November 18, 2014

What I Am Reading

I am a perpetual reader and I can hardly sit still without reading something, even the cereal box. So when I received the “Interiors” catalogues from the Sotheby’s Auction of Mrs. Paul Mellon for my birthday (thanks, STC!), that was reading material for hours and days.IMG_5913

I wrote about the collection here, but the catalogues just blow the Sotheby’s website out of the water, coming in at something over 1,000 pages – almost 400 in the smaller catalogue, and 600+ in the larger one. They must weigh about 15 lbs.!

One of my newish fun reads is the Town & Country’s on-line magazine. They’re always running fun, but short pieces and I just read a great one entitled How to Collect Things Without Going Overboard, wherein they reference Mrs. Mellon’s collections image

and the sheer size, scope and depth of them!image

Some of the other recent pieces have been 10 Things You Need To Buy When You're In France, What Black Tie Means in 2014 (some people should have read this before last Saturday’s party!), 8 Reasons We Love a Camelhair Coat and many more. They’re not earth-shaking or rocket science, but they are fun to read!

17 comments:

  1. Oh dear. "How to Collect Thongs without Going Overboard" - I fear I might be an example of overboard collecting.

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  2. Wow ! she was the best. She smoked us to forgetting the money made by the banks -by fees, overdrafts , credit card interest rates , foreclosures etc etc. But she did have great taste though. The 1% never had it soo good. Wait it was savvy business, toooo bigggg tooooo failllllll. Now, we have a new generation of faux philanthropy, you don't need me to exsplain it to your edumacated readers.

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  3. This is why I love your blog, it brings information to me from places I would not ordinarily look, and takes me places I would not think to go, so thanks!

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    1. Thank you! I try to keep everyone entertained!

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    2. I like your blog too, Meg. Wealth isn't a hard and fast criteria for excellent design and appreciation of finery.

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    3. Thanks, Annie! I used to say I was "poor as a churchmouse", but i still love beautiful things, and it's amazing how many of them i find for very little money in my travels!

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  4. I received copies of the catalogs as well (still no clue who sent them!) and just loved pouring through them. I think her aesthetic is so similar to mine (well, maybe not some of the art) that they're really some of my 'holy grail' books on my shelves; old and a little crusty.

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  5. She had the most amazing collection of painted antique furniture. And art, ceramics, etc. I want her baskets.

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  6. she was a collector alright + wish I could go to the auction. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com

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  7. Just saw the instagram dinner date. Get out-- John Waters!!

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  8. Hi,
    I tried to find the book, How to Collect Things Without Going Overboard, on Amazon and the library website. Are you sure that is the title???
    Thanks,
    Janie Horn

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