"wear the old coat and buy the new book"

One of the most difficult parts of fitting my life into one (ok, two) fifty-pound suitcases for this semester abroad included leaving my beloved book collection at home. The results of decades - literally - of Kaufmann family collecting, my bookshelf is bursting with nineteenth century novels, countless plays and mythology collections, well-loved classics from the library smuggled home by Lillian K, and my grandfather's old Latin textbooks (much to the delight of the Classically-minded man in my life).

Whenever I find myself in need of some escapism, I usually head to my collection, pluck a title from the shelf, and lose myself in its poetry or prose. My collection is nascent but whimsical and deeply personal, so saying goodbye to those deliciously musty pages was harder than I'd anticipated. Unfortunately, my sweaters and wool socks took precedence in the packing process, so most of my titles stayed stateside.

Thus, while frequenting Edinburgh's charity shops for pre-loved garments (see previous thrifting post for more tantalizing details), I've invested in a few new titles to add to my collection when I return home!

My Edinburgh book shelf slash jewelry and perfume storage area!
And yes, mom, that's your sticky note reminding me to eat well peeking out from the bottom right corner ;)

Typical to dorm living, I've learned the fine art of living in and organizing my life around very, very small places. Thus, my books rub shoulders with some family heirlooms, my daily scents, high heels, and a reminder of my favorite UPenn people.

Gucci Guilty perfume (thanks, Mom!), Fragonard's "Belle Cherie" perfume from my latest Paris trip, and my earrings residing in a little crystal goblet I picked up from Shelter Scotland the other day for 50p!
...all perched atop my very first Scotland book purchase, a 1926 copy of The Talisman by Sir Walter Scott

Cynthia Vincent wedges, leather journal from Portobello Road Market in London (purchased during my incredible spring break trip in March), jewelry from both grandmothers, and my favorite personalized piece of art, gifted from the other half of the official UPenn twerk team

I never leave home without mom's old copy of The Prophet, and every good English major knows she must always keep her Norton close-by -- and these old favorites are snuggling in nicely with some new purchases for my Scottish Literature class this semester

Mostly, I've been utilizing the Uni's library for my assigned reading: epistemology textbooks, lots of Hume, Gulliver's Travels, &c. So, my collection here may not be much, but having some timeless words penned by great minds certainly makes this little piece of Scotland feel a bit more like home.

Laur