.00, who can be that choosey?). The new ones are compleltely different; they’ve made the illustrations cartoonish instead of like artwork as they originally were- See here.
Here’s info on them from Valerie’s Books.http://www.valerieslivingbooks.info/mbh.htm
HTHm Rachel
September 7, 2011 at 6:48 pm
baileymom
Member
I actually have found a great deal on Amazon for the 1950s 12- volume & handbook version, but I’m nervous because the seller has NO customer ratings.

I read up on Amazon, and it looks like as long as I make our payment through their Shopping Cart/1-Click, that my $$$ will be secure…but I’m still nervous. It’s quite a bit to spend on books :/

hmmm…
September 7, 2011 at 7:08 pm
missingtheshire
Member
My set are from 1958 and I love the illustrations, real keepers that is for sure. Linda
September 8, 2011 at 4:25 am
missceegee
Participant
Ditto. We have a set from the 50s and they are lovely.
September 11, 2011 at 12:46 am
labellavita
Participant
my set is also from the 1950’s and is beautiful! Love the gradiating shades of blues and greens! I owned this set (it was missing a couple of volumes) and a brand-spanking new looking one from like 1971, but like Rachel said, it had that retro 70’s cover, honestly can’t remember what the illustrations looked like, it didn’t have that “inviting” look to me. So I sold it. I just love the feel and look of my older set, so yep, I sold the complete newer set and kept my incomplete but beautiful older 1950s set. Guess I’m quirky that way. Nothing like holdling an old, beautiful book. 😉
Eventually I would love to buy a complete new set (where all the volumns match, if I buy missing volumes they may not be in the same condition, there may be more/less fading, etc). But in the meantime I’m quite happy with what I have.
Ginnie
September 11, 2011 at 12:33 pm
baileymom
Member
So, does everyone feel the same way about Picturesque Tale of Progress? We will be starting Ancient History again in March, and I was thinking of purchasing it since the Oxford First Ancient History is so expensive/hard to find…

(*and* I did end up purchasing the complete 1950 set of My Book House off of Amazon this week, I’ll let everyone know what I think when it arrives *hopefully* soon!)
September 11, 2011 at 1:02 pm
missceegee
Participant
I also own the Picturesque Tale of Progress, but sadly we haven’t used it yet, so I can’t give a comment. It does look lovely on my shelf, but that seems a bit of a waste.
September 11, 2011 at 8:16 pm
erin.kate
Participant
With regard to the Picturesque Tale of Progress … I’m also looking at this set … is it preferrable to get originals whenever possible versus the reprints from 2009?
Any thoughts on inherent differences, quality, illustrations?
Thank you!